Any users of a 10"f5 Conley series II Portrait lens

[JLP]

A Conley Series II Portrait lens 10"f5 in a studio shutter that need some attention just briefly came up on the auction site, i am now a bit exited to get my hands on it. It is supossedly in beautiful condition.
After what i can read it is most likely a rebranded Wollensak Vesta Portrait lense which i believe is a Petzval?

Any of you using one of these and can share your experiences?

Thanks.
jan

 

[jimgalli]

That's a beauty Jan! Yes it's a Wolly Vesta rebranded basically, and yes, a Petzval type. You'll have a ball playing with that. Post some results for us. In my gallery here the pics of the little cars were done with a Petzval of that focal length. The studio shutters usually need very little to get them quite useable again.

 

[Rolleiflexible]

You lucky devil. I've been hunting for a ten-inch Vesta in shutter for a 5x7 Deardorff -- you got a great lens at a bargain price. I have a similar lens -- a ten-inch Hermagis Portrait Lens in barrel, and it's a fantastic piece of glass. If you decide it doesn't work for you, PLEASE send it my way. Sanders

 

[JLP]

Thanks very much Jim and Sanders, thought that was to good a deal to sit on for more than a few seconds. Sanders, hope one will come your way soon.
Jim, can you dig one out for Sanders?

Thanks again.
jan

 

[Wayne R. Scott]

Jan,

Now this is the proper way to point out good deals on e-bay!! No price spikes from snipers.

I had Carol Flutot rework a Studio No. 5 for me. I bought mine on a Vitax 16" from Goodwill. BwaaaaHHaaHaaa!.

Good buy there buddy.

Wayne

 

[JLP]

Wayne,
Thanks.. From Goodwill wow that's a new one to me.
Carol have done magic to a few of my shutters so i'm sure this Studio will go there too.
Now i need to buy a 5x7 to put it on

 

[athanasius80]

Use it on an 8x10 and get very Sworlly bokeh.
I have the same lens, although mine is probably a Bausch & Lomb.
Enjoy!

 

[athanasius80]

Here's a sample. 8x10 cropped down about 1/4. The lens will cover a full 8x10. Pardon the crappy scan, its my Dad's fax machine.

 

[JLP]

Very nice, flowers at the center before cropping?
Just getting the shutter to work and the glass is, without a mark.
My favorite already.

Thanks.
jan

 

[athanasius80]

The flowers were just off center to the lower right. I made the print at school in 10 minutes and there was an embarassingly bad smudge on the top left, so I cheated. Plus the file was huge unedited.

BTW. That was shot at f8, it gets noticeably fuzzier wide open at f5.

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

I've been shooting a similar lens (I'm guessing the focal length is somewhere in the 12"-14" range), a Seneca Portrait 6 1/2 x 8 1/2, F5, which sure seems like the Wolly Vesta. BTW - if yours is truly a Vesta copy, it is also a convertible - use the rear element alone and I think you'll be somewhere around an 18" f11.

 

[JLP]

Interesting, as soon as i get a converter lensboard (6x6 to 4x4) i will check it out. Don't have bellows enough otherwise to check it.
Does coverage change using the rear element alone?
Thanks for the tip.

jan

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Interesting, as soon as i get a converter lensboard (6x6 to 4x4) i will check it out. Don't have bellows enough otherwise to check it.
Does coverage change using the rear element alone?
Thanks for the tip.

jan

coverage should increase substantially.

 

[iogdka]

12" f/5.6 version

Old thread, but I found a slightly longer version of this Conley Portrait lens. It should be interesting to try. I have a 7" Busch Petzval, a 8.25" Heliar and a 9.5" Velostigmat II but no portrait lens in this length.

Has anyone had more experience in the last couple of years since this thread was started?