A tale of 3 lenses - Planar, Sonnar and Summicron

[kxl]

Here are 3 images from 50mm lenses with differing "looks" -- a Planar, Sonnar and a Rigid Summicron. Can you tell which is which? Yes, I know they are low res online images, but I think the differences are distinctive enough to see how each lens "paints."

IMAGE A

IMAGE B

IMAGE C

 

[gavinlg]

I haven't really used each of them so this may be misguided but if I had to guess, i'd say:

A - Cron
B - Sonnar
C - Planar

The trouble is that in a lot of situations the said lenses may have varying characteristics and I don't know any of them well enough to be able to tell confidently.

 

[MikeL]

Planar B.

Then Sonnar A and Summicron C.

I'd like to see the lenses in A and C wide open.

Thanks kxl.

 

[Arvay]

a-planar
b-sonnar
c-summicron
🙂

 

[kxl]

Mike - impressive -- you're absolutely right! 🙂

Yeah, if I get a chance I'll test all 3 lenses wide open this weekend -- it'll give me a chance to test the Arista 400 Premium that I just received from Freestyle.

 

[summaron]

I'd say A is sonnar because of the tonality and smooth dissolve into the backgound. It's a very nice portrait / landscape.

James

 

[gavinlg]

well... I was completely wrong 🙂

 

[kxl]

well... I was completely wrong 🙂

No worries -- if I weren't familiar with the lenses, I wouldn't have been able to pick them out myself. Cheers!

 

[Arvay]

I did not imagine the rigid cron is so bad. Or maybe I can not judge by so small image? Hope so.

 

[aizan]

a - sonnar
b - planar
c - summicron

edit: blah, too late!

 

[enochRoot]

this was easy. you had the bottom 2 images labeled in another thread, so by process of elimination i already knew 😉

 

[Turtle]

I did not imagine the rigid cron is so bad. Or maybe I can not judge by so small image? Hope so.

Please don't tell me you are concluding it is bad from one tiny low res image!

 

[mh2000]

Interesting... if *I* had to rate them for being pleasing based on the apparent lens characteristics... I'd go C,A,B...

thanks for posting photos!

I did not imagine the rigid cron is so bad. Or maybe I can not judge by so small image? Hope so.

 

[Avotius]

A sonnar
B planar
C summicron

 

[cam]

Yeah, if I get a chance I'll test all 3 lenses wide open this weekend -- it'll give me a chance to test the Arista 400 Premium that I just received from Freestyle.

that would be lovely! i, for one, really appreciate those that go to the trouble to do things like this. i love looking at the various characteristics of a lens, particularly wide open. btw, is your Sonnar optimised for f/1.5 or f/2.8 (sorry if this has been stated elsewhere)?

 

[Krosya]

I did not imagine the rigid cron is so bad. Or maybe I can not judge by so small image? Hope so.

Bad? Could you explain why you think so? I dont see anything wrong with the way it draws or a photo. Not sure at all what makes you say this. In fact, I prefer this Summicron photo to other two. 😕

 

[Gadge]

Keith,

I was torn between A and C for the Summicron.

C image looked like a modern Summicron in contrast/tone to me but after you had given the correct answer Arvay above refers to it as a Rigid which I would expect to give a result looking more like A in tonality.

So was it a rigid 1950's or a modern pull out hood Summicron?

Gadge

 

[Arvay]

Bad? Could you explain why you think so? I dont see anything wrong with the way it draws or a photo. Not sure at all what makes you say this.

Me personally don't like the way it renders the back of the picture (OOFA). It looks like a mess of pottage.
In these particular cases of planar and summicron I like planar much more better.

In fact, I prefer this Summicron photo to other two

We all know that tastes differ. This is the situation when they are 🙂

 

[oftheherd]

Well, I don't exactly have any of those lenses. I thought B for planar based on a 50mm f/1/4 SLR Zeiss T* planar I have, and A for the sonar based on the copy of the sonar I have with my Kiev. Naturally leaving the C as the summicron. Not a really good way to choose, I admit.

 

[elude]

it's really easy.

A. Sonnar
B. Planar
C. Summicron

I've owed the three that probably helps.

Sonnar is the most distinctive. Planar is too sharp in my opinion (part of what pushed me to get ridd of it) and Summicron was a deduction, you can't really tell on the image.