Chriscrawfordphoto
Real Men Shoot Film.

Corner of Crescent Avenue and Delware Avenue in Fort Wayne.
50mm Summitar on Tmax 400.
I don't really like the Summitar's bokeh much either. I think the Canon 50mm f1.8 that I recently bought is much better in that regard.
Yes, but Canon-optics usually suffer badly from flare. With lots of flare the bokeh is naturally softer.
Erik.
Yes, but Canon-optics usually suffer badly from flare. With lots of flare the bokeh is naturally softer.
Erik.
Hey Chris,
Love what you're doing with your new Barnack set up. I'm kind of a fan of the old Canon LTM lenses when used with my IIIc (actually don't have any Leica LTM glass, all Nikkor & Canon). The Canon 35mm f1.8 and 28mm f2.8 (a Winogrand favorite on his M2) are both tack sharp wide open in the center of the image, though pretty low contrast. And the 35mm f2 is a story unto itself.
Below, the Canon 28mm f2.8 on my IIIc, wide open.
![]()
Best,
-Tim
Tim,
That looks awesome! I haven't tried the 35mm f2, but I've been really impressed with my 35mm f1.8.
I'd love to get a 28, but they seem to rarely come up for sale, and the ones on eBay are all from Japanese sellers and they all seem to have haze or fungus. I'd want to get one in the US so I can return it if it turns out to be bad.
I've been somewhat following this thread. Two things I think about a Barnack body and Elmars lenses: I think the Barnack is superior for holding the film much flatter than barn door cameras. I feel this adds something to the overall quality of the image. And second the Tessar lenses may have some problems but they are also excellent; at least my 50mm Elmar is.
Two photos from my Barnack(s) :
With a F 2.0 Summar 1963:
1963 by John Carter, on Flickr
and with an Elmar f3.5 50mm 2012 (ala Henry Wessel):
TriX HC-110h by John Carter, on Flickr
If anyone has information about the Barnack film flatness let me know.
The glass was, as promised, perfect. No haze, no scratches or 'cleaning marks,' and no fungus. The metal parts of the lens looked wonderful too. It does have one issue. It arrived in the extended position, and when I tried to collapse it, I found that it takes A LOT of force to turn the lens barrel to release it to be collapsed. That wasn't disclosed in the listing, but I decided to see if the focus was accurate and image quality good before deciding to return it.
Chris, I've noticed that behaviour with collapsible lenses that have been cleaned. I think they've done the final screwing together of the lens by using the collapsible lens mechanism stops as a holder against the torque of the reassembly. So I think it's a lens repairer's workaround. The results from your lens show that it has been cleaned well, and once you've cleared the collapsing mechanism it should be fine from then on in, unless they have really gone too far screwing it together.
John Mc
I don't know if the Barnacks hold film flatter or not. Probably do, given how they're made. I've never had issues with film flatness in any 35mm camera, though.
I really haven't either, but I'm thinking on a micro level. My IIIf photos seem slightly sharper than my Bessa R when I use the same lenses. Besides I read about 60 years ago that Leica did have difficulty with achieving equal film placement with there prototype M series camera. I may be wrong about that as it was 60 years ago.
I wonder if your Bessa's rangefinder is out of adjustment? That could bring a slight loss of sharpness if it is just slightly off.
Last week, I found a good deal on another Canon 35mm lens, this time a 35mm f2. This is the one everyone calls the "Japanese Summicron."
![]()