Penray Highlight Soft Focus Lens

Would anybody know about the performance of this lens, produced by

the Hunter-Penrose Co., as a portrait lens? It appears that the

diffusion effect is achieved by the introduction of diamond-

shaped "teeth" from the edge of the diaphragm, with the degree of

diffusion being controlled by how far these portrude towards the

center. Is that likely to give results similar to more typical soft

focus lenses like the Kodak Portrait, etc.? I've not heard either of

the lens or this particular approach to diffusion before.

Thanks,

Nathan Congdon

Hi Nathan,

What those openings do is allow more spherical aberration. This is useful when it is necessary to stop the lens down. How it works is by allowing more of the image to be created by the outer rim of the lens, rather than just the sharp center. Some Cooke lenses use the same principle.

Good shooting.

Peter