Glow by Mawz, on Flickr
NEX-7, not sure what lens, probably the Micro-Nikkor 85/3.5 VR DX

ulrikft2 wrote:
Oh where, oh where did you find that soft release?


eBay search "LS-SB2". Lim's Rainbow soft release. Remember, the NEX-7 favors an asymmetrical placement of the soft release, more towards the back and right of the camera, otherwise the shutter button will depress unevenly. At least this is the case on my 7.

@nicoimages wonderfull images!

You sure make that CV15 shine, Phillip. I feel like I could reach right into that second image.

Great indoor shots, Phillip!

Phillip - I also really enjoy what you're doing with the CV15. The last indoor image has a great feel to it too!

Jacob D wrote:
Derek, I do enjoy the rendering of the Luxes wide open and/or close to. The OOF is so very Leica-ish

sebboh wrote:
me too, it's quite a unique look that i've always been fond of.

i'm still getting a handle on how the lens performs – it seems to have very little change in exposure or dof stopping down from f/1.4 to f/2, rather the glow just changes a bit. it does have significant focus shift at medium distances. i've been surprised to find out that it's actually pretty sharp wide open at infinity across the frame with none of the field curvature issues that the 40 cron has (at least on aps-c ). at near and medium distances sharpness seems to drop off a cliff outside the central third. at some point i'll have to compare it to the 40 cron and c/y 35/1.4 but my initial impression is that it has a very different draw than both. the lux stronger SA that doesn't go away until the lens is stopped down considerably more than the other two would need to be. it also never seems as bleedingly sharp as the other two centrally though that may be more of a contrast thing than a resolution thing. on the other hand it seems much better behaved across the frame than either of the other two and is thus probably the best landscape lens of the group.

Derek: interesting observations. I also like the look you're getting from it. Maybe there is something to that supposed Leica-glow after all?

My only Summilux experience is with the newer ASPH lenses but there seems to be some consistency to them as well. Infinity performance, even wide open, seems to be quite good for the class. I've read that many of these lenses are infinity optimized. I also find they're 'dual personality' lenses. Wide open character tends to be sharp but somewhat gentle, while stopped down resolution/contrast is extremely good. The 50 Lux ASPH, for example, also exhibits a fair amount of SA at 70cm, despite being a floating element design. I've found the CV50/1.5 and ZM50/2 outperform it at this distance. It could be some non-ASPH Summiluxes share similar traits, but perhaps more extreme. It might also be a matter of design to match imaging technology of the era - film stocks, printing and reproduction techniques, etc. Not sure if you follow discussions about the Leica Monochrom, but it seems many are finding older lenses offer a gentler image quality that allows for a lot more flexibility in post compared to modern, very high contrast lenses...

On another tangent, here's an image with the NEX-7 and 90 Summarit. Toronto Union Station.

Couple more with the Sony 35:

color block by alwang, on Flickr


slow wrap by alwang, on Flickr


blue flutter by alwang, on Flickr


cheeko by alwang, on Flickr

A few from today
-Jim

NEX 7 / Jupiter 9

Went to The Blackhawk Museum in Pleasanton, CA last week. The first two here are with the Summilux-M 35 pre-ASPH, last is with the Elmarit-M 24/2.8.

B&W from the same. First two are with the 24, last is the 35.

Finally, a few B&W from Columbus near Broadway in SFO. The first is City Lights Bookstore, which I'm sure anyone familiar with the Beat writers or with an interest in poetry knows well. For those who don't, City Lights fostered many of the Beat writers not only in promotion but also as publishers. Ginsberg's infamous "Howl" was originally published under City Lights' own imprint as the fourth in their series of pocket poetry books. The first run was seized by US Customs for violations of obscenity laws. City Lights had subsequent runs printed in the US to get around Customs. Though much of the neighborhood has changed around them, neither the store nor the publishing efforts have lapsed into nostalgia. While they continue to be a vital resource to the Beat scholars, they continue to stock their shelves with challenging, thought-provoking material that isn't likely to hit the NYT bestseller list or pop up on an Amazon recommendation. It really is a must-see if you're going to the city.

The last two are of a copper-faced building down the street. I haven't learned anything about the building yet, but here's an interesting bit of trivia. The cafe (Zoetrope) on the bottom floor is owned by Francis Ford Coppola. He uses it to push his wine which, as I understand it, runs from decent to awful with a lot of mediocre in the middle, according to my wine-loving buddy. Personally, I've never tasted a wine that didn't make me reach for my water glass, so I'm in no position to judge. The Roman-style pizza, though, is excellent.

All with the Elmarit-M 24.

^^love that last shot! does it look alright in color or is there too much mixed light?

i'm having fun shooting dreamy landscapes at f/1.4 with the 35 lux:





i'm sure i'll move on soon.

Great shots, sebboh! Maybe iŽll try something like that with the Zeiss Sonnar 1.5. But now, things look very different here in bavaria
Or it is only my very special point of view...
Thomas

More beautiful work from Philip and others on the past couple of pages!

A few from the Tokina RMC 80-200/4 around 200mm f5.6-8, on a very dull, grey drizzly day:


Grey Herons, Cork, Ireland by specularist, on Flickr



Grey Herons, Cork, Ireland by specularist, on Flickr


Gulls, Cork, Ireland by specularist, on Flickr


Gulls, Cork, Ireland by specularist, on Flickr

Rouge Beach by Mawz, on Flickr
NEX-7, Sony 16/2.8

Getting blasted with the bucket. Great Wolf Lodge, Kansas City. Sony Nex 6, Sigma 19mm.

^ Great capture photoomaha, and nice BW processing!

sebboh wrote:
^^love that last shot! does it look alright in color or is there too much mixed light?

Thanks, and no, it's decent enough for the scenario. It's darker since the conversion included a red HC filter to pop the greens. I'll post the color when I get back to my personal computer.

sebboh wrote:
i'm having fun shooting dreamy landscapes at f/1.4 with the 35 lux:

i'm sure i'll move on soon.

To f/2? You're getting some great stuff with it. I find it to be a very easy lens to love. That's one of the reasons I'm dragging my feet on getting the wobble checked. I'm not sure I want anyone mucking around with it.

I'm finding the Pen 42 to be a little bit more of a puzzle. The only thing I've determined so far is that it's a much better lens stopped down than either the 25/2.8 or the 60/1.5. Wide open, though, I've yet to get anything that isn't a complete mess.

Derek, I hold high interest seeing those 35lux shots. I like what I see, a very classic rendering lens. I know It is a very small lens. I tried it at recent California camera show, it seems sharp enough for M9 at center. They charge $1900 for it

Ron, your comment make me have wild guess about lens WO performance for 50lux M. I don't feel it has WO performance indicated by its outstanding MTF at 1.4 AT PORTRAIT RANGE. It was about the same as 50 Sonnar and is about the same sharp as my 50lux R V1, maybe even worse at 1-2M range.(but here platform is different D700, M9) And recently I found my 50lux R V1 MTF, which is in no way comparable to 50lux M. But actually it is one of the best lens WO I have on hand along with 35Lux R. So, I feel those R lens portrait range performance is actually very high compare to even modern M.

Given many lens gain their reputation by MTF chart. Noticable Leica and Zeiss. (Most cases you need pounds of load tripod with all care to attention to bring out extra performance compare to good lens after f4) I feel many lens actually are underrated because of poor MTF at infinity but very good at close range.

Michael - interesting points. That would seem to be why practical use in a variety of shooting conditions is a better source of information, over time, than a handful of technical reviews based on test chart images at fixed distances.

When I did my 21mm lens shootout, I intentionally tested real-world scenes at infinity, far-normal distance, and near distances. It was interesting to see that a lens such as the CV21/1.8 didn't perform well at infinity wide open, but was equally as sharp, centrally at nearer distances, as the 21 Lux when both were at f/2, which is likely a more realistic use of these lenses at that aperture. Then there is a lens like the 21 SEM that is razor at all distances...

I think the 50 Lux ASPH is somewhat over-hyped. It's definitely a great lens, but at nearer distances it's not class leading in terms of sharpness/contrast/resolution. But does it need to be? IMO, Leica did the right thing by apparently optimizing it for far distances where photographers typically expect higher technical ability, especially if stopped down a bit. For example, my opinion is it's much better across the frame than the ZM50/2 at infinity at moderately wide apertures. Some SA at nearer distances of course can be complementary for portraiture...

Derek, I really like those. It reminds me a bit of what I have gotten out of the old 50/1.5 Summarit on the M9. On the NEX-7 it will probably look like mush though wide open. Might be worth trying the CV40/1.4 if you like the 35 Lux look but want to keep the price reasonable. I guess you can never have enough 35/40mm lenses, can you?

50/1 Nocti on NEX-7 - doesn't really show off the Nocti w/o character... but this lens surprised me somewhat by how 'normal' it can behave...