Jump to content

Life through 50mm glasses


rramesh

Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

HC-B was merciless with the bourgeois and with Americans. If you look at Galassi's big compendium MOMA catalogue, you will see quite a few images that are very "political." In the late 30's HC-B also worked with communist publications, although he repudiated that later. (His pictures in China and Russia tend to be anodyne and definitely non-critical.)Frank, who I have known since the 70's, is more of a bohemian than anything else. He himself has always been critical of HC=B's coolness and formalism, though Robert is a formalist in a new way. He changed the game for everyone, as did HCB in the 50's and 60's.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Just got a used Voigtlander Nokton 50mm 1.5 off the forum site and it looks mint.

First impressions are that it is a very fine lens on a M8, sharp and very pleasant Bokeh.

No UV/IR yet but a Heliopan ordered.

I was dissatisfied with nightshots from the Leitz 40mm 2.0 too much trouble with smeared highlighs, hope the Asph 50 1.5 does better, time will tell.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

My only lens at the moment is a 1999 silver 50mm Summicron. Uncoded but with an extendable lenshood.

 

Its just beautiful - I got it second hand and Im hoping when I attach it to my camera (when it gets here, its still beautiful when it takes pictures... I hope.)

Link to post
Share on other sites

Advertisement (gone after registration)

When I bought my M4 in 1968, a friend loaned me his 50 Elmar and later a 50 DR Summicron. The Summicron was too expensive for me, and the Elmar looked "fiddly". I got a 35 Summaron, which along with a 135 Tele-Elmar were my only lenses for a number of years, and served me well. In the 1990s-2001 I took a plunge into the canyon of 50s and during that time bought a 50 collapsible Summicron ver I, a 1959 50 Summilux, a 50 Noctilux, a 2000 50 Elmar M and a barely used 50 Summicron ver VI. Once I came to my senses, I realized some weren't being used enough to warrant keeping. The Noctilux was the 1st to go...it didn't have the "magic" I expected from it. The Elmar M was very impressive, but it was next to go. The Summilux was a gem, but again wasn't being used enough to keep in the stable. The late version Summicron was outstanding in every respect, but when I needed some quick cash, it too went, leaving me with the old collapsible Summicron...which for me epitomized the "Leica look" in my shots with it. I became a definite 50mm man, and today am moving backwards to the pre-M Barnack era, and am again weeding out some interesting 50mm LTM lenses to end up with 1-2 always go-to lenses. I thought I had licked my long case of GAS, but it keeps coming back.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
Interesting that you should raise this topic today. 50mm is probably the focal length that I use the most.

Last night I ran a mental stock-take of the 50mm lenses in my arsenal and listed them in order of most used to least used.

 

1. 50mm Summilux f1.4 ASPH

2. 50mm on the Tri-Elmar

3. 50mm Summarit f2.5

4. 50mm Elmar f2.8

5. 50mm Summicron f2 (1957)

6. 50mm Elmar f3.5 (LTM)

7. 50mm Noctilux f.95

 

Based on this mental list, this morning I decided to sell the Noctilux f.95 which I bought new last month, and found a buyer for it within a couple of hours. I bought this lens to use on a specific project, however now that that's done, I've discovered it's the one lens that really doesn't turn me on, contrary to what I originally thought or expected. I found that it's so "un M-like" i.e. too big and bulky, I'm also not a big fan of the "excessive" bokeh when shooting wide open, and the chromatic aberration when shooting into the light.

IMO the OOF look and feel of the images when shooting wide open is almost too contrived, it may work for some but I found that it doesn't suit my style of shooting.

 

After a month of shooting with the Noctilux in Africa, I'm very happy to have the Summilux back on the M9 again.

 

 

Hi!

Could you share with me why you have so many 50mm lenses? Besides been able to afford them, I am curious.

 

Thanks

Link to post
Share on other sites

I have used the current version of the 50mm Summicron for 14 years and find it a lens that fits my needs perfectly. I see no reason to buy any other leica 50mm lens.

Mr. B

Link to post
Share on other sites

I wonder if there are any forumers who shoot only 50mm like HCB,..........

 

But HCB used many lenses, not only documented but easily seen by looking at his photo's. While the 50mm lens is a fine focal length, I use it a lot, the magic built up around it by reciting the HCB myth really needs knocking on the head.

 

Steve

Link to post
Share on other sites

HCB did use many focal lengths of course but his favorite was 50mm by far. You know what he said:

"Moi, le 50mm c'est ma vie. Une certaine distance avec les gens. Le grand angle gueule, et le 90mm me rappelle ces cornets acoustiques qu'utilisaient autrefois les vieilles dames."

(The 50mm lens is my life. A certain distance with people. The wide angle shouts, and the 90mm reminds me those ear trumpets that old ladies used to use in the past.)

Link to post
Share on other sites

(The 50mm lens is my life. A certain distance with people. The wide angle shouts, and the 90mm reminds me those ear trumpets that old ladies used to use in the past.)

 

 

Yes, with people. He was good at more than people pictures, his townscape and landscape work often uses wide or long lenses. :)

 

Steve

Link to post
Share on other sites

I love 50mm, my first camera an old Mamiya SLR had a 55mm and I thought that was the bomb, cause it was 55 not 50! I have realized over the years that I do tend to "see" through 50mm glasses. So when I started with Leica M my first lens was a v4 50 summicron, I absolutely love this lens, it's definitely a "go to." I recently got my Summarit 1.5/50 back from Sherry Krauter and I think that it will be on the MM for a while to come.

 

I use my 50's on the MM and the M9 so here's a basic list of what I use in what most often to least.

 

M9p

1. Noctilux 0.95

2. Summicron V4

3. Elmar M 2.8

4. Summarit 1.5

 

On the MM it's a bit different

1. Summarit 1.5

2.Summicron v4

3. Elmarit M 2.8

4. Noctilux 0.95

 

Had the Canon 0.95 but got rid of it when I got the Noctilux. Wish I would have kept it! it was a really nice one. Had a foggy ancient Elmar 3.5 that went on the bay.

 

 

Order of use will probably change depending, but in andy case it/s still a blast!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...