Lenses with a vintage look?

[landsknechte]

Here's my own strange twist on the standard issue "which lens is sharpest" thread... Which screwmount Leica lens(es) seems to most reliably create images that look "vintage" to your eyes?

[Chaser]

My pick is the Summitar. Does the trick for me.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chaseallgood/153161815/

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=62582&ppuser=711

[mr_phillip]

I don't own one, but every time I see images that I think have that 'magical' vintage look to them, they inevitably came from a Summitar.

[payasam]

The Summitar, of course, but perhaps more so the otherwise inadequate Summar. I wouldn't rule out the Summaron 35/3.5 either.

[laptoprob]

Uncoated prewar Elmar, the lens that made Leica, what else?

[rover]

Well, upstairs I the following lenses have that "look"
Canon 35/2.8
Canon 50/1.5
Nikkor 50/2
Jupiter 8
50/3.5 Elmar
Then of course the Zeiss Sonnars for Contax, and the Tessar
I think the collapsible and rigid Summicrons fit my definition of the classic look that I like. The 35 Ultron is close, perhaps a reason I like it as much as I do.

I have admired the Summitar and 35/2.8 Summaron, but so far have resisted temptation.

[Marc-A.]

One more vote for the Summitar.

Some pictures from my gallery:

http://k43.pbase.com/g3/83/699683/2/66887022.MSSUX2S2.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/g6/83/699683/2/72375119.8r5n81HV.jpg

http://i.pbase.com/g6/83/699683/2/68869631.rQANV15x.jpg

[Michael I.]

summitar,jupiter 8

[ray_g]

Summar, Summitar, collapsible Summicron, and for me, even the Rigid. In terms of "vintage" I like the Summar the most.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/60/338992573_c8240107c5_o.jpg

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/180/398288503_5333c6e4ed_o.jpg

Aside from the lens, a lot of it also has to do with the film and developer you use, your exposure and development, whether you use a filter, and so on. In these examples, I shot the Summar wide open, with a med yellow filter, on plus x over-exposed by a stop and developed 20-25% less in HC110.

[Todd.Hanz]

agree with Chase and the others,

Summitar:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/5500/cigar_time.jpg

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/5500/cymbals_50_summitar.jpg

but also the 35/3.5 summaron:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/500/cat_on_chair.jpg

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/data/500/young_photogs2.jpg

Todd

[sirius]

I've been completely enjoying my Summitar lens. It's a fasinating little contraption. I look into the lens glass and there are actually BUBBLES in the glass!! I love the pictures that it takes. Even though mine are a little soft---an inner element has some haze---it does beautiful things to people when it's wide open. The tones are lovely and rich and their skin seems to glow. I think mine is a coated version as there is a bluish sheen to the outside element.

I've used 3 of the Canon screw-mounts and perhaps a better question with those lenses is which does not look vintage? I think the 35mm f2 is the only one that has a more modern look in terms of contrast and sharpness.

It's strange with these old screw-mount lenses as you have to be careful what subject matter you photograph in black and white. If you photograph a guy in a hoodie on the street it looks like a photo with character. If you photograph a guy in a suit with no other context it looks like a photo from the 1950's!

[Marc-A.]

Summar, Summitar, collapsible Summicron, and for me, even the Rigid.

I agree with Ray about the Summicron even the Rigid; I've been particularly struck by the vintage look of one my latest shots with the Rigid Summicron:

http://i.pbase.com/o6/83/699683/1/79775741.lDTAXduo.07023004.jpg

[sirius]

Yes Marc, that does look like it could be from the turn of the 20th century, fascinating!

[ferider]

Any of the classic Sonnar variants. Here is a Nikkor 85/2:

http://ferider.smugmug.com/photos/95838237-L.jpg

And here the Planar that looks like a Sonnar (Canon 50/1.2)

http://ferider.smugmug.com/photos/131857385-L.jpg

Cheers,

Roland.

[payasam]

Some good pictures in this thread -- and the lenses alone didn't make them good.

[richard_l]

Some good pictures in this thread -- and the lenses alone didn't make them good.I agree. In fact, some of the lenses seem to flare so badly and have such low contrast and definition that they may actually detract from the otherwise excellent work of the photographers.

I have a 5cm/3.5 Elmar and a 3.5cm/3.5 Summaron, and they produce sharp images with good contrast. A lot of vintage lenses have defective coatings (or no coating) and are prone to haze. Maybe this accounts for the look of some 'vintage' images. Of course, some of it could also be due to the film processing.

Of course, ultimately beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

[furcafe]

Anything uncoated, though I think choice of medium (e.g., old school or vintage-style films) makes a bigger difference.

Here's my own strange twist on the standard issue "which lens is sharpest" thread... Which screwmount Leica lens(es) seems to most reliably create images that look "vintage" to your eyes?

[350D_user]

Aside from the lens, a lot of it also has to do with the film and developer you use, your exposure and development, whether you use a filter, and so on.
Last night, I was wondering what look I'd get by using Efke R100 film, ADOX AP H09 developer and a Summitar (or pre-war uncoated Elmar) lens.

Time to do a bit of saving, methinks. :)

[ray_g]

I agree with Ray about the Summicron even the Rigid; I've been particularly struck by the vintage look of one my latest shots with the Rigid Summicron:

http://i.pbase.com/o6/83/699683/1/79775741.lDTAXduo.07023004.jpg

That's a beauty! :)

[richard_l]

That's a beauty! :)The 'vintage' look of this picture (which seems almost nostalgic) is due to the skill of the photographer (exploiting the excellence of the lens) and the charm of the model. It is an exercise in futility to look for a lens which will automatically give an image this old-fashioned ambience. The rigid is simply one of the great Leitz lenses, not specifically associated with any so-called 'vintage' look.

[mr_phillip]

I don't own one, but every time I see images that I think have that 'magical' vintage look to them, they inevitably came from a Summitar.

Did I say I didn't own one? Well guess what just came in the mail :)

If I manage to get coax an image out of the Summitar that's halfway as good as those in this thread I'll be a very, very happy boy.

[charjohncarter]

I had this lens for less than a year, but there is something 'vintage' about it. Here is a color slide made with a 50mm Summar f2.0: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=64107&ppuser=8685

[raid]

Well, upstairs I the following lenses have that "look"
Canon 35/2.8
Canon 50/1.5
Nikkor 50/2
Jupiter 8
50/3.5 Elmar


Then of course the Zeiss Sonnars for Contax, and the Tessar
I think the collapsible and rigid Summicrons fit my definition of the classic look that I like. The 35 Ultron is close, perhaps a reason I like it as much as I do.

I have admired the Summitar and 35/2.8 Summaron, but so far have resisted temptation.


I have a similar line-up on my mind [from my own limited set of lenses]

1. Canon 28mm/3.5 [great]
2. Canon 35mm/2.8 [great]
3. Nikkor 50mm/2 [excellent]
4. Jupiter 8 [and other FSU 50mm lenses] [excellent]
5. War-time or pre-war Zeiss Jena Sonnar 5cm/2 in LTM [historical]
6. Luxon 50mm/2 in Paxette mount, changed to LTM by Brian [unique]
7. Elmar 5cm/3.5 [truely vintage look]
8. Summitar [vintage]
9. Summarit[special look]
10. 35mm/3.5 Summaron [nice]

I would have added the Summar, but mine got stolen.


Raid

[foto_fool]

Following up on some discussion with raid I pulled a surprisingly clean 1938 Summar and a somewhat hazy 1957 M-Summarit.

Checked them out on the instant gratification machine (R-D1) and indeed they are less sharp and contrasty than my other lenses - in fact images even look "dreamier" than those from the Canon 50/0.95.

The R-D1 does not do them justice so I'm shooting a roll of APX 400 with the Summarit just now and waiting to finish a roll on another body to play with the Summar - think I may shoot some SHD 100 with that one to really "vintage" things up.

- John

[gregg]

Really love the Summitar - here with Ilford XP2 Super...

http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/615/0799022r1e009vz7.jpg

[jkelly]

The Summitar can be very sharp, but it also produces a soft "glow" in the right lighting conditions that I really like.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1194/535363830_410f89c0dd.jpg

The Summar has a signature unlike any other lens.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/374538918_dcdc493f0e.jpg

[raid]

Here are some color photo taken with my Summar:
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=606483

Here are photos taken with a Zeiss Sonnar 50/2:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=647879


Here are a few Elmar 5cm/3.5 shots:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=691289

One Summitar photo:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5297449

One Summarit photo:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5297443

One Zeiss Sonnar 50/2 photo:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5297459

One Nikkon 50/2 photo:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=5297453

[dnemoc]

@landsknechte: Just curious: your avatar features an Exacta?

[Rico]

I have admired the Summitar and 35/2.8 Summaron, but so far have resisted temptation.
People seeking the vintage look should skip the Summaron 35/2.8. My copy from 1959 acts like a lens twenty years younger (e.g. Summicron 35 v3). Based on an earlier RFF posting, the Summaron 28/5.6 has vintage written all over it.

[landsknechte]

@landsknechte: Just curious: your avatar features an Exacta?

Yep... Specifically a 1951-1952 Exa.

[wlewisiii]

Ultimately a 50/3.5 tessar formula lens. Used right it will do wonders.

William

[kmack]

The Zeiss sonnar 1.5/50 will give a pleasing vintage look.

[skhan]

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/6068724-md.jpg

http://gallery.photo.net/photo/6068723-md.jpg
Hexar RF/1935 uncoated Summar+Soomp/Provia 100/Hoya digital UV filter (!)

Summar it up! More here (http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=680253) (absolutely unedited 1 hr lab scan...yeah, no sharpening, curves etc.!)

[skhan]

Hey jkelly, stopped down, my Summar seems as sharp and flare resistant as yours...ugh, should have bought one with a lot of scratches ;)

Edit: what I meant to say is that I don't get it when people say that Summar is a special purpose lens...if you get a good one, its hell of an all purpose lens IMO (if you can stand its bokeh, that is :)).

[richard_l]

Hey jkelly, stopped down, my Summar seems as sharp and flare resistant as yours...ugh, should have bought one with a lot of scratches ;)

Edit: what I meant to say is that I don't get it when people say that Summar is a special purpose lens...if you get a good one, its hell of an all purpose lens IMO (if you can stand its bokeh, that is :)).The same is true of the Summitar, Summarit, the 35mm Summarons, and the 50mm Elmars.

Haze (even a small amount) and flare seem to be the main culprits which lower contrast (causing a 'vintage' effect). Sometimes the haze is not even visible without shining a strong light through the lens.

The 'vintage look' seems to characterize old, faded, poorly printed newspaper and magazine photos. If you can find some National Geographic magazines in good condition from the late 1940s and 1950s, you will see lots of Leica rangefinder photos which do not have the 'vintage look,' although even some of these have faded a bit over the years.

Richard

[FrankS]

Has anyone got any photos to post from a Rollei 35 with Triotar lens? I'm hoping that wide open, it will have at least some nice soft corners.

[vrgard]

Hi Frank. Here's a shot I took a couple of years ago with my Rollei 35T at, as best I can recall, either f4 or f5.6. Sorry, but this is just the 1-hour photoshop low-res scan and I'm not sure it shows what you're looking for.

-Randy

[FrankS]

Thank you, Randy! Your 35T has a tessar lens I believe, and I was asking about the simpler Triotar lens on the 35B. I just have to develop some darn film to find out for myself! Just getting over a busy time at work presently.

[raid]

Frank: If you lived any closer, I would gladly try your camera out. :-)

I will next try to go FSU style for a while. I just cleaned the I-61L and a I-50 rigid. I also will spend some time using the Summitar. It looks very clean optically, but my posted images with it were viewed as inferior looking optically. Maybe it was poor scan?


It is fun to try out the older lenses, isn't it.

Raid