Newbie Question - Vintage Prints From Modern Lenses?

[gehrm]

Hi, I only started developing my own film and making my own prints about a year ago. Needless to say I have a lot to learn.

I have a current version of the 50mm Summicron and it is a superb lens, but at times I think it may have too much contrast and be too technically perfect. I have been debating swapping my lens for a Rigid/DR version to give my BW photos more of that "vintage look." However, I was also thinking that different film, developer, dilution, and paper combinations may be able to give me the same effect.

Just curious if someone has found a combination they could recommend.

Apologies if this is a dumb question.

I tried doing a search, but was not able to find a thread on this (possible due to my lack of technical skill).

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

You could get that vintage look by trying some FSU glass, would not cost much - if you decided you did not like 'em!. I particularly like to use my Fed 50mm collapsible on a Leica - and it only cost me £10! 🙂
Dave.

 

[Al Kaplan]

Modern high contrast lenses are largely a result of the coatings used. Older single coated, or uncoated, lenses put a lot of flare light into the shadows. That's what reduces the contrast. If you're doing conventional wet printing you can't do this with an enlarger, even with an older enlarging lens. When you're making the print the thin areas on the negative, the shadow areas, get flared which adds light to the high light areas of the image. This cuts contrast in the highlights, the bright areas. This is the opposite of using an old lens on the camera.

 

[gehrm]

Great responses, thanks for the help!

 

[payasam]

Al has put it neatly. One trick you could try is using a not clean filter while taking a few test photos -- though with a hood.

 

[amateriat]

I think about the desire for the "vintage" look, and I'm reminded of the entire process these photographs went through to get that "look" (which, at the time, of course, wasn't considered "vintage", but very much SOTA!). You can't think of just the lens, but the film, chemistry, paper (in the case that you're viewing a print), and even darkroom technique. A lens alone can take you but so far in this regard.


- Barrett

 

[Al Kaplan]

If you're willing to start out by shooting and developing negatives with that "vintage look" you'll have more chance at success. First, try to find an old uncoated lens, although a single coated is better than nothing.

Early films and plates were only blue sensitive. Orthochromatic films, still in common use through the 1940's, were also green sensitive, but not red. Red lipstick looked black in a photo. You can get a similar look by shooting with a blue filter. The 80 series Wratten color conversion filters, 80-A, 80-B, or 80-C work fairly well, but really aren't all that strong. Best would be a color seperation filter (I forget the number) designed for three color seperation negatives. Not much else but blue light gets through. Don't expect clouds in the sky. The blue skies come out white, as does water that's reflecting the sky.

 

[d_ross]

buy a vintage camera is the best idea 🙂