The Bertele Sonnar 5cm F2 Picture Thread.

[Sonnar Brian]

I've been using this lens since it arrived in December, 2022- in Time for Christmas. SO, first up- Pictures of our Christmas taken with the Bertele Sonnar on the M9.

All wide-open. "Coma test", "Backlight test", and minimum Focus test...

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Christmas Morning. All at F2, with the M9.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

We had some warmer weather over the Holidays- trip to the Playground.

My Daughter stayed still for this shot wide-open.


But I stopped down to F4 for most of the time.



She had just finished her Final exam for the term, Operating Systems and Systems Analysis and Design. Trip to the Playground.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

We need to start a new thread, Liquor and Lenses. Try to stay in focus.




At F2.

 

[wlewisiii]

We had some warmer weather over the Holidays- trip to the Playground.

My Daughter stayed still for this shot wide-open.
View attachment 4818370

But I stopped down to F4 for most of the time.

View attachment 4818371View attachment 4818372

She had just finished her Final exam for the term, Operating Systems and Systems Analysis and Design. Trip to the Playground.

Ah, Operating systems internals is the most fun in computer science 😎 Good for her!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

New Year's Morning, 2023. It had rained all night, cleared up just in time for sunrise.

Wide-Open and close-up.




The Sun at the edge of the frame in the first and third picture. My classic Sonnars would have "flared-out".

A Pair, first at F2 the second at F4.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

And the beginning of the year is off. 2023. How did that happen!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Sunny Day in Old Town Manassas.




Pairs, F2 then F4.




I used to shoot Kodachrome 25 "a lot", Nikon F2a and Ai Nikkors. Multi-coated, resist flare, and saturated colors.
This lens on the M9 reminds me of that, but has the rendering that only a Sonnar can produce.

 

[f.hayek]

Brian, I get the bokeh character at the widest apertures, but what should I be looking for in the 'Sonnar look' otherwise, especially stopped down? I accept that my "palate" isn't as discerning for the Sonnar; read all the raves on the Tessar and just didn't find it all that compelling.

 

[boojum]

That Bertele is starting to look like a capital crime lens. One you would kill for. My best hope is that it is quite expensive so that I will not have to even entertain a thought of buying one. That means I would have to suffer with the '51 you have pronounced to be a 5cm 50 J8 and the '57, a honey. But unlike Ulysses I will not be lashed to the mast and might succumb to the siren seductions. Please, please, please Skyllaney, mark it up high.

The photos are nice. I mentioned elsewhere photos on Flickr of a LLL 35mm f/2.0 rigid lens that looked great but just a little to great. They were taken with the LLL and an M9 but looked too saturated, could have been post. I will try and find it.

Here:

https://flic.kr/p/2on3WA6

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Brian, I get the bokeh character at the widest apertures, but what should I be looking for in the 'Sonnar look' otherwise, especially stopped down? I accept that my "palate" isn't as discerning for the Sonnar; read all the raves on the Tessar and just didn't find it all that compelling.

I typically shoot most lenses wide-open or at F4 for informal comparisons like these. At F4- the Sonnar increases contrast substantially. With the Bertele- the contrast is already there at F2. The Sonnar has a lot of field curvature compared with a double-Gauss type lens, very low astigmatism. The Sonnar gives Comets, not Footballs. At F4- the Comets have become circles on the Sonnar, and on the Double-Gauss are typically tamed. At F4- most lenses are well-behaved.

Summar at F2 and F2.8, could not find a good (F2 and F4 pair)






Summar Swirlies get smaller, but still there.

The 1934 5cm F2 Sonnar, at F4.

 

[Ray Vonn 2023]

Thanks Brian. The rendering looks to my eye more 'modern' than say 1930s/ 1940s Sonnars which leads me to ask - how would you compare the Bertele to the Zeiss C-Sonar in rendering?

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Thanks Brian. The rendering looks to my eye more 'modern' than say 1930s/ 1940s Sonnars which leads me to ask - how would you compare the Bertele to the Zeiss C-Sonar in rendering?

I've not done a direct comparison yet. I will be doing one. I'll post a quick Tripod mounted test that I did between the C-Sonnar, J3+, and 1950 KMZ J-3 with perfect glass, I did a lot of work on it as it was unusable. The rear triplet was in the wrong position.

I chose this downed tree as a Subject to be able to follow field-curvature through the image.

First: C-Sonnar at F1.5 and F4,



J3+, F1.5 and F4,




And my KMZ 1950 J-3, Zeiss Optics and Barrel.



As things warm up a bit, will be doing more comparisons. The Bertele will get lots of attention this Spring.

Skyllaney offers a repair service to fix the Zeiss Wobble on the C-Sonnar. I've not had to use it. The internal mechanism uses some parts (not metal) that will wear out. The Bertele is all-brass, the mechanism is well thought out by someone that has taken apart a lot more lenses than I have.

 

[dexdog]

All of the above lenses render nicely, although my favorite is the 1950 J-3. I have sent my 1950 J-3 to Skyllaney for overhaul. It has beautiful glass and I am hoping/anticipating that my J-3 performs as well as your lens upon it's return from Scotland

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Now- Back to the Bertele...

If you ever visit the Marine Museum at Quantico, Virginia- there is a Memorial Walk.


All at F2.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Laser Etched Artwork. I had to angle the camera to avoid reflections. Should have brought a Polarizer.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Korea.
Wide-open, and some close-up.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Pairs at F2 and F4. The biggest difference for the Bertele is the higher contrast wide-open.

 

[boojum]

The higher contrast gives a greater "3D" effect. Contrast can be added in post but will it give the same effect as that given by the Bertele? It does seem a really nice lens.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

The higher contrast gives a greater "3D" effect. Contrast can be added in post but will it give the same effect as that given by the Bertele? It does seem a really nice lens.

The Bertele has higher contrast, and less flare. With an older lens, especially a Sonnar- you do not know when flare and reflections creep into a photo until after viewing it. I've not had this happen with the Bertele.