20 standard lenses full aperture test

[MaZo]

Hi guys, I had nothing better to do, so I put a bunch of 50mm lenses to
a full aperture test.

As there are some Leica M/LTM lenses among those tested so I guess you
might be interested to take a look.

It's nothing scientific about this test obviously, I was just wondering
how will the lenses differ in such a basic setting. The camera (Sony
A7III) was on a tripod, subject distance was 1.5 m, whereas sunlit
background foliage was 10–15 m further away. Auto WB, aperture priority. These are jpegs straight from the camera, no PP.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmW9Ta7S

 

[johannielscom]

...and since I had nothing better to do, I compared the images and found out it does not really matter that much to anyone, except gearheads...

😛 😀

 

[Dogman]

Subjectively, I like the Canon FD SSC 55/1.2 Aspherical best. But objectively, I agree with Johan.

 

[Disappointed_Horse]

The one difference that stuck out to me was how much cooler (color temperature wise) the Nikkor f/1.2 AI-S looks compared to all the other lenses.

 

[jsrockit]

If you are into bokeh, I guess it matters...

 

[Erik van Straten]

Very good and interesting test. I wish you could do the same test for all the 50mm lenses that were made until 1970.

As a bokeh lens I like the Summitar very much in this series, the Summarit also.

Erik.

 

[MaZo]

Very good and interesting test. I wish you could do the same test for all the 50mm lenses that were made until 1970.

As a bokeh lens I like the Summitar very much in this series, the Summarit also.

Erik.

Thanks. I wish I had all of them 🙂
And yeah, for me in this group Summarit is unbeatable bokeh-wise, Biotar 1.4/50 being second.

 

[lukx]

Thanks. I wish I had all of them 🙂
And yeah, for me in this group Summarit is unbeatable bokeh-wise, Biotar 1.4/50 being second.

The Summarit is indeed kind of unique in this bunch, I like its bokeh, too. The Summar and Summitar and Biotar 50 1.4 remind me of the Prominent Nokton.

 

[gavinlg]

I liked the Summilux and Topcor the most.
Interesting comparison - I think once one is able to recognise certain rendering characteristics and their resulting implications, tests like these can be pretty helpful. Thanks!

 

[Larry Cloetta]

Hi guys, I had nothing better to do, so I put a bunch of 50mm lenses to
a full aperture test.

As there are some Leica M/LTM lenses among those tested so I guess you
might be interested to take a look.

It's nothing scientific about this test obviously, I was just wondering
how will the lenses differ in such a basic setting. The camera (Sony
A7III) was on a tripod, subject distance was 1.5 m, whereas sunlit
background foliage was 10–15 m further away. Auto WB, aperture priority. These are jpegs straight from the camera, no PP.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmW9Ta7S

Thanks for posting. Since I apparently don’t know as much about lenses as some of the other people here, I did learn a few things from this. Some surprises, some “suspicions confirmed”.
Thanks for taking the time.

 

[Pioneer]

Thanks Mark. An interesting collection.

Like Johan, I find it most interesting that it doesn't seem to matter all that much. They all worked well.

 

[splitimageview]

Interesting.

I think I discovered all I need is a lowly Elmar. 😀

 

[MaZo]

Interesting.

I think I discovered all I need is a lowly Elmar. 😀

Agreed. Apart from being not the fastest lens in the world, it's the most universal lens in the world.

 

[das]

Thanks for doing this. I know how much work and pain it is to set up, shoot, and then display lens tests. Quick question -- were you focusing on the vase or the closest point of the flower for these shots?

As for the cooler nature of some of the shots, I find many 60s-80s SLR lenses tend to color shift to a cooler temp when shot wide open, and that the color gets warmer as the lens is stopped down. Not sure if that is actually a characteristic of the optic, or has something to do with the lens' interaction with a digital sensor. On film, I have never really noticed whether a wide open shot produces "cooler" tones, but I will need to pay more attention.

 

[MaZo]

Thanks for doing this. I know how much work and pain it is to set up, shoot, and then display lens tests. Quick question -- were you focusing on the vase or the closest point of the flower for these shots?

I was focusing on the leaf in the central part of each frame.

 

[Larry Cloetta]

I hate to be this guy, but I am this guy so what the heck. Is the 50 Summilux-R the E55 or the E60?

 

[MaZo]

I hate to be this guy, but I am this guy so what the heck. Is the 50 Summilux-R the E55 or the E60?

You're welcome. E55 (actually Series VII)

 

[rjbuzzclick]

As for the cooler nature of some of the shots, I find many 60s-80s SLR lenses tend to color shift to a cooler temp when shot wide open, and that the color gets warmer as the lens is stopped down. Not sure if that is actually a characteristic of the optic, or has something to do with the lens' interaction with a digital sensor. On film, I have never really noticed whether a wide open shot produces "cooler" tones, but I will need to pay more attention.

Note that AWB was used so the camera may be adjusting color shot-to-shot. I would think that color rendering of different lenses might be more apparent if the same fixed white balance was used for all shots.

 

[Dralowid]

Am I right in assuming that the Summarit is the 'old' Summarit based on the Xenon?

 

[MaZo]

Am I right in assuming that the Summarit is the 'old' Summarit based on the Xenon?

Yep, 1956 1.5/5cm Summarit-M