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How to get exposures wide open with soft portrait lenses?

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Those who can answer, pat yourself on the back!

I have a P&S #2 Visual Quality Series IV lens, probably 12" or 13", it's not marked. The front lens is approx 3" in diameter. The exit lens is about 2.75 inches. The lens barrel is ~96mm from the very front to the back of the metal mounting flange for the lens board. The aperture goes from f4-f8 but one could move it to probably f32 or more but there are no markings for that. The lens only opens and closes. I guess in the studio, it was open for 5-20 seconds or more, so that was fine.

I'd like to be able to use the lens in daylight. I am considering what really low speed film for portraits, both B&W and color, is available besides Efke ASA 25 for use with a slow shutter of just 1/25 second. That's what a modern Packard shutter will go to!

Of course I could cut down something like a speed graphic and use the focal plane shutter from that in front of my P&S lens! However, that seems like a nightmare option. I could also use flash but that would be sad!

Asher
 
Get yourself a set of Lee 4" Polyester ND filters and a Lee Gel-Snap for them, and that will give you some control over exposure if you've only got one shutter speed, so you can choose the aperture for its visual effect.

I often use old portrait lenses in the studio with strobes--it's not so sad. With a soft lens, you generally want hard light. Where you might use a contrast ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 with a normal lens, a soft lens will look best with something more like 1:4 or 1:5, so the glow in the highlights will show up against the shadows.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thanks David,

Thought you'd suggest a change in development! I was surprised that you would jump to ND filters.

Asher
 

Jim Galli

Member
AmargosaDreams.jpg

amargosa dreams

Done early AM direct sunlight with 100 asa film f4 14" Verito. An almost identical situation to yours. With a Nikon I would have landed somewhere between 1/250th - 1/500th second at 100 asa f4. The packard will achieve 1/25th. My approach is to take the picture anyway then I do a pull development in Pyrochatecol which is known for cutting off the top end of a straight line curve. I get negatives that print easily on VCFB silver paper, (this looks hotter on this crt this AM than usual) or scanning would be even better. I will admit that these extreme cases with 4 stops overexposure while printable on silver probably are a bit dense for platinum. In open shade mid day with 100 asa film 1/25th is often a fine exposure at about f5.6.

Reed_2s.jpg

Reed #2​

This is an example done in open shade with 100 asa film Packard shutter 1/25th @ f5.6 with a lovely Ross Universal Petzval 18" lens. This neg would print beautifully in Pt/Pd

Sometimes I think the biggest hurdle to overcome is the Ansel Adams Zone system of perfection. With this old stuff you need to set that aside and take the pictures anyway. Use some common sense and let the PyroCat HD do it's part of the magic and you'll get negs that 10,000 other photographers would have walked away from saying it couldn't be done.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jim,

When do you use ND filters oor not at all? Also what brand and glass v plastic? How do they fit on the barrel lens? Does it go on top of the packard.

If I use a 3.5-4.0" Packard for the 3" glass, then I'd need to mount the filter on the Packard mounted on the front of the lens. With a Chamonix front standard, the Packard shutter to cover that lens is larger then the Sinar Board.

Thanks Jim and David!

Asher

Of course, I guess I could screw filters in the rear of the lens.
 

Gary Ayala

New member
If you go with Lee type ND filters ... I believe Cokin are considered higher quality ... although Lee seems to be a better buy.

Gary
 

Jim Galli

Member
So Asher, have you got that lens mounted? and do you like what you see on your little upside down TV set at the back?
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Hi Jim,

The lens is mounted beautifully on a wooden lensboard with slight asymmetry. The board is smaller than a Sinar board by a tad. So I'll have no issue mounting it to a nice Sinar board. Will need to adapt a Packard shutter to the front and then iit has to be large enough so as not to get vignetting. I need to choose a size large enough not to get vignetting. I'd love a setup so I can use the shutter on a number of different old lenses so I need some tube adapter system.

I'm thinking of getting a Packard 6 shutter with Sync.

I am not sure about new v. old. I'd love to get a used one if it is clean and reliable!

Asher
 
Thanks David,

Thought you'd suggest a change in development! I was surprised that you would jump to ND filters.

Asher

Why? A change in development will mainly change the contrast of the negative, not the speed of the film, unless you use a different developer, and then there is less variability there than is usually thought, if you measure film speed in terms of shadow density. Of course ND filters will also work for color.

These lenses often don't have filter threads, so screwmount filters aren't usually an easy option without custom adapters.

Lee resin filters are generally of higher quality than Cokin resin filters, particularly for ND. Cokin ND filters are usually a bit on the warm side. I was recommending Lee Polyester filters, which are thin, lightweight, and inexpensive, which are all advantages since you need large filters for old portrait lenses. Polyester and gelatin filters are more delicate than resin filters, but thinner is better optically, and really, all filters are delicate and need to be handled carefully, and polyester filters are less expensive to replace than high quality resin filters, like Lee or Hi-Tech.

If you can afford 4" glass filters from Formatt or Heliopan, go for it. A set of three will likely cost more than the lens. Here's a source for Formatt--

http://www.2filter.com/Formatt/formatt44.html

So, how do you hold the filter in front of the lens when you don't have normal filter threads? The best option is to use a compendium lens shade that attaches to the camera, with a 4" filter slot. This is what I do, if I'm using my Linhof Technika or Sinar P. If the camera doesn't offer that option, there's the Lee Gel Snap--a device that holds a filter on a lens using a rubber band. It works pretty well, it's cheap, and if you set it to hold the filter flush against the front of the lens, it's even flat. Calumet sells another such device with four spring clips. The last option--tape. Make a couple of little tubes of gaffer's tape about the diameter of a pencil, put one on each side of the front of the lens barrel, and tape the filter on both sides. Use four pieces of tape if it's a large resin filter. If it's an expensive glass filter, use something more sturdy.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
David,

Thanks for all the options! The lens does have a filter thread both ends. Size seems to be 86mm internal and add 1mm for tube external thickness. So external diameter is ~88mm both ends.

Maybe I could find an adapter to the 100mm Lee filter holder size and use it at the rear of the lens.

Asher
 
Well, you could be lucky, but you might check an 86mm filter on that, because it's often close to something standard, but not exact, and the thread pitch may be different from a modern filter.
 
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