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Old 12th June 2022, 12:40 PM
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Default Cooke PS945 soft focus lens in EU

Just thought I'd let folks know about this sale. I've bought from the Seller recently and I was very pleased with the whole transaction.

Btw, I picked one up not so long ago so that's why I'm not interested myself.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/115421813...gAAOSwepFipa5L
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Old 12th June 2022, 01:12 PM
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More info, price and (non-) availability about the lens can be found at robert white’s;

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/cooke-...s-shutter.html

Interestingly, both the PS945 and Xva lenses have vanished from the Cooke website…
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Old 12th June 2022, 03:57 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyNL View Post

Btw, I picked one up not so long ago
Marty, do you have examples made with this lens?
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Old 12th June 2022, 04:11 PM
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Yes but only as landscapes at the moment.
I haven't printed many of the negs but that's just down to life and having a backlog.
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Old 12th June 2022, 04:20 PM
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I won't be getting rid of mine.

And they;
a. Don't come up for sale very often secondhand
b. Sellers ask ridiculous prices
c. They are rather expensive
d. They're perhaps a little specialised
e. Uncertainty about the Sellers reputation
f. They are abroad and postage fee's and customs taxes add up

Coupled with the fact that production is intermittent and prices new are off putting.

Those who are fond of the look of old glass and lenses will really appreciate this lens and the convenience of a modern copal 3 shutter.
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Last edited by MartyNL; 12th June 2022 at 04:29 PM.
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Old 12th June 2022, 04:51 PM
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A quick scan of a print.
Attached Thumbnails
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ID:	4421  
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Old 13th June 2022, 03:52 PM
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Wow ! - Cooke PS945 lenses are about as common as hens teeth.

The soft focus facility makes the lens a specialist item - mainly used by portrait photographers, when used wide~ish open..

By stopping the lens down you eliminate the diffusion discs from the light path and it becomes a conventional lens.

Martin
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Old 13th June 2022, 05:56 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Aislabie View Post
Wow ! - Cooke PS945 lenses are about as common as hens teeth.

The soft focus facility makes the lens a specialist item - mainly used by portrait photographers, when used wide~ish open..

By stopping the lens down you eliminate the diffusion discs from the light path and it becomes a conventional lens.

Martin
Absolutely true Martin, except the PS945 does not use the Rodenstock Imagon diffusion disc principle. The softness in the Cooke lens is created in a wholly different manner. The Robert White website does a good job of explaining it. Or perhaps, I'm just gullible!
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Old 13th June 2022, 07:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MartyNL View Post
The Robert White website does a good job of explaining it.
"The quality of diffusion is midway between the softness of the first Pinkham & Smith Semi-Achromat lenses made in the late 1890s and a conventional sharp lens."
"At f/4.5, the lighter areas appear to generate their own luminous glow without losing focus, or losing the contrast against the darker areas."

This sounds too harmless :-)
Jim Galli made fantastic pictures with his P&S Visual Quality series IV, and some comparisms to other SF lenses years ago, but unfortunately he seemed to close his fabulous sites.
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Old 24th June 2022, 05:53 PM
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Now sold! I wonder who got their hands on it....
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