Reading softly

Vest Pocket Kodak's single element lens, taking off the front cover,

arranged in Leica mount.

Yasumasa, you, of course, realize that it is perfectly legal to burn photographic heretics at the stake? A single element lens, Kodak no less, on a Leica, I have heartburn.

All joking aside. I am impressed. I have coveted a Simth and Pinkham lens for years just to get this image quality. Even though my Leica and I are both weeping, I am thrilled to see someone achieve this soft focus quality on a Leica. I am not sure this is the best subject for such artistry but I do hope you will take advantage of this lens in a more romantic situation. It creates beautifully flared highlights.

It was only a test done some 15 years ago when my friend brought me this "hand made" lens, mounted in Pentax helicoid. I tried some but results was so and so. Though I have never seen "Pinkham and Smith" lens, this "Vest lens off the cover" amusement is rather popular in Japan pursuing the same kind of image, may be with "P & S". If you are interested in and want to try, I recommend you not to try by Leica but by digital SLR, that you can see the result immediately.

If you are interested in the single lens performance, you can see one example here.