12" f 4.5 Dallmeyer serrac

Hello all,

I acquired this lens in from KEH last year in "ugly" condition (it was!). I think I paid about $50 for it. It was so hazy that it was difficult to see through the lens at all!

After reading many posts on cleaning lenses, and trying all sorts of glass cleaners, I tried ponds cold cream to a small section. It worked! The haze seemed to be confined to the outer surfaces (front and rear) and it is gone - I hope it wasn't the coating...

Now I want to try the lens on my Calumet C-1 with the 5X7 back for portraits. No shutter, the lens is in barrel. No soft focus on it either.

Would this be good for portraits? I figure the 12" lens with the 5X7 back, I can get good head and shoulder portraits.

Thanks for reading this and I appreciate any suggestions for the lens and it's use with no shutter.

--John

It's a good focal length - but the Serrac is a Tessar (IIRC), and may be sharper than you would like.

Maybe you shouldn't have cleaned it...

Ole said:

It's a good focal length - but the Serrac is a Tessar (IIRC), and may be sharper than you would like.

Maybe you shouldn't have cleaned it...

Click to expand...

Ole, thanks for the information. It was really bad. It almost looked like fungus but there was no etching of the glass.

--John