'Character' 50 for an R3A

[daveywaugh]

I'm after a 'character' 50mm lens for an R3A. I've kind of narrowed it down to either a Sonnar 50 f1.5 or the rigid Heliar (nickle) f2. Summilux not affordable, but I do love what I have seen from that ;-) I know there's been endless threads on these lenses, but I'd appreciate your quick thoughts.

When I say 'character' I mean nice/interesting bokeh and not interested in across frame sharpness. It's for a small personal project that will primarily be portrait based. Shooting mainly wide open or thereabouts.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[former member]

You have 80 years of choices of lenses with Character for a Bessa R3a.

Inexpensive Jupiter-3's to the modern Zeiss Sonnar in M-Mount.

Jupiter-3 5cm F1.5,

1937 Uncoated Sonnar 5cm F1.5 wide-open on the M8.

1938 Uncoated 5cm f1.5 Sonnar on the Canon P, wide-open.

Hard to go wrong with a Sonnar, no matter how old it is.

 

[daveywaugh]

I particularly like that last pic Brian. Was that the latest Sonnar?

 

[pb908]

I agree with Brian, old sonnar, whatever type (f2/f1.5, un/coated), is my ultimate 50!..
i've compared it with several old cron, from bokeh point of view, nothing beat sonnar

 

[mikhail33]

I use a canon 50mm f1.4 and i love it on my bessa!

 

[Steve M.]

If you want portraits, get a 90 lens. I was shooting a 50 recently and never noticed any distortion on portraits until I shot the same subject w/ a 105 Nikkor and wow, a 50 really changes the nose. And not in a good way either.

 

[Krosya]

I agree with the Sonnar idea. I'd recommend the Nikkor LTM version of Sonnar - 5cm/1.4. Awsome (yet not cheap and hard to find) lens that gives a great image character for all sorts of shooting - including a portrait:

 

[Bingley]

I've been shooting a Summitar and a 50/3.5 Elmar on my R3A, and I think both would qualify as "character" lenses. The Elmar in particular is a pleasure to shoot; just pick your aperature, set the camera to AE, and forget having to deal w/ the fiddly aperture thingy on the lens. But, as Brian says, you've got 80 years of lenses to choose from...

 

[daveywaugh]

If you want portraits, get a 90 lens. I was shooting a 50 recently and never noticed any distortion on portraits until I shot the same subject w/ a 105 Nikkor and wow, a 50 really changes the nose. And not in a good way either.

But portraits don't always need to be head shots ;-) Good point but I guess I prefer more 'environmental' portraits. 50 is definitely 'my' focal length.

Thanks for all the input - some great advice here. Much appreciated.

 

[bradbrok]

+1 For Russian lenses like Jupiter 3 or 8, they have a glow to them and mine prove to be quite sharp.

 

[daveywaugh]

As I said in my first post, I have narrowed it down to either the sonnar or heliar. I'm happy I have received lots of other ideas and opinions however - a great learning experience for me But to be clear, I was hoping to get some opinions one way or the other on those specific lenses. Re: budget... well you can assume the sonnar is my limit ;-) So anything between heliar price and that. Thanks guys.

 

[former member]

I particularly like that last pic Brian. Was that the latest Sonnar?

Sorry! I just saw this.

The last picture of my daughter is with an Uncoated 5cm F1.5 Sonnar, adapted to Leica mount using a Jupiter-3 focus mount.

 

[daveywaugh]

Leica summarit 50/1,5 -- can be found clean for less than 400. This lens was my main 50 for years and it is very versatile, great for portraiture. It is easier to focus than the zm 50/1,5 wide open. I think this might be an excellent lens for you if you will be shooting in limited light. It has a glow to it...just be aware of avoiding hazy specimens.

Mmmm.... that does sound nice ;-) Thanks for that.

 

[ljsegil]

Concur that a vintage uncoated Leitz Summar 50/2 LTM with a screw/M adapter from the head bartender can be an excellent way to achieve a true vintage portrait look without spending too much. Might still have enough left over for the CV Heliar 50/2 and still come in at the cost of the Zeiss ZM 50/1.5. I do think that the Zeiss is the most versatile lens, however, and offers image quality for both portraiture and general photography that is unexcelled, and at a cost that albeit higher, is worth the expense if one can swing it. YMMV.
Best,
Larry

 

[daveywaugh]

Thanks Larry. I nearly bought the new sonnar today... still can't quite come to terms with the calibration issue though. I will shoot mostly wide open probably and guess I will have to send it to Japan. Last time I sent a camera to Japan I didn't see it for 6 months ;-)