Too many distractions (Read: New Darlot!)...

[Scott]

That short attention thing is biting me again... :rolleyes:

Okay, last week a neighbor in the 'hood sent me a request to shoot some portraits of her kids for Christmas pictures.  When the initial shock wore off, I got really excited about it - sent her an explanation of the different formats I shoot and how each could be used for her portraits.  She's given me a green light to shoot whatever, however.

Now, on 8x10, my favorite portrait lens was a Ross Petzval, but it's too big for 5x7.  I started looking for a suitable Petzval, but didn't really want to lay out $400 on a new lens.  Contacted my brass lens guru, who has a similar taste in bokeh to me.  Now, swirls are fine for novelty, but I only like 'em in a conservative way for portraits.  So springing big bucks for a swirly lens seemed wrong.  I do like creamy bokeh, falloff, and sharpness where it counts.  This led me into a rapid rectilinear lens.

So, today my new toy showed up, just in time to distract me away from working on the Rolleiflex that consumed me yesterday: A Darlot Hemispherique Rapide No. 2.  I spent some time making a board of quartersawn sycamore, dyed it red to match the camera, finished it, mounted the lens, and, well, there you have it.



The importer's mark is clean on the barrel: W.H. Walmsley, Philadelphia.



I've read that this lens dates to between 1870 and 1880; the Vade Mecum says around 1890 or so, but mentions one identified as 1875.  Regardless, it's the oldest lens I've got.  Glass looks brand spankin' new, too, and has the Darlot insignia and name (with serial 3061) engraved on the hood.

My first French lens.  Have it all mounted, ready to go.  Taking it out back to shoot the boy presently.  Woot!

[wlewisiii]

Argh! That is soooo great looking. I need my Velostigmat so I don't feel left out! But it's still coming down from Canada. Argh!

A bit more seriously, I'm looking forward to seeing what you get out of it.

William

[radiophoto]

Holy mackerel, Scott!  I gotta throw out an AWESOME to yez on that acquisition!

[Scott]

Thanks, guys!  William - what Velostigmat did you get??

FWIW, the negative is hanging now.  The details on Braedan's face are tack-sharp (can count hairs), and the background, which would have been rendered swirly by a Petzval, just falls away to nothing with this lens.  Beautiful.  The lens has no aperture, so I shot it open at f/6 (it's a 9" lens).  It's cut for Waterhouse stops, so I'm sure I'll be making some one day.  But I think this is my new 5x7 portrait lens!

[OpenWater]

The camera and lens look great (with a wonderful story to boot), but the sycamore board you've mounted it on is particularly elegant.  What beautiful grain.  I had no idea sycamore looked that nice.

[Scott]

Thanks, everyone!  Yes, quartersawn sycamore is lovely.  A bear to work, but it's what I had handy today...

Here, instead of opening a new thread: First shot!



Don't know what was up with the boy's expression.  And I think my scanning needs some tweaking - on my monitor, there's no smooth gradation of light to dark.  It's all blocked up.  But there's a lovely bokeh to this lens, and I think it's going to be perfect for close-up portraits.

[EDIT] Figured out the scanning thing - now scanning in 16 bit rather than 8 bit.  Replaced the blocky scan with the new one above...

[taulen]

Incredible nice "bokeh", quite stunning
But how / what did you do for a shutter on this ? With "full open" at f6, and looks like its quite sunny, it would require a pretty fast shutter speed, or am I wrong? You see, I have a petzwal f3 that I need to find out how to use
Maybe a packard shutter ?

[wlewisiii]

Thanks, guys!  William - what Velostigmat did you get??

Scott - I've got a 6 1/2" Series Ia triple convertible Velostigmat  so it will do 6 1/2", 10" & 12 3/4" - I should have just barely enough bellows to get infinity on that long front element. Somewhere along the way someone put it in an Ilex shutter so I'm curious about how that looks. It should compement my two Tessars (13.5cm/4.5 & 8 1/4"/6.3) nicely.

That's a really great image of your son. I wish I could get John to sit that well for me. That lens looks like its a real keeper. Better buy some sheet brass and start cutting stops

William

[Scott]

Thanks, guys.  Jonny, I use a Packard that I got in really rough shape.  If you can find one ugly, but with good blades, get it (and new blades aren't that hard to find, or that expensive).  They're easy to clean up nicely.  This one works like new now.  Has bulb and instant as separate tubes, so there's no pin to lose.  The instant gets me about 1/60 or so.

William, sounds like you're going to have fun with that convertible.  Ilex shutters are good, too.  How old's your son?  In my experience, they get a little more still with age.

Sheet brass?  Egad - you're worse than me!

[taulen]

Jonny, I use a Packard that I got in really rough shape.  If you can find one ugly, but with good blades, get it (and new blades aren't that hard to find, or that expensive).  They're easy to clean up nicely.  This one works like new now.  Has bulb and instant as separate tubes, so there's no pin to lose.  The instant gets me about 1/60 or so.

Okey, doesnt sound too bad, will have to start looking for one. =) Thanks.

[Scott]

Jonny, keep an eye on eBay - they seem to be going cheap lately...

[lesged]

Scott,

Great shot of Breadan! The elegant chair somehow works so well with Breadan in a casual sport shirt. But his smile is always whimsically elegant.

Who needs new lenses and modern shutters for killer portraits like the one shown here? Bravo, Scott!

[wlewisiii]

Jonny - use paper negs. Much slower speed so you can do the hat thing and not over expose. Or, depending on the size of the rear of your lens, there's the Polaroid MP4 shutter that can be found cheap. I've got one coming to front mount my B&L Tessar on.

Scott - he's 8 3/4 & hyperactive. I manage a good shot of him now and again, but it's always with smaller formats - 35mm, 6x6 or 6x9 have been best. I may try to get him to sit still on the back porch, though, once the Velostigmat arrives as 10" on 4x5 should be a nice portrait length.

Though I did manage this a long time back with a hand held Speed Graphic & 127 Ektar He's in the center staring at the frog that's making it's get-away on the lower boards.

[shadowfox]

I'm watching this with interest now that I have an 8x10

Not to go with old barrel lenses seem like a waste to me, and the photos I've seen with them are scarily sharp.

[Jim Evans]

Dang Scott,   that's some serious sharpness than fades into some really nice smooth "bokeh".  Just a great shot from such a vintage lens.  Not sure today's technological lens masterpieces have any thing on this classic?  Well done.