73mm F1.9 Hektor (Early Leica Screw Portrait Lens.) [Archive]

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L39UK

10-26-2007, 10:59

It has been shown on this forum that an early Leica screw lens, the 50mm Summar is worthy of greater appreciation by LTM users for its unique qualities.
Another forgotten lens which might also be worthy of better appreciation for its little known qualities is the 73mm F1.9 Hektor.
Do any forum members own and use this lens and can they show examples that illustrate the qualities of this lens and does it have a "signature" all of its own ?

burninfilm

10-26-2007, 12:03

BillBingham2

10-26-2007, 12:25

It does sound like an interesting chunk of glass. Interesting balance of size and speed, like the 75/2 is today perhaps.

B2 (;->

Pakmanpdx

10-26-2007, 12:53

I own and use the 73mm Hektor. It's a meaty piece of glass and is a little unwieldly on my Barnacks. I got an Imarect with the proper frame for it as well. It is creamy and soft with a real "swirly" Bokeh wide open but can get really sharp stopped down. It's a very soft lens at wide apertures, I will post a picture later which illustrates the OOF areas. One thing about mine- it appears it was sent back to the factory for coating at some point but the coating has formed a big "bloom" (more like a blob!) in the center of the front element which is highly noticeable, but doesn't seem to affect my pictures. I really like it alot for some things- it shines as a portrait lens!

Vince Lupo

10-26-2007, 13:21

Here's a shot with my 73mm Hektor (scanned from the print, so the colours are slightly more saturated in the actual print). I think this shot is either wide open or shot at f/2. It's one of my favourite lenses (next to my 50mm Xenon and my Fat Elmar!), and really gives this 'painterly' effect with colour film. Let me know if you want to see any more....

nikonhswebmaster

10-26-2007, 14:10

Nikon made a finder which included a setting for that lens, the finder is in the RFF classified section.

L39UK

10-26-2007, 14:20

While I'm sure that the 73mm Hektor would make an interesting lens to use, there ARE people who have, let's say, a very intensive but different appreciation of these lenses. Unlike the comparitively common and incredibly cheap Summar, the 73mm Hektor is a very expensive and very rare item.
Hello burninfilm,

I am not really interested as to whether it is an expensive or inexpensive lens,owned by a collector or a user, I am only interested in its merits.
It was produced from 1931 to 1942 in both nickel and chrome finish, with 2 types of focussing mount, helicoid and rectilinear.
It is available at much less cost than any current Leitz "M" lens and 7,000 were produced,and although it is not a cheap lens they are not beyond the reach of a Leica user to acquire if they so wish and it is within their means.I am sure that many of these are used and not left idle on collectors shelves.
I would just like to know users opinions of their lens.
Is it a "dog" or "a treasure"?

LEICA TOM - This might be a portrait lens for you to consider-
for that "Thirties - Forties" look.

Any user participation in this thread would be greatfully appreciated.
Regards,
William

nikonhswebmaster

10-26-2007, 14:28

And really they are not that expensive... they sell for between 250~1500, with a shade. Tamarkin has two up now, one with fungus, one without.

I have seen images from the lens, it is a pretty lens, soft in that pleasant sort of 1930s way.

Collectors are not interested in this lens if it is not mint, so there are plenty out there for users. Collectors are very seldom interested in lenses users would want -- in fact I would say never.

Most users don't want mint stuff, and new prices.

Vince Lupo

10-26-2007, 16:20

I think I paid $ 450.00 for mine from KEH a few years ago (it's an uncoated version from about 1936). VIDOM and older VIOOH finders have the 73mm setting.

LeicaTom

10-26-2007, 16:45

LEICA TOM - This might be a portrait lens for you to consider-
for that "Thirties - Forties" look.

William,

Yes, I`ve thought about this lens before , but the collectors have driven the price up too high, it`s along Summarex prices and that lens is`nt worth the $800 to $1,500 they are asking

I might on a rare day pay $500 or $600 for this lens , but it would have to be at least with caps and a hood - I don`t care about condition as long as the glass is 100% that`s all that matters, the damm collectors don`t use these things except for exotic paperweights

*Sorry I have`nt FOUND any "user" grade 73mm Hektors before*.....where do I look? LOL!!!!!
(I`ll trade a nice "user" grade "Half Race" Leica IIIC for one...any takers?)

The rarity factor is the only thing that`s driven the prices up in the first place, all fast Leica lenses have been expensive and rare from the start, they never sold well in the first place (before 1945) and the limited production made them collectors items from the day they were first made, the F2.2 90mm Thambar and f1.5 50mm Xenon are up there as well, sadly now most of these only reside in filmless collections so their beauty of performance will never be shared with anyone :(
(I`ve wanted a late production Xenon serial #491xxx+ for years, just can`t seen to find one either out there......)

As for performance, I think it`s rather a good lens from what few samples still exsist out there still being used and the samples I`ve seen from photos.......

and classic rumor has it that it was Leni Riefenstahl`s favorite Leica lens?

Set up on one of my Leica IIIC`s with the NK (Nippon Kogaku) VF on the top set to 73mm and I`d be ready to go!!!!!!

I just shot some delightful "uncoated" work today with color film with a 1942 Summitar on my Non K stamped K shutter IIIC in the gardens of a nearby Church, more about that at a seperate thread.........

Tom

PS: I`m a NUT for the Canon f1.5, I just shot new work yesterday with one and I`ll be posting soon, funny but I enjoy Japanese glass even more then Leitz lenses on my IIIC`s at the moment, I tend to work in various lenses for each model I shoot, some gals get Leica, some the Canon and others the Nikkor....but they are all happy with the results, they get to see what real Photography is all about and that there`s more to life then just digital photos and everything looking the same all the time

nikonhswebmaster

10-26-2007, 18:26

Yes, I`ve thought about this lens before , but the collectors have driven the price up too high, it`s along Summarex prices and that lens is`nt worth the $800 to $1,500 they are asking

Tom

You are thinking of what Tom A. would call accumulators. Just guys who pay a fortune for user-grade equipment. It is very odd to me as a collector, I don't really see the point of not using user-grade equipment. If you want to collect a 73, buy one that is new in the box.

KEH has a borderline one listed: 73 F1.9 HEKTOR W/ CAPS/SHADE BOX EX+ 999

Pakmanpdx

10-26-2007, 21:36

As promised earlier here's a little bokeh for ya...actually ALOTTA bokeh! These were 2 shots of my daughter that I really liked, pretty close to wide open.

LeicaTom

10-26-2007, 23:57

You are thinking of what Tom A. would call accumulators. Just guys who pay a fortune for user-grade equipment. It is very odd to me as a collector, I don't really see the point of not using user-grade equipment. If you want to collect a 73, buy one that is new in the box.

KEH has a borderline one listed: 73 F1.9 HEKTOR W/ CAPS/SHADE BOX EX+ 999

It`s a REAL SHAME.......what collectors have done, I used to be one and I`m happy to say my collector days are long over!
(my ex-girlfriend made me open my eyes with that, when I had to realize that there`s more to life then a having 25 or 30 rare mint Leica`s in the china cabinet instead of keeping food on the table, when you lose something you really loved due to a material source you really wake up fast!)

Right now I`ve really pushed the limit of my using ODD RARE gear in my PinUp Photography, (within my budget) and it`s made my work fun and brought back a
NEWLY FOUND LOVE IN PHOTOGRAPHY :D

I`ve even USED a Leica IIIC K "Grey" just a month or so ago and I feel that it`s only JUST a Camera and an old lens and something that was ORIGINALLY made to work and take great photos and that`s the way it SHOULD stay!
(sure it has history and it`s something special, but let`s not lose touch with reality) ;)

I used to really be into old cars (vintage pre 1960 VW) and It`s just like camera collectors, they are sick too, that`s another reason why I left the hobby because the upkeep of the cars are now impossible unless you are really wealthy........modern collectors are driving prices of restoring a Split/Oval or Early VW Bus to prices that rival Porsche 356 restorations
(I know sicko`s who have bought up as much sheetmetal and parts as they can just to keep stuff off the market and inflate prices to unreal amounts these are real accumulators, I mean rare is rare but is a VW Bus really worth $100,000? somebody`s CRAZY!)
and sadly younger folks just starting out will NEVER be able to enjoy the hobby, same thing goes for Photography, if you want to use vintage gear and gear that`s uncommon or perhaps very interesting lenses that were made to create fantatsic images, there`s no possible way you can even get your hands on a sample to try out unless you morgage your house

Luckily the camera collecting CRAZE goes up and down, I watched the Leica prices go NUTZ in the 1980`s and 90`s and then fall and now well they are on the raise again, I have almost everything I find interesting that I feel will benefit me and my business and I don`t want to go overboard with equipment and what it`s all about, I have a strong historical connection to Leica`s now and the US Army
(while I`m an ex-veteran with over 9 years overseas in Germany)
I don`t agree with paying inflated prices for a piece of equipment, if I can do without it, it stays on a wish list, until it`s a decent price or I find a replacement item that can do the same job as whatever I was looking for in the first place, I don`t have anything against anyone who makes a living selling gear, but I know some dealers that have been sitting on the same camera gear for over 5 YEARS! they just hold on to it I think so they can draw attention to their business I think?

Working with the vintage rarer stuff is really a kick and fascinating and wonderful to work with, but the whole idea of having a $5,000 MINT THAMBAR f2.2 90 mm with EVERYTHING in the box that has`nt shot a photo in 45 years is a sickning thought..... :(

Too bad that so many fine pieces of equipment made to do the job of preserving moments in time and history won`t be able to do them again becuase some crazy price has been put on them

But there`s still hope....there`s a handful of crazy people who still drive Bugatti`s, rare Porsche`s and Ferrari`s these are very brave and enthusiastic drivers, the last real adventurers of the world I admire someone who uses somthing for what is was made to do no matter what pricetag it has on it

I want to start a trend to try to do the same as they do with but with rare and odd camera equipment...........I hope someday I can shoot some 1930`s artistic nudes in my PinUp style with a Thambar and I really don`t care what the barrel looks like, or what condition it is as long as the glass is good.....ohhh and it has the "spot" because without that it`s just another lens! :)

I just want to see the photos and make some models happy when they see the results, there`a were the REAL satisfaction is :D

Tom

PS: Sorry folks for the novel.......

LeicaTom

10-27-2007, 00:35

As promised earlier here's a little bokeh for ya...actually ALOTTA bokeh! These were 2 shots of my daughter that I really liked, pretty close to wide open.

Lovely bokeh!!!!!

I wish I could try out a 73 this winter in some 1940`s PinUp, maybe by Jan 2008 I`ll find one and have the nerve to leave Florida for a week or so and go north and find some snow, one of my PinUp models, a tight red sweater, some capri pants and some vintage wooden skis! :)

Tom

peterm1

10-27-2007, 00:56

Pakman that Bokeh is worth a Boquet. Oh God did I just say that?:eek:

LeicaTom

10-27-2007, 01:12

nikonhswebmaster

10-27-2007, 08:47

It`s a REAL SHAME.......what collectors have done, I used to be one and I`m happy to say my collector days are long over!
...my ex-girlfriend made me open my eyes with that, when I had to realize that there`s more to life then a having 25 or 30 rare mint Leica`s in the china cabinet instead of keeping food on the table, when you lose something you really loved due to a material source you really wake up... fast!)

Well Tom, you can't keep people from buying stuff. But if you look at the overall picture from when say when the Nikon SP was made in the late '50s to now the price has really remained unchanged in real dollars for over 50 years! Yes there are two lenses that Nikon made that are expensive and almost impossible to find the 21 f/4 and the 1000 f/6.3. But these lenses are expensive simply because they exist in such tiny quantities, in the case of the 1000 only 50 were made. And it cost as much as a VW when it was new, so no casual user was ever going to just try one out.

The other hard to find pieces like a Nikon reflex housing, or a motor, also exist in less than 2000 pieces originally, so they were never easy to find even when new.

However the regular stuff, a nice 28-35-50-85-105 setup, with a clean Nikon S2 can be purchased easily for less than $2000 total, which is less than Leica wants for one new lens!! So from my perspective, shooting with Nikon RF has never been cheaper. Yes if you want a 21 you will most likely have to settle for Contax, or CV, but that does not seem important.

What you are looking for, of course, is a Nikkor 21 sitting unwanted in a camera show for sale for $300, its original selling price in the 1960s. You are hoping no one else will want it except you, so the price will stay low.

As for the food on the table comment, sounds too personal for me to really discuss, but no one should buy anything they cannot afford. But Americans do it all the time, they are up to their eyeballs in debt. If anything takes the place of food on the table, or more important just having a good life, you should look at it closely. However having 25 mint Leicas to sell, at a time of need, would have seemed a blessing, like having a savings account.

I personally have been very lucky with cameras, I bought and sold when prices were climbing, so none of what I owned cost me anything at all. But in a falling market, like now, buying collectibles is crazy, you buy them for one price and it is lower the next week.

A Leica IIIC K with no vulcanite, 25% paint remaining and needing a full CLA will ALWAYS be a user camera, or in a UGLY grade I don`t get the inflated prices for well worn gear, even when it`s rare, rare prices should be for rare camera`s being MINT or collectors quality, well used cameras and lenses should keep doing what they do well and that`s take pictures, sadly when collectors buy them just to drive the market UP it hurts the Photographers more then anything
Tom

So if you owned a beater IIIc that you bought at a garage sale for say $35, when you decide to sell it would you be willing to offer it at a camera show for the same $35? Assuming you would interview the buyer and determine the buyer would use it?

We all have to ask ourselves -- who is really driving up these prices? In the Nikon world there are only about 200 (at most) hard-core collectors, the rest of the buyers are users. The collectors have almost no effect on the user market, you guys are doing to it yourselves, we (collectors) have no interest in your stuff. The prices are high because users as still buying, and asking prices that many like Tom (and me) think may be a bit inflated.

.

LeicaTom

10-27-2007, 12:06

So if you owned a beater IIIc that you bought at a garage sale for say $35, when you decide to sell it would you be willing to offer it at a camera show for the same $35? Assuming you would interview the buyer and determine the buyer would use it?

We all have to ask ourselves -- who is really driving up these prices? In the Nikon world there are only about 200 (at most) hard-core collectors, the rest of the buyers are users. The collectors have almost no effect on the user market, you guys are doing to it yourselves, we (collectors) have no interest in your stuff. The prices are high because users as still buying, and asking prices that many like Tom (and me) think may be a bit inflated.

.

I`m never reselling or trading gear for major profit, I never have, I`m happy to be able to help another Photographer out - I recently traded back a very rare Leica IIIC K, while for me it was fun while it lasted, but honestly I got more work out of my M6, so it really is`nt all important in owning a rare camera, it`s what I can use and shoot with at the present time that counts most important to me

Humm well only 200 major Nikon collectors worldwide, I don`t think would have that much effect on the Nikon vintage market, but there`s alot more hard core Leica collectors out there who I really think DO effect it`s market, I bet there`s more than 200 major Leica collectors in Germany alone.....

I just watch the evilbay and see how the recent SURGE of IIIF buyers has driven prices up

The Leica IIIF is NOT a rare camera, but prices for clean examples have gone up maybe 40% in the past 6 months!

I watched (2) rare Half Race IIIC`s in America sell the other week on there and the SAME bidder got both of them, (European collector) he bid a price that was just at my maximum price for me for bodies that are clean BUT need a CLA
I left them both sit and they still sold lower then average anyway, there was NO reason for me to chase them into a collectors price, people should really think more before they bid, I don`t think it`s Photographer`s who run the prices up on evilbay it`s collectors for sure

With the vintage gear it`s many time`s LUCK that brings us great deals and a chance to be able to use rare gear, I`ve been lucky so far and I hope that the luck doesn`t run out at present :)

Tom

nikonhswebmaster

10-27-2007, 13:03

I just watch the evilbay and see how the recent SURGE of IIIF buyers has driven prices up

The Leica IIIF is NOT a rare camera, but prices for clean examples have gone up maybe 40% in the past 6 months!

I watched (2) rare Half Race IIIC`s in America sell the other week on there and the SAME bidder got both of them, (European collector) he bid a price that was just at my maximum price for me for bodies that are clean BUT need a CLA
I left them both sit and they still sold lower then average anyway, there was NO reason for me to chase them into a collectors price, people should really think more before they bid, I don`t think it`s Photographer`s who run the prices up on evilbay it`s collectors for sure

I would frankly consider any purchase of an early post war IIIc to be collector based, or at least curiosity based. My guess is the prices are up because someone is passing on the idea that these are better user cameras.

But that is me... I just don't like the viewfinders on early bodies, Leica or Nikon. While I have collected Nikon M cameras, I would never use one, the S2/S3/SP is just so much better than those little windows. I just can't see anything. The only RF I am currently using is a Canon P, only because I like the viewfinder.

Could not find the expensive ones you mentioned, all the current completed auctions are under $300, except for a few nutty ones that did not sell.

LeicaTom

10-27-2007, 15:22

I would frankly consider any purchase of an early post war IIIc to be collector based, or at least curiosity based. My guess is the prices are up because someone is passing on the idea that these are better user cameras.

They ARE better users, built way better then the Flat Top post 400000 IIIC models, the build quality and resourses even through despite hard war shortages are way better in quality than of the post 430000 camera runs (which were after June 1946)

These postwar cameras are just rare due to low production levels (less then 7,000 in like 6 months) and they accidently fall in with the "wartime" issued IIIC `s while they still have the platform under the rewind lever, the collectors don`t know any better, anything they see they consider to be built during the war, when it really was built in 1946, I see them poorly described on evilbay all the time......

But back to the OP`s original post, I`d really like to shoot and use a 73mm Hektor someday, I`ll have a Nikkor VF soon to use with it so I don`t need a fancy Leitz finder that costs $800 LOL!!!!!

....perhaps I`ll get lucky and find one at an ex-GI estate sale here in Florida?

Tom

nikonhswebmaster

10-27-2007, 21:30

They ARE

....perhaps I`ll get lucky and find one at an ex-GI estate sale here in Florida?

Tom

My best early Nikon stuff all came from GIs, many living in Sun City (I used to know a guy there who bought cameras). GIs tended to put these expensive and over complicated cameras in closets and never use them at all.

LeicaTom

10-27-2007, 22:15

My best early Nikon stuff all came from GIs, many living in Sun City (I used to know a guy there who bought cameras). GIs tended to put these expensive and over complicated cameras in closets and never use them at all.

Yep!

That last Half Race that`s featured in my Restoration thead, maybe sat 35+ years broken in someone `s drawer, due to being loaded wrong etc.

The IIIC`s built around batch #397200 to #397600 all had the instruction plates installed upside down, so I`m sure that confused quite a few GI`s who brought them home, funny enough many of those 1946 era cameras I find are like new minus the vulcanite , which didn`t last anyway due the not being able to handle temperature changes very well, comes a fast hot/cold jump and the stuff cracks and falls right off......

Yes, I wish I could find a Korean War bring back with all those wonderful Nikkor Lenses, I`d simply LOVE to shoot with a f1.5 someday, at least try one out, but I guess they are pretty crazy rare :(

I still want a f1.4 50mm in LTM to go with my f2.0 50mm and f2.0 85mm and then I`ll have a nice little set up

I figure they did make a f2.0 35mm Nikkor in LTM to didn`t they? I do want one single wide angle 35mm for a IIIC body, will be something Nikkor or Canon perhaps?

Tom

Vince Lupo

10-28-2007, 02:09

Getting back to the 73mm....

Pakman, you're black and white shots have really great contrast. My lens has quite a bit of haze (as you can probably tell from that colour sample I posted), and black and white with mine comes out rather flat -- which can be good if you're after that kind of look. I used the lens on a trip through Europe a few weeks ago, and found myself reaching for my 90mm Fat Elmar a little more. Rarity and price? Difficult to say....for example, KEH has a Mountain Elmar in 'ugly' condition, without the caps or hood, and they're asking $ 665.00 (I think it started out at $ 800.00), which I think is a bit nutty.

As far as the whole user/collector/buyer thing goes, sometimes I find that I have to be careful not to get so overburdened with stuff (by that I mean equipment) that the creativity gets bogged down (whether it's in my personal or professional photography). I don't know if all you guys are professional photographers or not, but at least working professionally helps to keep the 'machine' oiled (of course, many of us are probably using digital stuff for the 'earning a living' photography), and hopefully can fuel the weekend 'analog' work (though it could also cause the 'I don't even want to look at a camera on the weekends' approach too!). For me, using the vintage stuff in the off hours keeps me from tearing what little hair I have out....it's a nice counter balance, shooting with a 1930's Leica and a roll of black and white on a Saturday morning. My big problem is that I've been on this 30 year quest to find the 'perfect' camera system -- you know, the 'once I have THIS system, THEN my photography is really gonna take off!' mentality. First it was Leica TM, then no that wasn't it, so moved to Contax....didn't work, either. Then Leica M, and got tired of that. Most recently, I thought it was Contarex Bullseye with those gorgeous lenses (and those interchangeable backs that leak!), and that didn't work either. Now we're back to Leica TM (but also looking at a VT Deluxe right now....). So the search can be endless!

As far as the future value of these things? I don't know....those of us who are interested in these cameras are of a certain age (I'm generalizing here, I'm sure), and many people nowadays are taking photos with damn cell phones (standing in front of Strasbourg Cathedral a few weeks ago, people were doing just that!), so I have my doubts about the future value of these vintage cameras. Of course, I keep on buying them despite the possibility that I'm buying a future paperweight, so maybe it touches something deeper inside than simply 'I'm going to make a buck on this in a few years'. Of course, that's the excuse I always give myself as I'm dialing KEH's number....

Ah well, more ramblings -- in any case, the 73 Hektor is a great lens if you can get it for a good price, bottom line!

burninfilm

10-28-2007, 02:31

Hello burninfilm,

I am not really interested as to whether it is an expensive or inexpensive lens,owned by a collector or a user, I am only interested in its merits.
It was produced from 1931 to 1942 in both nickel and chrome finish, with 2 types of focussing mount, helicoid and rectilinear.
It is available at much less cost than any current Leitz "M" lens and 7,000 were produced,and although it is not a cheap lens they are not beyond the reach of a Leica user to acquire if they so wish and it is within their means.I am sure that many of these are used and not left idle on collectors shelves.
I would just like to know users opinions of their lens.
Is it a "dog" or "a treasure"?

Hello William,
I was just pointing out that much of the recent discussion concerning the Summar has centered around it's interesting performance and very inexpensive price (they often sell around $100). The 73mm Hektor is a much more expensive lens. I have personally never seen one of these sell for what I'd consider "within my grasp" financially, especially when so many other lenses are available with better performance and lower prices. Where are the nice 73mm Hektors with a shade for $250? If you are wanting a lens with a propensity to flare, a lack of sharpness, and other similar characteristics, find a hazed/scratched Canon or Nikkor 85mm. Then again, maybe this wouldn't be as neat to use as a nice example of the 73mm Hektor? It's somewhat ironic how after decades of altering and innovating lens designs to enhance performance, we end up seeking out pre-1940 lenses for a particular "look".

Pakman, the images you posted are very nice, and far exceed the quality of other samples I've seen elsewhere. Thanks for presenting them.

Now, who affects the pricing of cameras and lenses? I'd have to believe that we all do. The poor condition/nonfunctional cameras that sell as parts sources or restoration projects make up the lower part of the pricing spectrum, while the excellent+ and "mint in box" items sell to collectors at the top end. Everyone else falls in between, with users and amateur collectors making up the middle ground. To say that only collectors affect the market is false... there are many other factors which complicate the pricing of these items other than collectors. Then again, to make a statement that collectors aren't interested in anything but "mint condition" items is a little over-generalizing, I think. I have sold Nikon F equipment in fair-poor condition to collectors, including a very early Nikon F motor which sold for nearly $1000. I highly doubt a user was buying this item! Also, not everyone has the financial means to buy everything LNIB but would still like to have a collection of interesting photography equipment. So, who knows, maybe collectors (even if not serious "hard core" collectors) are affecting prices more than you might think.

LeicaTom

10-28-2007, 02:33

despite the possibility that I'm buying a future paperweight.........

.......the 73 Hektor is a great lens if you can get it for a good price, bottom line!

Well, I doubt that any vintage Leica will ever become a worthless paperweight.......

I`ve seen prices on vintage LTM and M stuff go up and down in the past 20 years, I think that only thing that changes is that less and less people REALLY USE these cameras and lenses anymore :( *sniff*

I shoot Retro PinUp Photography for a living, using Digital/vintage 1970`s SLR, a Leica M6 and Leica and Canon thread mount cameras, the old cameras add a mystique to my business and even effect ideas and photoshoots, that`s why it`s always GREAT to see someone using odd lenses that are uncommon and rare items, because it also helps me choose what gear that I might want to invest in for the future
........and also in being on this website I`m met so many nice people who`s help and experience have made my Photography get even better with the suggestions of all the great vintage lenses and their many uses - ohh and reading back issues of Leica Photography from 1939 to 1971 have also helped me with the various looks I looking for in my everyday work

I really do want to try to use a Hektor 73mm someday, I`m sure it will capture an image a world apart and unique in it`s own from the early 1950`s Nikkor 85mm I have ;)

Tom

nikonhswebmaster

10-28-2007, 09:10

I figure they did make a f2.0 35mm Nikkor in LTM to didn`t they? I do want one single wide angle 35mm for a IIIC body, will be something Nikkor or Canon perhaps?

Tom

Nikon close... they made an extraordinary 35 f 1.8 in LTM. Not easy to find, very prized by users. You have an advantage with Nikkor LTM, no collectors.

xayraa33

10-28-2007, 09:35

LeicaTom, here is a 7.3 cm Hektor on that auction site.
this one will give super soft images for sure.

http://cgi.ebay.ca/Leica-7-3cm-F1-9-Hektor-Screw-Mount-Lens-RARE_W0QQitemZ110184000360QQihZ001QQcategoryZ30030 QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pakmanpdx

10-28-2007, 09:59

I hate to say it but I picked up my Hektor 73mm for a ridiculously low price as part of a package with a IIIa body, Imarect Finder, Summaron, Summar and Hektor 135mm. when I see the prices they are going for I think about selling it as it seems like i could probably (almost) get an M6 for the price of one! but than I get some great images from it- I think the coating helps alot in the contrast of it.

Dralowid

10-29-2007, 03:10

I sold my 73 Hector about ten years go. I'd had it for ages but it had never got used much. It really was a bit cumbersome and fiddly (f numbers very small) and just didn't seem to 'feel' right. Don't rmember getting a kings ranson for it.

As to the results, wide open it was soft with somewhat uncontrollable results, only really improving at around f3.2- 4.5. Quite low contrast. I do not want it back.

As you can tell I really didn't get on with this lens, but then I don't really get on with Summars either. Don't even mention the 50mm Hektor.

To be intentionally inflamatory, I spent the sixties and seventies with lenses like these (they were the only ones I could afford) when my contemporaries were getting fabulous results from the (then) new Pentax and Nikon glass. When I finally could afford something I bought the latest Elmar/Summarit/Summarons I could. Things changed then.

I do not look fondly on lenses that paid for higher speed through a loss of performance in almost every other field.

Collect by all means, but use it? Don't bother. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with collecting...we are only dealing with manufactured inanimate objects.

Michael

Dralowid

10-29-2007, 05:10

Continuing my rant...

Surely the only lens that Leica made that was designed to be DELIBERATELY SOFT was the Thambar?

Michael

L39UK

11-07-2007, 03:45

Hello,Many thanks for all replies to this thread.I decided to take the plunge after seeing the results obtained by members on this forum and member James Charles Goodman on Photo.net.

see link :-http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00Er50

Regards,
William

Erik L

11-08-2008, 11:55

what are some other lenses that have this swirly bokeh like this one? i do not like the current prices of this 73mm.

Roger Hicks

11-08-2008, 14:52

I've deliberately avoided the 73 Hektor -- I think I know where I can borrow one -- because I'm frightened I might fall in love with it.

Most of the specialist lenses I've tried (or own) are over-praised by their owners, often from lack of experience with other lenses, i.e. they don't know how good other lenses can be.

I expected to dismiss the 90/2,2 Thambar as 'Interesting, but...' and I ended up buying it. I'd have done the same with the 50/1 Noctilux if I'd had the money.

A surprising number of these super-specialized, rare, "collector's" lenses are actually VERY usable. Not for everyone; not for everything; but for the right subject, they can be unbeatable. The price often reflects usability as well as rarity, otherwise I'd not have paid what I did for a Thambar. Wicked collectors? No. Wicked users as well.

Summars? I've had 'em. Clean ones are very rare. Scratched ones are probably pretty good if you want a standard lens with lots of flare. But they ain't in the same class (for 'signature') with Xenons, Summarits, Meyer or Astro fast lenses, etc.

For a 73mm finder, incidentally, look out for Tewe 35-200 zoom (I have two, smirk, smirk, one in feet, one in metres).

Cheers,

R.