Leica LTM Super Rokkor 50 f1.8 ltm or Fujinon 50 f2 ltm

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
Pioneer said:
Don't know about the Rokkor 50/1.8 ltm but I do have a nice little Rokkor 45/2.8 ltm lens that I enjoy a lot. Of course it isn't as fast as the f/1.8 lens but it is small, light and very easy to handle. It also takes great pictures as do most Rokkor lenses in my opinion.
Click to expand...

Yes the Super Rokkor 45/2.8 LTM is a nice and very compact lens. The front rotates with focus but images are pretty nice. Swirly wide open. One lens not mentioned is the Topcor S 5cm/f2 . Excellent in all respects.
 
Are you referring to the chiyoda kogaku super rokkor 50 1.8? If so, it actually surprised me with how good it is. VERY contrasty lens, well built, and small for a 1.8
 
i love my Super Rokkor 50 F1.8 sooooooo much.

I also have a mid 1970s Summilux 50mm and have always seemed to prefer the Super Rokkor. Have used both of them consistently alongside each other and have consistently reached for the Super Rokkor. Literally my favourite lens....a joy to use.
 
The Super Rokkor is an amazing lens. Good flare resistance, moderate contrast and good colour. It's deadly in the centre - way more so than later SLR Rokkors. Performance is good across the frame when stopped down but the coma never really goes away and therefore limits resolution. I am keen on a Fujinon and Topcor 1.8 to compare, but I suspect they will all be quite similar. Besides, those lenses are even rarer and therefore more unaffordable, for now.

I have an old album here and have since shot the lens much more. Here is another image shot wide open on Fuji C200, unedited. The preview here is a bit more compressed, so you are better off clicking the image to open it directly:

ByETBio.jpg
 
I have to say that I've never been crazy about the colors these lenses render. They were designed with B&W in mind and there's always something "off" to them. One's aesthetics will of course vary. Perhaps why the over-saturated Kodachrome was so beloved.
 
james.liam said:
I have to say that I've never been crazy about the colors these lenses render. They were designed with B&W in mind and there's always something "off" to them. One's aesthetics will of course vary. Perhaps why the over-saturated Kodachrome was so beloved.
Click to expand...

Depends which lenses, and the definition of colour being referred to. Lateral chromatic aberrations are basically non-existent on a lot of these old lenses, to a similar degree as a lot of simple 3-4 element telephoto lenses from around the same period. Longitudinal CA is not the worst either.

Colour balance is not easily judged now as glass and coatings deteriorate over time. The single-coated lenses, if not the coating then the type of glass itself began to become UV-absorbing or reflecting post-war which was the main problem encountered by colour film. This Super Rokkor however, is multi-coated and perfectly suitable for colour photography. Any colour balance won't be too far from a neutral warm or cool unless the lenses contain radioactive glass which deteriorates, but even a basic single coating definitely helps to control contrast and therefore saturation too.

A lens designed for high quality black and white images still needs to be corrected for multiple colours, depending on the monochrome film available at the time. ;)
 
Teemō;2909972 said:
Depends which lenses, and the definition of colour being referred to. Lateral chromatic aberrations are basically non-existent on a lot of these old lenses, to a similar degree as a lot of simple 3-4 element telephoto lenses from around the same period. Longitudinal CA is not the worst either.

Colour balance is not easily judged now as glass and coatings deteriorate over time. The single-coated lenses, if not the coating then the type of glass itself began to become UV-absorbing or reflecting post-war which was the main problem encountered by colour film. This Super Rokkor however, is multi-coated and perfectly suitable for colour photography. Any colour balance won't be too far from a neutral warm or cool unless the lenses contain radioactive glass which deteriorates, but even a basic single coating definitely helps to control contrast and therefore saturation too.

A lens designed for high quality black and white images still needs to be corrected for multiple colours, depending on the monochrome film available at the time. ;)
Click to expand...
I really appreciate your insight on this lens. I live how it renders a image wide open. This week I was fortunate enough to find a super rokkor for a good price. Although it has a cleaning marks, I dont think its going to be a problem. Cant wait to shoot with it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom