Mauribix Posted January 18, 2011 Share #1 Posted January 18, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Well, this is a strictly subjective theme, be sure to understand this before you go on reading. I've always thought to share and read comments regarding lens in general, but this is the first time I need to share and read feelings on our beloved Leica lenses. I'd like to put them now, after years of use, in a short list. let say a TOP5 with my personal best lens on top of it (for what that concerns Bokeh or OOF only) I'd like to share then my personal "black list", let say a WORST5, with the lenses I didn't love thah much for the way they draws OOF area. If you have enough time to waste, I'd like to see your charts. TOP5: 1-Summarit-M 50 2.5 (always great, that's the real King of bokeh to me, great from f2.5 to f8) 2-Summilux-M 35 ASPHERICAL (1st version with two ASPH elements great from 1.4 to 8!) 3-Summilux-M 75 (simply magical with from f1.4 to f8) 4-Noctilux-M f/1.0 (when it's ok, then it awesome, but only @f1) 5-Summilux 21 ASPH (simply magical). WORST5: 1-Summilux 35 ASPH II (latest version with floatin element) 2-Noctilux-M f/1.0 (most of the times, I can't see good things out of it:unpredictable) 3-Summicron 35 IV "pre-asph":eek: (the king of bokeh?? really? not my cup of tea) 4-Summicron 50 actual ver. (not the best 50around IMHO) 5-Summilux 50 ASPH (only at night, when the diaphragm is closed... I hate those star-shaped lights!) Many lenses left off the TOP5, of course, but sometimes we have to be brief. I'm curious as to read your experience folks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 18, 2011 Posted January 18, 2011 Hi Mauribix, Take a look here Your best and worst lens (OOF discussion only). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
lars_bergquist Posted January 18, 2011 Share #2 Posted January 18, 2011 I have only one entry – for best bokeh. It's the original "pre-aspherical" 35mm Summilux. It had so much general flare, veiling glare, astigmatism and coma that everything looked to be out of focus at 1.4! Or perhaps "most bokeh"? By the way, some of the lenses on your "worst" list are on my list of absolute favourites – as lenses. To me, a lens is not a bokeh machine. I make pictures for their content. As long as OOF parts look decent, I'm satisfied. The unwashed and unshaven old man who used to stink of hypo Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauribix Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share #3 Posted January 18, 2011 By the way, some of the lenses on your "worst" list are on my list of absolute favourites – as lenses. To me, a lens is not a bokeh machine. I make pictures for their content. As long as OOF parts look decent, I'm satisfied. Lars, a lens is not a bokeh machine for me too. Don't get me wrong, I hate the word "bokeh". I prefer to call it Out Of Focus Area. Because I'm not talking about judgement on full aperture behavior. I'm talking about OOF areas, the way they are "painted" and the way they help to underline a picture, to concentrate the observer on the meaning of that specific picture and not only on the subject. In other words, I don't mean OOF as to separate the subject from the background. As to give you an idea, take a look at the fantastic Annette Engelhardt shooting here: Leica Camera AG - Photography - Summarit-M-Lenses the OOF area of that lens (50 summarit) is awesome IMHO, and, together with Annette's talent, it helped creating a fantastic series of "candid". But that OOF area is far from what is usually called "bokeh". And that's the way I meant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacarape Posted January 18, 2011 Share #4 Posted January 18, 2011 I loved the 135/2.8 Gog'd. At 10 feet and wide open it produced beautiful results. I'm now down to 2 lenses, the 35 Lux/1 ASPH which is nice sometimes, and the 75/1.4 my least ever used ens that I kept just because it produces the most wonderful bouquet, but you know that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ishkra Posted January 18, 2011 Share #5 Posted January 18, 2011 The best lens is the only one i have....summicron-c 40mm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted January 18, 2011 Share #6 Posted January 18, 2011 ... a TOP 5 with my personal best lens on top of it (for what that concerns bokeh or OOF only) [...] 1 – Summarit-M 50/2.5 (always great, that's the real King of Bokeh to me, great from f/2.5 to f/8) When I saw this topic's title, my very first thought was 'Summarit-M 50 mm 1:2.5' And the Summarit-M 35 mm 1:2.5 has very nice out-of-focus rendition as well; I consider it King of Bokeh among the 35 mm lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted January 18, 2011 Share #7 Posted January 18, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) My favorites Summitar 50mm - post war version, before the hexagonal aperture 35mm Summilux VII 75mm Summilux My mate (above, left) has a Summarit on her old Leica. It has suffered terribly over the many years. The picture above is as good as it gets. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisK Posted January 18, 2011 Share #8 Posted January 18, 2011 The controversy concerning the optical merrits and faults of the new 35mm Summilux is interesting. In theory it's an extremely desirable lens because of the now fixed focus shift troubles of version I, even at its steep price. And of course the OOF rendering of a lens is merely one aspect, maybe even a relatively minor one in practice. But it's still enough of a bummer for me to not consider the lens. I think I'd rather deal with the focus shift than with the (to me) almost Canon-like OOF-rendering (yuck!) of the version II. I also have a 35mm Nokton f/1.2 with very nice rendering but the focusing is out and nobody is able or willing to calibrate a Voigtländer, it seems. More on topic, I absolutely LOVE the bokeh of my current 35mm Summicron ASPH. And the 28mm Summicron ASPH looks absolutely gorgeous as well in samples (I don't have it - yet). So aspherical designs obviously are able to produce pleasing OOF rendering. Maybe the aesthetical problems perceived by some) have more to do with the floating element? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted January 18, 2011 Share #9 Posted January 18, 2011 TOP 5 : - Summicron 35 Asph - Elmarit-M 90 - Elmarit 24 asph - Summarit 50 f 1,5 - Elmar 90 3 elements (head on Viso+Bellows) WORST 5 : - Super Angulon 21 f4 - Elmarit 28 1st version (9 elements) - Elmarit 135 2,8 - Telyt 280 v2 - Alpine Elmar 10,5 cm... (not born for color... "muddy OOF"...) Summilux 35 pre-asph (and very old as mine) ... agree with Lars: at 1,4 a class of its own... love it or horrify... Special mention : Distagon 18 for Contarex - FULLY CLOSED - diffraction commandes all - impossible to put any subject in-or-out of focus Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andalus Posted January 18, 2011 Share #10 Posted January 18, 2011 Top 3: 28 Summicron ASPH 50 Lux ASPH 135 Telyt APO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted January 18, 2011 Share #11 Posted January 18, 2011 Top 3: 28 Summicron ASPH 50 Lux ASPH 135 Telyt APO +2: 75 Summicron Apo Asph. 90 Summicron Apo Asph..... ...though I don't see any value in those lists. May be someone took one or more photos with pleasing/unpleasing details and lights out of focus - she or he might cherish/blame the lens. We could only compare different lenses (of same focal lengthes), if we saw their results of the same motive with same aperture and same lighting one next to the other. This his hard to achieve. This forum is full of claims that one lens is better than another. To find a single example here which might show whether this claim is justified seems to be more difficult than finding two 1.4/35 Summilux Asphericals with equal serial numbers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauribix Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted January 18, 2011 We could only compare different lenses (of same focal lengthes), if we saw their results of the same motive with same aperture and same lighting one next to the other. This his hard to achieve. Well, I know this is hard, and IMHO useless too. This was not intended to be the usual pixel-peeper thread. Just a personal, subjective list. This forum is full of claims that one lens is better than another. To find a single example here which might show whether this claim is justified seems to be more difficult than finding two 1.4/35 Summilux Asphericals with equal serial numbers. Well, I bought that lens two times. The first time I regretted selling my "old" 35lux ASPH in less than two months. I use to know my "old" lux as I know my pockets. Never had too much trouble with focus shift problems, even though I knew it was there. Then I sold my new 35luxASPH FLE, and used different 35s, looking for the best one, since it's my primary lens. Then I found once again a new 35luxASPH FLE at my dealer's store, I bought it again, kept it 15days, and regretted selling my "old" 35 twice. That's the way it goes. Now I own a 35cron ASPH and a 35lux ASPH (old)... I sell the cron, not the lux. Here's a sample of what I mean for the "worst" OOF rendering in my lens lineup. Judge yourself. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/141968-your-best-and-worst-lens-oof-discussion-only/?do=findComment&comment=1562350'>More sharing options...
Mauribix Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share #13 Posted January 18, 2011 And here's a "stellar" bokeh... guess which lens? Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/141968-your-best-and-worst-lens-oof-discussion-only/?do=findComment&comment=1562358'>More sharing options...
LeicaBraz Posted January 18, 2011 Share #14 Posted January 18, 2011 The best lenses are the most expensive ones and viceversa. Or did I get it wrong? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted January 18, 2011 Share #15 Posted January 18, 2011 TOP 5 :... - Alpine Elmar 10,5 cm... (not born for color... "muddy OOF"...) ... Well, I confess it's difficult, to get something oof with the Berg Elmar - even;) if it is wide opened. Though I am not sure whether your example in full chrome is really up to the standards (The flash doesn't do the colours a favour, but for serial no. 162404 I don't complain:) Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/141968-your-best-and-worst-lens-oof-discussion-only/?do=findComment&comment=1562404'>More sharing options...
UliWer Posted January 18, 2011 Share #16 Posted January 18, 2011 Can't compete with Maurizio's stellar lights, and please don't look for sharpness as the exposure was much too long for 105mm: Berg Elmar tonight at f/6.3: Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/141968-your-best-and-worst-lens-oof-discussion-only/?do=findComment&comment=1562409'>More sharing options...
Mauribix Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share #17 Posted January 18, 2011 The best lenses are the most expensive ones and viceversa.Or did I get it wrong? Well I don't think so. I do believe that the best lens is the one that let you take photographs your best way. It may be a 200bucks used one as well as a 8000€ lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauribix Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share #18 Posted January 18, 2011 [ATTACH]240247[/ATTACH] I like the OOF area of the umbrella shot. That's what I tend to consider pleasant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
elgenper Posted January 18, 2011 Share #19 Posted January 18, 2011 .....Here's a sample of what I mean for the "worst" OOF rendering in my lens lineup. Judge yourself. Well, the rendering of faces in 1, 3, and 5 is rather out of this world...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted January 18, 2011 Share #20 Posted January 18, 2011 My 50mm Summitar on the M9, a lens that makes things in the background look windswept and interesting when used wide open. I like this lens very much, the low contrast can be used to good effect in high contrast scenes, and its very sharp stopped down to f5.6 Steve Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/141968-your-best-and-worst-lens-oof-discussion-only/?do=findComment&comment=1562443'>More sharing options...
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