Help with Lens modification

[Sportera]

I have been toying with a Jupter 8 lens, Ive scuffed it up on the front element around the edges, colored the edges with a black sharpy too but still not getting blurry edges and vignetting a la Holga (on 35mm film)

What specifically would cause the holga effect and can it be duplicated in 35mm, The lens baby is a different effect IMO.

I am experimenting here but could use some advice.

 

[naturephoto1]

Hi Sam,

I have never used a Holga. But to soften the effects of any lens, some photographers have been known to put vaseline on a filter. You may wish to try this and use it perhaps along the edges of the filter and experiment with the filter placed over the lens.

Good luck.

Rich

 

[Dan Fromm]

Sam, not even sandblasting will reduce sharpness very much. Contrast, yes, sharpness not a lot. I say this after trial shots with a 135/4.8 Lustrar whose front cell's rear surface looked sandblasted and with a 210/5.6 Zircon whose front surface is just horrible. The Zircon shots even had good contrast.

Not sure what to suggest besides Rich's vaseline on a filter trick.

Someone used to sell a device called a Vignetta (sic) that was a diaphragm that attached to the front of a lens. Devices like this reduce coverage. Your black sharpie should have had much the same effect, perhaps you didn't darken enough of the front element. Maybe a Vignetta plus vaseline ...

 

[Steve Smith]

What about making up something like the diffusion discs Mamiya use on their soft focus lenses?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...=MADDS150RB&is=REG&Q=&O=productlist&sku=33640


Steve.

 

[Charles Webb]

A clear filter masked in the center with a cut out paper circle. Then mist hair spray lightly over the surface. Remove the mask and see what you get. Works like a "center sharp filter". You may need more or less spray to achieve the degree of diffusion you want, but it will work. Whoops don't like the results, wash the filter and start over.


Charlie.............................

 

[noseoil]

Sam, another option you might try is the Kodak Brownie box camera (mine is the #2, uses 120 film). It has a wonderfully unsharp lens and lacks contrast due to the camera design and uncoated lens. Of course you might go out and just splurge to get a Holga and some tape. tim

 

[derevaun]

The Holga is essentially a point and shoot camera with a smallish aperture (around f/11) and a single element wide angle lens. I'd try to replicate that, by using a simple lens like a meniscus or a double convex magnifying lens to get the edge distortion, and use two or more aperture holes (same basic size) at differrent places in the image path to get the vignetting. Or, use a single element lens with a focal length around 35mm for a small image circle for vignetting. The "loupe" from a TLR viewing hood might be close to that length.

Some people flip the lens on the Brownie Hawkeye to get the soft/distorted edges. It's pretty dramatic on the Hawkeye, but on 35mm film it'd be about as subtle as the early Holgas. Probably too long a focal length to get image circle vignetting though.