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black hole sun

Toyo Omega View 45F Large Format 4"x5" monorail view camera

Computar Symmetrigon f6.3 150mm lens in Copal #1 shutter

exposed at f22 for 1/400 second using cable release

Instax mini 800 ISO film held in Bronica Polaroid Land Pack back mounted on laminated 1/8" card stock in place of ground glass - "scanned" with Nikon D5100 DSLR and macro 35mm f2 lens

I was interested in the flare performance of the Computar lens so I framed this shot to partially reveal the sun. Instax inverted overexposure to black as expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of shadow detail remaining given the bright haze. The glare was very pronounced on the ground glass but Instax subdued it quite well.

An anecdote from Lynn Jones, one of the creators of the Symmetrigon lens design who frequents online forums, gives an insight into it's history:

 

"Re: The Computar lens and ULF coverage.

 

Hi,

I worked for DO/Fujinon/Graphic-Kowa, Later VP of BBOI/B&J, still later starteded my own company in Texas. After the demise of BBOI/B&J, the owner/president and my career long friend, J.D. "Jack" Callahan started Kyvytar in Jersey and then moved to California. He had a deal with Kowa and he may have had some additional KGraphics made under his name.

I'm one of its 3 fathers. It is a 4 element metrogon/topogon type, all air spaced symmetrical lens designed specifically for view camera use by Burleigh Brooks Opticas, Inc. Conceptualized primarily by Jan TerLuow and to a lesser extent by me, computer designed by Dr. John Lawson, manufactured by Kowa Optics. It was made in 150, 180, and 210mm, all in Copal shutters. In use it has high contrast, high resolution, 70 degree coverage, and is at its best from 1:2 to infinity. They were all delivered with aluminum lens shades that permitted full swings and tilts.

I still own #006, the first lens actually completed and shutter mounted. I've done hundreds of advertising and landscape photos with it. I have recommended it to many users (even after I no longer worked for BBOI) and we have all been very happy. These were created to be competitive with typical plasmats and were quite successful until the loss of the above companies.

Lynn

Austin, TX"

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Uploaded on April 17, 2012
Taken on April 16, 2012