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Why old lenses on the Monochrom?


PaulJohn

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Indeed. My guess was also that the same people would be more likely to also own a Monochrom - possibly due to B&W nostalgia (and more disposable income).

 

 

Me too. And I'm not THAT old, despite what my daughters seem to believe since I started wearing reading glasses...

 

 

:-)

 

I don't think 55 is old.

Only people older than me are old!

 

The disposable income is a good point.

 

Funny you mention reading glasses. The only thing that pisses me off about getting older is needing reading glasses. such a hassle!

Edited by MarkP
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:-)

 

I don't think 55 is old.

Only people older than me are old!

 

The disposable income is a good point.

 

Funny you mention reading glasses. The only thing that pisses me off about getting older is needing reading glasses. such a hassle!

I have needed glasses since I was ten years old. Reading is the ONLY thing for which I do not need glasses. I do not have very old lenses, just pre ASPH Elmarit 21 and 90. Both are fine with Monochrom 246 and M-P 240.

Jesse

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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Hmmmm. I don’t think liking b/w is necessarily nostalgia, nor is being older makes you more prone to being nostalgic. Is all a matter of taste and style. Doubt many out there today were alive before color film was developed. Rather, b/w is a matter of expression. Nothing old about it.

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Old lenses get their full potential with the recent digital sensors either in color or BW. Yet these sensors don't offer the diverse looks/options that the analog film stocks used to.

 

Old lenses  bring their own characteristics and are a  substantial addition to the photographer's "palette".

 

As Belle 123 states in the above post, it "is all a matter of taste and style" .

Edited by JMF
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  • 3 years later...

My favorite lens on the Monochrom (all three versions) is my old Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm f/1.5 Sonnar, an uncoated lens made in the year 1937 with air bubbles in the glass.  It is just gorgeous in every way.  It's pretty good in color too, but I rarely bother with color.

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On 3/12/2018 at 4:16 AM, JTLeica said:

Probably just a throwback to classic black and white film images with lenses that are less clinical and perfect than the modern ones. Softer rendering, spherical aberrations, less contrast makes for a lovely black and white image.

Under-corrected spherical aberration is fundamental to better out of focus highlights, lower contrast that can be manipulated in Lightroom or Photoshop and somewhat softer, less “clinical” sharpness that can also be bumped up post exposure. A lot of older lenses can be found sharp enough if used carefully. I put a 1930’s Doppel Plasmat on my Linhof with a CCD back for B&W that renders beautifully. 

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  • 1 month later...

I think I just like the interesting properties of older lenses on a Mono.  I have a 90mm f2 Cron (Pre APO) that has horrorible fringing and other colour based inadequacies but is fabulous on my M9M.  I think the ultimate underdog lens for a Mono is the Canon LTM series.  I use a V1 50mm f1.4 (from 1957) on the M9M.  Check this image out, sharp at the eyes and falls off wonderfully.... but I would never stick it on my M10P

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Seeing is believing. We don't debate but enjoy it.

Summicron 50mm F2 V1 Collapsible, M10M

Summicron-M 35mm F2, V1, ELC, M10M

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A lot of nice photos posted so far. I personally don’t like using the newer high contrast lenses on the Monochrom. On the other hand I am not crazy about vintage lenses either. Here’s an example of what I don’t like - a 21mm Super Elmar M I bought last week. I used it on my M10M in various lighting condition and it is ugly in bright daylight. The lens is really nice for color and now resides on my M8. This one was shot on an overcast day at max aperture during my Bruce Gilden phase last week. Otherwise it is a great lens just not for b/w.

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