OK all ye Verito enthusiasts out there, I have a dumb question for you! Last summer I acquired a Wollensak "Verito Diffused Focus 11 1/2 in. f/4" portrait lens (from the usual source ), or so it says on the mount surrounding the front element! On the glossy black barrel, it states "Versar Portrait & View F-6 11x14". It's mounted in a "Studio Shutter" which appears not to be too functional. As far as I can tell, the diaphragm blades are also supposed to serve as shutter blades, which might be okay except they don't close completely. There's a brass stud on the rear of the shutter that must be shifted to restore the diaphragm to full open. I've had no experience with shutters of this kind; it may or may not be repairable, but at worst I have here a nice barrel portrait lens. The optics are exceptionally well preserved -- crystal clear and lovely.
BUT - the diaphragm starts at f/6, not f/4. And I'm quite puzzled by the information on the side of the barrel. Portrait lenses of less than 12 inches EFL don't normally cover 11 x 14 inch format. F-6 may or may not be a model designation. I can't find a serial number on the lens barrel, though there is a 4-digit number engraved on the rim of the shutter.
Help me out, you Verito experts! Does this lens really cover 11 x 14, even at portrait distances? If not, what do you say about the discrepancy 'twixt barrel and front-element info? When I held this baby up to the front of my Century WP, the gg view was so SOFT I couldn't really tell if anything was in focus or not. Do you suppose someone stuck the wrong front group onto this shutter, or what? The whole unit LOOKS rather well-preserved, especially the optics, as I said. (Wish I had my darkroom set up so I could see what happens on film!)
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