Originally Posted by
Louis Pacilla
The Cooke Portrait lens is much like Vitax & Dallmeyer and Velostigmat II (without uncorking) only or mostly makes center portion of the image circle "less" sharp and that blends the super sharp center with the far less sharp outer parts of the image. doing away with some of the retouching. It does NOT produce diffusion and the atmosphere(not much anyhow) that lenses like the Struss,P&S I II II IV V,Verito, Gundlach Achromatic Portrait & Hyperion, Kodak Portrait, Imagon, Plastigmat Portrait, Kalostat, Bodine and so on which are Pictorial photographers tools of choice. They are different animals. Both types are/can be superb portrait lenses they just have different looks.
Set the amount of softness "less central sharpness" then focus and use your movements on the camera to place the plane of focus in the best position stop down a touch if needed & then sqweeze the bulb.
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