Field Testing Lenses: Tell me which ones!

Field Testing Lenses: Tell me which ones!

  • CV 40mm/1.4 Nokton MC

    Votes: 52 56.5%

  • CV 40mm/1.4 Nokton SC

    Votes: 30 32.6%

  • CV Ultron 35mm/1.7

    Votes: 49 53.3%

  • CV 35mm/2.5 Color Skopar Classic

    Votes: 39 42.4%

  • CV 35mm/2.5 Color Skopar PII

    Votes: 28 30.4%

  • Leitz Summicron -C 40mm/2.0

    Votes: 33 35.9%

  • Rokkor 40mm/2.0

    Votes: 38 41.3%

  • Canon 35mm/1.8

    Votes: 34 37.0%
  • Total voters
    92
Bill: I am still awaiting the developing and then getting scans for the rolls. There is no magic way in getting immediate developing of B&W film followed by scanning. Then, I need to load up the images and I need to label each image with the lens info and exposure info. Then Roland needs to set the images up for analysis.

Cheers,

Raid
 
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Be sure to post the results.

I have both (the 35 Nokton f/1.2 and 35 Summilux Asph f/1.4) lenses, but have not tested them against each other myself yet. When I do lens testing I do it indoors under somewhat controlled conditions with slide film - then view the results on a light table under a loupe.

I have done tests with scanned print film as well, but I think slides show better results. One of my most surprising test results to date was the 40mm f/1.4 Nokton MC against the 35 Asph and 50 Asph Summilux. The Nokton is a surprisingly good little lens - even wide open - on par with the Leica lenses.
 
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Joe Mondello said:
I say go for the 4-40s!
Click to expand...

Joe: I did test several 40mm lenses so far, and I tested the Nokton MC today, plus the Summicron C. The Rokkor is similar in optical design to the Summicron C and the SC Nokton looked like the MC version in previous images.

Raid
 
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BillBlackwell said:
Be sure to post the results.

I have both (the 35 Nokton f/1.2 and 35 Summilux Asph f/1.4) lenses, but have not tested them against each other myself yet. When I do lens testing I do it indoors under somewhat controlled conditions with slide film - then view the results on a light table under a loupe.

I have done tests with scanned print film as well, but I think slides show better results. One of my most surprising test results to date was the 40mm f/1.4 Nokton MC against the 35 Asph and 50 Asph Summilux. The Nokton is a surprisingly good little lens - even wide open - on par with the Leica lenses.
Click to expand...


Bill,

You should be in a better position than me then. I have just tried out these lenses which were given to me temporarily for the testing. I used on purpose a very slow film like EFKE 25 to try to capture any fine differences between the CV 35mm/1.2 and the Summilux 35mm/1.4. I had open shade photos and also images with a sunlit background. There was an outdoors arts show close to the waterfront in downtown Pensacola, and it became my testing ground. I even asked one of of the displaying artists to allow me take photos of him. He looked interesting with his full beard.

Cheers,

Raid
 
Raid, I am not an artist and I sure as hell am not interesting: but I do have a large grey beard. Would love to be a co-subject with Dana.
 
I voted for the 35/2.5. I'll be waiting to see what you come up with.

When you get that far, I want to see your test of the 75/2.5. I would ask for a shootout against the 75mm Summicron, but you did say, "affordable." Still, maybe you could borrow one.
 
Hi Rob,
This was a test of 35mm-40mm lenses.
A future test may include 75mm lenses.

Greetings,
 
Raid,

I have to travel to Pensacola to do the Carl Zeiss Jena 2/50mm Sonnar/Leica IIIC K test someday!
(Maybe some prewar German styled artistic nudes about 5am in the morning on the Pensacola sand dunes, I`m sure I can set up an art model in that part of Florida)

Tom
 
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LeicaTom said:
Raid,

I have to travel to Pensacola to do the Carl Zeiss Jena 2/50mm Sonnar/Leica IIIC K test someday!
(Maybe some prewar German styled artistic nudes about 5am in the morning on the Pensacola sand dunes, I`m sure I can set up an art model in that part of Florida)

Tom
Click to expand...

Tom,
Let me know if your plan becomes a reality.
I certainly will let you use my lens.
 
Just wanted to ask about one thing. I noticed your list includes both the Color Skopar Classic 35/2.5 and the Pancake II 35/2.5. Aren't these lenses the same optically, and therefore wouldn't they test the same? I'm curious because I own the PII, and would like to know if your test results for the Classic will be indicative of my lens' performance (sample variations aside).

Thanks,
Paul
 
LeicaTom said:
Raid,

I have to travel to Pensacola to do the Carl Zeiss Jena 2/50mm Sonnar/Leica IIIC K test someday!
(Maybe some prewar German styled artistic nudes about 5am in the morning on the Pensacola sand dunes, I`m sure I can set up an art model in that part of Florida)

Tom
Click to expand...
Hey,I'll carry your bags !...........Robin
 
photophorous said:
Just wanted to ask about one thing. I noticed your list includes both the Color Skopar Classic 35/2.5 and the Pancake II 35/2.5. Aren't these lenses the same optically, and therefore wouldn't they test the same? I'm curious because I own the PII, and would like to know if your test results for the Classic will be indicative of my lens' performance (sample variations aside).

Thanks,
Paul
Click to expand...

Paul,
There was no difference that I could make out.
 
raid said:
Tom,
Let me know if your plan becomes a reality.
I certainly will let you use my lens.
Click to expand...

Ohh I wil seriously.......I have seen the beaches up there and they are a whole lot different than the one`s down here, the beaches up there resemble the North German and Dutch coasts, with the dunes and wild long grasses etc.

Just have to find a tattooless natural bodied model who can pull off a 1930`s look, this might be a slight problem, the natural and tattooless part

Tom
 
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I've recently been testing 35mm lenses and two of the ones I tested are in your list: Canon f1.8 and the Ultron. I also tested Summilux pre-ASPH and Summicron 4th. My tests show that all these lenses are pretty good once you hit f4 and it's at the wider apertures that you can easily tell one lens from another. My main criteria were sharpness and vignetting and on that basis I was really impressed with the Ultron -- it's better in both respects at f2 than the Summicron. The Canon is a nice-ish lens but has major vignetting at f1.8 and f2. The Summicron is small and mechanically smooth but, as implied above, performance at f2 is pretty useless; it also loses a lot of contrast wide open. I also have a Nokton and I'll be testing that next.
 
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