Why HCB uses a 50mm lens

[boojum]

The lens is great for skin tones. I would like to use the lens more, it is a very fine lens, much better than the Summar, Summitar and the early versions of the Summicron. Its optics are made by Taylor, Taylor and Hobson - not the least of the lens makers to put it mildly - for use on the American "Foton" camera. The version I have is in a rather clumsy way remounted on a Summitar frame, but sofar I've managed to keep it working.

gelatin silver print (cooke amotal 50mm f2) leica m2

Amsterdam, 2022

View attachment 4848277

Yes, I know of the Bell & Howell Foton. I am sorry it failed but we sure wound up pretty well as a result. Cooke now makes wonderful cine lenses only. The Cooke all have that magic glow. I do not know the technical side of lenses but I do know I favor very much what that Amotal does with light and color. This is the one I bought:

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It is currently with Sonnar Brian who has used it in his 50mm lens tests. He found some small problems which he fixed, a nice guy. I like how it does light and color very much. Here it plays nice with some boats in the town drydock. We have fishing boats and some pleasure boats. These three were shot on an M9 with the Leica replaced sensor/sensor glass and circuit board.

L1002332 by West Phalia, on Flickr
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This one I favor because of how the lens handles the red of the old railroad station building, very gently.

M9/Amotal - Probably at f/8.0 by West Phalia, on Flickr


And this one. And these are the ones I favor for what the Amotal has done with color and light. I have the Skyllaney Bertele Sonnar which is really good, great color, but a little bolder that the Amotal. Both great UK lenses. Proost

L1002835 by West Phalia, on Flickr

 

[boojum]

And Erik, the Skyllaney Bertele Sonnar does nice skin tones, too. They are just a bit more vivid. The Amotal, the SBS and a sweet '57 KMZ J-8 are my honeys at 50mm. Here is the SBS, again on the M9.

L1003096 by West Phalia, on Flickr

 

[Erik van Straten]

Thank you, boojum, for this information. My Atomal has number 301114 so very close to yours. Not many are made because the Foton was a too expensive camera.

I remember I saw your flower pictures before, very nice! The lens works also good on digital! I think the very hard coating, "EBC-coating", is the reason the glass is still in a fine condition nowadays. Not the smallest scratch on mine.

gelatin silver print (cooke amotal 2 inch f/2) leica mp

Utrecht "Hoog Catharijne", 2019

 

[boojum]

Thank you, boojum, for this information. My Atomal has number 301114 so very close to yours. Not many are made because the Foton was a too expensive camera.

I remember I saw your flower pictures before, very nice! The lens works also good on digital! I think the very hard coating, "EBC-coating", is the reason the lenses are still in a fine condition nowadays. Not the smallest scratch on mine.

gelatin silver print (cooke atomal 2 inch f/2) leica mp

Utrecht "Hoog Catharijne", 2019

View attachment 4848287

I remember this one. It was part of what pushed me across the Amotal line. I have been to Utrecht, about ten years ago. I was staying in Linschoten. I enjoyed The Netherlands very much. A very civil society, impressive, very impressive. Boasting is culturally frowned on but most Dutch will agree with, "We built this country and if we have to we can build another."

I sat before Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" in awe. I chatted with a Dutch fellow about the painting and asked if he were not proud. "Well, sort of." No boasting. I stayed with a Dutch fellow who was kind enough to take me in for the three months when I showed up at his door asking for advice on a B and B. I knew him by correspondence on recording engineering. He is a master at it and a gifted photographer and cinematographer, a polymath. This is a photo from Linschoten and always a happy memory and the picture of placid. Your countrymen were exceedingly kind and patient, upset only when I asked if they spoke English. "Of course!" The visit was very nice and still recalled happily. Everybody was just so nice.

Near Woerden by West Phalia, on Flickr

 

[Erik van Straten]

I remember the pictures and the conversation we had! I hope to see you when you return! All the best.

Erik.

 

[agentlossing]

Much as I do love the 50mm on full frame, I recently bought a wide angle Pentax for use on my Monochrome DSLR. I've forgotten how much I like using wide angle lenses. Some are of the opinion that wide lenses "shout" but I think it's about how you use them. This one comes out to 22.5mm in FF terms.