Soft focus veritos seem to be going for a high price these days so I am thinking about using a soft focus poly type filter. Any out there have any experience with this as they come in about 5 different flavors. How effective are they? Thanks Ron L.

-- ronald j lamarsh (ronlamarsh@seanet.com), June 30, 1999

Answers

I'm not sure it's fair to compare a Verito to a soft focus filter. The effects achieved have a rather different quality - same idea, but different feel.

-- Sean yates (yatescats@yahoo.com), July 01, 1999.

I have a variable soft focus velostigmat (made by Wollensak and very similar to the veritos). The cool thing about a soft focus lens, as opposed to a filter, is that separation between the front pair of elements causes highlights to be VERY diffused. If you're into the look of turn-of-the-century pictorialist landscapes (or portraits), then a true soft-focus lens is for you.

-- Chad Jarvis (chad_jarvis@yahoo.com), July 01, 1999.

Hi Ron, i found a nice coated wollensak soft focus for $86 in a working shutter, and it works fine (although i don't think i know how to use it for its best effect as yet). another trick a guy told me about was to take a UV filter or clear filter, and buy a can of clear spray lacquer in the hobby store. Then take a shirt pin, and dab the head of the pin in a pool of lacquer sprayed in the cap. Put the lacquer on the filter and turn the filter upside down so that the dab of lacquer dries in a bubble. Space these little dabs randomly with about an eight of an inch between them. Now use it. If you like the results you might think about trying a Zeiss softar which you will find is semi-expensive.

-- david clark (doc@ellensburg.com), July 02, 1999.