Old lenses with beautiful bokeh - Ideas?

Peter, I guess you've got this one too? Summicron 5cm f/2 LTM collapsible @f2 on APX100 in Rodinal 1+50

38802865311_556f39ac37_o.jpg

Leitz Summicron 5cm f/2 LTM collapsible at f/2 bokeh #151 by lynnb's snaps, on Flickr
 
 
I only use film so my personal favorites are based on lens performance on film - on digital they might be performing differently.

I like the Super Tak for M42 - nice bokeh.

@1.4
Image035_36.jpg


The cheap old Helios 58 f/2 has a nice old-feel to it too.
@f/2
2854584280_07aa2ce779_o.jpg


But my personal favourite is the Silvernose Zuiko 50 f/1.4. I just love it.
@f/1.4
32170411391_616daa320c_o.jpg
 
peterm1 said:
That is very nice I have to say. Very soft bokeh - I like it. I have one with a rather poorly handled front element (missing quite a bit of coating) that I shoot almost always stopped down. Even then I find its very low contrast though this may be due to the above problem. Did you find it necessary to work the images tone and contrast over in post processing? That's what I fancy I would need to do to get the nice contrast you have. Even so I must try mine out open - I have been put off by its problems but should be more brave.
Click to expand...

Hi Peter
That image actually is uploaded via Mobile from a Sony a7 in camera jpeg .
The current copy I own of the canon 50mm f1.2 is I believe quite a lucky catch.
It's made from 2 lenses. One that had a very poor front element and another with a rear group that was foggy between elements. (I gave away the spare rings/helicoid and bits here on rff so others have some bits from these two lenses also).
Now I have this lens that has surprisingly strong even at wide open.
Here are 2 more image(s). This one with the cropped sensor Fuji XE1 in provia film pre-set.

U29969I1431811570.SEQ.0.jpg


U29969I1433100403.SEQ.0.jpg
 
f16sunshine said:
Hi Peter
That image actually is uploaded via Mobile from a Sony a7 in camera jpeg .
The current copy I own of the canon 50mm f1.2 is I believe quite a lucky catch.
It's made from 2 lenses. One that had a very poor front element and another with a rear group that was foggy between elements. (I gave away the spare rings/helicoid and bits here on rff so others have some bits from these two lenses also).
Now I have this lens that has surprisingly strong even at wide open.
Here are 2 more image(s). This one with the cropped sensor Fuji XE1 in provia film pre-set.
Click to expand...

They are nice images. Thanks. It has always been a dream to be able to get two lenses and put them together like that to make one perfect lens. I did try to buy another Canon 50mm f1.2 that had a good front element but was otherwise torched but the deal fell through. I actually like shots with quite low contrast and soft bokeh - the best older lenses give that.
 
charjohncarter said:
I like my f4.0 200mm Super-Takumar, this shot only shows a little of the bokeh.

Plus X D-76 by John Carter, on Flickr

I also like the 50mm Super-Takumar f1.4 and the Pentax F 50mm f1.7. This shot is the f1.7. Both have smooth bokeh.

Puerto Vallarta 2010 by John Carter, on Flickr
Click to expand...

I do have a 200mm Tak but its aperture is very very sluggish and I have never thought it worthwhile to have it CLA'd - it would be cheaper to buy a new one. But I recall it being sharp and I liked it (this was back in film days - say 20 years ago). I do not recollect it having nice bokeh but its been a while now since I shot it and I probably shot it stopped down. I may give it a run, adapted on a mirrorless where a slow aperture is less of a problem.
 
lynnb said:
Peter, I guess you've got this one too? Summicron 5cm f/2 LTM collapsible @f2 on APX100 in Rodinal 1+50

38802865311_556f39ac37_o.jpg

Leitz Summicron 5cm f/2 LTM collapsible at f/2 bokeh #151 by lynnb's snaps, on Flickr
Click to expand...

Lynnb I do not have the collapsible version of this lens. I did own a beautiful close focus rigid version of the first Summicron but when I needed money to buy an M8 some years back I sold it (the lens could not be used on that camera, after all - and I did not see the mirrorless tidal wave just over the horizon). In any event I am pleasantly surprised by the lovely OOF areas of your image. Very nice.
 
peterm1 said:
I am interested in knowing more about the Trioplan(s) - they seem to go for a surprising amount of money online given they seem to be all made with what looks like a fairly soft alloy body. (Those I may be wrong in that). But I was aware that they are well regarded - your lens comes up a lot in conversation when long lenses are discussed.

Is this the one?
http://vintage-camera-lenses.com/meyer-optik-gorlitz-trioplan-100-2-8/
https://phillipreeve.net/blog/meyer-trioplan-100mm-28-review-sony-a7/

Looks good to me - I love the vintage "look".

BTW I have recently been alerted to the joys of Exakta mount lenses - for obvious reasons they are cheaper than m42 versions of the same lens (least that is my impression) but m4/3 and NEX mount adapters are now readily and cheaply available so the Exakta camera mount is no longer really a deficit that it once was (shhhh dont tell anyone 😉). I have bought a couple recently - a no name 35mm pre set lens that came out of a security camera of all things but never the less it is pretty sharp and renders quite well. A $5 purchase. And a 105mm Schneider Kreusnach Xenar f3.5. They are recent acquisitions so I have not had a chance to give them a solid test run for bokeh yet.
Click to expand...


Yes, the build quality is roughly on par with the lower end German rangefinder lenses, or better Soviet M42 lenses. It also reminds me of my Schacht Travenar 85/2.8 for LTM, which reminds me, I need to finish my CLA on that lens.

My 105 Trioplan was picked up in an eBay lot with a large number of other items in terrible pictures. I took a chance and after selling off what turned out to be a very nice condition Yashica D TLR and some other lower end things in the set (no other exotic or even average quality lenses), the whole deal made me money so the Trioplan was free. I have an Canon branded FD>Exakta mount adapter so I use it on my F1 where it works perfectly, or on my DSLR since I don't need infinity focus for most of what I want to do with it.

I will eventually get a Sony A7 or similar to better marry digital and my RF lens kit + SLR lenses, but it just hasn't been in the budget. Really, I just haven't felt like selling off more of my lens collection to buy something that will drop in value every time I go to use it.

As for the Canon 50/1.2 LTM, that's probably my favorite Leica lens so far. I got lucky and mine is in quite good shape, but it's still fairly low contrast at full aperture compared to the f/1.4 or 1.8 versions. The 1.5 Sonnar copy Canon is also lower contrast wide open. I generally have to overdevelop by about a stop if I'm trying to match negative contrast. I have shot some color with it and the saturation is quite soft/low/pastel in rendition. Nice for certain things but definitely not a modern look.
 
Peter from the samples of the original post I take it that you may, above all, look for lenses that do "doughnut" shaped bubbles with a thinner outer ring as created by mirror tele lenses.

the Nikkor-S.C f1.4 5cm ( I downed clarity in LR a lot, otherwide the bubbles and their outer ring would have been quite a bit more pronounced, too harsh for my taste )

Untitled by andreas, on Flickr

Canon LTM f1.8/85 can do it ( though bokeh is smooth when stopped down )

Harley Davidson by andreas, on Flickr


Takumar f1.4/50mm also "can" do it

Bamboo by andreas, on Flickr

concerning Canon LTM, the f1.4 is more contrasty then f1.2 and f1.5, but neverthless the f1.4 imo seems to produce bokeh that isn't dissimilar to that produced by the f1.2

Untitled by andreas, on Flickr

my f1.5/50 has very low contrast, lovely, and, as imo all 50mm Canon LTMs, not bubbly:

Untitled by andreas, on Flickr

for a low contrast but smooth bokeh Olympus Olympus OM F.Zuiko Auto-T f2 85mm, that is the first version with single coating


offering incense during Vietnamese New Year by andreas, on Flickr

though later MC version should be fine too, other smooth bokeh, rel. low contrast include Om Zuiko f2.8/100mm,Minolta MC Rokkor f2.5/100mm, Super Takumar f1.9/85mm...

very fun, individual bokeh, cat's eye and swirly, for rel. wide angle, Pen-F Zuiko f1.8/38


Happy Lunar New Year by andreas, on Flickr

different but fun too, Canon LTM f1.8/35mm


Untitled by andreas, on Flickr

similar: MC Rokkor-PF f1.4 58mm

Untitled by andreas, on Flickr
 
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