110 Planar

[Printmaker]

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Is anyone using the 110 F2 Planar on their S or S2. If so, how is the user experience in a portrait or product shoot? Is opening up to focus and stopping down to shoot a PIA or no big deal?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tom

[tom0511]

Is anyone using the 110 F2 Planar on their S or S2. If so, how is the user experience in a portrait or product shoot? Is opening up to focus and stopping down to shoot a PIA or no big deal?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tom

 

I have used it a few times but then decided I would rather use the 120 Macro for this kind of images, since - IMO - it does render sharp but still not harsh and works fine for portrait.

 

I wouldn't want to open and close f-stop for portrait work (except maybe if the person is sitting really still) - but then I would use those lenses in the 2-0-4.0 range anyways.

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[darylgo]

I haven't used the F series Hasselblad lenses however the V series are not convenient. I have been coveting the 110 Planar for many years and might put up with it for portraiture, especially if used at f2 the only inconvenience would be the lack of autofocus. The Leica manual focus system would seem accurate enough to get proper focus. For product shots I would think good workflow techniques would overcome the extra steps necessary without being PIA. Please post shots I would like to see your results.

[albireo_double]

I tried the 110 a few times on my S2 via an adaptor but concluded that manual focusing and aperture resetting were PIA; thereafter sold the 110 and bought the Leica 120 Apo Makro. Some other users (participants in this and other forums) report that the 120 is slow autofocusing for regular portrait work (true, it is a macro lens) and that they prefer to use the Hasselblad HC 100 2.2 via an adapter (advantages being faster AF, automatic aperture, full metadata etc. exactly like a native lens). Another possibility that you may wish to consider is the Zeiss 120 Apo Makro for Contax 645 - the Leica S - Contax 645 adapter will give you auto aperture and full metadata; the lens is of course manual focus only - but a very sweet lens, incl. for portraiture.

[menos I M6]

I do have a Hasselblad 203fe + 50/2.8 and 110/2 around somewhere, occasionally checking it up with a roll or two.

 

In my opinion the 110/2 is one of the most interesting lenses around.

 

On a S body though, it looses half it's mojo due to the much smaller sensor than a 6x6 negative and (being it's biggest issue on a S body) it handles very poorly in ergonomically terms.

 

It is not just the issue with not having auto aperture functionality but its balance on the body, it's very hefty controls, it's heavy (nose heavy) weight on the body.

 

To close the story, there are plenty of beautiful alternatives to the 110mm focal length on the S body, the best probably being Leica's own 120 Macro lens.

 

Yes, none of them does f2 but really the 110 belongs on a Hasselblad body.

 

I would not buy a 110/2 + adapter to use it on a S body.

I would buy a 110/2 + 2xx series Hasselblad and lend an adapter to also try it on a S body instead.

[Printmaker]

Thanks for all of the great information. That is just about what I thought. Save a little more for the 120 Leica lens.

 

My biggest problem (and keep in mind I'm not really complaining) is that I live and work on an island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean where I just can not run on down to a camera store and try out a piece of gear. I need to be really sure something is going to work before I pull out the old credit card.

[Paul J]

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The 100 f2 is one of the best lens ever. The word iconic comes to mind.

 

I don't think anything is too much a pain in the arse to use this lens, I hold it in very high regard. Albeit, it needs to be on a full frame 645 sensor as it's beauty is not being exploited otherwise. It works fine on a Phase One DF/Mamiya 645 with an adapter. It's sadly ironic the only way to use the lens is on another system. You can't put a back on the 200 series bodies and the lens won't work on the H.

 

I think it's terrible we have no modern medium format system with Zeiss because the lenses truly have something no others do.

[menos I M6]

You can't put a back on the 200 series bodies

 

Actually you can.

The only issue this comes with is that the body has to be modified by Hasselblad and will loose the film back communication for good in the process (film backs with ISO selection will not communicate with the body anymore but you have to manually select ISO in the bodies menu to keep shooting film).

 

In my opinion though the REAL full frame medium format being 6x6 is the way to use the 110 Planar.

This lens is so special (as you have mentioned Paul), that it is one of the very few lenses around to excuse buying a 200 series body and shoot film with it.

 

Trix400 @ 320 in D-76 1:1, 203Fe, 110/2:

 

203Fe + 110 f2 FE + TriX@320 + D-76 by teknopunk.com, on Flickr

 

Mamiya ZD, 110/2:

 

portrait - red by teknopunk.com, on Flickr

 

The lens is indeed special, it just is a PITA enough to me to simply not use it on the S2.

The 120m Leica lens is not the only game in town though.

In my opinion the Contax 645 adapter + Contax 120/4 APO-Makro Planar is a more versatile lens on the S2 + it is one of the very few lenses really on par optically with the Leica S lenses (it really is).

 

Sure it's 2 stops slower than the 110/2 Planar and it doesn't have Autofocus like the Leica 120 Macro S, but it does 1:1 all by itself without tubes and gimmicks and it takes the Contax 645 auto extension tubes to get you even closer than 1:1.

A Contax 120/4 set is still a lot less costly than the Leica 120 S if that matters.

[Paul J]

Nice pics.

 

I agree that the 110 f2 is worth buying a 200 series body for to shoot film with. 6x6 is certainly the preferred option to get the entire magic of this lens.

 

The main reason I switched from V to H was because the H is much better suited with the high res backs, I use a P65. But what I gained in some areas I lost in others. I have been told by a few different sources that the Phase One backs don't sync well with the shutter of 200 Series cameras.

 

I hope a Zeiss medium format digital option turns up some day. Sooner rather than later. I'm not a fan of the Mamiya, Schneider and Hasselblad HC lenses. They are sharp, but the rendering is mostly featureless. The S Lenses are nice but I don't find the smaller sensor or resolution such an attractive option.

 

I also agree on the Contax lenses, they are all good and some are wonderful. The Contax 645 to me was almost a perfect system and it's such a shame it ended. I've always hoped and wished for a resurgence of the brand or for another MFD company to use the platform. The 80 f2 is again, so good that it's worth buying a body for. If it hadn't of closed then I would have gone with the Contax instead of the H Blad for MFD. I both like and dislike the H Blad.

 

Sometimes I just wish the world didn't go digital.

[Likaleica]

Is anyone using the 110 F2 Planar on their S or S2. If so, how is the user experience in a portrait or product shoot? Is opening up to focus and stopping down to shoot a PIA or no big deal?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Tom

 

Yes

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[Rolo]

I bought the S2 specifically to drive the 110mm FE to provide focus confirmation and a higher viewpoint. Along with that came a very fine digital camera that does colour as well as my preferred B&W.

 

Here's a selection of images taken with the lens, three of which were obviously taken on a 203FE. I haven't found the lens working as well on the S2, still good, but not as good as on film. Probably due to using just the centre of the lens and a pretty clinical digital sensor.

 

Focus is not as easy to achieve with focus confirmation with the lens wide open as with the auto-focus onan S lens, but that was probably more difficult on the film camera. A bit more concentration and a double take usually resolves that.

 

Another major disadvantage for me is that the angle of view reduces significantly causing me to step back to get the same image content, cos it's a crop camera compared to a 6x6, thereby increasing the DoF, subject contact and making it more difficult to see the detail of the eyelashes in the VF.

 

I have a 75mm S lens, but this has none of the emotion of the 110mm and could never produce say the No 18 shot below. I'm sure the 120mm S would be very good, even better than the 110mm, but I'm in deep enough at the moment.

 

First three are S2, rest are 203FE. All are wide open, except the car which was at f2.8, or f4, I think. The first is the very first S2 exposure I made. Shooting with the aperture set at f4 is no big issue in decent light, but frightening in some of the situations where I was being paid to shoot a bride in a dark church.

 

Gary

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Edited August 15, 2014 by Rolo

[menos I M6]

Gary, you better stick that 110 back on the 203!

Especially the very last shot is absolute magic - brilliant photograph! Love it!

[Stuart Richardson]

The 110 Planar works ok on the S2. I did not have that much of an issue with ergonomics. Stopped down a bit it is sharp, but it looks much better on film...it does not have the resolution, freedom from aberration and microcontrast of the S lenses. On film you don't really notice this quite so much, but on 37.5mp without an AA filter, the lens just looks soft until you get to 5.6 or so. Overall though, the 120mm S lens will cure you of any longing for the 110mm. At least it did for me...The 110mm FE lens is one of my favorite lenses of all time. It has amazing performance. The 120mm S lens is quite a ways better optically, while still retaining a ton of character, at least to my eyes. Now though, the natural choice would be the upcoming 100mm f/2. This will capture the speed and focal length of the 110mm FE on the Hasselblad better. It will be a bit wider and a tiny bit faster (than the 120), so it should draw more similarly.

It's hard to show lens character on the web, and a lot of my work is landscape work, so it is not as obvious unless you have the full file, but here are a few sample shots with the 120mm. I will say it is the best lens I have ever used from a technical standpoint. There is literally nothing to criticize optically...it performs perfectly from 2.5 up (diffraction starts at f/16 or so) and from infinity to 1:2.

[Rolo]

On 8/15/2014 at 2:37 PM, menos I M6 said:

Gary, you better stick that 110 back on the 203!

Especially the very last shot is absolute magic - brilliant photograph! Love it!

Thanks.

The Hasselblad 110mm has outlived my Leica S system, which went to a new home last month.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t replicate the look of the 110mm film version with the digital sensor.  No doubt this was due to the smaller digital sensor receiving light from the centre of the lens.  The OOF was present enabling separation, but the 6x6 frame benefits more from the characteristics of the 110mm.

 

Now, I’m back to all-film cameras, apart from an old Canon 50D and a Ricoh GR.  the cash has gone to good use.  🙂

Edited August 18, 2019 by Rolo

[Stuart Richardson]

I have increasingly gone this way too, though I have to admit that I still use a lot of digital, but more for work or workaday images...for my art work I am primarily using 6x7, 4x5 and increasingly 8x10. It is hard to replicate the way that images look on large sensors/areas of film. The 110mm F2 on film  has a look which is absolutely lovely, as do many of the FE lenses. I think the S lenses have some of the same magic and are certainly better technically, but sometimes I wish I could get a film version of the S...I imagine there is enough image circle for 645...a roll film version of the S would be unbelievable. I guess the closest we have would be the Contax 645...

Edited August 18, 2019 by Stuart Richardson

[BernardC]

I absolutely love the Planar 110 on the S. It's the only non-Leica lens that I use on that camera regularly.

The look is very similar to the Summilux 75/80 in 35mm (or, more to the point, like the classic Planar 1.4/85), except that it "pops" even more.

From a practical perspective, manual stop-down is no problem. I can focus down to 5.6 with no issues, using the standard screen. Focus feel is a lot stiffer than the S lenses, which can be an issue when changing from one end of the focus scale to the other (with S lenses, I just press the focus joystick to do that). The 110 and S form a very solid and comfortable combination, one which I've used for hours at a time with no fatigue.

The lens is more prone to back-light flare than the S lenses. Keep that in mind if you want to mix 110 shots with S-lens shots. The dedicated Hasselblad 110-150 hood is highly recommended. You can get cheap reproductions online.

The lens isn't meant to be ultra-sharp and clinical. Zeiss offered the 3.5/100 for that. It focuses down to a very useful 80cm, but it's the opposite of a macro lens at that distance. Although I wouldn't use the 110 for "product" shots, it is a useful tool for still life, or anything where atmosphere is more important than accuracy.

[peterv]

6 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

... I wish I could get a film version of the S...I imagine there is enough image circle for 645...a roll film version of the S would be unbelievable...

I like the idea, it has come up on this board earlier this summer. Thing is,  Medium Format Film 6×4.5 has a 70mm diagonal and Leica S has a 54mm diagonal, not larger according to Peter Karbe. That said, I'd be curious to see what our lenses would look like on a 30x45 Leica Pro Format piece of film. Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait until some start-up produces a mirrorless roll film camera 🙂

Edited August 18, 2019 by peterv
clarification

[alan.y]

Splurge on an Alpa FPS body with a 645 back and PL mount. Then, with the very little money you have left, pick up this set of used Thalia lenses from Adorama. Thalias are spec'd to cover 60mm, a bit better.

[Rolo]

17 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I have increasingly gone this way too, though I have to admit that I still use a lot of digital, but more for work or workaday images...for my art work I am primarily using 6x7, 4x5 and increasingly 8x10. It is hard to replicate the way that images look on large sensors/areas of film. The 110mm F2 on film  has a look which is absolutely lovely, as do many of the FE lenses. I think the S lenses have some of the same magic and are certainly better technically, but sometimes I wish I could get a film version of the S...I imagine there is enough image circle for 645...a roll film version of the S would be unbelievable. I guess the closest we have would be the Contax 645...

Stuart, I’d be very interested to know more about your views on other FE lenses.  Which ones are special in your opinion ?

I’ve only got the 1100mm now for my 203FE after selling the 60-120mm zoom.  On the other hand(s) I have a 503Cx with 50mm FLE, 80mm CFe, 180mm CFe and an Hasselblad SWC.  

I decided to make a digital OR film decision and struggling to sell the Leica S, I started to offload my film equipment.  All of the M stuff sold and my 203FE, but when it came to releasing my Imacon 848, I just couldn’t do it and realised what my true love is.

When eventually the S kit sold, with massive depreciation, I bought a replacement mint 203FE and ..... an Ebony 617se, plus 4 LF lenses.  Now, I’m all 120 film and quietly very pleased.  🙂

 

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[peterv]

Thanks for the heads-up Alan, I immediately ordered the Thalias, such a bargain 🙂

Then I resurrected this thread started by tom0511 a while ago: