New old Prominent Nokton for me

And at mid range and mid stop.

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I must say I am impressed with this lens (and the focusing accuracy of the Amedeo adapter – more so than its handling). The lens is quite sharp even when opened up, though contrast is reduced. It has a certain softness, or glow. But not as much as I expected, and less than many contemporary lenses.

The Bokeh can be very nervous and only really calms down past f2.8. But somehow the combination of a busy background with sharp focus gives the images a nice organic feel. It ties the image down if you will. For the first time I think I understand what people refer to when they speak of '3D pop'.

The image is a slight crop, so the face of the subject shows center sharpness. I think this was shot wide open, but no smaller than f2. Leica M2, 400TX.

The image links to a full resolution version. DLSM scan, no tweaks in Lightroom except the crop.

 
Many years ago I had a Voigtlander Prominent rangefinder camera and also had the Nokton lens. which as seen in a number of black and white images here, I found to be very in low contrast. I never much liked it for this reason though it was certainly sharp enough.

But I now freely admit that I was dumb. I always shot in black and white back then - that was the way "real photographers" did it. (Cough). I never did work out that the lens would have been particularly lovely for color work. (This was in pre digital days - before Photoshop so the idea of improving contrast in 'post" was not something that occurred to me).
 
I shot half a roll of FP4 through it a week ago at the beach. These are at about F5.6. I must say the Amedeo adapter is spot on for focus, and is a solid, lifetime adapter.

I got an original yellow filter for it, and it helped the contrast a bit.

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Seeing this thread reminded me that the Filters for the Polaroid 180 fit the 50/1.5 Nokton. I sold the set with the Model 180 a couple years ago- before the film was discontinued. I just bought the set back for $35.

I have a Prominent to Contax adapter, and a Contax to M adapter. I'll try the Nokton out on the M Monochrom once the Orange filter gets here.
 
The Polaroid 180 filter set arrived: and they fit the Prominent Nokton perfectly. The metal hood screws into the oversized filters. The UV, Orange filter, and metal hood make a good set, easier to use than the push-on original filters.
 
I just picked up an early Prominet without the cold shoe and no strap lugs.
Early serial number 22xx I think.
Sorry, I don't have any images to post at this time. I do have film in the camera though. Camera seems like it's in very good condition.
Came with the 50 / 35/ 100 case and a yellow filter.
 
On the Prominent with 1/500th, the manual advises to cock the shutter manually. I wonder if the same is advised for 1/400th?
Hi Brian,
Yes, it would be advisable. The booster spring used for the top speed of 1/400 or 1/500 (depending on the version) creates considerable additional tension which has to be overcome. You may see a photo of the setting ring at the link below. The noticeably larger gap to the 1/400 mark betrays the use of a booster, (although being a Compur Rapid of this period such may be presumed).

If I'm not in a hurry I'll tend to manually cock the shutter of my own Prominent (1/500, removable shoe, strap lugs) regardless of the speed set. It's not really necessary, but the cocking lever is there, and I would like my Prominent to keep working well for a long time.
Cheers,
Brett
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dietersrover/50827549933/in/album-72157717845246521/
 
Hi Brian,
Yes, it would be advisable. The booster spring used for the top speed of 1/400 or 1/500 (depending on the version) creates considerable additional tension which has to be overcome. You may see a photo of the setting ring at the link below. The noticeably larger gap to the 1/400 mark betrays the use of a booster, (although being a Compur Rapid of this period such may be presumed).

If I'm not in a hurry I'll tend to manually cock the shutter of my own Prominent (1/500, removable shoe, strap lugs) regardless of the speed set. It's not really necessary, but the cocking lever is there, and I would like my Prominent to keep working well for a long time.
Cheers,
Brett
https://www.flickr.com/photos/dietersrover/50827549933/in/album-72157717845246521/

This is the link to some other images of ( and from) my Voigtländer
 
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