Prewar FED 50/2 revisted

[outfitter]

The recent thread about this lens got me thinking and a website claim that the Fed-S and the accompanying Fed 50/2 lens were all standard Leica registration got me moving.

Well I ran a roll through the Fed-S with the coated lens and it wasn't so - subsequent measurement showed two out of three Fed-S cameras I owned were not standard registration. However, there was something slightly different about the coated Fed 50/2: the focusing tab was at 7 o'clock as opposed to 9 o'clock for the others. I quick check with a ground glass and a standard LTM body proved that the coated lens was set up for the standard Leica registration so I slapped it on a Zorki 5 with half a roll of Kodak Gold 200 and shot away.

To my surprise this Summar copy was a wonderful lens for portraits. Low contrast, nicely soft indoors and wide open but decent sharpness stopped down. Notice the very glaring bokah but the lens had an incredible 3-D effect. My scanning skills are rudimentary at best and don't do justice to the print images. Anyhow a big surprise - a great fastish portrait lens.

Michael

 

[outfitter]

Here is one showing bokah. The pictures above were wide open this one is stopped down (albeit the lighting was to contrasty)

Michael

 

[Chaser]

Those look great.

 

[zhang xk]

I didn't know there was a coated 50/2, and you have 3 FED-S!:bang: Those are great images.

 

[outfitter]

I didn't know there was a coated 50/2, and you have 3 FED-S!:bang: Those are great images.

Zhang,

I owned it for quite some time before I noticed the coating. I assume it was coated after the war and that is why it was adjusted for standard Leica registration. Somebody in the Soviet Union knew something about the quality of the old much maligned Summar formulation that I certainly didn't know before. Stephan Gandy says: "Personally my favorite collapsible Leica lens is the uncoated 50/2 Summar, made between 1933 to 1940. It gives beautiful semi-soft focus effects and muted colors wide open to about f/4 -- great for landscapes or women." Who knew? Score another one for FSU RF!

I'll have to play with the uncoated versions (if I can figure which lens works with what body) to see if the images are as lovely. The Russian lenses don't seem to suffer from the scratched front element/soft glass phenomenon the Summar is famous for.

BTW if there is anything great about the images it is all the lens; I just fired off a rapid sequence of shots at a very reluctant and sullen daughter sitting in a restaurant.

Michael

 

[outfitter]

Those look great.

Took a quick look at your photos - just the type of candid portraiture I like; really good stuff: technically good, well composed and revealing. Thanks for the links.

Michael

 

[payasam]

Fine pictures, Michael: though your lovely daughter does look bored at the least.

 

[Peter_Jones]

Definitely a worthy lens. I like the colours (even on this work's monitor!) and smoothness, for want of a better description, of the images.

 

[outfitter]

Fine pictures, Michael: though your lovely daughter does look bored at the least.

I once wrote Brian Sweeney that I recognized that long suffering look on his daughter's face - the look of a child put upon by a camera enthusiast father.

 

[Valkir1987]

The 'unsharpness' in the debt on the background is great. I've never seen a lens perform like this, the image it creates is unique. Especially the 4th shot is very good. I doubt if the lens design is taken from the Summar, which performs like another way. Pity there aren't many Fed 2/50 lenses around.

 

[Chaser]

I was thinking along the same lines. When I see good pictures that make me want to try a lens like this I hate to find out that the lens is rare or expensive. Ohh well you never know when you might come across one for a reasonable price.

The 'unsharpness' in the debt on the background is great. I've never seen a lens perform like this, the image it creates is unique. Especially the 4th shot is very good. I doubt if the lens design is taken from the Summar, which performs like another way. Pity there aren't many Fed 2/50 lenses around.

 

[Chaser]

Thanks
..............

Took a quick look at your photos - just the type of candid portraiture I like; really good stuff: technically good, well composed and revealing. Thanks for the links.

Michael

 

[vanyagor]

I have 1 fed-s with 50/2 lens. Unfortunately it is not such a great performer. I got a very good deal on the kit, but I would not pay the price for the 50/2 that they usually sell for on ebay - too expensive.

I will check what the coating is when I come home tonight and I will test it again someday.

 

[Covich]

those shots really look fantastic, the lense seems to be fantastic for portraits.

too bad the Fed-s is a bit pricey

 

[outfitter]

The 'unsharpness' in the debt on the background is great. I've never seen a lens perform like this, the image it creates is unique. Especially the 4th shot is very good. I doubt if the lens design is taken from the Summar, which performs like another way. Pity there aren't many Fed 2/50 lenses around.

I've never used a Summar so I don't know the differences - thought Stephan Gandy's comments about the Summar and the performance of the Fed 50/2 would suggest the real Summar as an inexpensive substitute (how's that for a joke: the Leica cheap substitute for the Fed).

Oh well the Soviet Summar "copy" shows the Russian designers knew a thing or two. Sometimes we in the West look at the crazy Soviet economy and the shoddy goods it produced and project that on the talents of their intellectuals and scientists, but there was no shortage of well educated and talented people in the Soviet Union so it is entirely plausible that they came out with a better "Summar".

Michael

 

[IGMeanwell]

Absolutely love those portraits ... exactly the look I have been looking for

I feel a a desire for some russian goods all of a sudden

 

[outfitter]

I have 1 fed-s with 50/2 lens. Unfortunately it is not such a great performer. I got a very good deal on the kit, but I would not pay the price for the 50/2 that they usually sell for on ebay - too expensive.

I will check what the coating is when I come home tonight and I will test it again someday.

It probably isn't coated; the issues are really whether it is scratched and whether it is collimated to the body. Testing the collimation of the lens with a back loading LTM body would be a good start.

I never thought I'd waste the time on the lens until the discussion on this forum - I'm glad I got off my butt and gave it a try.

Good luck

Michael

 

[vanyagor]

It probably isn't coated; the issues are really whether it is scratched and whether it is collimated to the body. Testing the collimation of the lens with a back loading LTM body would be a good start.

I never thought I'd waste the time on the lens until the discussion on this forum - I'm glad I got off my butt and gave it a try.

Good luck

Michael

Mine has a yellowish tint. Not sure if it is a coating. Is it?

You are right, Michael. I still have to run a few tests with my 50/2

 

[zhang xk]

Zhang,

I owned it for quite some time before I noticed the coating. I assume it was coated after the war and that is why it was adjusted for standard Leica registration. Somebody in the Soviet Union knew something about the quality of the old much maligned Summar formulation that I certainly didn't know before. Stephan Gandy says: "Personally my favorite collapsible Leica lens is the uncoated 50/2 Summar, made between 1933 to 1940. It gives beautiful semi-soft focus effects and muted colors wide open to about f/4 -- great for landscapes or women." Who knew? Score another one for FSU RF!

I'll have to play with the uncoated versions (if I can figure which lens works with what body) to see if the images are as lovely. The Russian lenses don't seem to suffer from the scratched front element/soft glass phenomenon the Summar is famous for.

BTW if there is anything great about the images it is all the lens; I just fired off a rapid sequence of shots at a very reluctant and sullen daughter sitting in a restaurant.

Michael

Hello Michael,

The Fed S 50/2 may have harder glass elements. I saw some Leica Summers with badly scratched front elements. I can only see some tiny cleaning marks with an enlarging lens on my FED 50/2.
I guess your doughter's parents are handsome people too.🙂

Cheers,

Zhang

 

[outfitter]

Mine has a yellowish tint. Not sure if it is a coating. Is it?

You are right, Michael. I still have to run a few tests with my 50/2

The uncoated lenses are just clear glass color. The coated lens is a bit odd, when you look into it the coating it is very subtle - which is why I missed the fact that it was coated for a number of years - the reflection of a light bulb on the front element however it is a pale blue. I have heard of a natural bloom developing in old glass that functions just like coating and it is possible that is what I am seeing but I think not. In any event coating would only marginally improve the lens and my guess is that the quality of this lens has more to do with the cleaning, reassembly and collimation of the lens after coating.

I would love to clean and setup one of the uncoated lenses for standard Leica registration but as I've never done that with a collapsible lens I wouldn't want to start with a rare lens. Perhaps Brian Sweeney wants to take this on (hint hint hint)? All I can do is see if any of my other lenses collimates on a removable back LTM body and/or run film through the Fed-s bodies. Perhaps you or Zhang could try out your lenses and report the results?

Michael