Leica III with Summar 50mm F-2.8

[sqjaw]

I do not think any of these are in focus or as good as they should Be. Sqjaw

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

I do not think any of these are in focus or as good as they should Be. Sqjaw

do you have any that are - to show us?
🙂

 

[Sonnar Brian]

This is with the Summar used wide-open on my Leica III:

I checked the focus against the RF of the camera using a TTL viewer. It's a soft lens until about F4.

 

[ItsReallyDarren]

Are the negatives scanned at a lab or by yourself?

 

[dogberryjr]

Man, I'd like to try out a Summar.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I do not think any of these are in focus or as good as they should Be. Sqjaw

Looking at the picture of the doors: if the focus is on the door knob, I think it is front focusing. The actual focus looks like it is on the wall to the left of the door.

I just picked up a step-up ring for my Summar, and will be using on the M8. It and the uncoated 5cm f2 Sonnar will be going on a walk to take pictures of the Cherry blossoms soon.

 

[batterytypehah!]

Hard to say how much is due to the scans, they're not very good.

How much of a crop is #1 (blossoms)? You may have been simply too close for a rangefinder lens.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

If you could mark or describe where you focused for each image, that would help. For the door shot, to my eyes the sharpest focus appears to be on the left door, on the detailed woodwork.

 

[sqjaw]

do you have any that are - to show us?
🙂

the three that I posted are the best of the Litter

 

[sqjaw]

Are the negatives scanned at a lab or by yourself?

scanned by myself on a 2450 epson scanner use-ing scanview software

 

[sqjaw]

Hard to say how much is due to the scans, they're not very good.

How much of a crop is #1 (blossoms)? You may have been simply too close for a rangefinder lens.

about 50% i focus on the white between the blue flowers?

 

[sqjaw]

If you could mark or describe where you focused for each image, that would help. For the door shot, to my eyes the sharpest focus appears to be on the left door, on the detailed woodwork.

to be honest I tought I was focusing on the door, even had a tripod with me:

 

[sqjaw]

Here are three other's the first is the before I croped it, the is of the building set at Infinty and the is of the side of the builind

 

[agueco]

I agree that the Summar does not sharpen up until stopped down a bit. Were all your photos taken at f2.8? If not, what aperture settings did you use?

 

[agueco]

Here's a photo I took with my Summar lens at middle aperture on an Epson R-D1s digi.

 

[LeicaTom]

I sold a "minty" 1938 one like 2 years ago, here at RFF, and I regret it ever since 🙁

Now looking for one that's in the #497xxx, #499xxx or #500xxx+ series (late 1939) issue uncoated, anyone here at RFF have one in that serial range?

Tom

 

[David Hughes]

I'd like to know the aperture used because DoF can be an inch either way when wide open (f/2) and at the closest point (a metre from memory). For plants at about a metre it needs to be at, at least f/4·5 for a usable DoF of about 6" or so. Further away it performs well and at f/9 can be stunning.

Here's one at f/2·2 in the shadows as I wanted it at f/2.2 (sorry about the scan; it's just one used for cataloguing lens tests).

Regards, David

 

[jsrockit]

I'm of the opinion that this is a special effects lens that shouldn't be used for general purpose stuff. I love the look wide open.

 

[Rob-F]

Sqjaw: your pictures look low in contrast. I think this may be, at least in part, what is causing the impression of unsharpness. The Summar is a rather low-contrast lens to begin with; but I wonder if yours might have some internal fog, cloudiness, or haze to make things worse. Scratches on the exposed glass surfaces are another possibility. Is your Summar coated?

 

[johannielscom]

The OP - door shot has sort of Newton rings at the bottom, that hasn't been flat while scanning.

How about the other two?

Agree on the low contrast acting like unsharpness, but this is too much.

Try shooting a straight line (road line) and put some stuff at one meter intervals to see if focus falls where you intended it. Best: start at 2 mtrs from the camera, then focus three, four, five, seven, ten, infinity. Shoot wide open, f4.5, f9.0.

Vary cameras, the RF alignment might be off. Document your shots! If focus is off consistently on known good cameras, its the lens.

Spend a roll to determine the issue, only use the lens stopped down past f4.5 until you do.

Good luck!