Good bye APSH glass

[lct]

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2 hours ago, Life By Stills said:

Thanks so much, and thank you also for all your thoughts and ideas! It's that glow that I'm quite fond of, so it's definitely Summilux rather than Voigtlander Nokton. Although having played with it, I do see what everyone means when they describe it as a "modern version of the Summilux". Having said that, I found the Summilux being able to resolve details better - amazing considering the age vs modern lens!

I would have to do side-by-side comparos to be sure but the resolving power of the Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2 seems at least as high as that of my Summilux v2 from 1989 at small apertures and definitely ahead at f/1.4. Now it has indeed less glow at full aperture. Just two snaps with Nokton on M11 @ f/1.4 and f/8 below. 

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Edited July 2, 2023 by lct

[Life By Stills]

25 minutes ago, lct said:

I would have to do side-by-side comparos to be sure but the resolving power of the Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2 seems at least as high as that of my Summilux v2 from 1989 at small apertures and definitely ahead at f/1.4. Now it has indeed less glow at full aperture. Just two snaps with Nokton on M11 @ f/1.4 and f/8 below. 

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The copy of the SC which I tried in the shop alongside the v2 I now have definitely struggled to resolve the finer details on a sign I photographed with both lenses wide open.

Whilst I could read the small print at a distance when shot with the v2, I couldn't actually read the small print when I shot with the SC, also wide open.

Although some people say Voigtlander aren't exactly the best at QC, so might have been a copy thing. Not sure though.

[lct]

15 minutes ago, Life By Stills said:

The copy of the SC which I tried in the shop alongside the v2 I now have definitely struggled to resolve the finer details on a sign I photographed with both lenses wide open.

Are you sure it is the Nokton SC v2 and not v1 you were trying this way? There is no doubt the Nokton SC v2 out-resolves the Summilux v2 at f/1.4 in my experience with two clean copies.

Edited July 2, 2023 by lct

[Life By Stills]

1 minute ago, lct said:

Are you sure it is the Nokon SC v2 and not v1 you were trying this way? There is no doubt the Nokton SC v2 out-resolves the Summilux v2 at f/1.4 i my experience with two clean copies.

Yep, it definitely was the v2 of the Nokton as the shop only stocks v2. To eliminate any rangefinder issues, I even used the live view and the EVF and despite nailing, the copy of the SC I played with couldn't resolve small print as clearly as the Summilux v2.

[lct]

16 minutes ago, Life By Stills said:

Yep, it definitely was the v2 of the Nokton as the shop only stocks v2. To eliminate any rangefinder issues, I even used the live view and the EVF and despite nailing, the copy of the SC I played with couldn't resolve small print as clearly as the Summilux v2.

Strange indeed, Further pics at f/1.4 with Nokton SC v2 on M11. The 2nd pic is a crop. FWIW.

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[Life By Stills]

12 hours ago, lct said:

Strange indeed, Further pics at f/1.4 with Nokton SC v2 on M11. The 2nd pic is a crop. FWIW.

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I don't think it's possible to see from just your SC samples alone. I didn't exactly say the SC couldn't resolve detail. Just on the copy I tested, the fine details happened to be resolved a bit more clearer on the v2 Summilux. But the reason I didn't go for the SC wasn't because of that fine detail issue - it'd have been unlikely to see the different on film - but because I genuinely wanted that 1.4 glow.

[lct]

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53 minutes ago, Life By Stills said:

I don't think it's possible to see from just your SC samples alone. I didn't exactly say the SC couldn't resolve detail. Just on the copy I tested, the fine details happened to be resolved a bit more clearer on the v2 Summilux. But the reason I didn't go for the SC wasn't because of that fine detail issue - it'd have been unlikely to see the different on film - but because I genuinely wanted that 1.4 glow.

I'm too lazy to do side-by-side comparos but it is the only way to be sure. What seems clear is the Nokton is more contrasty but resolution at f/1.4 looks low in both cases and the glow of the Summilux plays a role in the feeling of softness i suspect. Anyway if you're interested in glow in the first place you cannot go wrong with the Summilux v2. Happy snaps

[pippy]

3 hours ago, Life By Stills said:

...on the copy I tested, the fine details happened to be resolved a bit more clearer on the v2 Summilux. But the reason I didn't go for the SC wasn't because of that fine detail issue - it'd have been unlikely to see the different on film - but because I genuinely wanted that 1.4 glow.

 

2 hours ago, lct said:

I'm too lazy to do side-by-side comparos but it is the only way to be sure. What seems clear is the Nokton is more contrasty but resolution at f/1.4 looks low in both cases and the glow of the Summilux plays a role in the feeling of softness i suspect...

Like lct I haven't specifically done back-to-back comparisons between the 40mm f1.4 Nokton and the '74 v2 Summilux but I'd doubt that either lens truly has the ability to resolve fine detail at f1.4.

Purely by coincidence (having completed a much-needed body-focus-cam re-set a couple of days ago) I did take a few test-snaps of fixed-subject-matter yesterday with the Nokton at f1.4 and f5.6 primarily to ascertain if the cam on my M-D 262 was now working accurately in Real-World shooting. Here is one pair of frames (@100% magnification);

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So as not to spoil all the fun I won't divulge which half was shot at f1.4 and which was shot at f5.6 so you will just have to have a wild guess!

Philip.

 

 

Edited July 2, 2023 by pippy

[lct]

Quick conclusion as far as my lenses are concerned.
Aside from a slightly longer focal length, the Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2 shows more contrast, more distortion and less glow at full aperture than the Summilux 35/1.4 v2. See details in exif data.

Summilux 35/1.4 v2 on M11 @ f/1.4: 

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Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2 on M11 @ f/1.4: 

 

[pippy]

Here's another pair of images taken whilst testing-out the recalibrated body.

First is full-frame. Second is a 400% crop from the part of the snap indicated by the red-bordered rectangle. Throw-away snap, of course, but it served its purpose.

M-D Typ-262, 40mm f1.4 Nokton shot at f8;

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The tall chimney in centre of crop is over 10 Km / 7 Miles away from where I'm standing. If I were to make a print of this thing at this resolution it would be 2.7m / 10 feet wide. The 'horizon' stuff is easily 'sharp enough' for me but what's worth mentioning is that my focus-point for the pic was not the chimney but the small figure in white in the lower-left-hand-corner of the snap (and she is VERY sharp); the distant stuff, therefore, is at the mercy of D-o-F and so on.

Also bear in mind that photographs posted here are softer than they are in reality.

I'm more than happy with the performance of the Nokton for general walkabout snapping. I really should do a proper comparison with this and the v2 Summilux...

Philip.

Edited July 2, 2023 by pippy