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Nicola Perscheid
A lens I never expected to own! The Nicola Perscheid was made by Busch Rathenow to Mr. Perscheid's specifications for portraiture. It is the same formula, modified Rapid Rectilinear, as The Pinkham Smith Series IV and the Hermagis Eidoscop. Prices have been notoriously high because Europe recognizes them as a notable classic over our American lenses.
Last week a 42cm became available and the seller was anxious to work with me because he was worried about a tiny couple of spots of fungus on one of the inner surfaces. He offered an attractive price and a 2 day money back guarantee. When I got it I knew immediately it would be a keeper. The fungus had not attacked the glass and it soaked right off. 42cm is a nice size. It's at home both on the 11X14 and the 8X10! These first 2 contact prints I'll share are from the 11X14 camera. The lamp shot was at f5.6 and the shoes at f4.5
the lamp
tired shoes
Comments always welcome. These are just a surface scratch as most of these test shots are. The lens has so many more possibilities. I'm anxious to get a human in front of this and the Pinkham Series 1 lenses both.
Jim Galli
3 Comments
Reader Comments (3)
There is a great variation between all the old SF lenses and this one seems to have a particular crispness with very rapid fall off. I like the look, especially the way it has handled the brass of the lamp.
Lucky you !!
Steve
Yes, I consider myself very lucky to have been blessed with so much neat old glass! Yes, you're right, I think perhaps it is sharper wide open than the others. It falls off so quick because of the extremely shallow depth of field. For a portrait without quite as much bellows it might be somewhat easier to keep the tip of the nose to the eyes in the zone.
Excellent Jim...........particularly the shot of the boots. In terms of what Steve has said, I believe that these lenses are all individually quite variable in their renderings depending on the light.
Having said that, looking at the lamp shot, there doesn't seem to be the usual halation/rings around the highligts that come w/these lenses although they may be there and blended in with a lighter background.
General character is at the opposite end of t he spectrum from the Verito. I agree, sharper at the plane of focus, w/abrupt fall-off