Beginning of autumn
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Ikonta A (521) 4.5x6 cm
Lens: Novar Anastigmat f/4.5 75 mm, coated
Film: Kodak Gold 200
Exposure: 1/200 sec and f/4.5, hand-held
Film developed and scanned by Foto Brell, Bonn
Edited under Adobe Lightroom
Sometimes, highly corrected modern lenses can be far too sharp when emphasizing mood rather than detail. The interest in cameras with low optical performance such as the Holga or pinhole cameras shows this. I'm interested in when sharpness is essential, when less important and when sharpness can be annoying. The above image was taken using a 4.5x6 cm Ikonta with a Novar triplet lens at wide open aperture. Compared to the Holga, this has the advantage that I can set the aperture and exposure time more variably, and compared to a pinhole camera I can take photos handheld, which also increases flexibility. At open aperture, Novars render the center of the image moderately sharp, while the edges and corners slip into blur and also darken. This draws the viewer's eye to the center of the image. Also, the low resolution can emphasize coarse structures or color patterns rather than tiny details, such as the bark or individual leaves of trees. This makes the images pictorial, painterly or impressionistic. Possibly, technical imperfection can be used creatively - at least that's my hope.
Beginning of autumn
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Ikonta A (521) 4.5x6 cm
Lens: Novar Anastigmat f/4.5 75 mm, coated
Film: Kodak Gold 200
Exposure: 1/200 sec and f/4.5, hand-held
Film developed and scanned by Foto Brell, Bonn
Edited under Adobe Lightroom
Sometimes, highly corrected modern lenses can be far too sharp when emphasizing mood rather than detail. The interest in cameras with low optical performance such as the Holga or pinhole cameras shows this. I'm interested in when sharpness is essential, when less important and when sharpness can be annoying. The above image was taken using a 4.5x6 cm Ikonta with a Novar triplet lens at wide open aperture. Compared to the Holga, this has the advantage that I can set the aperture and exposure time more variably, and compared to a pinhole camera I can take photos handheld, which also increases flexibility. At open aperture, Novars render the center of the image moderately sharp, while the edges and corners slip into blur and also darken. This draws the viewer's eye to the center of the image. Also, the low resolution can emphasize coarse structures or color patterns rather than tiny details, such as the bark or individual leaves of trees. This makes the images pictorial, painterly or impressionistic. Possibly, technical imperfection can be used creatively - at least that's my hope.