bobby_novatron
Photon Collector
Disclaimer: the following lens 'test' was done out of good humour, curiosity, and enthusiasm. I make no claims for my abilities as a photographer or technician.
Purpose: In August 2015 I found myself in the fortunate position to have 4 splendid 'normal' primes in my possession. I thought it might be interesting to compare the character of these four lenses.
Specifically, I wanted to examine the following:
o colour cast
o contrast
o bokeh
o overall IQ (highly subjective of course)
Method: I placed my Leica M 240 on a tripod approximately 2 meters from the grey card. Focus was on the bull's-eye on the card.
Cast of Characters:
Summary:
For those who just want to cut to the chase, here's the summary of my very unscientific test.
FIRST SET -- The Forest For The Trees
IMAGE #1: General Scenery (taken with Leica Summicron 50/2). Shot at F2.8, focus on grey card.
Not much point in posting the files from the other lenses, they all performed wonderfully. Nothing to see here folks, move along.
NEXT SET: CENTER CROPS AT F2.8
These images were all taken at F2.8, I apologize for my dirty patio glass.
IMAGE #2: Konica 50/2 Center Crop at 100%
IMAGE #3: Leica 50/2 Center Crop at 100%
IMAGE #4: Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH center crop at 100%
IMAGE #5: Pentax SMC 43mm F1.9 center crop at 100%
Obsevations: my patio glass is really dirty. That's the problem with using a bunch of great lenses on a wonderful camera like the M 240. You might see levels of detail that are unwelcome.
Note to self -- good idea to clean patio. Or next time use a badly-shimmed and hazy Jupiter-8 as my test lens.
THIRD SET: UPPER LH CORNER CROPS AT 100%
This was to examine the overall quality of the out-of-focus areas. Sorry about my inaccurate crops, they are ALMOST the same.
IMAGE #6: KONICA 50/2
IMAGE #7: Leica 50/2
IMAGE #8: Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH
IMAGE #9: Pentax 43mm F1.9
Observations: to borrow a phrase from Ken Rockwell, I used 'natural vegetation in a phased-lattice array'. The crops generally speak for themselves. The forest looks blurry when you shoot lenses at F2.8 from 10 meters away. Amazing!
That being said, the Konica and Summicron are virtually identical. The Konica SHOULD have a softer bokeh due to the 10-blade aperture, but I can't really see much difference. The Nokton ASPH has a wonderfully dreamy background, it looks very pleasant (to my eyes). The Pentax is a little busy -- that being said, it is known for having this quality. The Pentax renders in a more classic way, I'd say. Shot closer to F1.9 I think the Pentax would be smoother at the expense of contrast and resolution.
CONCLUSION: As Ken Rockwell says (always great to poke fun at KR), "there is no better lens on earth than the Leica Summicron-M 50/2." But wait! What about these other lenses? To borrow some of KR's hyperbole, "there is no better lens on earth than the Konica Hexanon 50/2." And also, "...than the Nokton 50/1.5", and "...than the Pentax SMC 43mm F1.9 Special".
They're all great. I think it's all down to personal taste. IMHO I think the Konica would really shine with a nice emulsion like Portra or Ektar. The Nokton and Pentax would be great for B+W. But all of these lenses are super. What did I expect?
Photography is a great hobby for me, but I have much to learn. I hope you have enjoyed this extremely inelegant 'Battle of the Fantastic Fifties!' as much as I have. If you'll excuse me, I think my wife is calling. Thanks for reading my post.
Purpose: In August 2015 I found myself in the fortunate position to have 4 splendid 'normal' primes in my possession. I thought it might be interesting to compare the character of these four lenses.
Specifically, I wanted to examine the following:
o colour cast
o contrast
o bokeh
o overall IQ (highly subjective of course)
Method: I placed my Leica M 240 on a tripod approximately 2 meters from the grey card. Focus was on the bull's-eye on the card.
- ISO: 200
- White Balance: AUTO
- File type: JPEG (24MP)
- Focus: Live View with peaking, 10x
- Metering: Advanced Multi-Pattern
- Post-Processing: none besides 100% crop
Cast of Characters:
- Konica Hexanon 50mm F2
- Leica Summicron 50mm F2 v5
- Nokton 50mm F1.5 ASPH (M-mount)
- Pentax SMC 43mm F1.9 LTM Special
Summary:
For those who just want to cut to the chase, here's the summary of my very unscientific test.
- It's easy to waste 2 hours of your morning fooling around with lenses and wait for the ambient light to cooperate.
- All of these lenses are excellent. Their excellence far exceeds my abilities as a photographer.
- Pixel-peeping can drive you temporarily insane (see #1 above).
- The Konica has a slightly warmer colour cast than the other lenses.
- The Leica is magnificent in every way. A great all-rounder.
- The Nokton is a fabulous performer at its price-point.
- The Pentax SMC is no slouch, but has a busier bokeh than the other lenses.
FIRST SET -- The Forest For The Trees
IMAGE #1: General Scenery (taken with Leica Summicron 50/2). Shot at F2.8, focus on grey card.
Not much point in posting the files from the other lenses, they all performed wonderfully. Nothing to see here folks, move along.
NEXT SET: CENTER CROPS AT F2.8
These images were all taken at F2.8, I apologize for my dirty patio glass.
IMAGE #2: Konica 50/2 Center Crop at 100%
IMAGE #3: Leica 50/2 Center Crop at 100%
IMAGE #4: Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH center crop at 100%
IMAGE #5: Pentax SMC 43mm F1.9 center crop at 100%
Obsevations: my patio glass is really dirty. That's the problem with using a bunch of great lenses on a wonderful camera like the M 240. You might see levels of detail that are unwelcome.
Note to self -- good idea to clean patio. Or next time use a badly-shimmed and hazy Jupiter-8 as my test lens.
THIRD SET: UPPER LH CORNER CROPS AT 100%
This was to examine the overall quality of the out-of-focus areas. Sorry about my inaccurate crops, they are ALMOST the same.
IMAGE #6: KONICA 50/2
IMAGE #7: Leica 50/2
IMAGE #8: Nokton 50/1.5 ASPH
IMAGE #9: Pentax 43mm F1.9
Observations: to borrow a phrase from Ken Rockwell, I used 'natural vegetation in a phased-lattice array'. The crops generally speak for themselves. The forest looks blurry when you shoot lenses at F2.8 from 10 meters away. Amazing!
That being said, the Konica and Summicron are virtually identical. The Konica SHOULD have a softer bokeh due to the 10-blade aperture, but I can't really see much difference. The Nokton ASPH has a wonderfully dreamy background, it looks very pleasant (to my eyes). The Pentax is a little busy -- that being said, it is known for having this quality. The Pentax renders in a more classic way, I'd say. Shot closer to F1.9 I think the Pentax would be smoother at the expense of contrast and resolution.
CONCLUSION: As Ken Rockwell says (always great to poke fun at KR), "there is no better lens on earth than the Leica Summicron-M 50/2." But wait! What about these other lenses? To borrow some of KR's hyperbole, "there is no better lens on earth than the Konica Hexanon 50/2." And also, "...than the Nokton 50/1.5", and "...than the Pentax SMC 43mm F1.9 Special".
They're all great. I think it's all down to personal taste. IMHO I think the Konica would really shine with a nice emulsion like Portra or Ektar. The Nokton and Pentax would be great for B+W. But all of these lenses are super. What did I expect?
Photography is a great hobby for me, but I have much to learn. I hope you have enjoyed this extremely inelegant 'Battle of the Fantastic Fifties!' as much as I have. If you'll excuse me, I think my wife is calling. Thanks for reading my post.
