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Petzval 85mm F2.2 in Fujifilm mount anyone?


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There is no doubt (in my mind) that using any adapted lens ( also considering the inherent constructive problems mentioned in the other thread about the quality of adapted analog lenses in digital photography) implies at least a certain degree of contradiction and the only thing that really justifies it is the fun factor ( I know, I know....: “  Got a problem with adaptive photography? I like it....!”   :rolleyes:  )

 

 

http://www.fuji-x-forum.com/topic/743-just-how-well-do-adapted-lenses-originally-meant-for-film-work-on-digital-cameras/

 

 

It is a bit like using a modern supercar but putting old ‘50 tires to feel what it was like driving with a yesteryear supercar.

 

You will get a different , though perhaps uncomfortable and dangerous, while certainly “ interesting “ ride but it won’t be a yesteryear car experience anyway.

 

But I digress.

 

So the ultimate in this quest for contradiction ( in the name of an interesting effect) has to be using the most retro of the modern lenses available ( available at a pretty penny!) to us, the Petzval!

 

Lomographers resurrected the lens from oblivion and it has been with us for quite some time.

 

What are your experiences, if any, with this lens combined to a modern Fuji camera?

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There is an inherent part of using adapted lens, basically you are agreeing that IQ is no longer your true concern but a deep curiosity as what is going to come out of it.

 

Many of us shoot for a living but the same tools used to keep us and those close around us clothed and well fed are often discarded on a hobby level, some of my colleagues won't take any single pictures of anything outside of work, which I find rather sad.

 

Digression aside, while I have not yet jumped the boat to the adapted lens world, I am very interested in what the results can be.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I too am certainly fascinated by the looks of the brass version!

 

I would also love to try this in combination with the tilt adapter that I am buying ( although that one is a M42 to Fuji X) , but the sheer price of this lens, makes my eyes water knowing that it is, yes a “ fun lens” but, hardly something that I would be using all the time.

 

Would this be €300 I would be glad to buy it but I am afraid that at twice as much I am not going to jump on the bandwagon before I find one which will be sold by someone who has had his fun and is ready to move on.

 

There are other possibilities such as for example modifying a slide projection lens to be mounted on an helicoid adapter and then putting this on the kipon tilt adapter that I am getting.

 

Maybe the Summer boredom is getting to my head  :rolleyes: !

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  • 10 months later...

I’ve thought of resuscitating this thread on the off chance that someone among us here has done this.

 

I’ve been toying with this idea for some time and I really don’t know whether to shed the cash for what might reveal itself to be a one trick pony.

 

Anyone here with experience and more importantly with pics?

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Im in the process of getting a hold of old Speed Graphic and mount a petzval lens to get the effect for medium format and 4x5. But after doing some research for use of fuji cameras i would rather mount a helios 44-2 lens to get the swirly effect at a fraction of the price.

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  • 5 months later...

Today I will try one of these lenses on my X-T1. I will try it with a focal reducer hoping this keeps as much as possible of the original swirl effect.

 

Ideally one could use alternatively the more modern (and practical) 58mm (also part of another thread that I’ve started) unfortunately that one ( and this too) are not available in Fuji mount.

 

So, you need to use a focal reducer to retain the swirl effect and not multiply the focal length to a value that will be placing (for my personal taste) the subject too far.

 

Although the 85 is cheaper than the 58mm, It is not cheap though and still I will have to consider this choice.

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Not yet anything meaningful ( I took some at the shop but nothing more, you could tell that the lens is soft at best and that the effect, like for any Petzval thing is visible only under the right conditions) just now, a couple of shots out of my window.

 

 

 

I had to promise my wife that I won’t wear a “ beanie” while shooting with this, it seems to be the official attire for the proper Petzval-Hipster look.  ;)  :P  :D

 

I am planing to take some today but the weather is terrible, It has been a stormy night the morning is not promising .

 

As for the look, the black version looked cheaply lacquered, to me, and it is also €100 more expensive. ( look here@petzval_58_black_and_brass_v2.jpg)

 

How the look of both lenses is going to old up in time is questionable. I have a considerable experience with saxophones and unlacquered brass tends oxidate and lacquered brass wears the lacquer out.

 

But black lacquer over brass will show scratches. It would have been better if they would have patinated the brass black or used anodized aluminum.

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Edited by milandro
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Hey, you already have a swirl and the center of the photo looks kind of sharp. I presume you are using the widest aperture plate here?

 

Now that I see that photo of the two versions, you're right, the black one does look cheap indeed. Won't the brass one age like the original? I love the patina of those 100-year-old brass lenses. It looks better to me than the glossy new ones.

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this was the next widest aperture, f2.8 and a quick shot.

 

I took this with a Lens Turbo II Focal reducer. In the coming days I will acquire another “ dumb” conversion adapter. I am toying with the idea of buying an EF to FX adapter with aperture, in this way I might be able to achieve a different type of result than using the waterhouse aperture plates.

 

About this waterhouse slides, now they have also other slides for their Daguerrotype lens, those slides have different purpose and patterns, maybe it can be interesting to see how this would go together with the Petzval.

 

rymo4i2ai6gpuucckrpk.jpg

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and here a few examples. always F2.8 and NIK post production.

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another one

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well, don’t forget that this is not marketed as being the sharpest lens on the market. For that I can use the 60 macro which is really sharp to the point that comes with a warning when you take pictures of people above the age of 10  ;)  :P .

 

The Petzval is called an “ art lens” for good reasons ( and if you see the daguerrotype “ like” lens even more so), you don’t use it for documenting things or scientific photography, you use it precisely for its less than precise performance.

 

However, I think that the bark of the tree in the second picture and some of the leaves in the first are sharp enough even only at f2.8

 

I’ve done some portraits as well (of people whom don’t like me to show their face) I am pleased with the results, sooner or later I will share some.

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By the way, looking on the Lomography site, somewhere in the recesses of the site there is a very good hint on how NOT to drop (& lose) the Waterhouse aperture slides.

 

Bend, slightly, the two “ lips” on the top of the slide. This will hold the slide in place!

 

Lomography site picture.

 

 

calibrate2.jpg?1474388328

 

and that’s what the lens looks like on my camera ( shot with my not so smart phone since I no longer have a second camera), you may notice the cork modification to the metal grip. That I made it myself. This is really a great lens, and also, albeit only in the center and at certain apertures, see this shot at ƒ5.6 of the usual lady luck I use for tests. Below also a shot to show resolution (or rather its fall off) at f5.6 at infinity.

 

HOWEVER, remember that ALL these pictures are shot with the aid of a focal reducer. This menans that they will probably be sharper without it and I will some time, buy also a different adapter without a lens element and see how THAT performs.

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Edited by milandro
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Another VERY important hint for using this lens is never to trust your eyes without using the focus assist (or one of the other focus aids). It is just so easy to misjudge the focussing ( never before had so many problems with any adapted lens). Another thing is, despite the fact that you might have a sufficiently short shutter speed, do use a monopod or a tripod, a very small shift between focusing and shooting and you will focus someplace else that you are thinking of and this lens , even stopped down, won’t forgive you that!

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  • 4 weeks later...

So Lomography got back to me, I’ve asked if they sell the “ lumiere” set of Waterhouse aperture slides meant for the new 64mm f2.9 Daguerrotype Achromat lens because I’d like to experiment with those aperture (which remind me of the Imagon and Fuji SF (soft focus) apertures.

 

a19cefd34af54ca96135277552ff939d.jpg

 

They told me that currently they are not yet available but they might be sold later on down the line.

 

I am looking forward to try those.

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Edited by milandro
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By the way, looking on the Lomography site, somewhere in the recesses of the site there is a very good hint on how NOT to drop (& lose) the Waterhouse aperture slides.

 

Bend, slightly, the two “ lips” on the top of the slide. This will hold the slide in place!

 

Lomography site picture.

 

 

calibrate2.jpg?1474388328

 

and that’s what the lens looks like on my camera ( shot with my not so smart phone since I no longer have a second camera), you may notice the cork modification to the metal grip. That I made it myself. This is really a great lens, and also, albeit only in the center and at certain apertures, see this shot at ƒ5.6 of the usual lady luck I use for tests. Below also a shot to show resolution (or rather its fall off) at f5.6 at infinity.

 

HOWEVER, remember that ALL these pictures are shot with the aid of a focal reducer. This menans that they will probably be sharper without it and I will some time, buy also a different adapter without a lens element and see how THAT performs.

 

Nice!

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yes, I did this and immediately have no more problems with dropping slide apertures when holding the camera for vertical shots.

 

The thing is that most people are not aware of this trick ( which was clearly in the intentions of the lens makers from the beginning otherwise they won’t have left the two winglets).

 

But, as often happens, I don’t know how many people here have a Petzval lens. This thread doesn’t seem to have enticed many.

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