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Re: [OM] Soft Lens

Subject: Re: [OM] Soft Lens
From: Frank van Lindert <lindertv@xxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 07 Apr 1999 07:15:53 GMT
On Tue, 6 Apr 1999 14:42:04 -0400, "Tomoko Yamamoto"
<tomokoy@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

>Since my niece mentioned that she would like to take photos with soft-focusing
>effects, I started noticing that there are new lenses emphasizing the softness
>of focusing. At first, the available soft lenses are from camera manufacturers
>or a very expensive German lens, but I stumbled on more reasonable 
>possibilities
>provided that they are exported to the rest of the world.
>
>Kenko makes three soft lenses in 35mm/4, 45mm/4.5 and 85mm/2.5.  The Olympus OM
>mount is available.  The list prices ranges from 29,800 to 38,000yen.
>
>Perhaps some of you might be interested.
>
>Tomoko Yamamoto

Hello Tomoko.

I own a Zuiko 100/2.8 soft focus portrait lens! 

This is a 'normal' 100/2.8, which has been converted by a portrait
photographer who also owned a camera repair shop. He sold me the lens
when he retired. I had to promise him that I would not restore the
lens into the original status, which I was very happy to do - after
all he had put quite some labour into his modification, however
simple, and enhanced its qualities when doing this. I use the lens
with pleasure, albeit not very often. 

What did he do? He built a disc into the lens, not far from the
position of the aperture blades, with a large hole in the middle. This
centre hole is just as large as the aperture when opened to 5.6.  In
the remaining part of the disc many smaller holes (about 1-2mm) were
drilled, which actually cause the 'softening' effect. The disc is made
out of aluminium painted black matte.

Result of this is that with aperture 5.6 or smaller the lens behaves
like a normal 100mm short tele, but when you open the aperture to 4.0
or 2.8 you will get the softening effect caused by the
semi-transparent disc.

Simple idea, but very efficient in practice. Unfortunately I cannot
tell how much effort it would take to make a modification like this
yourself...

ATB, Frank van Lindert
Utrecht - Holland.



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