Reinhold Schable's Wollaston Meniscus Lens!

[Andrew O'Neill]

I've owned this lens for several years now, but have not really played around with it much... until now. I loved the results so much, that I made a Salt print from one of the x-ray negatives...

 

[Kino]

Great to see you charging ahead with so many uncertainties and obtaining useful results!

Thanks for this video.

 

[Pioneer]

I have a 500mm meniscus I picked up a couple of years ago. I am still practicing with it. This is one my 11x14s. Not great but I am learning.

 

[MattKing]

Andrew,
Would you have had more success with the short exposure times if you were wearing shorts?

IIRC, you were using a Wollaston Meniscus lens here. Is it the same one?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Andrew,
Would you have had more success with the short exposure times if you were wearing shorts?
View attachment 373181
IIRC, you were using a Wollaston Meniscus lens here. Is it the same one?

It is! Now that I have a better understanding of the lens, the lighting in the scene above wasn't the best. At least the exposures were longer... I remember using it a few times. A photograph of my daughter in the back yard, our broken wheelbarrow... that's about it. Good grief look at those shorts! Thankfully, they've gone to the tip! And I've replaced that old mingy vest! Picked up a nice one in Japan last Summer.

 

[pentaxuser]

Surely this is the sort of video that Andrew needs to be dressed very formally in Victorian garb complete with a top hat and taking a family( in Victorian dress also) photograph in the garden while a few ladies "take tea" shaded by parasols

Kids love this kind of thing and once in the "spirit of the day" I bet they can stay still longer than Andrew needs the lens open for

The National Trust do this kind of thing on certain days at Lacock Abbey, home of Henry Fox-Talbot while throwing in the odd "I say" and " 'pon my soul". Everything is of course done "graciously and with decorum"

pentaxuser

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Surely this is the sort of video that Andrew needs to be dressed very formally in Victorian garb complete with a top hat and taking a family( in Victorian dress also) photograph in the garden while a few ladies "take tea" shaded by parasols

Kids love this kind of thing and once in the "spirit of the day" I bet they can stay still longer than Andrew needs the lens open for

The National Trust do this kind of thing on certain days at Lacock Abbey, home of Henry Fox-Talbot while throwing in the odd "I say" and " 'pon my soul". Everything is of course done "graciously and with decorum"

pentaxuser

I'll have to raid the drama department's wardrobe of clothing that would be fitting of the time! I'll need an old pipe, too.

 

[Ben 4]

Is the highlight glow we see in the wide-open shot characteristic of meniscus lenses? When you initially showed the negatives, I dismissed that one as hopelessly fuzzy, but thought it was the most intriguing of the positive images. Like you, I wondered whether 5.6 might be a sweet spot.

--Ben

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Is the highlight glow we see in the wide-open shot characteristic of meniscus lenses? When you initially showed the negatives, I dismissed that one as hopelessly fuzzy, but thought it was the most intriguing of the positive images. Like you, I wondered whether 5.6 might be a sweet spot.

--Ben

Yes, it is a characteristic, and highly attractive one. I think the sweet spot is indeed f/5.6 and f/8.

 

[John Wiegerink]

This has got my juices flowing and I think I'm going to load up my 1898 Cyclone No.5 4X5 drop-plate box camera and use it over the 4th holiday. I've converted it to 4X5 sheet film and it has a pretty good achromatic meniscus lens. 12 shots on one loading ought to cover the weekend. Last time I used the camera I remember people coming up to me and saying, "my father/mother had a box camera too, but I sure don't remember it being that BIG". Now, all I have to do is find my shorts and vest like Andy is wearing to make things work.

 

[lobitar]

Another great video, thank you very much! Couple of questions: How do you rate the x-ray film? Do you refocus the meniscus after change of stops?

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Another great video, thank you very much! Couple of questions: How do you rate the x-ray film? Do you refocus the meniscus after change of stops?

I'm using double-sided, green latitude x-ray film. I rate it at EI 80. I find it quite difficult to focus this lens wide open. You have to focus in the middle, even then, it's tricky. Sticking in the f/8 or f/11 helps, and then focussing, helps. That's a great question, and I wish I had addressed it in the video!

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

This has got my juices flowing and I think I'm going to load up my 1898 Cyclone No.5 4X5 drop-plate box camera and use it over the 4th holiday. I've converted it to 4X5 sheet film and it has a pretty good achromatic meniscus lens. 12 shots on one loading ought to cover the weekend. Last time I used the camera I remember people coming up to me and saying, "my father/mother had a box camera too, but I sure don't remember it being that BIG". Now, all I have to do is find my shorts and vest like Andy is wearing to make things work.

I would love to see some images made with that camera!
I binned all those baggy shorts. My wife said they're out of fashion

 

[lobitar]

I'm using double-sided, green latitude x-ray film. I rate it at EI 80. I find it quite difficult to focus this lens wide open. You have to focus in the middle, even then, it's tricky. Sticking in the f/8 or f/11 helps, and then focussing, helps. That's a great question, and I wish I had addressed it in the video!

Thank you! Your modus-operandi seems to be quite practical. In fact I seem to remember I have an large old lens somewhere, that I've learned to focus at abt 8 and then open op to 4.5 for a nice softy focus.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Thank you! Your modus-operandi seems to be quite practical. In fact I seem to remember I have an large old lens somewhere, that I've learned to focus at abt 8 and then open op to 4.5 for a nice softy focus.

That's a great idea. Makes it easier, as it is one of two things I find challenging with this lens. Good exposure can be a problem when they're shorter than a second, and focussing. I'm thinking of investing in an ND filter for it...

 

[John Wiegerink]

This has got my juices flowing and I think I'm going to load up my 1898 Cyclone No.5 4X5 drop-plate box camera and use it over the 4th holiday. I've converted it to 4X5 sheet film and it has a pretty good achromatic meniscus lens. 12 shots on one loading ought to cover the weekend. Last time I used the camera I remember coming up to me and saying, "my father/mother had a box camera too, but I sure don't remember it being that BIG". Now, all I have to do is find my shorts and vest like Andy is wearing to make things work.

I would love to see some images made with that camera!
I binned all those baggy shorts. My wife said they're out of fashion

Andy,
I like those cargo shorts, fashion or not. They have so many pockets it makes carrying gear and a light meter easy. Andy, I'm already plotting out subjects to shoot with my old box camera and one subject is right up your alley. The only problem with the Cyclone No.5 is that it has a fixed-focus lens, which means in order to make sure you have things in focus or close to it, you must stop down more than I would like. By stopping down more I would not have as much "glow" in the highlights, but we'll see. Another problem is guessing the single shutter speed and also what the f-stops are on the moveable plate. I'm going to use HP5+ and some UFG film developer I have mixed up to do a practice run tomorrow before I go whole hog. Should be interesting.

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Andy,
I like those cargo shorts, fashion or not. They have so many pockets it makes carrying gear and a light meter easy. Andy, I'm already plotting out subjects to shoot with my old box camera and one subject is right up your alley. The only problem with the Cyclone No.5 is that it has a fixed-focus lens, which means in order to make sure you have things in focus or close to it, you must stop down more than I would like. By stopping down more I would not have as much "glow" in the highlights, but we'll see. Another problem is guessing the single shutter speed and also what the f-stops are on the moveable plate. I'm going to use HP5+ and some UFG film developer I have mixed up to do a practice run tomorrow before I go whole hog. Should be interesting.

I definitely could get a lot in all those pockets. Always had to make sure I had my belt on.. and on tight! Once I forgot the belt, and spent most of my time focussing, pulling up shorts, focussing, pulling up shorts...

 

[lobitar]

That's a great idea. Makes it easier, as it is one of two things I find challenging with this lens. Good exposure can be a problem when they're shorter than a second, and focussing. I'm thinking of investing in an ND filter for it...

A ND filter should be great. I have to admit I mostly use my Sinar shutter, although at present only for 4x5. By the way your exposures seemed to be surprisingly good; or perhaps this shuld be 'unsurprisingly' for the master phogographer?

 

[Reinhold]

Developing by Inspection is an important tool in learning how to use these lenses. Andy's uniform density is testimony to learning the skill. Slow film speed and/or using ND filters, even shooting paper negatives (which equals really slooow speed) makes controlling exposures a lot easier~

Thanks. Andy

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Developing by Inspection is an important tool in learning how to use these lenses. Andy's uniform density is testimony to learning the skill. Slow film speed and/or using ND filters, even shooting paper negatives (which equals really slooow speed) makes controlling exposures a lot easier~

Thanks. Andy

Nice to see you, Reinhold! Are you still selling your lenses? I've been thinking about getting something for the 14x17...

 

[Reinhold]

Hi Andy,
I'm still ticking, but at 89 it's just a bit slower...
Us old timers like to play with our old toys...
My lathe still works, it's ready for action~
I'm getting a fair bit of action from Europe lately.

Re-Invented Photo Equipment

 

[Andrew O'Neill]

Hi Andy,
I'm still ticking, but at 89 it's just a bit slower...
Us old timers like to play with our old toys...
My lathe still works, it's ready for action~
I'm getting a fair bit of action from Europe lately.

Re-Invented Photo Equipment

Excellent! Glad you are busy!