Which is the better 50mm FSU lens for colour?

[NathanJD]

I’m going to Rhodes for a week on the 24th and I’ll be taking my Bessa R2A and a clutch of colour film for the day to day town and village ramblings as well as one of my DSLRs for the obligatory scenery travel shots.

I’ve never shot colour film through any of my RF lenses and wondered if anyone has an opinion on whether the Industar 26 or Jupiter 8 is a better choice than the other? both of my lenses are fine examples and are equally as functional as one another.

Greece is a bright and vibrant country which is why I want to shoot colour film as apposed to black and white, also I’d be afraid of missing a shot – with the way travel prices have gone recently I may not get another chance to revisit anytime soon.

[Highway 61]

Any lens performing fine in B&W will perform as fine in color.

Despite that bokeh-gokeh-coating-fuzzy hoax you can read around and there.

In color, some lenses have a slight cold rendition, some are more neutral, some others are quite a bit on the warm side but this often occurs from an example to another of the identical lens so there is no general rule.

Take the lens you prefer and you're done. Having too many lenses on travel is the best way to get trapped by what you fear below.

Travelling to a nice once-in-a-lifetime place is not for lenses testing (unless you're another of those ultimate 50mm lenses testers desperados).


Greece is a bright and vibrant country which is why I want to shoot colour film as apposed to black and white, also I’d be afraid of missing a shot – with the way travel prices have gone recently I may not get another chance to revisit anytime soon.

You're right and if so (being afraid of missing a shot), take a digital camera with you as well.

Here you go to see what properly processed RAW files from Greece look like :

http://bleublan.free.fr/dsc/Sifnos/contact_1.htm

Other links to other delightful Greek isles on that site homepage.

[NathanJD]

Thanks for your advice, that's what I thought. I think I'll take my trusty Jupiter 8 in that case.

I have been to many Greek islands but never Rhodes. Gone are the days of 2 weeks of bliss for £99 a head :bang:

My love affair with Crete, my favorite of the bunch, has become very expensive - one day I'll take the plunge and book a 1 way ticket... and then wake up.

[Mauro]

I use the Jupiter 8 with my Zorki - Fed - Kiev 4 for collour pictures, and the results are great: use it with confidence! You may also try a polarizer lens, it would reduce the reflection on sea, so the seawater colour and sky would have more colour.
Enjoi your holiday, the Southern Europe is wonderful during September!

[NathanJD]

Thank you for the advice and confidence Mauro! I’ve got a polarizer for the DSLR that will bode very well ;)

[like2fiddle]

Here you go to see what properly processed RAW files from Greece look like :

http://bleublan.free.fr/dsc/Sifnos/contact_1.htm

Other links to other delightful Greek isles on that site homepage.

Wonderful photos Highway. It's photos like that that make Greece tops on my list of places to visit when time and finances permit.

Nathan, have a great trip. I've only briefly owned a couple of J-8's, but they were both good performers. I second the idea of taking along a small digicam as exposure in all that Greek sunshine is probably much different from what you are used to in the UK. Taking pics with the digicam and then checking the exposure it used can be helpful in setting/adjusting your film camera settings.

[pvdhaar]

Important to remember; a proper lens shade/hood beats all other differences..

[Highway 61]

Wonderful photos Highway. It's photos like that that make Greece tops on my list of places to visit when time and finances permit.

Not mine. A good friend's.

[Spyderman]

Important to remember; a proper lens shade/hood beats all other differences..

Second that. You still have time to order one. The metal vented tilted ones are great IMHO.

[NathanJD]

Where can i get hold of one here in the UK at short notice?

[Seele]

Just a thought: use a lower-contrast colour film to prevent blown-out highlights and/or blocked shadows.

[payasam]

There can be no absolutes here, because different people want different things from colour. For example, if I wanted muted colours I would use my Jupiter 3; and if I wanted colours more vibrant, I would choose the I-61 L/D. Then again, different films have their own characteristics. Finally, there is the lab: which can sometimes be the great leveller.

[Seele]

Payasam,

While your point is valid, it would be prudent to avoid putting oneself in the predisposition of losing details on the negatives, where the lighting in the Greek islands tend to be high contrast to start with. You can increase contrast in the printing stage if you wish, but if the details are not on the negative, you cannot get them back.

[Highway 61]

Where can i get hold of one here in the UK at short notice?

Here you go :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Voigtlander-310-41-40-5mm-hood-for-50mm-lens_W0QQitemZ370072170254

It's not tilted, it's not vented, but its *the best of the best* lens hood I have ever used on a 50mm rangefinder lens that has a 40.5mm filter thread (just as your Jupiter-8 does).

It's so well designed that it provides the best lateral light rays protection for the lens front element (what a hood is designed for, that is, keeping flare away from your pics) and it won't intrude in your camera VF the least bit.

I have four of these Voigtländer 310/41 hoods... :o

Many reputable fellows here will confirm what I wrote above, I think of "dexdog" for instance, and maybe "xayraa33" as well.

The seller (Andrew) is a gentleman.

[wolves3012]

For sharpness and saturation an Industar 61 is hard to beat, especially for the cost involved. The Jupiter 8 is a nice lens and a stop faster. For wider angle I find the Jupiter 12 is very nice and the Jupiter 11 is also a sharp lens, if you need something longer.

[mh2000]

I use a small rubber hood with my J-8.