quality of the image

[manojit_pusty1]

<p>i an uploading an image shot on my Zenit 122 camera lens: helios 58mm f/2<br>

shot on expired Orwo 125 ASA......developed by Sterling Universal developerfor 10 minutes at 18 degree celcius..........fixed with sodium hypo sulphite with diluted white vinegar as stop bath..............sharpened this image to 100 percent in photoshop...........shot this at anaperture: f/4 shutterspeed:1/125 s............looking forward for ur suggestion for any error in the developing process............why don't I get the sharpness as Nikkor 50mm??</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>Well; several reasons.</p>

<ol>

<li>You have not provided a Nikkor picture for comparison; it is difficult to speculate/compare with an unknown.</li>

<li>Sterling U Developer is an okay developer; does not provide very sharp pictures.</li>

<li>Sharpness may also depend on the lighting used. Your lighting does seem a bit flat or muted.</li>

<li>All lenses are not designed to provide very sharp images at f/4. Some are designed for making portraits at the wider apertures. [e.g. Meyer Oreston, Zeiss Tessar, etc.].</li>

</ol>

<p>That is my 2 pennies' worth. All the best; sp</p>

[h._p.]

<p>It's hard to tell from a small jpeg but it certainly looks too soft for a decent Helios. There are several options as to what went wrong:</p>

<ol>

<li>Scan failure - without seeing the original negative, there's no way to check if it was OK and your scanner is at fault - definitely the first thing to check.</li>

<li>Camera shake - doesn't look too likely in this case but you should blow up the eyes as big as you can and check for double images.</li>

<li>Operator focus error - the Zenit screens can be awkward devils.</li>

<li>Camera focus error - hard knocks have been known to unseat the screen.</li>

<li>Lens problem - as with 2, a knock might unseat an element just enough to mess things up.</li>

</ol>

<p>Hope you get to the bottom of it.</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>Also, please take a look at <strong>Rick Drawbridge</strong>'s post a few days ago. The same camera and the same lens. sp.</p>

[Troll]

<p>How does the negative look under high magnification?</p>

[User_4525289]

<p>Helios could be no good. I had once a very bad example. </p>

[joachim_larsen]

<p>I think the picture is a little out of focus. I often use my Helios-44 at f/4 or f/2.0, and at least the center of the picture is sharp. In fact, I think the Helios is a very fine lens. Maybe not as sharp as my Minolta Rokkor-X or other lenses, but for a cheap lens its great! You picture has a general out-of-focus'ness to it (sorry, my English is not perfect). The focus is off in the cornes, but that is what you have to expect at f/4 at a fairly close distance from your point of focus (portrait)<br /> H.P.'s suggestions are spot on, in my opinion. Its almost like there is no visible grains, and that indicates your scanner does not focus correct at your negative. Without any other examples its hard to say anything about the development, but this specific negative seems to be slightly over-developed (high contrast in the shadows/background - solid black).<br /> You have to compare all of the negatives on you film with a magnifying glass. If most of them are sharp/in focus...that is good. Please look at the density of the negatives. If they look very dense and dark, the film was over developed, and sometimes an over developed film can be difficult to scan.<br /> I have only used a few developers. I like Rodinal. Its sharp and suitable for stand-development. If you like to shoot high contrast scenes like this examples, stand development can be used to soften the contrast a little.</p>

[manojit_pusty1]

<p>thanks everyone fr ur responses............................This particular lens is about 16 years old.........and

lied for almost 14 years of its lifespan in his wardrobe..........on holding the lens against light fitted to the

camera tiny purple dots and patches are seen...............Some body told me that it is the internal coating

that has degraded but it is ok with getting snaps............... next I procured professional help to clean the

lens........I was told the lens had fungus inside and was cleaned.................but the patches are still

there........................</p><p>I am uploading another image shot on the same film.....................being

shot before dusk.............this is totally unedited................the scan is done at the local

lab......................shot this image at f2.........1/60s..........................why is the image murky???? I have a

strong feeling that this is not overexposed........................ </p><p><br></p><div></div>

[manojit_pusty1]

this one is again shot at probably f4 or 5.6 I do not remember<div></div>

[manojit_pusty1]

<p>probably much narrower than that............the image of the diaphragm indicates to me f11 maybe...............</p>

[manojit_pusty1]

<p>@Subbarayan Prassanna ...........Rick's images exhaust me completely.............because I never got such quality out of it...........Even colour films developed in lab showed same dull results...........</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>It is possible that your lens surfaces were etched by the fungus. The fungus may be cleaned, now, but the etchings will remain as permanent marks. You may want to try this lens at smaller apertures in brighter light. I hope you get better results. sp.</p>

[subbarayan_prasanna]

<p>I think that you could also balance the light better. Old ORWO films could not take a wide range from very bright to very dark. So I would try within 3 or 4 Gray Tones for the whole frame. I tried removing some very bright areas and balance the light in your picture. sp.</p><div></div>

[manojit_pusty1]

thanks Subbarayan Prasanna...........