Close Focusing 50/1.4 RF Lenses

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P. Lynn Miller

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By accident or intent, I have come to the conclusion that I am 50mm shooter. During a recent inventory I stopped counting at 15.

While I have been using the Nokton 50/.1.1 of late, I have also owned/used most of the CV 50mm lens plus some LTM 50's as well. One of the primary reasons I keep a Nikon F slung over my other shoulder is the fact that very few 50/1.4 RF lens will focus closer than 0.9 meters and many will not focos closer than a meter.

I have done abit of research, but it seems that the Summilux 50 ASPH is one of the few 50/1.4 lens that will focus and perform well down to 0.7 meter. I know there are several variations of the pre-ASPH, but I cannot find any reference that definitely indicates if any will focus closer than 1 meter.

So what 50/1.4 or faster lenses am I over-looking that will focus closer than 0.9 meters?

Thanks!
 
The last pre-asph 50mm Summilux will focus to .7 meters. It's the 'Lux with the built-in hood and E46 filter thread. It's a beauty of a lens. I shoot one pretty regularly, and although not necessarily up to the performance of the Summilux ASPH, it suits me quite well.

I also have an E43 50mm Summilux, but it only focuses down to 1m.

Good luck on your search.
 
It may not work for you, but this is one of the reasons I got a 75 cron. I use it like a normal, except that it also allows really tight facial portraits and other close up things that only a couple of other lenses could match.
 
slantface said:
The last pre-asph 50mm Summilux will focus to .7 meters. It's the 'Lux with the built-in hood and E46 filter thread. It's a beauty of a lens. I shoot one pretty regularly, and although not necessarily up to the performance of the Summilux ASPH, it suits me quite well.

...E43 50mm Summilux, but it only focuses down to 1m.
Click to expand...

Thanks for clarifying the differences between the pre-ASPH.

Would consider a Summilux pre-ASPH 50, since the current Summilux is nearly unaffordable for me at this point and time. How does the pre-ASPH perform at 1 metre or closer?

noimmunity said:
It may not work for you, but this is one of the reasons I got a 75 cron. I use it like a normal, except that it also allows really tight facial portraits and other close up things that only a couple of other lenses could match.
Click to expand...

I have considered a 75, but I need the speed, f1.4 or faster. And the Summilux 75 is only option. And at 75mm or so, I would consider a Nikkor 85/1.4 just as capable.

Also wondering if there are any candidates in the Hexanon line of lenses.
 
There's a 50/1.2 Hexanon-M but don't know how close it focuses. You might ask Krosya, he has a couple of them. They're expensive though, about $2000, close to what you can get a Summilux ASPH for, but the Konica is faster!
 
Thanks!

I already shoot the Nokton 50/1.1, so I have a very fast 50 that focuses down to a metre or so. I am looking specifically for a 50 that will focus down to 0.7 and have an aperture of 1.4 or greater. As for DOF, f1.4 is skinny enough, I am not that keen on really shallow DOF photos just the sake of having nothing in focus.

I am willing to give up a stop(from the Noctilux) or so(2/3 from the Nokton) for the closer focusing. I can easily make up a 1 stop push in B&W film, but I cannot get any closer.

Yes, I know there is such a thing as cropping as well... the Nokton 50/1.1 is good enough to crop the difference. But would rather have the extra real estate on the negative. 35mm is small enough without cropping, especially when I prefer the tonal range of medium-format.
 
Lynn, I have no direct experience with this, but the f1.4 and f2 LTM Nikkors (Sonnar formula) can allegedly be modified to couple down to 0.7m. Maybe Brian Sweeney can chime in. Since the f1.4 LTM Nikkor shines at close focus range (see http://www.dantestella.com/technical/nikoleic.html ) that might just be the ticket for you. Sanders McNew here on RFF also posted some stunning portraits with the Nikkor f1.4.

Greetings, Ljós
 
Debusti Paolo said:
if you can live with f2 I think you can consider the cheap planar g 45/2 a really great performer.......
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Thanks, but f2.0 will not cut it. I am only willing to give 1-stop for closer focusing.

Ljós... I knew that the f2.0 LTM Nikkor could be modified, but not the f1.4. Thanks for the suggestion. I will have to hear what Mr. Sweeney has to say.

Wonder if you could modify the S3-2000 50/1.4. Nathan aka Mister E just had a 35/1.8 converted to M-mount. I want to avoid older lenses with flare issues, that is one of the attributes I really like about the Nokton's.
 
P. Lynn Miller said:
Wonder if you could modify the S3-2000 50/1.4. Nathan aka Mister E just had a 35/1.8 converted to M-mount. I want to avoid older lenses with flare issues, that is one of the attributes I really like about the Nokton's.
Click to expand...

The only reason one goes to the trouble of converting the W-Nikkor 35/1.8 from S-mount to M-mount is because its one of the few S-mount Nikkors that won't fit on an Amedeo adapter (or mount on an M-mount camera even if you can get the lens on the adapter).

No such problem with the Millennium 50/1.4. It mounts on an Amedeo S-mount to M-mount adapter easily. All you need to do is modify the adapter to focus closer than 0.90m. MikeL modified his adapter to focus to 0.70m and mine focuses to 0.80m.
 
jonmanjiro said:
The only reason one goes to the trouble of converting the W-Nikkor 35/1.8 from S-mount to M-mount is because its one of the few S-mount Nikkors that won't fit on an Amedeo adapter (or mount on an M-mount camera even if you can get the lens on the adapter).

No such problem with the Millennium 50/1.4. It mounts on an Amedeo S-mount to M-mount adapter easily. All you need to do is modify the adapter to focus closer than 0.90m. MikeL modified his adapter to focus to 0.70m and mine focuses to 0.80m.
Click to expand...

How'd that work? I mean I know we talked in Tokyo that there is no reason amedeo doesn't do that in the first place, but mine doesn't focus especially close.
 
The Nikkor 5cm F1.4 can also be modified for close focus, just like the Nikkor 5cm F2 Rigid version.

I have modified one J-3 to focus to just over 0.8m.

This is it, on the Canon P which can follow the Cam "most of the way".

picture.php


on the M8, all the way:
picture.php
 
Your options are:

1 - 75/1.4 Summilux (0.7m)
2 - 60/1.2 Hexanon (0.8m)
3 - 50/1.4 Summilux (v2 E46, and ASPH)
4 - 50/1.4 Nikkor LTM modified.
5 - 50/1.4 Nikkor S-mount with modified Amedeo adapter (including the new Millenium lens)

And that's about it ....

For 3.) objectively the performance of the pre-asph is not so good below one meter. Lots of "Glow".

For 4.) have a look at http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56962. The Nikkor's performance is great at close distance. I have one in my workshop that is overdue ....

For 5) check with MikeL.

Roland.
 
Last edited:
bit OT, but since the E43 and E46 lux VIIs are optically the same by all accounts I've read, could the E43 mount version be cut to focus closer?
 
I think LTM Nikkor 50/1.4 is the best option - once made to focus closer, it can actualy focus to less than 0.7m and some cameras, like Canon 7 I used to have, will still have coupled RF under 0.7m. Plus it is a small and awsome lens:
n5cm6copy.jpg


n5cm9.jpg
 
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