Re: [Largeformat] Wollensak Soft Focus Studio Lens

["Loren Wohlgemuth" <Loren@mnb.com>]

Gentlemen,
I've been enjoying your reparte' regarding the Wollensak lense.  I've recently acquired an older 5x7 Agfa camera with the same lense but, alas, no shutter.  There was evidently a Packard shutter mounted at one time.  I'm in the process of looking for a suitable Packard replacement.  Can't wait to try it.

Loren

>>> Clive Warren <cocam@cableinet.co.uk> 04/13 1:07 PM >>>
At 6:30 pm -0700 12/4/00, Les Newcomer wrote:

>Clive Warren wrote:
snip
>> Have any of you used such a beast and if so do you have any guidelines
>> for
>> using the 0 to 5 soft focus settings?  Have been fairly lucky in that
>> the
>> shutter/aperture mechanism in the shutter is working well.  Will
>> probably
>> be using the setup for studio portraiture using flash heads so the
>> lack of
>> any shutter speed control is not an issue.
>>
>> Guess they were designed when film speeds were very slow..... does
>> anyone
>> know when they were produced?
>
>I believe the 20s and 30s, I'm not sure there is a flash sync on the
>shutter, so you will have to open flash. Studio shutters have only one
>speed Bulb.  As far as the soft focus goes,  For any given number, the
>more you stop down, the less the soft focus effect is.
>When I use my Unar, another portrait lens, I usually shoot at 4.5 -8
>rarely  beyond that, and I simply tested the heck out of the
>'fuzzilator' until I knew what I was doing,  I usually  to mine one  to
>1.5 numbers off of sharp.  Focus on the eyes on the nose. I found my
>camera works best when photographing the subject in open shade in a park
>where the north light is the main light.  I shoot tmax 400 and on bright
>sunny days I will raise and lower the lens cap as fast as possible
>(1/25")  on cloudy days I will 'flop' my wrist down and back up (1/3")
>I tested this with a Calumet shutter tester and it's reasonable
>accurate.-- but I wouldn't try shooting chromes like this.
>
>Since the shutter is bulb, take Westons advice and "expose until you
>think the subject is going to move".

snip

Hello Les,

Thanks for the dates - guessed that it was probably around the 20s. My
guess is that the lens has been with the camera for some time and probablu
used as a portrait rig.

Was thinking about using f8 or f11 as a starting point. The aperture circle
tends to become much less circle-like as you stop down past f22 anyway -
the shutter and aperture blades are one and the same.

Thanks for the pointers on the fuzzilator - guess I'll be doing a range of
test shots with some FP4. Love your description of shutter control - also
have a Calumet tester so will start practicing :-)  There is a cable
release so will probably use the onboard shutter rather than the hat
initially.

Weston was probably right about exposure with the slow films he used. One
of my daydreams is to travel the South West in a station wagon with room
for a tripod on the roof :-)

How well do you think the lens is corrected for colour work with fuzzilator
on zero?





All the best,

            Clive    http://www.cocam.co.uk 
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