The love of Victorian photography is, in part, a love of the character and rendering of classic lenses. We have a variety of vintage (antique) lenses that we use. This set of portraits was taken with our Voigtlander Nokton 40mm lens. The Nokton is an interesting lens in that it is manufactured right now but uses the vintage formula and glass. It is fully manual aperture and focus and mounts directly on our Canon R5 modern mirrorless camera.
Wisconsin model KD Jae came to our Menasha studio for a set of Tintype portraits. Between tintypes we also had some fun with the digital camera.
Back in the Victorian era the challenge for photographers light sensitivity. Wet plate collodion needed a lot of light and very long exposure time even in bright sun. So the challenge for lens designers was to grab as much light as possible while still giving a reasonable level of focus. As photographic methods became more light sensitive, the lens designers could sacrifice light gathering for sharpness and a uniform focus across the frame. But as lenses became more sharp and technical they also became more boring and sterile.
Ironically, modern mirrorless cameras are bringing a rebirth of the older lenses. The Nokton is an example. It is based on a very old formula but can be fitted with a Canon “R” mount and fully functional on our R5 camera.
In the portrait below you can see why we love the Nokton lens. Her face almost glows in this photo and her skin is soft and flawless. At the same time her eyes are still sharp enough to sparkle! Finally, the light and focus fall off from the center is a smooth and pleasing way.
Photos taken by Brittany, a Fox Valley portrait and wedding photographer. Contact her on FaceBook
KD Jae is a Wisconsin based model and photographer. She loves creating award winning cosplays and fantasy looks. You can check out more of her work on Instagram @kdjae and @wickedsistersboudoir
Enjoy the full set!
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