Wow what a difference in Leica and Nikkor glass

Trius:

I'm not one to set up rulers and test targets. I just shoot with the gear and make pictures. I just happened to have bought the S3 to satisfy my college lust for a Nikon RF and my wonderful sweet wife talked me into giving myself a red leather, over the top, MP for being a good boy (I guess? Got her fooled!). I mainly wanted to see how the two felt side by side and stuck a few lenses on. It really didn't start as a lens test untill I saw the difference in the 50's.

I've just found some lenses over the years that I've fallen in love with. It's hard to put into words and might just be the images themselves rather than the performance of the lens. I look back at images I've shot and think man that was a fun shoot, what lens was that I used. It might just be the association of the experience with the lens that I was using. Sounds like some of that stoned 60's BS doesn't it? Anyway I think ther's something about some of the vintage glass that can't be improved on. I've actually been thinking about selling my 21 Elmarit and 35 4th summicron and getting a clean 21 3.4 and 35 1st summilux again. It's kind of like the old country store, when they're around you don't think about them and never think about them going away untill they're gone. I had a 50 1.2 noctilux and didn't fully appreciate it untill I sold it and couldn't touch one again because of collectors driving the price up.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php?cat=5045
 
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x-ray: I'm with you all the way. I keep my XAs for much the same reason. I have a couple of great shots from the XA, the memories are wonderful. I don't think I'll ever give up the Zuiko 21, except that when my body ceases it will go to my daughter who is learning to shoot with an OM-2 and a couple of lenses.

It's not 60s BS. It's just the way it is.
 
dreamsandart said:
Glass from Leitz and Nikkor have their weaknesses and strengths, both are great fun to use.
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Hear hear! My feelings exactly. They all have their weaknesses and strengths. Discovering by ourselves or via others' tests what these are can only help us improve our craft.
 
Thanks, Frank. I momentarily forgot that around 1980 I helped a university department of pharmacology with drug trials. There's plenty of nits to be found in large beards, of course.
[EDIT] Didn't see how far this thing had gone. Can we not just speak of having two dozen people state their opinions of two dozen pictures without knowing which lenses were used? Straight talk is much to be preferred: in teaching, in law, on RFF.... I should say, before someone pounces on me, that there's nothing sacrosanct about two dozen.
 
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I wholeheartedly agree with the earlier statement about the 1950s Nikkor 50/1.4 -- while very, very sharp, it can have unpleasing and distracting out-of-focus areas. I've used this lens daily (along with other Nikkor RFs) for more than 15 years, and that's something I don't like about it. The "bokeh" shows "doubled" lines and highlights and can look very busy. Not so much wide open, but when closed down a stop or two, the place where you're usually using the lens. It also has considerable light fall-off when wide open and focused on something distant.

A great lens, but flawed (as all great things can be).
 
VinceC said:
I wholeheartedly agree with the earlier statement about the 1950s Nikkor 50/1.4 -- while very, very sharp, it can have unpleasing and distracting out-of-focus areas. I've used this lens daily (along with other Nikkor RFs) for more than 15 years, and that's something I don't like about it. The "bokeh" shows "doubled" lines and highlights and can look very busy. Not so much wide open, but when closed down a stop or two, the place where you're usually using the lens. It also has considerable light fall-off when wide open and focused on something distant.

A great lens, but flawed (as all great things can be).
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How would you judge Bokeh with the Nikkor 5cm/2 ?
Is it different from Bokeh with a Nikkor 5cm/1.4 ?
 
>>How would you judge Bokeh with the Nikkor 5cm/2 ?
Is it different from Bokeh with a Nikkor 5cm/1.4 ?<<

I've never used one. But everything I've seen (mainly on this site over the past year or so) indicates that the f/2's bokeh is different and much more pleasing than the f/1.4. I know that's the case with my SLR lenses ... The 1960s f/1.4 lens is a different formula than the Sonnar-derived Rf lens and tames a lot of the harsh line-doubling. But the f/2 SLR lens is much creamier and smoother. I need the extra stop and so seldom used the f/2 SLR lens.
 
I like the 5cm/2 lens more and more as I compare its overall performance. I paid about $200 for my lens, but I think it is worth the money.
 
X-ray
i shoot with the new Nikkor 1.4 alongside an early Lux
posted below are two examples left side Lux @1.4 right side Nikkor 1.4 both at 1/30 @1.4 focussed at 1 m.

It's been interesting to read reviews of this lens in recent posts over the last few months as no one has really written much about the S32000 or its "new" lens since it came out in 2000.
I hope you enjoy using it as much as i do!
Simon
 
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Today I reshot the test with my tabbed 50 summicron and my new 50 1.4 nikkor RF. I shot at the same exposure and lighting, with a hood rewound the film and reloaded it in the second camera. All exposures were the same. I deceided to split the roll to eliminate film and process error. Tomorrow morning I have a little free time so I will scan the two negs in the same scan side by side on my fuji finescan 5000 which will eliminate scanning variations. I'll post the results and let you be the judge.
 
I look forward to seeing these x-ray - did you vary the apertures? I'm still curious about the Nikkor when shot at 1.4 sometimes its almost too sharp for me if that makes any sense - perhaps its a matter of visual taste.
Simon
 
x-ray said:
I feel the same about my canon glass. Some of it's outstanding and some average
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Hi, I just bought a Canon P. Which Canon lenses do you like?

I'll chime in with my praise for your photos as well, lovely! They are images that I could not grow tired of.
 
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Thanks daveozzz it's nice to make someone else's day!
Simon
 
Every direct comparison I've seen between the new Nikkor and new Sumicron shows them to be nearly equally matched. Slight subjective differences but no real advantage to either lens.
 
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