Haze on soft focus lenses?

[harlequin]

Hello Team,

Looking at some medium format soft.focus lenses for portraits..

I can purchase a good grade of lens for say $200, howevwe I can find the exact lens with some haze for about $85.

Question, since it’s dedicated soft focus lens, I would think the haze would only enhance the soft focus effect?

Not trying to be a cheapskate, however could mild haze be tolerated in this instance?

Thanks for your feedback!

Harlequin

 

[grain elevator]

Haze doesn't so much soften focus as it gives veiling flare. If you want that, go for it (or gamble on being able to clean it).

 

[wiltw]

Tiffen (the filter company) offered software that does the following:
"Full Filter List

Ambient Light, Auto Adjust, Black and White, Black/White Looks, Black Diffusion/FX, Black Pro-Mist, Bleach Bypass, Blur, Bronze Glimmerglass, Center Spot, Chromatic Aberration, Close-Up Lens, Color Correct, Color-Grad, Color Infrared, Color Looks, Color Shadow, Color Spot, Cool Pro-Mist, Cross Processing, Day for Night, DeBand, DeBlock, DeFog, DeFringe, DeNoise, Depth of Field, Diffusion, Dot, Double Fog, Dual Grad, Edge Glow, Enhancing, Eye Light, Faux Film, Film Stocks, Flag, Flashing, Fluorescent, Fog, F-Stop, Gels, Glimmerglass, Glow, Glow Darks, Gobo, Gold Diffusion/FX, Gold Reflector, Grain, Halo, Haze, HDTV/FX, High Contrast, HFX Star, Ice Halos, Infrared, Kelvin, Key Light, Lens Distortion, Levels, Light, Low Contrast, Match, Mono Tint, ND-Grad, Night Vision, Nude/FX, Old Photo, Overexpose, Ozone, Paint, Pencil, Photographic, Polarizer, Printer Points, Pro-Mist, Rack Focus, Radial Exposure, Rainbow, Rays, ReLight, Selective Color Correct, Selective Saturation, Sepia, Sharpen, Sky, Silver Reflector, Smoque, Soft Contrast, Soft/FX, Soft Light, Split Field, Split Tone, Star, Streaks, Strip Grad, Sunset/Twilight, Telecine, Temperature, Texture, Three Strip, Tint, Two Strip, Ultra Contrast, Vari-Star, Vignette, 812 Warming, Warm Black Pro-Mist, Warm Center Spot, Warm Polarizer, Warm Pro-Mist, Warm Soft/FX, Water Droplets, Wide Angle Lens, and X-Ray.
​

I have this software, which I purchased (at a significant discount after it had been discontinued by Tiffen) in order to compare software-generated effects vs. a variety of 'soft filters' (various mesh density and color, mini surface lenticular filter, genuine Softar, etc.) which I have not yet done a full set of tests. But I have one informal shot of my 97yo mother, and provide 1) that shot unaltered, then 2) applied thru the Tiffen SoftFx software, and 3) the Tiffen Haze software.

I generally like the Soft Fx actual filters in various grades, for removing some of the skin wrinkles without excessive general deterioration of detail, such as the hair. This software-generated effect seems very reminiscent to use of the filter set, but I should shoot a series, without filter and then with various SoftFx filters, and other soft filters that I have, and then apply the software to the unfiltered shot to compare directly with the real filters over the lens.

I do not like the Tiffen Haze software filter effect, particularly because it seems to enhance saturation with increasing filter intensity, rather than increasing a haze/softer contrast effect...odd?!

You could also experiment simply by huffing on the surface of a filter, shortly before taking a shot, and again after 5 seconds and the fogged filter is partially clearing.

 

[AnselMortensen]

Haze tends to reduce contrast via flare.
Depending on your lighting, lens hood/ gobo use, etc., it might work out....only you can decide if the image quality is acceptable to you.
Some haze can be removed by cleaning, some can't...it depends on the lens construction.