incomplete lens saga continues

[FrankS]

Well, last Monday when I phoned the seller of the Canon vi with an incomplete 50mm f1.5, he sounded genuinely surprised, offered to replace the lens, and asked me to call back on Wednesday to give him a chance to look for a replacement. (He is a photographer/collecter.) Funny though, every time I tried to call him today, all I got was his voice mail. Do you think he's trying to avoid me? I'm still giving him the benefit of the doubt and will try to stay optimistic.
As it is, I have time to speculate on different 50mm lenses. How do canon/Leica/CV 50mm lenses compare? I've heard/read that both Canon 50mm f1.4 and f1.8 lenses are the best in the Canon line. How do they compare to vintage Leica and modern CV lenses?

Oh yeah, and how do those Russian lenses stack up in comparison?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

And they ask me if it was Potty Training Problems.

Folder of Pictures Sorted by Lens Type

Although the scans do not do the lenses justice, you get the flavor of color rendition. I try to be uniform in PS processing across all of the lenses. My very SUBJECTIVE Opinion:

Sharpest:
Type 1 Rigid Summicron
Canon 50mm F1.8
Nikkor 5cm F1.4 (very sharp wide-open, and has 18" close-focus)
Canon 50mm F1.4
Summarit
Least Sharp:

Most Pleasing Portrait:
Summarit (Lots of Astigmatism at Closest Focus, Wide-Open, of distant Objects; ODD BOKEH)
Type 1 Rigid Summicron
Canon 50mm F1.4
Canon 50mm F1.8
Nikkor 5cm F1.4
Most "Harsh" Portrait, "over-corrected Spherical Abberation" (Not BAD! Oh no, not that word) Bokeh:

I will host a few specific pictures at Full Scan Resolution, send a PM and I will post a link.

The Summarit is the "odd-one" of this line-up though. All of the others are very close. The Summarit is best closed down past F4, great at F8, and soft at F1.5. It makes a great soft-focus portrait lens and a great outdoor lens. The "Micro-Contrast" (or whatever) captures so many minutely different color levels that my three-pass slide scanner could not capture anywhere near what I could see in the color print of the same negative. It is an under-rated lens; and the Nikkor is probably over-rated.

EDIT: By Over-rated I do not mean that the Nikkor is not a great lens, especially given its 50+ year design. BUT it is not "so superior" to the Sonnar of the day or whatever the myths would have you believe. I find it equal to the Sonnar in sharpness, but give the "Less-Harsh Bokeh" to the Sonnar. It was optimized for wide-open work, and at F1.4 "shines". It should not be getting twice the price of the Canon 50mm F1.4 which is a superb lens.

 

[Huck Finn]

Take a look at this one!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=30063&item=3841133130&rd=1

 

[FrankS]

Thank you for that comprehensive information, Brian.

I got hold of the seller today and he says he hasn't been able to find a replacement lens yet, but he'll keep looking. He did offer to refund my money but I suggested I return only the incomplete lens and keep the body with a refund on just the lens. He offered to refund $75 or $100 for it.

I'm thinking I'll just hang on to it until: a) the seller replaces it (kind of doubtful) or b) I can find a parts lens to make it whole because the Canon f1.5 Sonnar type lens sounds like an interesting lens to have.

In the meantime, does anyone have a spare LTM 50mm lens they'd consider selling?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

That Auction: I paid less for my Contax IIIa with it's Zeiss-Opton F1.5 Sonnar on it! It is a great lens, and it is rare in LTM. But in its Native mount it would go for 1/2 to 1/3 the price.

 

[Huck Finn]

That Auction: I paid less for my Contax IIIa with it's Zeiss-Opton F1.5 Sonnar on it! It is a great lens, and it is rare in LTM. But in its Native mount it would go for 1/2 to 1/3 the price.

Very interesting, Brian . . . I guess it's all about supply & demand.

How would you compare it to the Type I Rigid Summicron? Comparison with others?

How is it in regard to flare? How does it shoot wide open? Or stopped down to f/2?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I will set up a Sonnar folder and upload some shots this weekend. The uncoated Sonnar's will flare and need a hood. The sharpness is equal to the Nikkor and Canon F1.4's. The "Bokeh" is less-harsh than the Nikkor. I use the Nikkor 5cm f1.4 on a regular basis; it is a great lens, but exhibits the "over-corrected" spherical abberration "donut" background.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Abobe Shot: Zeiss-Opton Sonnar, ~F4; Taken with my Nikon S2.

 

[Huck Finn]

I don't know about the lens, but that is one cute little girl!😉

Actually, there is a nice softness to this picture - especially for f/4 - that must be flattering in portraits. I've heard that about the old Zeiss lenses & it's nice to actually see one.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Huck, Thankyou for the compliment. Nikki has learned to live with a camera pointed at her, and generally is very natural with it.

Here is a shot with the Nikkor 5cm F1.4 Wide-Open and close-up. I had just finished calibrating the RF and removing the RF mask to make the spot much bigger. This SP lost some of its "brightness" from the spot, and removing the mask helped greatly.

BTW: All of these lenses are terrific and it is a pleasure to use any of them.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I uploaded some Zeiss Sonnar shots into a new folder and updated the Nikkor folder.

Zeiss Sonnar 5cm f1.5 Coated and 5cm f2 Uncoated

Nikkor 5cm F1.4 Lens

 

[Huck Finn]

Thanks, Brian. . . . very much. It's appreciated.