Vintage lenses on the SL

[John Robinson]

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Helios-44 2/58 from about 1969, taken wide-open on SL to show the "swirly bokeh" that is a characteristic of this lens (based on Zeiss Biotar formula).  3x4 crop to about 20Mpixel.

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Edited August 25, 2020 by John Robinson

[John Robinson]

Another Helios-44 2/58 image, this time at f8 on SL.  Maybe I have a good example but this lens is very sharp, does not seem to flare as is sometimes reported.  3x4 crop to about 16Mpixel.

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[_Michael]

Sl with vintage SMC Pentax-M 1:4 100mm Macro (from late 70's)

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[John Robinson]

1961 Summitar on SL.  Shot wide-open to show the interesting "swirl".  I am always astonished how good this lens is, compares well with the Summicron that followed it.

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100% crop from an image taken at f/5.6, looking across Sandwich Bay in Kent to the Ramsgate Peninsular.  Sharp, low-contrast from a single-coated lens.

[John Robinson]

Just double-checked the lens serial number.  The Summitar is from 1951 not 1961 (superseded by Summicron by then).  Perhaps I have an exceptional sample (no dust, no cleaning marks, no fungus) but I am still surprised just how well it draws an image.  Soft contrast but sharp detail.

[MRJohn]

Konica Hexanon 50mm f1.2 on an SL2

 

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[Eclectic Man]

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Nothing worth sharing yet, but I'm checking out my old R lenses on the SL2 and am really impressed at just how good they still are, although I need to practice focusing them, and checking the aperture.

[John Robinson]

Can a mid-1970s lens be described as "vintage", or is it really only "classic"?  Certainly, the Carl Zeiss Planar 1.4/50 made (in Japan) for Contax/Yashica mount is a stunningly good lens, compares well with the Leica Summilux 50 but easily found for a fraction of the price.  Image is from Sandwich Bay in Kent, UK.  How can the sea manage to wash up such things as this?  Leica SL, Planar at f/4.

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Edited September 22, 2020 by John Robinson

[tedd]

Not sure if this counts as vintage, but I just picked up a 1978 50mm 'Lux-R for my SL. I wanted something a little faster/more character for portraits in particular compared to my usual trio of 90's M glass. Here are some test shots of our boys.

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[tedd]

(Above shots were all wide-open. After doing some tests I think I'll now be using the lens around f2.8 when I want to play with shallow DoF. At this aperture it is still plenty shallow, but bokeh less nervous and much more even towards the edges of the frame. The image is also noticeably sharper while still retaining what I would consider a vintage character.)

[dkCambridgeshire]

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Juvenile Canada Goose Stamford Meadows, Stamford, Lincs. UK  

SL 601 / Canon FD 100-300mm L lens / C7 FD to L mount adapter 

cont'd ... 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2020 by dkCambridgeshire
typo

[dkCambridgeshire]

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Mute Swan Stamford Meadows, Stamford Lincs UK

SL 601 / Canon FD 100-300mm L lens / C7 FD to L mount adapter ... the original manual focus FD 100-300mm L lens ... which was subsequently redesigned / modified into the EF autofocus version of same lens 

BW

dunk 

[frame-it]

SL + Leitz Telyt-R 250mm f4

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[frame-it]

SL + Leitz Telyt-R 250mm f4

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[frame-it]

SL + Leitz Telyt-R 250mm f4

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[P1505]

On 12/29/2019 at 6:31 PM, Musotographer said:

Not an inspiring photo; we liberated from a relative's attic my late father-in-law's 1970s photo gear and there amongst it was a Meyer-Optik Görlitz Orestegor 300/4 in M42 mount - a lens I'd never heard of. It weighs 2.1 kilos, is 24cms long with the jammed-on hood, takes a 100mm filter and the closest focussing distance seems to be about 10'. It is NOT a pleasure to handle 😀 - a tripod is essential, so it's good that it has its own adjustable tripod mount.  It's not in bad shape, though it does seem to have some fungus. The pictures seem to be not at all bad - decent sharpness and good colour, with nice subject separation wide-open.

SL with Orestegor 300/4, wide-open.

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It took a while to realise you hadn’t mounted the lens in a wall! I was thinking it can’t be that heavy!

[P1505]

I’m looking for a portrait lens, thinking 135. Wondering if the Nikon 135 3.5 or the Hexanon 135 3.5 would be better. Anyone got any insights?

[northernlights]

Canon 50mm f1.4 LTM on SL

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[John Robinson]

On 12/15/2020 at 6:28 PM, P1505 said:

I’m looking for a portrait lens, thinking 135. Wondering if the Nikon 135 3.5 or the Hexanon 135 3.5 would be better. Anyone got any insights?

Having worked with 135mm lenses, I can't say I liked them for portraits.  Puts the subject too far away.

The classic "portrait" lens on the 24x36 format is 85 or 90 mm.  Assuming you are using an SL (as this is an SL thread) then it comes down to what sort of effect you want and how much you can afford, also if auto-focus is important. 

I haven't had the opportunity to test any "native" SL lenses but had tried several manual lenses adapted to the SL  If depth of field is important (aiming for very shallow e.g. to keep eyes in focus but ears out of focus) then you are looking for f/2, f/1.4 or wider.  I can recommend the Leica Apo-Summicron-M 2/90mm ASPH.  This can be expensive and there are pre-ASPH versions, going right back to large and solid Canadian-made Summicrons.  For wide-open, a Carl Zeiss Planar 1.4/85 in Contax mount is an excellent choice, can be a third the price of the Apo-Summicron or the Leica 1.4/80 in R-mount.  If shallow depth of field is not such an issue, there are excellent 2.8/90 lenses e.g. Elmarit-M and Elmarit-R, also a Contax-mount Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/85.

I also have tested Nikon lenses via an adapter on the SL.  I didn't like the fact that the focus ring turns the "wrong" way but optically, various 85 and 105mm lenses in F-mount can produce excellent results.  The Nikon-F 1.4/85 is highly-regarded and there are cheaper versions that give a more "old-fashioned" look e.g. 2/85 and 1.8/85.

If you want auto-focus then you are  looking at native L-Mount.  I have only tested one Leica L-mount lens (the Summicron-T 23) and would not describe this as a portrait lens but the autofocus is excellent and I would expect the same from any Leica L-mount lens.  Panasonic and Sigma seem to be the main alternatives for L-mount auto-focus but I haven't tried any of them.

If price is important, then Elmarit-R, Carl Zeiss Contax-mount and Nikon F-mount (with appropriate adapters) are a very good place to start.  The Leica Elmar-C 4/90 (M-mount) can be found for not a lot of money but f/4 does mean you won't get the full shallow-focus effect.

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[P1505]

Cheers. I decided to go ~90mm yesterday. So your post is perfectly timed. I prefer manual focus, I find auto focus chooses something other than what I want. 2.8 is fine, 1.4 would be new for me.

Im going to spend a couple of months playing with me Zeiss 50 f2 and once comfortable I’ll look to move to the 90.

I never had a craving to do portraits before, still don’t. But I do want to document my family, especially my parents. I won’t have them much longer.