Wollensak Varium vs Verito

[cuypers1807]

Should I expect a big difference between a Wollensak Varium and a Verito?
I have the opportunity to buy a 14" Varium but already have a few Veritos and was wondering if it is going to look all that different?

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Both are certainly soft focus lenses, however the Varium is not as soft as the Verito (at similar apertures), and to my eye the Varium has less halation (so, less highlight glow). The Varium is also a bit faster (f3.5 compared to f4), and has a larger image circle (the Verito has a long barrel, which vignettes image size). My 16" Varium at f8 is nether soft (no halation) nor sharp (on 11x14 with diffused light). The 18" Verito I previously owned had equivalent softness at f11, or thereabouts.

I also found that the Varium behaves more consistently when shifting from panchromatic to ortho- or colorblind materials than the Verito. Sometimes I had a focus shift with the Verito, and halation was not quite the same on the ground glass and on the film/plate. So, using early 20th century terms, visual and chemical focus was not always the same on the Verito.

[cuypers1807]

Thanks!