Summilux pre-asph 35mm photos! (Epson R-D1)

[filmat]

Hello

Tested a Summilux 35mm pre-asph v2 lens in Paris! A few shots from this lens. I really liked its rendering and handling.

Color shows the (slight) green tint typical of Mandler designs using older coatings (versus the blue or pinky tint of modern lens).

Comments welcome.

Thanks
Philippe

http://[URL="http://www.flickr.com/photos/pmat"]www.flickr.com/photos/pmat[/URL]
http://streetphoto.free.fr

 

[Sam N]

Interesting that the only compositions without the heads centered and the legs cut off are the ones of the young girls.

 

[back alley]

oh man, love the legs on those girls...er, i mean the way that lens draws...

 

[35mmdelux]

At f/8.0 one cannot tell the qualities of a lens very well. High quality lens should be tested at full aperture.

 

[LCT]

Hello Paris!
Most of my lenses have been designed by the Mandler's team and don't show the green tint you refer to. Your pic above has just a bit of blue cast IMHO.
Here another 35/1.4 pre-asph pic, latest version, raw processed through Capture One v. 4.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1057/3170078429_93da356457_o.jpg

 

[filmat]

LCT

To express myself differently: greens are stronger (reduced a bit in photoshop) ie maintained better and indeed the pics are slightly cooler.

Otherwise shot at f2.8-f4 not f8. Could not go faster with the iso 200 base sensitivty and 1/2000 shutter limits of the Epson.

Thanks
Philippe

 

[LCT]

Hi Philippe, i don't see any coolness out of my M (35/1.4, 35/2, 50/2, 50/1.4, 90/2.8, 135/2.8) and R (35/2, 50/2, 90/2, 135/2.8, 180/3.4) Mandler lenses personally. YMMV.
Not the same for earlier glass like my Summaron 35 (1959) and Elmar 50 (1962) though.
Now the 'coolness' or 'warmth' of lenses may come from their coating as well so that the color rendition of my 'lux 35 from 1989 might be different from yours if it came out earlier.
Anyway, if you're interested, WB is easy to adjust through a little soft named iCorrect that i use for most of my images.
Hope you don't mind if i use it for your pic above, otherwise i will erase mine immediately.
I just clicked on the grey roofs and the white pants of the girl on the left.
FWIW.

 

[filmat]

Hi LCT; no problem and thanks for the info and adjustment.

We are not agreeing on how to describe the colors, but true that the Mandler designs share in a way some differentiating properties in terms of bokeh and rendition.

Liked the lens very much, I am getting one (found a titanium pre-asph 35mm)

NB: I also found the sharpness not that bad at f2. Did a few comparisons at f2 with my uc-hexanon and they were virtually a match, with the summilux having a nicer bokeh (less contrastry) and more reaslistic colors. At f1.4 the summilux looses a lot of its sharpness but it remains ok and very special, moody. Here the uc-hexanon completely fails being "limited" to f2

Remains that the f1.4 with the iso 200 base sensitivity of the r-d1 and the 1/2000 shutter limit is not often useable

philippe

 

[cam]

Remains that the f1.4 with the iso 200 base sensitivity of the r-d1 and the 1/2000 shutter limit is not often useable

not often useable wide open?

the only reason i have this lens is the ability to do f/1.4, otherwise a pre-asph Cron is a much better choice -- smoother bokeh and the ability to close focus at .7m.

i suggest going out a little later or earlier in the day or when it's overcast (like now), shooting in cafes, bars, shadows, and metros.

 

[LCT]

... We are not agreeing on how to describe the colors... Liked the lens very much, I am getting one (found a titanium pre-asph 35mm)...Remains that the f1.4 with the iso 200 base sensitivity of the r-d1 and the 1/2000 shutter limit is not often useable...

I would be surprised if you find the titanium, which is a latest version from 1992 IIRW, to be cold or greenish in any way.
Please let me know how you feel about it. Won't be sharp at f/1.4 but not that soft either.
The perfect 35 for smooth portrait IMHO (here a crop from my '89 version at f/1.4).
http://tinyurl.com/dbnedb

 

[filmat]

Great portrait, love it. Wonder how it will be in b/w.

I will hopefully get the titanium before my trip to Spain/Seville. Will tell you then if i am able to use it 🙂

Thanks
Philippe

 

[filmat]

not often useable wide open?

the only reason i have this lens is the ability to do f/1.4, otherwise a pre-asph Cron is a much better choice -- smoother bokeh and the ability to close focus at .7m.

i suggest going out a little later or earlier in the day or when it's overcast (like now), shooting in cafes, bars, shadows, and metros.

the uc-hexanon is an improved pre-asph cron replica. Like it very much but don't see it that better in terms of bokeh. in fact i prefered the lux bokeh specially that highlights (transition) are less contrasty. it is maybe personal choice or the pre-asph cron remains different than the uc-hexanon despite the technical similitude

otherwise agree on the close focuing but already used to the uc-hexanon 0.9m limit 🙂

 

[MikeL]

the uc-hexanon is an improved pre-asph cron replica.

I've read that the UC Hexanon was a Nikkor 35mm f1.8 replica.

 

[ferider]

I've read that the UC Hexanon was a Nikkor 35mm f1.8 replica.

Yes. http://www.dantestella.com/technical/hex352.html

 

[Alex Krasotkin]

In my humble opinion, 35 pre-asph lux is doing better job in BW.