George Bonanno
Well-known
Anyone using a Color Skopar 50mm f2.5 lens ?
What are your thoughts and or experiences with this lens ?
TIA,
g
What are your thoughts and or experiences with this lens ?
TIA,
g
Last edited:
Color Skopar 50mm f2.5...
- Thread starter George Bonanno
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oscroft
Veteran
Yep, I'm using one. It's sharp, with high contrast, and provides both good colour and nice b&w tonality. And mechanically it's one of the best CV lenses that I have - it and the 28/3.5 feel more solid and better made than the others I have (not that the others are in any way poorly made, of course)
alansoon
Established
I had one -- a solid piece of glass. Mechanically, top notch. However, I quickly got bored with it. IMHO, the photos somehow lacked "personality". The bokeh was pretty average.
markinlondon
Elmar user
I had one too. I have to agree with alansoon, very well made but I never warmed to its look. I feel the same about the 50 Nokton.
angeloks
Well-known
I use it on my IIf. I really like that lens. Solid build, good contrast. It's a little gem!
Bavaricus
Established
George Bonanno said:
Hello George,
don't you like your Sonnar? Or is it just "too short"?
George Bonanno
Well-known
B&W Tonality...
B&W Tonality...
Thanks guys for your comments... very much appreciated.
Hello Reiner... After exposing, so far, many rolls with the 40mm Sonnar, for most but not all, it's just a little too short (wide) for my taste. As in an everyday walkaround lens. And a little to snappy on the contrast too.
My main interest in the Skopar is the 50mm focal length and the price.. under $300 US... new. And of course that the Rollei 35 RF supports the 50mm with its very bright framelines under lowlight conditions. And let me say the framelines are bright even under a 40 watt lamp in a large room.
I just read through the archives here and on photo.net that the Skopar has not so good SOFA (I sincerely dislike the word bokeh as it has no emotion) and exhibits pincushion distortion. However, that's not an issue with me because I shoot mostly people under low light conditions. I typically don't shoot wide open because I like to minimize narrow focus even if the scene requires a slow shutter speed and suffers from a bit of movement. I'd much rather have an image with a bit more focus depth while giving up a razor sharp look. Sometimes detail and contrast distracts from candid images. Photographers on occasion get caught up in image quality rather that content. For myself I prefer quality of content above quality of image. But one rather important image quality for me is open shadows and lower contrast. Maybe the flare factor others have reported on with the Skopar is right for me as it might tend to lower contrast and open shadows. Well, I think it's time I order this lens and discover for myself if this lens has any merit for my type of snaps.
Thanks again to all.
Best,
George
B&W Tonality...
Thanks guys for your comments... very much appreciated.
Hello Reiner... After exposing, so far, many rolls with the 40mm Sonnar, for most but not all, it's just a little too short (wide) for my taste. As in an everyday walkaround lens. And a little to snappy on the contrast too.
My main interest in the Skopar is the 50mm focal length and the price.. under $300 US... new. And of course that the Rollei 35 RF supports the 50mm with its very bright framelines under lowlight conditions. And let me say the framelines are bright even under a 40 watt lamp in a large room.
I just read through the archives here and on photo.net that the Skopar has not so good SOFA (I sincerely dislike the word bokeh as it has no emotion) and exhibits pincushion distortion. However, that's not an issue with me because I shoot mostly people under low light conditions. I typically don't shoot wide open because I like to minimize narrow focus even if the scene requires a slow shutter speed and suffers from a bit of movement. I'd much rather have an image with a bit more focus depth while giving up a razor sharp look. Sometimes detail and contrast distracts from candid images. Photographers on occasion get caught up in image quality rather that content. For myself I prefer quality of content above quality of image. But one rather important image quality for me is open shadows and lower contrast. Maybe the flare factor others have reported on with the Skopar is right for me as it might tend to lower contrast and open shadows. Well, I think it's time I order this lens and discover for myself if this lens has any merit for my type of snaps.
Thanks again to all.
Best,
George
Bavaricus
Established
George Bonanno said:
Hello George,
sometimes it's the best to gain own experiences. To the sorrow of my wife (Secretary of finance) i tried very much during the last years!.
I by myself could never imagine that those FSU lenses are useable in today photography but NOW i am confident of the quality and the special touch in pictures made with them. Maybe you get a chance to test a 2/50 Jupiter-8. It's cheap and maybe it fits your needs. BTW it's a bit longer than 50mm (52mm)😉
Have Fun!
Reiner
oscroft
Veteran
Yes, it's true that its bokeh/SOFA/OOF is not the best in the business, but for me that's not a big problem because I don't do a great deal of wide-open bokehfied shooting (and I've got other fifties that would fit the bill better)
Larry H-L
Well-known
I picked up a used one about a month ago, wanting a small 50mm for a compact travel kit (to go with the 28mm f3.5)
It is beautifully made, focuses smoothly and is quite heavy.
As far as C/V lens go, I would argue that the bokeh is pretty good , maybe better than some of the other C/V lenses. It is rather contrasty, much like the 35mm f2.5, but as others have said, it gives lovely tones in B&W.
I have not noticed the alleged "pin cushion" look. Some have said that the lens is unsharp, my sample is plenty sharp. It is however "creamy" rather than "edgy."
It is beautifully made, focuses smoothly and is quite heavy.
As far as C/V lens go, I would argue that the bokeh is pretty good , maybe better than some of the other C/V lenses. It is rather contrasty, much like the 35mm f2.5, but as others have said, it gives lovely tones in B&W.
I have not noticed the alleged "pin cushion" look. Some have said that the lens is unsharp, my sample is plenty sharp. It is however "creamy" rather than "edgy."
