Test: IIIf & Fed 50/3.5

[mike goldberg]

Hi all,
This was my first roll, a "shortie" because I had practiced cutting film leader on it 😱 The film was Kodak BW 400 C41, good for tests but a bit annoying with the magenta cast.

NOTES:
- NO digital sharpening in Resizing.

- Aperture in ALL shots was f5.6, unless otherwise indicated.

- A lens hood for the 50/3.5 made from a bottle cap by Ruben, worked well. This lens is pre-WW II and tends to flare.

PHOTOS:
- Wooden Flowers [bought in Prague]; this is bounce flash.

- The Stone Post in contrasty light with the leaf on the ground, would have fared better on silver based film, with development held back.

- The Watering Can has been used before in tests, and it always seems to come out well.

ALL the pix look better Larger... Click (+) again.
On to the next posting, please...

 

[mike goldberg]

Leica IIIf, first time out continued, with Kodak BW 400 C41

- The Fence is another of those scenes with a tremendous range of light. Aperture here was f8.

- Hood & Grille of our car, a Renault Megane did well in sunshine and shadow, f5.6.

As above, NO digital sharpening was used in Resizing.

MY CONCLUSION... I waited a long time for the IIIf and love it. As FrankS and others have written, one slows down somewhat; this camera is great for contemplation or reflection. If I want speed, there's the M2 and others.

Tho' I have a variety of lenses and finders, the IIIf will be used primarily with my favorite 50, the J8 collimated to the Leica standard.

Feedback welcome.
Ciao...

 

[xayraa33]

pics look good Mike, the Fed lens preformed well.
how is the rf contrast on your IIIf?

 

[robin a]

Very sharpe photos,nice lens and camera............Robin

 

[Solinar]

The collapsible FED 50 and a IIIf are a sweet combo. I like the the true grit look it produces.

 

[mike goldberg]

Thanks all...
The RF contrast on the IIIf appears "normal."

I don't know what to compare it to; this is my first III.
Mike

 

[wolves3012]

Mike,

I have a couple of the pre-war FED 50 lenses but neither is usable on my IIIC since they both mount with the tab across the RF window! Presumably you didn't have that issue?

I have used an Industar 22 on it and the results were very nice, no flare issues even without a hood. It is coated, of course, but I didn't have flare problems with the FED lenses on a FED body either. Saying that, I'm concious of the flare reputation so maybe I'm just automatically careful!

 

[mike goldberg]

Re: Fed 50/3.5 Tab for focusing:
It is a push-button release tab, and the action is under the lens.
I have not had any interference with the RF windows. I was all set to buy an I-22, the more modern version, and Yuri at Fedka told me I'll never see the difference in pix.

The Fed 50/3.5 came with a Fed-1g my son brought from the flea market in Yerevan. Oleg told me the 1g was a strange camera; someone had worked on it previously, and there were parts from other cameras inside. Since the 1g could not be brought up to the "standard" that we are used to of smooth advance and quiet shutter, it remained with Oleg. The 50/3.5, however, found its way back to me ;-)

 

[George Bonanno]

I love my FED 50/3.5...

I love my FED 50/3.5...

These are static examples from my IIIf using a hooded FED 50/3.5 lens. The light
was right and I was intrigued by the geometry of the cement pipes so I snapped a few frames. Tri-X under full sunlight, f8 @ 1/1000 sec., developer HC110B for 7 minutes. Non cropped negs using an Epson 1240U Photo flatbed scanner. I took the liberty of enhancing the contrast ever so slightly just to expand the histogram and added a very small amount of sharpening for a more accurate screen look.

This FED I got from Fedka for around $35. The lens shows just a barely perceivable amount of internal haze and coating reflection under a very bright light. However the objective (front element) clearly shows light surface scratches. Personally, I think this FED lens is on par with my coated Elmar 50/3.5 and I feel using a hood is mandatory for good pictures. Also, using this vintage lens under high contrast lighting conditions has advantages. Like painting the light in such a way as to not expose the film so highlights block and shadows are empty.

My only regret is that I didn't have the option of having a person in these snaps as it was after-hours on a construction site.

Well, that's my take on it anyway.

Best,
George