pixelpeepshow!! eight 50ties compared..

[thafred]

Another lens test...
since I have another "normal" lens coming in the Mail (Joes Summicron C 40..hooray!!) I decided that it is time to let a lens or two go .....so I thought I´ll make a compairson.

Camera used was my trusty M3 with Leitz or VC screw to M adapters (apart from the cron wich is M mount). The crappiest tripod you have ever seen (i have nothing better) was used but with the help of a cable release the camera wasn´t shaking or something...

Lenses are:
Leitz Summicron Coll. 50/2 (1954 coated)
Leitz Summitar Coll. 50/2 (1949 coated)
Leitz Summar Coll. 50/2 (1938 not coated)
Leitz Elmar Coll. 50/3,5 (1937 not coated)
VC Nokton 50/1,5 (bought 2005 MC)
FSU Jupiter3 50/1,5 (1951 coated)
FSU Jupiter8 50/2 (1977 coated)
FSU Fed50 50/3,5 (no idea, looks new and coated)

The first Set shows the view out of my window, all pictures are made with aperture 1:4 (on summar and Elmar between 3,5 and 4,5) with 1/60 shutter speed.
The Jupiter3 shows severe decentering! I guess I never noticed cus I allways shoot bokeh with it and never landscapes! (behaves like a tilt lens 😉 )

 

[thafred]

In the Far right detail you can see the J3 fail...

 

[thafred]

The second Set is a Bokeh Test of all those lenses ...I took pictures at wide open and one or two stops lower.....shown here are Wide open only (if you wanna see f4 I can submit them too)

The foreground was lightened by a table lamp and in the background I placed a Maglight for a sharp highlight... (plus my room lamp is giving soft light)

The crops are from the center (focusing was on the Voigtländer lens cap of the 21/4) ... the J8 is slightly back focused (I calibrated it afterwards...nowits spot on )

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

 

[Nachkebia]

nokton is the best 🙂

 

[thafred]

a few words on the condition of the lenses:

The Summar is pretty hazy when a flashlight is shined throu but it has very few scratches!
The Elmar is not so hazy but has alot scratches on the front element and dust spots inside.
The Summicron has just very few marks, is clear but shows yellowing (radioactive 😉 )
Summitar is very clear has nearly no scatches on the coating but as we discovered in a recent thread the front elements are separating!
J8 is clear with few scratches on the front Element
J3 is the same
Fed 50 is like new...no scratches or haze
Nokton is spotless (but the barrel is brassing heavy!!)

My impressions......The Nokton Blows them all technicaly, followed my the Summicron (which i prefer over the Nokton because of haptics and the feel to the drawing of the lens) then come the Summitar/Jupiter8 they are very close together I think (at least in the house pics).

The rest of the bunch deliver a techically lesser drawing but the character of some lenses is nice too! (plus there is nothing more funktional as the Elmar/Fed on a Leica IIIa)

Conclusion is that this test hasn´t helped me much in deciding which lens to sell...it will be a stomach judgment 😉

 

[matt fury]

I really like the way the Summitar performed here!

 

[back alley]

after looking this over i can say that i'm happy i have a nokton on the way.

it seems to me that the nokton and the summitar are very close in rendition, very close.

 

[Macpod]

J8 is amazing regardless of price. J3 might have been a bad sample? i dunno.

 

[thafred]

after looking this over i can say that i'm happy i have a nokton on the way.

the nokton is a very fine performer a pitty that it isn´t smaller so I would take it out more! Then there´s your Cron 40 which I´m really hoping for beeing as good (or better as as the coll. at least)

I really like the way the Summitar performed here!

The Summitar is one of my favorites at the moment...my test doesnt tell it all since Ive made no pics at smaller apertures (esp. the Elmar/fed should gain alot at f8-11) but at 11 or even 8 the Summitar draws very very sharp Pictures! the collapsible feature is a plus for me too and since the Bessa has no problem with this it makes a perfectly small package

Here´s a recent Summitar pic @f11 (APX100 Rodinal 1:100 / Focutar40 on Agfa Multigrade/ toned in Maco Sepia) sorry for the quality but my flatbed is 5years old and dirty but able of scanning A4 ok..the print looks very good with detail in the shadow areas:

 

[ampguy]

thanks for the test

thanks for the test

I was going to mention about your Summar, Fed, and Elmar samples... I like the Nokton, J8, and Summicron in your test photos.

a few words on the condition of the lenses:

The Summar is pretty hazy when a flashlight is shined throu but it has very few scratches!
The Elmar is not so hazy but has alot scratches on the front element and dust spots inside.
The Summicron has just very few marks, is clear but shows yellowing (radioactive 😉 )
Summitar is very clear has nearly no scatches on the coating but as we discovered in a recent thread the front elements are separating!
J8 is clear with few scratches on the front Element
J3 is the same
Fed 50 is like new...no scratches or haze
Nokton is spotless (but the barrel is brassing heavy!!)

My impressions......The Nokton Blows them all technicaly, followed my the Summicron (which i prefer over the Nokton because of haptics and the feel to the drawing of the lens) then come the Summitar/Jupiter8 they are very close together I think (at least in the house pics).

The rest of the bunch deliver a techically lesser drawing but the character of some lenses is nice too! (plus there is nothing more funktional as the Elmar/Fed on a Leica IIIa)

Conclusion is that this test hasn´t helped me much in deciding which lens to sell...it will be a stomach judgment 😉

 

[Justin Low]

I agree. I'm keeping my J8 over a Summicron Rigid (which happens to be in the classifieds right now).

The difference in their performance is too slight to warrant keeping the more expensive lens. The other reason for me is that the J8 is smaller and much lighter.

 

[back alley]

perhaps this will be viewed as heresy but i am preferring the larger lenses lately.
i think perhaps my fingers are a bit more stiff these days and i find the smaller lenses harder to manipulate, especially on the cooler mornings that i am out shooting. winter should be fun.

 

[Rich Silfver]

Interesting. Shows that Russian lenses are worse than Leitz glass regardess if they are made 20, 30 or 40 years later 😀

 

[RdEoSg]

I've been wondering which 50 to get someday. I think I am going to search out for a summitar. I really like the look in these! Thanx!

 

[raid]

In the Far right detail you can see the J3 fail...

The Summar and the Elmar are not shining stars either in the photos.

Raid

 

[raid]

J8 is amazing regardless of price. J3 might have been a bad sample? i dunno.

It is a known fact that manyJ-3 examples need some shimming to become sharp in focus. My J-3 is as sharp as other more expensive lenses by Leitz and Zeiss.


Raid

 

[raid]

Thanks for this test.

Thanks for this test.

Thanks for the test.
I enjoyed looking over the results.
I will keep my Summicron even though I have a sharp J-8 and a sharp J-3 since it is a classic.


Raid

===================
Lenses are:
Leitz Summicron Coll. 50/2 (1954 coated)
Leitz Summitar Coll. 50/2 (1949 coated)
Leitz Summar Coll. 50/2 (1938 not coated)
Leitz Elmar Coll. 50/3,5 (1937 not coated)
VC Nokton 50/1,5 (bought 2005 MC)
FSU Jupiter3 50/1,5 (1951 coated)
FSU Jupiter8 50/2 (1977 coated)
FSU Fed50 50/3,5 (no idea, looks new and coated)

 

[raid]

The second Set is a Bokeh Test of all those lenses ...I took pictures at wide open and one or two stops lower.....shown here are Wide open only (if you wanna see f4 I can submit them too)

The foreground was lightened by a table lamp and in the background I placed a Maglight for a sharp highlight... (plus my room lamp is giving soft light)

The crops are from the center (focusing was on the Voigtländer lens cap of the 21/4) ... the J8 is slightly back focused (I calibrated it afterwards...nowits spot on )

Enjoy and tell me what you think!

Your Bokeh shots are also sharpness and contrast shots simply by being photos. Here, the J-3 looks better. Maybe your collapsible Summar is a bad example since I am quite happy with the performance of the rigid Summar lens that I own.


Raid

 

[raid]

nokton is the best 🙂

This is a situation where two lenses come out as winners; the Nokton and the Summicron. I slightly favor the performance of the Summicron here. Note that this is not the rigid Summicronwhich many view as sharper than its collapsible sibling. We are comparing a modern lens (2005) with a very old lens (1954).


Raid

 

[thafred]

It is a known fact that manyJ-3 examples need some shimming to become sharp in focus. My J-3 is as sharp as other more expensive lenses by Leitz and Zeiss.


Raid

Hi Raid,
My Jupiter 3 is very sharp as well but the focus shifts towards the camera on the right half of a frame! (in the shot of the building, the left part of the image is sharp and contrasty and the right part is blurred as if focused at 5m! the tree in front of my window which is slightly blurred with all lenses is sharp on the right with the J3...

I did the shimming myself and find it very easy to do when using a groundglass and 21 or 28 as a loupe....in the center my focus with bessa or M3 is spot on and when shooting closeup and wide open I naturaly can´t notice the effect... I guess the front or rear element is slightly tilted....looks like I need to buy another one!

Fred