Pictorial Lens

outwest · Apr 13, 2008

Not from the little green men! It took me a long time to find an old brass lens that wasn't tack sharp but didn't have swirly corners or a sharp center fading to softness at the edges. Rather, one that had the overall look of a pinhole but at f/11. The lens is unmarked, made for waterhouse stops which I don't have and probably wouldn't use. It is about 180mm and covers 4x5. I use it on a Speed Graphic. This is the first time I've tried to load a photo here so please cut me some slack. Oh, and this is just a work 8x10 scanned at 100dpi so if someone has a better way, I'd like to hear about it.

rwyoung · Apr 13, 2008

You could always make one (Anchor Optical, etc) :

(there was a url link here which no longer exists)

and

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I've since printed Becky's portrait on Ilford WT and it worked great! The scanner I used was never meant for negatives and so the scan is muddier than the final print was. Don't have the print to scan. Sorry.

outwest · Apr 14, 2008

Perhaps, but the examples you've given don't have the classic pictorial look I was after. They grow increasingly softer away from the center, which I would class as a portrait lens effect, and the OOF is not particularly smooth in my thinking. But, I'm sure the effort was fun and that is half of it!

rwyoung · Apr 14, 2008

Add f-stop. These were wide open.

outwest · Nov 17, 2008

After seeing the book "Pictorialism in California", I finally had a chance to try the lens out on a classic pictorialist subject: San Juan Capistrano. These were on FP4+ with a green filter at 1/30 second in my Speed Graphic. The lens, the unmarked brassie 190mm f/11, was, of course, wide open.

Barry S · Nov 17, 2008

Cool, those definitely have the classic pictorial look. I see some texture going on aside form the effects of the lens--are you using paper negs or some other techniques to get the look you want?

outwest · Nov 17, 2008

I suppose you are seeing the surface of the paper. Otherwise, straight prints from the 4x5 negs using a 135mm Componon-S on the FOMA warmtone paper toned in thiocarbamide.

removed account4 · Nov 17, 2008

a meniscus lens might give a similar effect.
often they were "optimized" for a certain distance
away from the camera, and if the subject is beyond
the sweet spot, it is kind of like what you have uploaded
(but obviously a bit different ) ...

love the look of your photographs!

john

outwest · Nov 17, 2008

Thanks, John. This appears to be a Rapid Rectilinear by construction, but a slow one at f/11. Compared to all my other RR's, it definitely has different characteristics. I really don't notice these effects on the GG. I had 1 hour and 6 sheets of film at Capistrano so it was kind of a mad rush. I'm on my way to the darkroom now to print the 3 others (I blew the first one.)

removed account4 · Nov 17, 2008

i have a lens harvested off a folder .. it had an aperture that
was a funnel shaped convex thingy, that screwed in the front of the lens.
it increased the fstop from about f4 or 5 to f11 or 16 .. and gave a sweet smooth
look like yours. it looks like you made a great find!
you might also try using it as your enlarging lens too
i've printed a few thing with my meniscus and it gives a nice smooth look as well ..

john

seawolf66 · Nov 20, 2008

Outwest: You should look at other older lenses Like maybe a Planatograph F-8 4x5 approx 195 mm : see attached foto shot at F-32 on FP-4

outwest · Nov 21, 2008

Nice shots, Lauren. I have plenty of other older lenses - all sharp! It's hard to find a soft one.

seawolf66 · Nov 21, 2008

outwest what you see is shot at f-32 , not ab le to get my F-8 shots at the moment since I am packing for a move
at F-8 its about as soft as it gets and still have some detail , all I can say is have fun with soft lenses :

Pictorial Lens

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