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Glass Lid - 305mm Kodak Portrait
I haven't done a thing to this shot, I left it in color since the Kodak has a 'Lumenized' coating, and I think the departure for this lens versus the other S/F lenses excluding the Cooke PS945 is obviously it's coating.
I've got the feeling I'll have a long wait in terms of shooting the rest of the images I plan to do for my 'Blask Mask' project, which is usual, so I did this shot to keep loose and to see how the Kodak compares to the other S/F glass out there.
Whatever you want to call this glass, it's essentially later iteration of a Pinkham Semi-Achromatic w/coating, and w/a coating it will be more forgiving than the uncoated and less forgiving Pinkhams. Said another way, playing around w/your lighting, the kodaks 'Lumenized' coating will cut you some slack if you're trying to tone down halation, whereas using an uncoated Pinkham helps to play up flare if that's your choice.
This is backlit with illumination coming through a window which has silk draped over it. I've got the lid to my Apothecare jar sitting on a glass bowl which is on my posing stool. It was shot wide open and the shutter was set to 1/25 sec. This particular lighting set-up seems to agree w/the kodak personality and I love the 'smooth clarity' and 'sparkly' aspect of this shot. 'Pearlescence' again comes to mind w/this shot and w/this lens.
It is elegant in its treatment of the background. This was one particular lighting set-up, from experimenting w/diff lighting set-ups I can tell that you'll be able to get plenty of glow/halation if you want it, as w/the Pinkhams and other glass.
Where this lens will shine(ahem!!), is in the indirect/subdued/low intensity envelope illumination wise, where you want sparkle in the highlights while still retaining some detail(or the illusion of it) and and very little or no halation.
On one end of the spectrum in terms of a look, you have the Cooke PS945/Kodak Portrait/Pinkham VQ-IV, and then the Pinkham Semi-Achromatics/Verito/Struss glass on the other end w/'balls out softness' and a tremendous amount halation if you want it.
Anyway, that's my take on it. Each of these lenses has a personality/signature, the 305mm Kodak Portrait lens has the market cornered on the 'pearlescent' look and it can do this look w/crystal clarity.
Jonathan Brewer
3 Comments
Reader Comments (3)
Wide open -- wow. It is so sharp soft smooth -- all wrapped up in one. Does it loose that quality as you stop down?
So many lenses -- so little money !!
Steve
Just a secondary thought -- the Verito on 5x4 stopped down to about 8 - 11 on a similar subject has a similar [?] look. Or am I just dreaming :)
What's up Steve!!
It's my very first shot, so I don't know what changes happen as you stop down, I'll have to try that. As far as the look @ wideopen under this type of illumination, this is a very forgiving lens, and this would be a perfect lens for the uninitiated to start out shooting w/a S/F lens.
Having said that, the paradox is that I think you learn more w/overcoming difficulty than when things are easy. I say that since out of sheer chance, and the order in which I acquired these lenses, I had to learn initially on both the P&S Semi-Achromatic Doublet Series III and Series I, which I had to problem solve to great lengths before I was going to get anything. I gradually began to learn things that I don't know I would've picked up if things had been made easy for me.
As far as stopping down the uncoated Verito to get into the ballpark of what this looks like wideopen w/a coating, it makes sense. Thinking about your question and the Verito I remember George Bogatko's shot inside a railcar where the lighting is subdued and the Verito giving a good account of itself w/this type of set-up.
I don't understand why the Kodak logo/adaptor ring has 4.8 engraved on it as if this is as wide as you can go....... this is the same shutter as my other Universal #5 and the aperture ring does open up past the 4.8 engraving so it's really F4.5 on this shutter, not F4.8. Go figure.
Take care