Unless I have a terrific brainstorm between now and when I return this gem back to Santa Claus, these will be my first and last images from the Semi Achromatic Series I.  The Semi Achromatic are/have been very hard on my now 60yr old eyes.  I'm just now snapping out of about a 4 day headache from doing the last of these shots.  It's strange, I don't get headaches right after I shoot, they wait a day and then go crazy on me.  All in all though, Jim having the kindness to loan this lens to me was a blessing.  Again, thanks Jim.

My observations are that the Series I gives an image a sparkle and excitement that's the best of what the Pinkhams are all about.

The first of the 3 shots 'Apothecary' refers to the Apothecary type jars that pharmicists used to use to stockpile and separate their chemicals/various sundries.  This was shot @F11 because shooting wideopen produced nothing but detailess white.   A point of interest is that I used a beauty light from behind to illuminate the jar, but what you're seeing behind the jar is an almost perfectly formed disc of flare produced by the lens which obscures the light.

Metal Bowl was exposed between F6-8. and this was shot w/Ilford FP4.

Ever hear the phrase 'A light went on in my head' when somebody refers to the seemingly spontaneous generation of an idea?   This is what I was thinking of when I did this shot.   This is a 25 watt lightbulb.  exp. was also halfway bet. F6-8.   I used up my last 2 sheets of Polaroid doing this shot.  I sick about running out of Polaroid, but happy it was used up on this shot.

Some of you will be shocked by what this lens did to this image.  Well............ Jim Galli won't be shocked, because he knows which lens it is, hopefully he'll stay 'mum' until everybody guesses.  Which lens it it???   I give you some hints:  It isn't a Pinkham & Smith, not a Verito, not a Universal Heliar, not a Taylor-Hobson-Cooke 'knuckler'.

Besides me, Jim Galli has one, Steve Nichols has one, and the lens is very common, very cheap,  a different brand of the same lens formula as this lens usually sells for up to TEN TIMES what this lens sells for. 

I took this shot w/the lens slightly modified, a modification I did a number of years ago when I first got this lens which was my first 'Classic Lens', and they've talked of this modification on the other forums as if it were a new discovery, 'ah well', so be it.

I uploaded this image to show that this lens under certain conditions/lighting set-ups, can rival anything the Pinkhams and all the other high priced classics can do.  It would be the first lens I'd recommend for someone starting out w/classic lenses, which as everybody here knows have a learning curve.  

After doing the shot '3 Glasses' w/my P&S Semi-Achromatic, I left the light set-up in place, and placed 3 shot glasses(shot glasses for measuring out alcohol for mixed drinks) on the brushed aluminum, and changed to this lens.  I was both pleasantly surprised and but also shocked at what I saw on the groundglass which is what you see here.

I'm sure you folks will guess the answer fairly quickly, and hopefully, folks who peruse this from outside the site, will be intrigued by, and find renewed interest in this lens. 

Take care

This is my last still life to date w/the Semi-Achromatic.  It's a long tall slender glass flower vase lying on its side on brushed aluminum.  I didn't set out for it to look like this but after setting up the shot, I looked through the groundglass and this is what I saw.  This was shot w/the SA wideopen @4.5. 

I called this shot 'Chemical Focus' because I focus on the rim of the glass closest to the camera, but more was in focus that what I saw on the groundglass. 

I gotta comment on what Steve Nichols said on one of the forums, I like what you said, and will say it here.  You inspired me to go out and get a Raptor w/your Raptor shot of the foundry.   I think these lenses do have a distinctive quality that can be exploited and expressed and they do have a definable 'personality'  when everything works right but it doesn't work out that way with  every single shot.  I think that's what some folks are missing, you can't just slap on the lens and have the lens put its personality stamp on whatever you're shooting just because you used that lens, you gotta make it work.

Same w/the Semi-Achromatic, I've shot quite a bit, including tests, you'd be surprised how much I've shot, but the shots I'm happy with from this lens you can count with the fingers on one hand.

Take care

This is a monochrome version of my first portrait w/the Semi-Achromatic.  It's entitled 'Tenebrism' for the painting term which suggests 'emerging from the darkness'.  I have my daughter Danielle looking up, and the lightsource coming down at an angle which seemed to give me the greatest amount of modeling and contour to her features.

I've found that my Profoto strobe 250 watt modeling lights in their light modifiers are perfect for the Semi-Achromatic for portraiture(so far) as the actual strobes are useless and their light so intense that  they simply blow everything out beyond recognition using this lens @F6.  This combination resulted in a shot w/out the signature glow that these lenses sometime exhibit.  As I've said before, these type lenses are different lenses depending on the light.

Take care

This is '3 Glasses', another shot of glass w/subdued/indirect lighting and no glow/halos around the highlights.   I've got another shot w/glass subject matter that will be uploaded in the near future, and that's it for the Semi-Achromatic and still life for awhile.   My next direction for this lens will be portraiture after I take a break from obsessing about this lens. 

'3 Glasses' was shot on my favorite surface, brushed aluminum, @F6 on Polaroid 804 film, and the best thing about this shot was it was the easiest shot to focus since I've started using the Semi-Achromatic.