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Which lenses have 'character'?


seratti

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and two more on film

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There is something about the results from my 1951 Summicron 5cm Collapsible that I find pleasing.  Example was taken with my IIIg on Tri-X (Rodinal 1:50).

 

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I'm seeing some very nice photos but nothing that persuades me that there's anything special about the lenses involved.

 

I need a new monitor, or new eyes, or a new brain.

 

Any deals available on all three?

 

You can have my brain. I'm not using it.

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you can use the 50 Summar on modern cameras, such as the M-P 240?

what results to expect? which ring to use?

Photos in my post above were taken using Summar + LTM-to-M adapter on M8.2. You can expect sharper results with M240. The lens takes 34mm filter ring. Using hood improves the result.

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I'm seeing some very nice photos but nothing that persuades me that there's anything special about the lenses involved.

 

I need a new monitor, or new eyes, or a new brain.

 

Any deals available on all three?

Could be. There is at least one character of the Summilux75 that cannot be shown in one shot esthetics and that is the course of its contrast over the f-stops from f1.4 to f16. If you show that in a graphic it is a perfect hill with f5.6/f8 on top, which makes the lens very versatile for your wishes in that respect.

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I'm seeing some very nice photos but nothing that persuades me that there's anything special about the lenses involved.

 

I need a new monitor, or new eyes, or a new brain.

 

Any deals available on all three?

"Selig, die nicht sehen und doch glauben" (Joh 20,29).

 

Leitz Hektor 1,9/7,3 cm (mine is from 1933).

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It might be easier to ask which lenses has character at a specific focal length. Also you might want to say what character you like or perhaps better still dislike (eg flare, CA)

 

I LOVE the 75mm Summilux, but I am selling this lens, why? because its 75mm not 50mm or less. If you wan't a characterful 35mm there are lots!

 

35mm Summicron V1, Summilux Pre ASPH, Summaron F2.8, Summilux ASPH., Summilux ASPHERICAL to name a few

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Could be. There is at least one character of the Summilux75 that cannot be shown in one shot esthetics and that is the course of its contrast over the f-stops from f1.4 to f16. If you show that in a graphic it is a perfect hill with f5.6/f8 on top, which makes the lens very versatile for your wishes in that respect.

 

That's a good point that I hadn't really considered in this context. Consistency or predictability over the range of apertures can be a valuable quality.

 

Whether that constitutes "character" is for us each to decide, I suppose.

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Honestly? Go large format. LF is all about poetry of the image. About lens signature. About the magic. About the atmosphere of a lens. Each lens is unique in the LF world. It's all Alchemy.

 

35mm format? Almost a joke, but you must dip in LF to understand that, or at least see the difference.

 

I've shot a lot of Minolta in the past, even recently. I've mixed my minolta and Leica negatives. A lot of "atmospheric" images that Imm sure come from the 50 1.7md and 28 2.8md. I don't want to push it further. How could I justify 10,000$ versus 24.50$ if I discover what we don't want to know?

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Yes that's true, only a little bit of a hussle everytime I found a promising Dallmeyer how to get it on the right flange for my Linhof.

Little bit of a hussle you say?

 

The magic of the 35mm entirely lies on its supreme ease of use, from loading a roll of film to printing it.

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I will receive a Linhof 4x5 later this week. Can't wait to explore it's capabilities.

Super Technika (rangefinder) or Technika or studio Linhof?

 

If I may, don't get all screwed up finding appropriate lens boards. Ask here. We will find them for you.

I am so fond of my Super Technika ... but I digress...

 

Best of luck to you.

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I'm still trying to understand what "character" is. ... ;)

 

OOF, glow, pop, flare, contrast, acuity, sharpness,  edge drop-off,  good-bad bokeh (?)...is one or all...character?  Or is it how it "the glass draws" whatever that means??

 

Or is it just a lens with faults we call character...?

 

all best...

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