wjk
Newbie
Hello---I love the picture quality of my 28mm 6.3 Hektor but vignetting occurs with the lens "wide" open. Why does this occur and can it be avoided?
Thanks!
Thanks!
28mm Hektor 6.3 Vignetting
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John Shriver
Well-known
Not with the formulas, processes, and glasses known to lens designers in the 1930's. Leica's 1937 manual makes it quite clear not to use that lens wide open unless you're desperate:
So not only stop down, but overexpose as well.
The current price reflects rarity, not optical quality.
Even the 28mm Summaron, at f/5.6, is still slow. That's why Canon's 28mm f/3.5 Serenar was such a stunner when it came out in the 1950's.
The large angle of view included by the 2.8cm Leitz-Hektor lens makes necessary a more judicious use of the lens diaphragm than is needed with lenses of narrower angle if the greatest advantage is to be taken of the optical performance of the lens. This lens should accordingly only be left at full aperture only in the case of exposures which have to be taken under unfavourable lighting conditions. For the best results, the judicious use of the diaphragm should be accompanied by the choice of an exposure setting which is on the ample side.
So not only stop down, but overexpose as well.
The current price reflects rarity, not optical quality.
Even the 28mm Summaron, at f/5.6, is still slow. That's why Canon's 28mm f/3.5 Serenar was such a stunner when it came out in the 1950's.
John Shriver
Well-known
That said, I'd love to have the 2.8 cm Hektor, along with finder and hood. But not at close to $1000 for the set, which is about what they run. A Mountain Elmar and Thambar would be cool, too, then I'd have the full 1930's Leica lens kit.
John Shriver
Well-known
Also, while Contax's 35mm lens of the time was faster (f/2.8 Biogon), their 28mm lens of the period was an f/8 Tessar. That's even slower than the Hektor, and Tessars don't go wide-angle gracefully!
John Robertson
Well-known
I had a post war coated 28mm Hektor which I bought in 1973, never liked it except for its compactness, my Orion-15 gave much better images especially in colour. which considering the price difference pissed me off!!! however I sold it at Cristies with its chrome lens hood and finder and red box in 1999 for a very silly price, so I'm not complaining!!!
VinceC
Veteran
The Nikkor 2.8cm f/3.5 came out in 1953 and was also a stunner. It's one of my favorite lenses.
John Robertson
Well-known
VinceC
Veteran
I use the Nikkor 2.8cm on just about every roll of film I shoot.
Nice image of the LTM version.
Nice image of the LTM version.
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John Robertson
Well-known
I still use my faithful Orion-15, I've had it for 35+ years!!!, but it has largely been usurped by the admittedly less than compact CV 28mm Ultron which is superb.
A 28mm is almost my standard lens, a 50 is a short tele for me!!
The money I got for my Hektor bought about four of my CV lenses.
A 28mm is almost my standard lens, a 50 is a short tele for me!!
The money I got for my Hektor bought about four of my CV lenses.
adoorn001
Newbie
use Hektor 2.8cm with M9
use Hektor 2.8cm with M9
I use the Hektor on a M9. With good results. The colors are very vivid. It gives clouds a dramatic effect.
The Vignetting problem can be patly over come by using he lens detection system. I set the manual lens choice to 28 f/2.8 11804. I am not sure about the other corrections but it surely give a far better performance on vignetting. I would say at least 1.5 stops improvement, if not more.
Exposure should be done at least one stop higher then the M9 suggests.
use Hektor 2.8cm with M9
I use the Hektor on a M9. With good results. The colors are very vivid. It gives clouds a dramatic effect.
The Vignetting problem can be patly over come by using he lens detection system. I set the manual lens choice to 28 f/2.8 11804. I am not sure about the other corrections but it surely give a far better performance on vignetting. I would say at least 1.5 stops improvement, if not more.
Exposure should be done at least one stop higher then the M9 suggests.
philipus
ʎɐpɹəʇɥƃı&
Yummy, an old thread I have overlooked.
I have a 2,8cm Hektor since quite a while and decided a few weeks ago to test it more properly. It's my widest lens. I'll post back a bit if I get any interesting results. I've shot it a lot at f6.3 so it'll be interesting to see how it performs. This image is not wide open but even stopped down there's some vignetting.
Beach. Heron Island, 2012 | Flickr
Leica M6TTL - Hektor 2,8cm f6.3 - Portra 160
I have a 2,8cm Hektor since quite a while and decided a few weeks ago to test it more properly. It's my widest lens. I'll post back a bit if I get any interesting results. I've shot it a lot at f6.3 so it'll be interesting to see how it performs. This image is not wide open but even stopped down there's some vignetting.
Beach. Heron Island, 2012 | Flickr
Leica M6TTL - Hektor 2,8cm f6.3 - Portra 160
John Shriver
Well-known
Did finally get the Hektor 28mm. Lens, hood (SOOHN), finder (SUOOQ), and bakelite case. Totaled up to $890 in four separate purchases.
DownUnder
Gone walkabout
Kudos for your patience. It took you almost three years, but you got the kit together, finally. Well done!
I had a 28 Hektor with hood, the Bakelite case, and a clip on viewfinder (the latter may or may not have been a Leitz one) in the 1980s, and used it with a screw mount/M adapter on my M2. I no longer own both, having sold out of Leica a few years later when money pressures mounted and I needed the quick $$ I easily got from selling my Leica gear.
I cannot recall the exact age of my Hektor, but I recall it produced quite pleasant color slides which were somewhat lower in contrast but with excellent mid tones mostly in pastels. Scanning those old images nowadays will easily bring up the contrast to modern standards. Then as now I shot 90% of my images at f/5.6 or f/8, so extreme vignetting wasn't an issue. Looking now at my images from that time, I can see a minimal amount of vignetting at f/6.3, but none at smaller apertures.
The Hektor was fun to use but I greatly preferred my 28mm f/3.5 Nikkor, which allowed greater leeway, notably the ability to shoot at f/4. I still own the Nikkor and often use it on my F and D Nikons.
Then as now I shot a lot of architecture with my 28s and I do not recall any significant distortion in the horizontals or verticals, in this area the Hektor if anything slightly outperformed the Nikon in keeping lines straight.
Use your Hektor with due care given its age, and enjoy it. It was a legendary lens for its time (this was certainly reflected in its original cost!).
I had a 28 Hektor with hood, the Bakelite case, and a clip on viewfinder (the latter may or may not have been a Leitz one) in the 1980s, and used it with a screw mount/M adapter on my M2. I no longer own both, having sold out of Leica a few years later when money pressures mounted and I needed the quick $$ I easily got from selling my Leica gear.
I cannot recall the exact age of my Hektor, but I recall it produced quite pleasant color slides which were somewhat lower in contrast but with excellent mid tones mostly in pastels. Scanning those old images nowadays will easily bring up the contrast to modern standards. Then as now I shot 90% of my images at f/5.6 or f/8, so extreme vignetting wasn't an issue. Looking now at my images from that time, I can see a minimal amount of vignetting at f/6.3, but none at smaller apertures.
The Hektor was fun to use but I greatly preferred my 28mm f/3.5 Nikkor, which allowed greater leeway, notably the ability to shoot at f/4. I still own the Nikkor and often use it on my F and D Nikons.
Then as now I shot a lot of architecture with my 28s and I do not recall any significant distortion in the horizontals or verticals, in this area the Hektor if anything slightly outperformed the Nikon in keeping lines straight.
Use your Hektor with due care given its age, and enjoy it. It was a legendary lens for its time (this was certainly reflected in its original cost!).
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