Leica LTM Tanar H 50mm F2 VS Nikkor H.C. 50mm F2 (soft ltm lenses)

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses

jusxusfanatic

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Tanar H 50mm F2 VS Nikkor H.C. 50mm F2 (soft ltm lenses)

I heard they sre similar right? Or are there any other soft ltm lenses? :D
 
Based on my experience with an early Nikkor 5cm f/2 lens, it was soft and glowy wide open to about f/4, at which point it was nice and sharp. I didn't really appreciate that behavior, so I sold it.

Now I have the 50mm f/1.4 HC in LTM. Again, wide open it is glowy (but sharp), and then by f/2 it already is very crisp.

No experience with the Tanar lens.

The Canon 50mm f/1.4 in LTM is pretty much sharp at all apertures. Less contrast wide open, but not glowing like the Nikkor.
 
There are no soft focus Sonnar lenses. The F2 versions are usually quite sharp, even wide open, unless they are damaged by haze or lots of cleaning marks.

A few of the fast F1.4 and F1.5 ones are very slightly soft, only wide open. The softest I've found is the Japan version of the 50/1.4 LTM. Again, very slight effect, due to spherical aberration, not "veiling flare". Flare is caused by air-to-glass interfaces (of which a Sonnar has few), uncoated lenses, and internal reflections from missing blackening in the barrel.

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The Canon 50/1.2 can sometimes appear soft, wide open. Again it depends on the particular lens example.

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Flare is a term for a situation in a lens. Veiling flare came up at some time by someone to try to describe softness. It's a bad term, it confuses novices.

Soft focus can come from spherical or chromatic aberration, and sometimes by coma. The easiest way to say a lens is exhibiting some of those, is to simply say "it's soft." Flare is not softness, not at all. Flare is a loss of contrast.
 
I have never confused veiling flare for lack of resolution, and I'm not sure others here do, either. :)

No worries.

Huh, so theres no soft lenses if I'm right :) thanks guys! Looks like I don't have to buy one more lens

I thought you already bought a 'soft' lens, or did you return the f/1.2?
 
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