LTM lens test of 50mm lenses w/ MAX 800

ampguy

ampguy

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Used tripod, focal point radio antenna, 3 meters from film plane. Cat photo was 4" in front of focal point, Nikon finder logo was 4" behind film plane.

Description of lens and metering info was 36" behind the focal point.

Same roll of film, Kodak Max 800. Camera was a Zorki 4K. J8 and I61 had a generic vented hood, I-22 collapsible had no hood.

here
 
Nice work. It looks like your J-8 is a very nice example, while the I-61 and I-22 compare less favorably in that setting.

But what I'd really like to see are "real" shots with your lenses. Your test shots highlighted differences amongst the lenses in that scene, but there are many scenes where ultimate sharpness and flare resistance aren't most important. If you constructed a scene to *hide* the potential failings of a lens, how would these compare 🙂
 
yeah

yeah

I understand what you are saying. I do have many rolls from each of these lens, but this difficult lighting scene shows what is also seen in the real world, in that with my specific examples, the I-61, and I-22 give more of the "Leica glow", while the J8 might just be newer or clearer, though not modern by any means.

In any case, the J8 is on it all the time for the F2, though the I-22 collapsed, makes the zorki one flat brick!


40oz said:
Nice work. It looks like your J-8 is a very nice example, while the I-61 and I-22 compare less favorably in that setting.

But what I'd really like to see are "real" shots with your lenses. Your test shots highlighted differences amongst the lenses in that scene, but there are many scenes where ultimate sharpness and flare resistance aren't most important. If you constructed a scene to *hide* the potential failings of a lens, how would these compare 🙂
Click to expand...
 
IMHO, since the film is the same for all lenses, don't you think it's irrelevant? I see a difference among the lenses, but not from shot to shot with the same lens.
 
The light is not extreme, and most lenses will do equally well. It is the tough lighting situations that will reveal the superiority of a few lenses. I have always stated that taking a photo in open shade lets you use almost any 50mm lens for good results. I don't see a problem that a fast film was used. I used ASA 160 in my last test, but past tests uses ASA 400 film.

There are large variations in the qualities of vintage lenses [for lenses of the same type], and I saw this recently when six J-3's were compared.
 
maybe for resolution

maybe for resolution

Maybe slide or reala would show sharpness better without the high grain, but yes, I do have a lot of max 800 to use up!

Pherdinand said:
i see you really have too many of those max 800 rolls 😉
now more seriously, does it make sense to do this thing with an 800-speed color negative? isn't the film the limiting factor in this case?
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yeah

yeah

I like the J8, could be the others could use a cleaning though. Also, the Panda I61 isn't an LD with those coatings, so it could be that the I61 and I22 have none, or old coatings relative to the newer J8.

nzeeman said:
interesting test - that j8 really is superb against those two.i must admit i didnt expect that. i thought i61 will win...
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