Decisions... 50mm C-V 1.5 nokton vs Leitz Summarit ?

[Luddite Frank]

Assuming the Summarit is coated (s/n 820xxx), and in good condition, does the C-V Nokton posses any noticeable advantages over the Leitz Summarit ?


( I am considering a Summarit that is about 1/2 the price of a new 1.5 Nokton.)

😕

 

[Benjamin Marks]

You are really talking apples and oranges in terms of the images produced by these lenses. I have an older Summarit (that is what we are talking about here at these prices, right?). It is single coated and its contrast is low (Nokton is multicoated and its contrast is higher); it has a good amount of uncorrected aberration wide open which produces a "dreamy" flare-y Sonnar-esque effect (Nokton is sharp and well-corrected wide open); the Summarit has very smooth bokeh wide open, (the Nockton less so, although I don't mind it) it has an odd-pitch filter size (Nokton has a standard filter size); original hoods are prohibitively expensive except to a collector (Nokton comes with its own hood, standard); its coatings are soft (Nokton's coatings are more durable and thoroughly modern); sometimes Summarit images are characterized as having "glow" (Nokton sometimes criticized for being "clinical"). I have both lenses because they really have very different looks. But the answer to an either-or comparison really depends on what you want to do with it, because if it is your only 50mm lens, you will be imparting really different looks to your pictures depending on which you choose. It's like asking do I want a 1960's Porsche that's running well or a current model? Both are going to get you to work in the morning, but the experience will be pretty different depending on which car you choose.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I have two Summarits- both professionally cleaned and in quite good working order. I would not use the word "Sonnar-esque" as the signature of the Summarit is much different from a Sonnar.

It is low-contrast, and soft wide-open. Stopped down to F4 is is as good as my Rigid Summicron.

The modern Nokton is higher contrast, and much sharper wide-open. It yields a modern, highly corrected look.

Summarit wide-open at F1.5:

early 1950 Nikon 5cm F1.4, wide-open:

A different, "less than perfect" Summarit, wide-open:

Cleaning marks on front element.

Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar "T" 5cm F1.5 wide-open.

And a 50+ year old Nokton on the Nikon S2, at F4....

Summarit: Soft colors, not for those that want vibrant colors. For Digital and Black and White, an advantage as it preserves shadow detail and does not blow highlights. That's the upside of soft and low contrast.

 

[Austerby]

Get the Summarit, try it out - if you don't like it sell it and try the Nokton.

If you buy carefully you shouldn't lose any money on the Summarit.

 

[Benjamin Marks]

Brian: I also have a weakness for pictures of my daughter -- she has taken to seeking to foil my portrait attempts with a dramatic, "no pictures" statement and covering her face.

You are quite right, of course about my choice of words. What I should have emphasized is that soft-color look, which I associate with lenses of that era rather than a specific lens design. I like very much the out of focus areas my Summarit produces, which are much more like those in the daffodil you posted above than they are like the product of a modern lens.

Ben