Ultron 35 Vs FD SSC Vs Summaron

[djon]

I'm about to trade my way into an Ultron 35...but I already have a flawless Summaron 35 3.5 which produces gorgeous results...I'd not bother with the Ultron except for the speed/DOF.

My fear is that the Ultron will be like my various FD SSC lenses, which are not nearly as good with shadow/highlight (contrast) as the old Summaron, though arguably sharper.

What's your call on the Ultron?

I will have a 50 Nocton today, result of another trade. Will Ultron images look like Nocton images (same formulae/glass/coatings etc) ?

These are for my IIIC and P. Good investments (ha) if Leica or somebody ever gets its act together with a digital M .

Djon

 

[back alley]

general rule of thumb is that newer lenses will be sharp but more contrasty, older lenses can be sharp also but usually less contrasty.

sorry, i have no experience with the faster cv lenses.

joe

 

[djon]

Yes, a good rule of thumb...with the exception of $ome German gla$$.

I've seen online depictions of nice bokeh from the 50 Ultron (iffy with the 40 evidently), but that's not contrast. The fast alternatives to CV seem to be 50s-era Summicron / Canon / Nikon but they're evidently growing lots of fungus these days. My Summaron 3.5 is spotless, though many/most have fungus, and the 2.8 is said commonly to be free of fungus for some reason.

 

[phototone]

35mm Ultron and 50mm Nokton samples

35mm Ultron and 50mm Nokton samples

I have the 35mm Ultron and the 50mm Nokton. They are both fabulous lenses. I purchased both of mine used. I am very pleased with them.

Here is a 35mm Ultron image from my gallery:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=10409&cat=4198&page=3

Here is another:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=9546&cat=4198&page=11

Here is a 50mm Nokton image from my gallery:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=9867&cat=4198&page=1

And one more 50mm Nokton image:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=12699&cat=4198&page=1

If you look through my gallery you will find several more.

 

[Peter]

I love my Ultron 35mm and it is an invaluable lens for low light documentary. Take a look at my gallery www.pbase.com/kepha/tangki The password for it is seance.

 

[msvadi]

Peter,

Nurses of Singapore gallery is absolutely fabulous. I almost bought Ultron 35/1.7 because of it. Eventually, I decided to go for 1:1 viewfinder of R3A and Nokton 40/1.4

 

[Peter]

Peter,

Nurses of Singapore gallery is absolutely fabulous. I almost bought Ultron 35/1.7 because of it. Eventually, I decided to go for 1:1 viewfinder of R3A and Nokton 40/1.4

Thank you so much for viewing my gallery! So how do you find the Nokton 40mm/1.4? I almost bought when last year but got another Ultron (black) as a spare lens. I just love the Ultron, nice built and excellent optical performance! 😀

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

I'll also say that the 35 Ultron is a very very good lens. It never ceases to amaze me; sometimes I get some ghosting in some select conditions, but that's it.

BTW, I think "high contrast" is highly overrated; specially if you're shooting B&W, you may want to be in control of the contrast, not the lens.

 

[djon]

"
BTW, I think "high contrast" is highly overrated; specially if you're shooting B&W, you may want to be in control of the contrast, not the lens."

True IF you're in most sea-level areas and if you're not photographing people in contrasty light. I think many photogs don't actually experience contrasty light. For example, European cities, NYC, San Francisco...these are almost never anywhere near as contrasty as NM/AZ, the Rockies, the Sierras, the Middle East etc.


Something recently posted on photo.net from a heavily forested region of SE Asia showed an overcast sky, NO shadows whatsoerver in open areas...the photog called the light "contrasty." It was totally FLAT lighting. A "contrasty"lens, as well as Velvia, would be wonderful. But in deserts and mountains of my state, lens contrast is an issue...along with proper film selection and intelligent development. This is especially true for people pictures.

 

[msvadi]

Nokton 40/1.4 is a great lens. 40mm focal length is exactly what I needed. Some examples are here: http://www.photo.net/photos/vadim_marmer

Thank you so much for viewing my gallery! So how do you find the Nokton 40mm/1.4? I almost bought when last year but got another Ultron (black) as a spare lens. I just love the Ultron, nice built and excellent optical performance! 😀

 

[phototone]

I think the 35mm Ultron has a nice balance of sharpness and contrast. I also think the 35mm Summaron f3.5 is a magical lens. You have to be careful with the old Summarons, as they tend to get foggy inside and this can dramatically reduce the overall quality of the shots. Not a big deal, though, as they clean up real nice.

The 35mm Ultron does seem similar to the older Leica lenses, though in image qualities.

 

[doubs43]

You have to be careful with the old Summarons, as they tend to get foggy inside and this can dramatically reduce the overall quality of the shots. Not a big deal, though, as they clean up real nice.

In my experience, that's true. I bought my Summaron on ebay at an excellent price because it was hazy inside. The construction is fairly simple so it was not a difficult task to disassemble, clean the elements and re-assemble. It's a sharp and excellent lens. The attached image was taken with the 35mm f/3.5 Summaron and clamp-on Leitz orange filter. Camera was a Leica IIIc & film was Ilford FP-4.

Walker

 

[MCTuomey]

My CV 35/1.7 and well-worn DR Summicron give similar results in terms of sharpness and contrast. For the money, the Ultron is hard to beat, I think.