Verito F4 Soft Focus Lenses

I use the 8 3/4″ F4 (1920), 11 1/2″ (1911-1946), and 14 1/2″ F4 Verito soft focus lenses for my memorial project for my daughter, Abby.

The Verito is likely the best-selling and most widely used soft focus lens ever. The Verito was adapted from the Bodine Pictorial Lens around 1911 and remained in production until 1946. Updated, coated, and replaced by the Veritar in 1950. The rear cell can be used alone at nearly twice the original focal length.

The 8.75″ (222mm) F4 lens with the rear cell only becomes a 14-inch F6.4 lens (+ 1 1/3 stops, factor x 2.3)

The 11.5″ F4 lens with the rear cell only becomes a 20-inch F7 lens. (+ 1 2/3 stops, factor x 2.6)

The 14.5″ F4 lens with the rear cell only becomes a 24-inch F5.5 lens (+ 1 stop, factor x 2)

When calculating the final exposure when using the longer focal lengths, multiply the exposure on the meter by the relevant factor as shown above to get the new exposure.

You can check out the video below that I created when Tim Jr. and I mounted the lens for my 8×10 Chamonix.

The coveted Pinkham and Smith lens costs 10X of the Verito. Check out this archived article and comparison photos by Jim Galli. I think you will be amazed at the performance of the Verito for a fraction of the cost.

The Verito barrel was finished in polished brass with black trim through 1913, and in black enamel thereafter. The Verito was redesigned in 1920 to reduce halation and align visual focus with chemical focus, as well as to offer softness at f/4 equal to the prior design’s softness at f/6. The redesigned Verito eliminated diffusion stops for enlarging (which had been introduced in 1917), and controlled image softness solely by means of aperture adjustment; see page 11-13 of Lensology and Shutterisms Vol. 8 No. 4 for details. Wollensak’s later production f/6 Verito A and B, as well as the Verito Motion Picture lenses, are a different 2/2 periscopic design, thought it is unclear when this change occurred. Serial numbers followed the Verito Series until 1942, and the Anastigmat Series thereafter.

The handmade Calotype paper negative below was created with my 11.5-inch F4 Verito lens wide open.

And here is the handmade Kallitype made from this negative.

The handmade Calotype paper negative below was taken with my 11.5-inch F4 Verito wide open and purposely defocused to achieve my desired aesthetic.

The Calotype below was taken with the Verito 11.5″ F4 lens wide open at F4.

Share your email address below and you will get an update when I publish new articles.

Note: you will need to confirm your subscription. If you don’t see a new email, check your SPAM or Junk folder.

14 1/2″ F4 Verito Lens

11 1/2″ F4 Verito Lens

8 3/4″ Verito F4 in Barrel

The Wollensak Verito Diffused Focus lens, introduced in 1911, quickly gained popularity for its lightweight, three-element doublet design. It was a staple in catalogs until about 1950, thanks to its availability with a Wollensak shutter.

Initially, in 1911 and early 1912, the Verito lenses were rated at f/5 speed. However, by the 1912/1913 catalog, they had been slightly modified to f/4, enhancing their appeal as portrait lenses.

In January 1920, Photo-Era Magazine highlighted the Wollensak Optical Company of Rochester, N.Y., for significantly popularizing soft-focus photography over the preceding decade. The article praised the Verito Diffused Focus F 4 lens for its role in this trend, noting its advantages such as convertibility with a rear focal length about 1.5 times longer than the doublet, high F/4 speed, reduced need for retouching, versatility for various photography types, and suitability for soft-focus effects.

The magazine acknowledged that while the original Verito had already won widespread favor, Wollensak’s Experimental Department had made further improvements. The new Verito maintained the qualities of the older version but minimized halation. It also provided softness at F/4 comparable to the older lens at F/6, allowing photographers to use wider apertures without undesirable fuzziness. This new design ensured fast exposures without the risk of double lines, halos, or a mushy appearance, and it presented the same image in the ground glass as in the finished negative, unlike other soft-focus lenses.

The Verito offered a range of apertures from f/4 to f/8 for varied soft-focus effects. At f/11, it produced sharp, crisp images. Its versatility, from soft to crisp imagery, made it the most popular soft-focus lens of its time. The lens was initially produced in brass and later in black enamel paint, available in various sizes and with barrel or shutter options. The final version even featured coated glass. Special Verito lenses were also produced for smaller format cameras over time.

Historic Wollensak Catalog Advertisements