Summicron 50 Wetzlar, the best 50 ever? Second part...

[mauro scacco]

Leica m2
summicron 50 Wetzlar
ilford fp4 - id11
Rome
Thx for comments and critics
Mauro

1

5

6

7

8

9

3

4

10

11

12

13

14

15

 

[Siluro]

13

Great capture, 3 really strong elements in the frame - adds a lot of 'depth' to the image.

 

[Benjamin]

Are these scans from your negatives or prints?

All the best, Benjamin

 

[mauro scacco]

They are from negatives, thx
Mauro

 

[Meleica]

Try working with a Pentax SMC 50/1.4 lens of 1974 vintage and let me know if you still think the Summicron is # 1.

Dan

 

[Lilserenity]

Immensely enjoyable sequence of photos. Some real treasures there.

Makes me want to go home now and grab the M2 which is sat there waiting with a roll of Tri-X, raring to go...

Great stuff.

 

[retnull]

Who cares about the lens!
These are incredible images.
Hats off to you!

 

[35mmdelux]

Great sequence. Makes me want to grab my Yashica slr vintage 1971.

 

[Florian1234]

Mauro, I'm impressed! Great work, keep it up. 🙂

 

[leica M2 fan]

Mauro, tremendous work, all are great especially #1 and 10 ! Excellent work and that lens is special.

 

[FPjohn]

Well, perhaps. Your images are a good, very good, argument in its favour.

yours
FPJ

 

[Erik van Straten]

Fine work Mauro! Very well done! How photogenic is Rome!
Please go on with this kind of work. You're a gifted photographer.

Erik.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

According to the 1976 Pop Photo test of "32 Normal lenses", the Leitz lenses of the day did come out on top. Including the Summicron beating out the Pentax 50/1.4 of the day.

 

[Meleica]

Hey Brian

How did the Summicron do at 1.4 :> ?

My own Pentax 50/1.4 easily beats the Summicron version IV in flare....and that matters to me !! see this lens test for flare

http://www.aohc.it/imart/a07f02.gif

Dan

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The lenses were grouped together by maximum opening.

The Summicron beat all of the lenses in it's class, the Nikkor 50mm F2, etc.

The Summilux beat out the other F1.4 lenses. The Canon 50/1.4 SSC and Nikkor Multi-coated lenses were up to bat.

The 50mm F1.2 Noctilux was also tested.

I have a Pentax 50/1.4 on my Yashica TL Electro-X. Put it under UV light to bleach the Yellow out of it.

Using resolution as a Main metric, the Leitz lenses won out. The Leitz lenses also won out on chromatic shift. They were not as good as the multi-coated lenses on transmission and flare.

 

[Meleica]

My own eyes (and my own tests ) tell me the Pentax 50/1.4 SMC can outperform the summicron and summilux ( as the summicron outperforms the summilux at similiar apertures ). As far as flare, pentax beats Leica hands down. I'd like to hear from people who think otherwise. Part of the Leica 'glow' is it tendency to flare....

 

[Sonnar Brian]

This is one of those "Best for What" cases. There is "No Best" 50mm lens, as it is impossible to quantify such subjective performance.

Ask me what the "Best" 50mm lens, and you get "Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F1.5 "T" Sonnar". Leica Thread Mount. Best in what terms? I like it the best. I'm down to Twenty-Eight 50mm lenses in LTM. Another five 50s in M-Mount, and maybe another Seventy Five or so 50s in various other mounts.

 

[Meleica]

Mike Johnston seems to feel the same way

http://theonlinephotographer.blogspot.com/2007/02/great-50mm-lenses.html

Dan

 

[Meleica]

I agree Brian - I am just trying to counteract the title of this thread - "best 50 ever"

To me, there are many 50's that are Better than the Summicron. For me, the Pentax is better due to its flare resistance ( look how much flare is in shot # 1 above !! ). I do like the Summicron IV, it gives great snap and has a 3-d quality - but its not the "best ever" on may fronts. Hell, I like the Contax 50/1.7 and the Rigid Summicron better than the more current Summicrons.... and I have never shot with the 50/1.4 ASPH which I imagine is far better than the Summicon.

Peace
Dan

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Yes, for Black and White, the Super-Tak 50/1.4 has a Built-In yellow filter. (I notice the the site's shots are all B&W) Putting it and 5cm F2 Thorium Summicrons under UV light can cure that. It worked for mine. It bleaches out the radiation damage.

Mike forgot the Wartime Sonnar in LTM. He probably does not have one.

CZJ "T" Sonnar, LTM, Wide-open at 1/15th on the Canon P. Hand-Held.

I just like it the best.