How to Make Your Cheap Lens Look Like a Cron in Photoshop

[NickTrop]

Don't worry about the theory behind this. Just do it.

Step 1 (assuming you've got a pic loaded in Photoshop) Levels > Autolevels (Shriek!)

Step 2 Image > Mode > Lab Colors

Step 3 Image > Adustments > Contrast. Set Contrast to - 30. (minus 30)

Step 4 In the Channels tab on the right (next to the Layers tab) select "a". Your image will look terrible -- all gray. Don't worry about it. Go to Image > Adjustments > Levels and slide the INPUT slider on the LEFT from 0 to +30 (positive 30). Slide the INPUT slider on the RIGHT from 255 to 225 (subtracting 30). (Leave the middle slider alone at default "1").

Step 5. Repeat the steps above except this time select the "b" channel.

Step 6. Select LAB in the Channels tab (above Lightness, a, b). This will show you your "Cron" image.

Step 7 (Optional if you want to save as jpeg or convert to black and white) Return to RGB mode by selecting Image > Mode > RGB

If you want color, you're done. But if you want...
_________________________

Black and White Conversion.

Step 8 (You must work in RGB mode, since you can't access the Channel Mixer in LAB mode) Image > Adjustment > Channel Mixer Tri-X Emulation: Output gray, Red = +25, Green = +35, Blue = +40. Make sure you have the "Monochrome" box checked.

Or
Ilford FP4 Emulation: Output gray, Red = +28, Green = +41, Blue = +31. Make sure you have the "Monochrome" box checked.

Or
T-Max 100 Emulation: Output gray, Red = +23, Green = +37, Blue = +39. Make sure you have the "Monochrome" box checked.

Or
T-Max 400 Emulation: Output gray, Red = +27, Green = +36, Blue = +37. Make sure you have the "Monochrome" box checked.

Or
AgfaPan25: Output gray, Red = +25, Green = +39, Blue = +36. Make sure you have the "Monochrome" box checked.

That's enough black and white film stock conversions. Ain't got all day.

You're welcome.

 

[NickTrop]

For more fun...

If you have the NIK plug-in installed (The Google version is still available for free). Go into Color FX Pro after you're back in RGB mode and add "detail extractor". Move the strength slider somewhere around "8". Too high and your picture will look like crap. Just a "touch" for some fake me out microcontrast effect.

Add filter --

Add "Glamor Glow" -- just a touch. Keep it subtle for that "Leica glow".

 

[Steve M.]

Is there a darkroom plugin for us wet printers 🙂

Not too long ago I sold my R 90 2 Summicron, probably one of the dumbest things I have ever done, unless you talk to my exwives who probably still have laundry lists of what I didn't do right. Rather than shell out the big money for another one when seller's remorse hot, I decided to audition some 135mm third party lenses to be used for portraits, which is what the Summicron excelled at, especially at f2. Believe it or not, I found one that I like better than the Summicron! It was a 135 2.8 Macro Makinon that cost somewhere around $25. It has super creamy bokeh, the extra focal length means sitters are more natural because I am further away w/ the camera, and that same long focal length compresses space, always a good thing w/ seniors and senior noses.

Does it have the 3D Leica look of the Summicron on close up to mid range shots? No, that isn't there, but for $575 less I'll live w/ that.

 

[NickTrop]

Is there a darkroom plugin for us wet printers 🙂

Not too long ago I sold my R 90 2 Summicron, probably one of the dumbest things I have ever done, unless you talk to my exwives who probably still have laundry lists of what I didn't do right. Rather than shell out the big money for another one when seller's remorse hot, I decided to audition some 135mm third party lenses to be used for portraits, which is what the Summicron excelled at, especially at f2. Believe it or not, I found one that I like better than the Summicron! It was a 135 2.8 Macro Makinon that cost somewhere around $25. It has super creamy bokeh, the extra focal length means sitters are more natural because I am further away w/ the camera, and that same long focal length compresses space, always a good thing w/ seniors and senior noses.

Does it have the 3D Leica look of the Summicron on close up to mid range shots? No, that isn't there, but for $575 less I'll live w/ that.

The above Photoshop "recommendations" simply reduces contrast (a good bit) while increasing color saturation but using Lab mode does this without color shift -- it just looks better. Leica-like I think.

To your point about liking your cheap lens more than your Leica. Very funny you should mention. I bought a cheap 135/2.8 "Imado" portrait lens in AI-S Nikon mount. Very obscure. Nothing on the 'net about "Imado". Probably a rebadged Tokina or some Korean brand. Dunno. I wanted this focal length for portraits but the Nikon stuff was more than I wanted to spend. Nobody bid on this thing and it was $27 on the auction site. It came looking brand new. Optics pristine, not a blemish on the barrel.

Love this lens. Love the focal length.

ALSO -- I recently scored a Nikon 70-210 3.5-5.6 AF-D for $35 (which was a total steal -- among the biggest steals in my "bay" career. Not that this lens goes for big bucks, but usually in the 90-100 range.) Perfect condition. Two things about this lens -- fast autofocus and a "generous" wider aperture as you zoom. I took it out for a spin yesterday. Darn if this doesn't do nice portraits -- and the fast AF lets you get some nice candid portraits. Bokeh -- decent imo.

So I have the much ballyhooed Nikon 85/1.8 G lens. Yes. Great lens optically. Sharp wide open. But you know what? Seriously thinking of selling it. I think I like the output out of the two cheapo lenses I have better. I think I like longer focal lengths for portrats. Bokeh is just fine as smaller apertures focused with a tele close in vs. wide aperture and more room for error. Plus I prefer the greater compression.

I think I just convinced myself to sell it.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I went from first Cron 50 to current non asph formula. Through all of them...
I'm just too lazy to take pictures of last one, put it on sale and let it go.
My Jupiter-3 does give me better images than any Cron 50, it is more smooth to focus and clean Canon 50 1.8 I also have is better build than any 50 Cron and gives more interesting pictures.
Even on digital M, Jupiter-3 gives better images than Cron 50 IV and III.

Now, why do I have to make better pictures to looks like from Cron? 🙂

 

[Austintatious]

ALSO -- I recently scored a Nikon 70-210 3.5-5.6 AF-D for $35 (which was a total steal -- among the biggest steals in my "bay" career. Not that this lens goes for big bucks, but usually in the 90-100 range.) Perfect condition. Two things about this lens -- fast autofocus and a "generous" wider aperture as you zoom. I took it out for a spin yesterday. Darn if this doesn't do nice portraits -- and the fast AF lets you get some nice candid portraits. Bokeh -- decent imo.

Nick,
if you are referring to the Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 (don't know of a 3.5-5.6) I have one as well. Really nice D lens for a song. Also just picked up a 28-105 f3.5-4.5 D macro lens.
Also a nice lens for little $$$. The "D" glass is very under appreciated.

 

[Sumarongi]

The above Photoshop "recommendations" simply reduces contrast (a good bit) while increasing color saturation but using Lab mode does this without color shift -- it just looks better. Leica-like I think.

Well, instead of that really complicated procedure, for really low contrast but nevertheless excellent resolution, I simply take my 1950s/1960s ENNA lenses... BOOM! DONE!

 

[Dan]

Step 4 In the Channels tab on the right (next to the Layers tab) select "a". Your image will look terrible -- all gray. Don't worry about it. Slide the INPUT slider on the LEFT from 0 to +30 (positive 30). Slide the INPUT slider on the RIGHT from 255 to 225 (subtracting 30). (Leave the middle slider alone at default "1")

Nick,

Where // what INPUT slider?

 

[NickTrop]

Nick,
if you are referring to the Nikon 70-210 f4-5.6 (don't know of a 3.5-5.6) I have one as well. Really nice D lens for a song. Also just picked up a 28-105 f3.5-4.5 D macro lens.
Also a nice lens for little $$$. The "D" glass is very under appreciated.

Yes, yes, you're right. Typo (seem to be doing those more and more in my old age...) F4. It's the 70-210 F4-5.6 AF-D. This is why I'm on team Nikon. Where, where can you find a lens like this for that kind of money? Nikon has mass-produced great glass in f-mount for decades. Many -- like this one, can be had for a relative song. Still more choices with some pretty decent 3rd-party lenses like that "Imado". They work perfectly on modern DSLRs without need of any kluge adapters and it's not like Nikon's cameras suck. I have a dozen f-mount lenses, most are Nikon glass (only 3 are not) and 8 have autofocus. Somtimes I feel gluttonous but literaly 1/2 of them cost $50-$60 or less. The entire collection costs 1/2 the price (just checked) of a used pre-ASP 'Cron and I have zooms, primes, an ultrawide, macro old and new.

As fpr "D" glass I agree 1000%. This is the sweet spot for Nikon glass on modern cameras. Great value on the used market. Not quite but clost to their old AI build quality, modern optics and coating with AF, great rendition, and way undervalued imo thanks to too many people fretting over MTF charts and such silliness as "edge shapness" and everything having to be f1.4 with vibration reduction. Hence a beautiful optic like that 70-210 can be had for less than $50(!) in my case. Even $100 is a steal for a lens like this.

 

[NickTrop]

Nick,

Where // what INPUT slider?

Uggh. I'm so sorry. I corrected it in the main post if anyone wants to try this. It's under Image > Adjustments > Levels. I will also PM you. Let me know what you think. Thanks and my apologies.

 

[NickTrop]

Well, instead of that really complicated procedure, for really low contrast but nevertheless excellent resolution, I simply take my 1950s/1960s ENNA lenses... BOOM! DONE!

Sure. You can do that. But the above procedure only looks complicated. And if you save it as an "action" it take but a second.

 

[NickTrop]

For more fun...

If you have the NIK plug-in installed (The Google version is still available for free). Go into Color FX Pro after you're back in RGB mode and add "detail extractor". Move the strength slider somewhere around "8". Too high and your picture will look like crap. Just a "touch" for some fake me out microcontrast effect.

Add filter --

Add "Glamor Glow" -- just a touch. Keep it subtle for that "Leica glow".

Also. One last thing. If you use the Nik Collection free Google version as a Photoshop plug-in (and I consider this a "must" personally) it has a pretty severe bug in some versions of Windows (actually it has several but what's that they say about gift horses?) that causes each and every plug-in in the "collection" to (frustratingly) crash sometimes when it passes your image back to Photoshop after you hit "save/okay" in the lower right of whatever plug-in. (My guess is DxO fixed this...)

You fix this by going into "Settings" (I think some of the plug-ins say "options" -- whatever.) Select "After Hitting Okay" (a weirdly named option, I know) and change the default from "apply filter effect to separate layer" to "apply filter effect to current layer". You must change this setting for each plug-in individually.

The culprit was that Google Nik would crash sometimes (didn't on XP definitely did on Windows 7) when it tried to create its own separate Nik layer in Photoshop. You lose that by changing this setting which is a drawback but once you change this setting it will never crash again.

 

[Sumarongi]

Sure. You can do that. But the above procedure only looks complicated. And if you save it as an "action" it take but a second.

In other words, photoshop-fanboys are AWESOME! TRUE! "action"! ARTISTS!,

not at all they're promoting *Public Enlightenment*

*and Propaganda*

???

 

[peterm1]

The above Photoshop "recommendations" simply reduces contrast (a good bit) while increasing color saturation but using Lab mode does this without color shift -- it just looks better. Leica-like I think.

To your point about liking your cheap lens more than your Leica. Very funny you should mention. I bought a cheap 135/2.8 "Imado" portrait lens in AI-S Nikon mount. Very obscure. Nothing on the 'net about "Imado". Probably a rebadged Tokina or some Korean brand. Dunno. I wanted this focal length for portraits but the Nikon stuff was more than I wanted to spend. Nobody bid on this thing and it was $27 on the auction site. It came looking brand new. Optics pristine, not a blemish on the barrel.

Love this lens. Love the focal length.

ALSO -- I recently scored a Nikon 70-210 3.5-5.6 AF-D for $35 (which was a total steal -- among the biggest steals in my "bay" career. Not that this lens goes for big bucks, but usually in the 90-100 range.) Perfect condition. Two things about this lens -- fast autofocus and a "generous" wider aperture as you zoom. I took it out for a spin yesterday. Darn if this doesn't do nice portraits -- and the fast AF lets you get some nice candid portraits. Bokeh -- decent imo.

So I have the much ballyhooed Nikon 85/1.8 G lens. Yes. Great lens optically. Sharp wide open. But you know what? Seriously thinking of selling it. I think I like the output out of the two cheapo lenses I have better. I think I like longer focal lengths for portrats. Bokeh is just fine as smaller apertures focused with a tele close in vs. wide aperture and more room for error. Plus I prefer the greater compression.

I think I just convinced myself to sell it.

I too have and use the Nikon 70-210mm 3.5-5.6 AF-D which I regard highly. I got it at a good price though not as good as yours. I took it with me to Hong Kong a few years ago in place of the 80-200mm f2.8 which is wonderful but oh so heavy as a travelling lens - I especially like it for sneaky long shots on the street. It makes a great longer "go to" walk about lens. Here is a sampling of the pics it turned in.................

The full album here.... https://www.flickr.com/photos/life_in_shadows/albums/72157631879282028/with/38498591222/

In a Kowloon park 6 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Strolling - Hong Kong by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Behind The Peninsula Hotel 2 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Life on a Hong Kong Street 11 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Life on a Hong Kong Street 8 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr

Girls' Day Out - Hong Kong 2012 by Life in Shadows, on Flickr