This is a sweet lens.  It's just a lot of fun to use.  It's light and small for a change, and there is no aperture, so you find your best focus compromise and your decisions are finished.

'36 Desoto

It is different from any of the other soft lenses I've experimented with.  A respected source in UK told me not to bother looking for a Plasticca, that it was a POS etc etc.  I'm very glad I didn't listen.  (Do I ever listen??)  In any case, it can be quite sharp in the center and then it goes to pieces fairly rapidly as you radiate out from the axis.  But not like a Petzval.  I think it has a fine look.

thomas script, 1907 thomas flyer that won the new york to paris race in 1908

From a series of images made with a Karl Struss Pictorial lens.  It is easy to understand why a pictorialist might have chosen this lens in 1915 and never looked further.  It is one of the finest lenses I've ever used.

These 2 photos are a departure for me.  Instead of using a classic soft focus lens, I've enlarged sharp negatives with a soft lens to get this glowing effect.

At the Getty

This was done with my little 1920 ish 6X9 cm Contessa sproting a Turner Reich 6 1/2" lens.  The neg is quite sharp.  The 11X14 enlargement was where it got the soft glow.

Likewise, this is about a 3X4 inch section of a larger 8X10 neg enlaged and softened at the time of enlargement to 11X14.

white roses

Same lens as below.  I'm having some fun with this one.  It really has a nice softness.  These were wet with the soaking that So. Cal. got on Wednesday before thanksgiving.  I took this Thanksgiving day.

My wifes dad, Fred Gray.  Mystery Lens about f8

overgrown window

This was done today back home in Tonopah.  Mystery Lens about f6.  This is a complex image.  I can't wait to hold a real print in my hands.

Deardorff 4X5 Special

Who knew.  I bought a brass pile of junk a couple of years ago to get the size 4 brass Studio Shutter.  It was a weird mess.  Layed out like a petzval but obviously missing parts and mis-matched.  Today I thought to remove the rear group and put the front doublet in the back like a landscape meniscus.  Good call.  It now focuses at 13" f4 and has a wonderful look on the glass.  Very soft wide open but this was stopped down to about f11.  I have no idea what it is / was!