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Pre-Lux 35 soft lens?


lct

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I cannot hold up but response to this thread.

 

Same as luigi, I'll never part with my type 1 Canadian chrome Summilux 35 =)

 

link to pics with my lux at low light.

 

link to pics at evening light.

 

All with M8 and Canadian chrome lux, no PP applied. I'm very happy with this early gem.

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I picked one up at an auction and am really happy with it. For me, it gives an orton effect without much post processing and I love the low light flexibility.

 

Arif

Attachment: Tokyo Shrine ;)

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I believe that this lens has had an optical change throughout its 30+ year production. I have tried no less than 3 1st vers OLLUX hood lenses and 5 series VII filter lenses. I can say that the OLLUX lenses are actually of an acceptable sharpness wide open at f1.4 (contrary to many reports) in the centre renders a beautiful image esp. in B&W. This lens does suffer from flare as noted and poorly handles light sources at night time shooting with swirling effects. The black & titanium 12504 lenses especially the late ones are sharper, as evidenced by LCT's excellent portrait example. Hasbroeck states that the lens was recomputed from 2166702 onwards. Whereas Laney is contrary to this.

 

It has been known in Leica circles that Leica doesn't always let out when they recompute lenses. They don't have accurate camera and lens serial number batch records either. I am also convinced that coatings were updated along the way too. This was Leica's most long lived lens and it is highly likely that over the 3 decades that this lens was produced that recomputations took place. There are several variations in the lense such as some were made with infinity lock tabs like the 35/2.0 1st version. Earlier ones were black painted, latter ones with chrome release buttons. Then these were dropped. With production initially in Canada, then moved in the latter part to Germany; the last of these were batches of black lenses engraved without white in-fill LENS MADE IN GERMANY; and the last of them, a small run in titanium finish for the tit M6

 

And sorry to answer the original question, no this lens is not soft, only at the edges wide open. For those that disagree, I can only say that there is sample variation between lenses and that you got yourself a dud copy

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...The black & titanium 12504 lenses especially the late ones are sharper... Hasbroeck states that the lens was recomputed from 2166702 onwards. Whereas Laney is contrary to this...

Much interesting Sparkie thank you.

Would you have any link to Hasbroeck and Laney works by chance?

BTW the serial numbers of the 35/1.4 were 11870 and 11871 if i'm not wrong.

Not sure about the titanium version though.

12504 is the hood which you said is not reversible and has no cap unfortunately.

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Much interesting Sparkie thank you.

Would you have any link to Hasbroeck and Laney works by chance?

BTW the serial numbers of the 35/1.4 were 11870 and 11871 if i'm not wrong.

Not sure about the titanium version though.

12504 is the hood which you said is not reversible and has no cap unfortunately.

 

sorry, sourced from books not online.

 

lens codes: 11870, 11871 with eys for M3, 11860 titanium lenses

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lct, can you take some different samples as with shiny objects to example? Also ones unprocessed with different halfstops from widest aperture (f1.4, f1.7, f2) so those can tell how much it jumps up for contrast. Because this pic is too good to be a lux pre asph if I have to compare this with my copy. It might show that the coatings from your lens are improved or maybe it was such composition with light source so "the glow" doesn't show up while it was almost dark at large area of the pic. If I had fast look over your pic, I'd believe it was 50mm lux preasph :) almost.....

 

With my pic, I want show how it is glowing/flaring easily at the widest aperture

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lct, can you take some different samples as with shiny objects to example? Also ones unprocessed with different halfstops from widest aperture (f1.4, f1.7, f2) so those can tell how much it jumps up for contrast. Because this pic is too good to be a lux pre asph if I have to compare this with my copy. It might show that the coatings from your lens are improved or maybe it was such composition with light source so "the glow" doesn't show up while it was almost dark at large area of the pic. If I had fast look over your pic, I'd believe it was 50mm lux preasph :) almost.....

Too much work Tomas sorry but i can show you the same 100% crop without PP and another one at f/1.4, same lens (# 3,501,xxx) camera and iso with my usual USM (French Miranda's Nikon CS Pro, medium setting).

The Pre-Lux 50, at least my late copy (# 3,760,xxx), remains certainly sharper (3rd pic, 50/1.4, f/1.4, R-D1, 200 iso, 100% crop, same USM as above).

 

EPSN3383_cropweb100.jpg

 

EPSN3420-aftercropweb.jpg

 

EPSN3400-aftercropweb.jpg

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lct, can you take some different samples as with shiny objects to example...

Looks like my copy has not much glow so far.

Good sharpness at f/5.6 though. Only used the low setting of Fred Miranda's Nikon CS Pro here.

Apologies if the colors are out, i'm using a laptop which is not calibrated yet.

(R-D1, 35/1.4, f/5.6, 200 iso, full frame and 100% crop)

 

EPSN3447_04-afterweb.jpg

 

EPSN3447_04-aftercropweb.jpg

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Your second pic is intriguing (of the watch) if this is not processed. There remains a lot more contrast than the first image above.

 

I recognize rendition from the pic of the woman. This is very similiar to my copy. I'm not interested much for smaller apertures because I think that 35lux preasph performs quite well already from f2.

 

That's why I'm very interested to see more samples from widest apretures from 1.4 to 2.0. If you find time to make the same sample at different apertures, please to post some images maybe send to my email adress. How do you find the difference of contrast at 1.4 and 1.7? Do you feel that focussing is more stiff than usual? it is because relatively small rotation from close to infinity?

 

Don't be sorry about colors from your last image. This image is very colorful. No dull or washed out.

 

I love the plugin from FredMiranda. I bought it which you did recommended! Thanks ;)

 

one sample at f5.6 for fun.. certainly this old lens performs very well at smaller apertures.

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