summitar color

[Michael I.]

I just found a few half year old rolls in the fridge and now am scanning them.
One of them is an uncoated 1939 summitar I sold since(on RFF). I hated the low contrast in BW and needed it to finance a decent rf(canon 7) but damn,the low contrast is great for color.

[Michael I.]

it is not as sharp as mopern lenses,but hell,it draws a nice picture.

[Marc-A.]

Hi Michael,
Very nice colour pictures, especially with an uncoated Summitar.
Just wanted to tell you that one thing I learnt on RFF, is that low contrast lenses are not bad at all for BW, because you can always increase the contrast if you need. On the contrary, (modern) contrasty lenses can't provide detailed shade and rich grey scale.
So keep your Summitar for colour ... and BW pictures ;)
By the way, my Summitar proves to be very sharp stopped down, and not prone to flare with its square hood. I'm sure yours does too.
I hold this lens is one of the best lenses ever made, it's versatile, sharp, not too sharp for portraits, has a wonderful bokeh ... etc. I could easily imagine resell my Summicron if I need money, but I can't let my Summitar go.
Have a nice day,
Marc-A.

[kully]

Marc, but your Summitar is coated. My uncoated version flares when it likes, even with the barndoor hood on :)

But I still like it for colour:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=58730

(This is why I say the flare is random - this was in to the sun and nothing... Another photo taken of some trees with the sun at my back had flare - UGH!)

And I won't be letting it do.

[Marc-A.]

Marc, but your Summitar is coated. My uncoated version flares when it likes, even with the barndoor hood on :)

You're right Kully ;)
BTW, just a BW picture (taken with my Summitar) of a guy pretending to shoot with a M2 :D
Cheers,
Marc

[Nando]

Gorgeous - I'm loving that lens! What film did you use Michael?

[Michael I.]

fuji proplus II 100 - it comes in 5 36 exp roll packs and costs around 2.5$ per roll. It is a low contrast wedding photog film a bit simmiliar to kodak profoto 100 iso.

[John Shriver]

I have a coated Summitar, and in some tests with E100GX, I found it to be a "variable contrast" lens. Low contrast wide open, but it increases in contrast for at least 4 stops.

[Michael I.]

Overall I am not sad I sold it - it is to difficult to use as a normal,but it does produce a darn nice image when it eants to.