Showcase Wollensak Cine Raptar 25mm ƒ1.9

[ex machina]

I've been playing around with a recent fleamarket find, a 50s-era Wollensak Cine Raptar 25mm f1.9 lens for C-mount 16mm movie cameras. I'm finding it really hard to nail focus, especially wide-open where it's quite soft. Also am flailing about trying to figure out how to best leverage its qualities; super swirly/busy bokeh, center sharp, edges blurry, vignette if you leave on the hood, variable aperture shapes = variable bokeh and flare/stars, etc. Anyway, a couple B&W of the Washington Monument, both with the hood on, to start with.

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P4840649 by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

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P4840581 by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

You can see what the lens looks like on this Show us what your adapted lens looks like on your camera forum post.

 

[ex machina]

The 7-bladed iris provides a variable shaped aperture from circular wide open in the first example, to a curved saw blade in the second at ƒ2.8 to a 7-pointed star at ƒ4 and then goes symmetrical at ƒ8+.

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Wollensak Cine Raptar 25mm ƒ1.9 Flare demo by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

 

[ex machina]

Lens hood vignette example at (I think) ƒ8, SOOC.

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Example with lens hood attached by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

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Sans lens hood by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

 

[ex machina]

A few more, first is SOOC wide-open, rest have been edited and were shot at ƒ2.8.

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P1000704 by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

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P4840638 by Lewis Francis, on Flickr

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P4840648 by Lewis Francis, on Flickr