Test of Twelve 50mm Lenses

[raid]

William,
You have several guesses correct. Your second group was not well identified.
As for bokeh shots, this is my next test. Suggestions are welcomed.

 

[wlewisiii]

Ok, to clarify it a bit:
Second group - Jupiter 3 50/1.5, Zeiss 50/2 Sonnar, Canon 50/2.8, Jupiter 8 50/2

Only one of those I'm reasonably sure of is the 3rd one.

William

 

[raid]

I will send you a pm with the key to the first eleven photos.

 

[John]

Thanks Raid, very interesting results. I have some of the same lenses as you, but that didn't help or hinder me. 11 of them are all pretty good in their own way. My favorites in the first 11 are 4 and 6.
Please thank your daughter for all of her help. 🙂

 

[laptoprob]

This is getting like a very puzzling type of Mastermind. You know, with the coloured pins to try to figure out the 4-pin combination?

 

[Duncan Ross]

I may have another shoot-out of 50mm lenses, but this time the only factor will be the bokeh, or the out of focus points.

Sounds like all of my pictures 🙂

 

[Duncan Ross]

Can you PM me with the location of the J3, I'm thinking of buying one for my Kiev!

 

[matti]

It seems like the softer lenses produce more visible grain. An interesting effect I never thought about. It will be interesting to see the correct order.

/matti

 

[raid]

It occured to me from Duncan's posting above that such tests are useful for prospective buyers of 50mm lenses. I am looking for differences more than making this a puzzle. Thanks for pointing out any finer issues that do not stand out.

 

[raid]

Let me know when you want to see the key to the lenses. Maybe it is time to stop the guessing and start seeing some features of certain lenses that you may be interested in using one day or already have.

 

[nrb]

My guessing is as follows:
1st row: 42 summicron, 44 nikon, 47 canon 1.8, 49 industar61LD
2nd row: 43 jupiter3, 45 jupiter 8, 46 sonnar, 51 canon50-2.8
3rd row: 48 industar 61, 50 summicron col, 52 elmar

 

[raid]

My guessing is as follows:
1st row: 42 summicron, 44 nikon, 47 canon 1.8, 49 industar61LD
2nd row: 43 jupiter3, 45 jupiter 8, 46 sonnar, 51 canon50-2.8
3rd row: 48 industar 61, 50 summicron col, 52 elmar

Hi nrb,
I sent you a pm with the answers.

 

[raid]

I have posted the lens names for the first eleven photos with the photos above.

 

[raid]

Thanks Raid, very interesting results. I have some of the same lenses as you, but that didn't help or hinder me. 11 of them are all pretty good in their own way. My favorites in the first 11 are 4 and 6.
Please thank your daughter for all of her help. 🙂

John: You picked Canon 50/1.8 and Canon 50/2.8. I also like both. The 50/2.8 seems to be an underdog since it was a slow lens when lenses such as the 50/1.2 and 50/0.95 were out.

 

[nrb]

Most of these lens are good, so it isn't easy to distinguish...
Thank you.
Nuno

 

[raid]

Nuno: I will do a test with out of focus points in the background so that certain lenses will stand out from others. It seems that what is refrred to as Bokeh is the single most distinguishable factor in many lenses. The fast lenses usually has a Bokeh that to my eyes is not as pleasing as the slower lenses.

 

[raid]

I have learned from such tests to have more faith in the Canon lenses and also to respect more lenses from the FSU. It also showed me the difference between the very old lenses and the relatively newer ones.

 

[Charlie]

Raid,

Interesting and thanks for doing this. You have a beautiful model and your daughter deserves extra candy for her patience. I have no experience with the FSU lenses but I too was impressed with their performance.

Regards,

Charlie

 

[raid]

Thanks Charlie. I will tell Dana when she wakes up tomorrow morning.
FSU lenses are rather new to me too. I just got the J-3 nd J-8 the past few months, and both have proven to be fine performers. Considering my pampering of the Summicrons, I can easily use the J-3 or J-8 for "rough" trips with the camera equipment.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request