Ray Vonn 2023
Well-known
Thanks Brian.
The Leica "Glow"....any pics!
- Thread starter Bad Example
- Start date
- Latest activity Latest activity:
- Replies 41
- Views 8K
Thanks Brian.
valdas
Veteran
Yup, my Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph was “glowing” wide open which is also the case for most older fast lenses at full aperture of any brand.
boojum
Ignoble Miscreant
Here is a link to marketing promotion and defects. Rather than post the image here in a degraded version view it on Flickr. Yes, the lens is wide open at f/2.0 and also the shutter at 1/12 of a second. The light is very nice with a glow/defect while the image details are in focus. Nice trick for marketing and the lens designers use of defects. https://flic.kr/p/2nPv5bQ
Canyongazer
Canyongazer
Digital Fuji folks claim the Fuji X 35mm 1.4 lens is "magic"
Is that the same?
Or different, if so, how?
My experience with it shows lovely bokeh at 1.4 in OOF backgrounds, particularly when backlit. But then, that's usually going to look good with other lenses, too.
Is that the same?
Or different, if so, how?
My experience with it shows lovely bokeh at 1.4 in OOF backgrounds, particularly when backlit. But then, that's usually going to look good with other lenses, too.
Ray Vonn 2023
Well-known
This flare/ glow or whatever you want to call it (and if you like that sort of thing) seems to applicable to a pre war 50mm Summar (used here with an M-E 220).
luuca
Well-known
both with lux 35 v2
Summilux 50.
hap
Well-known
sometimes they can't get rid of the glow
These are with my Summar, very clean glass. I also refinished the inner surfaces of the elements that the paint had flaked off of.
This cut way down on the flare. On my m Monochrom. Second shot- Sun in the corner.
Like it, don't like it- one of the few lenses that flares like this.
This cut way down on the flare. On my m Monochrom. Second shot- Sun in the corner.
Like it, don't like it- one of the few lenses that flares like this.
From an article that I am writing- included this comparison of the Leitz 5cm F1.5 Xenon and my 1934 5cm F1.5 Sonnar, converted to Leica Mount.
The Xenon is far better than the reputation would have you believe. The Sonnar- always amazes me. Glass on both is near perfect, both have a beautiful bloom. The Summar, Summitar, Xenon, Summarit, Summicron collapsible and Type 1 Rigid: These are the lenses that the term "Leica Glow" originated with, before the move to higher contrast when the Japanese lenses became so popular.
The 5cm f2 optics from Leitz and Zeiss. Both ~1934 production. Wide-Open.
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
I can't wait for barrel distrortion to become trendy! 😄
airfrogusmc
Veteran
Not Leica but it has a glow. Voigt 50 1.2 Nokton at 1.2
Pin Cushion distortion is more popular, your picture makes you look 10pounds lighter.
I think there was a Star Trek Episode where Kirk and Harry Mudd explain to Norman the Android exactly how to achieve Leica Glow, stating that it can only be recorded using B&W film using a Barnack Leica and thread-mount lens.
Harry just told him exactly what produces Leica Glow.
Leica Summarit 5cm F1.5, wide-open. Probably on the Canon 7. Harry was lying about the Barnack Leica part. Nikki just out of Children's Hospital after more surgery than anyone should go through in a lifetime. High doses of Prednisone, wears off in a few weeks. She liked wearing the RN uniform at the hospital.
Harry just told him exactly what produces Leica Glow.
Leica Summarit 5cm F1.5, wide-open. Probably on the Canon 7. Harry was lying about the Barnack Leica part. Nikki just out of Children's Hospital after more surgery than anyone should go through in a lifetime. High doses of Prednisone, wears off in a few weeks. She liked wearing the RN uniform at the hospital.
Last edited:
telenous
Well-known
To me, that is what makes some older Leica lenses very interesting to shoot with. In certain occasions, when the light is right, certain legacy Leica lenses give an almost crystalline rendition, which is no doubt down to moderate contrast and high rez. Highlight bloom I can live without.
I think the best exemplars of that sort of thing are the photos of Dr. Paul Wollf, an early Leica photographer.
owlie
Member
Very cool flare how many aperture blades does your Summar have?
All Summars, the Xenon, and some Summitars use a Hex shape aperture, the Summar uses a double set of blades.
I believe this was to reduce focus shift caused by spherical aberration. The Xenon that I own is optimized for wide-open use, the Summarit is optimized for between F2 and F2.8.
The fast Leica lenses have very little chromatic aberration. The IR focus index is within the F2 DOF. Lenses from other makers have it between F4 and F8.
DoK
Established
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
At a normal viewing distance sometimes I’ll see a photograph that looks very sharp and detailed, but on closer inspection it is not as sharp as I thought, it doesn’t have the resolution I thought. I’ve also seen high resolution low contrast images. What I don’t understand is why a higher contrast image doesn’t have the same or higher resolution. Is it that fine grain detail is lost when the exposure produces higher contrast - that fewer grains contribute to the resolution? What about digital - can contrast be increased without losing resolution?
Similar threads
