More comparison, this time with the Heliar wide open. With these various tests, the Heliar seems to sharpen a lot by f2 but to loose some of its glow to the point where the Panchro have more at the same aperture but the Heliar might become more sharp and contrasty with more background blur still at the same f2 aperture for both.
This lens is weird to me. On paper I should love it. I love the Rigid's low contrast high resolution look and I love the glow of the pre-asph Summilux but somehow together it doesn't quite work for me. Can't quite put my finger on what it is but I don't really connect with the way it draws.
selahsean wrote:
This lens is weird to me. On paper I should love it. I love the Rigid's low contrast high resolution look and I love the glow of the pre-asph Summilux but somehow together it doesn't quite work for me. Can't quite put my finger on what it is but I don't really connect with the way it draws.
If the aesthetics of the 35mm f/1.4 Lux pre-aspherical lens appeal to you, you'll find the LLL 50mm f/2 SPII produces a similar rendering style. It yields a soft glow and subdued contrast, and moreover, it excels in achieving greater off-center resolution when used wide open. On the other hand, the 50mm f/2 Rigid lens offers increased contrast and resolution compared to the Panchro II. The Rigid's rendering is marginally smoother and is susceptible to swirling effects due to the higher optical vignetting.
I just got a LLL 35/2 8-Element with a sleek glossy black finish. I've tested various black versions in the past, and none were in sync with the rangefinder. However, this particular one is absolutely spot-on, just like the Panchro.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I just got a LLL 35/2 8-Element with a sleek glossy black finish. I've tested various black versions in the past, and none were in sync with the rangefinder. However, this particular one is absolutely spot-on, just like the Panchro.
I purchased it used right here at FM.
While there is some minor brassing present where the hood attaches, what truly matters is that this is the best copy I have tested thus far. I'm uncertain whether it had an impact, but this particular item is numbered 78 out of 100, suggesting it's from early production batches. The focusing ring on it operates incredibly smoothly, a notable contrast to the Panchro lens, which tends to be less fluid during precise focus adjustments. I'm considering re-lubricating the helicoid on the Panchro to improve focus feel.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Here are the Leica 50/2 Rigid vs LLL SPII side by side at f/2:
Confirms my view that the Rigid is just a special lens. Perhaps part of the appeal of the pre-asph is just a wider field of view but from this vantage point I can't really see a reason to prefer the SPII over the Rigid. That extra resolution really makes the out of focus area transition feel much smoother to my eye.
selahsean wrote:
Confirms my view that the Rigid is just a special lens. Perhaps part of the appeal of the pre-asph is just a wider field of view but from this vantage point I can't really see a reason to prefer the SPII over the Rigid. That extra resolution really makes the out of focus area transition feel much smoother to my eye.
Absolutely, the rendering of the Rigid is undeniably appealing, no doubt about that. But personally, there's something about the glow and distinctive character of the SPII that really speaks to me, especially in certain scenarios. I find that the SPII excels in portraits and capturing those delicate skintones with a certain magic that's hard to put into words. Just my two cents!
Listopad44 wrote:
The black gloss is a limited edition, limited to 100 pieces. It is not an early model. Is it significally better optically than other versions?
My hunch is that they likely invest extra time in testing and fine-tuning these special editions. It's intriguing because out of all the LLL 35/2 8-Element lenses I've laid my hands on, this one seems to nail it perfectly when it comes to centering and rangefinder alignment. It's like they took that extra mile to ensure optimal performance.
Fred Miranda wrote:
My hunch is that they likely invest extra time in testing and fine-tuning these special editions. It's intriguing because out of all the LLL 35/2 8-Element lenses I've laid my hands on, this one seems to nail it perfectly when it comes to centering and rangefinder alignment. It's like they took that extra mile to ensure optimal performance.
You are right. The rendering of Cooke SPII has something special.
"I want to show you an interesting test from which you can see how different the picture of cine optics is from the picture of still lenses. The character is very different: the tonal and color palettes are different, and these parameters even have a greater impact on the perception of the image than the notorious sharpness and detail.
The test shots show that Nikon and Sigma photo lenses produce a sharp, contrast, color-neutral image. In my opinion it is lifeless and unattractive. Cinema lenses, especially the Cooke Speed Panchro II, produce a more pleasing, solid, color-dense image that is not overly sharp. Speed Panchro draws a generalized image, more poetic, without drawing attention to unnecessary details".
"I want to show you an interesting test from which you can see how different the picture of cine optics is from the picture of still lenses. The character is very different: the tonal and color palettes are different, and these parameters even have a greater impact on the perception of the image than the notorious sharpness and detail.
The test shots show that Nikon and Sigma photo lenses produce a sharp, contrast, color-neutral image. In my opinion it is lifeless and unattractive. Cinema lenses, especially the Cooke Speed Panchro II, produce a more pleasing, solid, color-dense image that is not overly sharp. Speed Panchro draws a generalized image, more poetic, without drawing attention to unnecessary details".
Yeah, these criterias are rarely taken into account in the major optic players and reviewers, there are a lot more than sharpness to an image nor optical perfection does justice to the eye perception. Values and tones are not regarded with interest in still photography, more so in cine lenses.
Fred Miranda wrote:
My hunch is that they likely invest extra time in testing and fine-tuning these special editions. It's intriguing because out of all the LLL 35/2 8-Element lenses I've laid my hands on, this one seems to nail it perfectly when it comes to centering and rangefinder alignment. It's like they took that extra mile to ensure optimal performance.
This is my suspicion as well, and what lead to me to take a chance on getting a titanium version (200 copies only) of the 8 elements lens. My copy also seems to operate very smoothly (easily as smooth as any genuine Leica lens) and is also centered and aligned well. I could not be happier with my copy as I wanted all the benefits of buying a new lens with a vintage rendering and this is what I got.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Absolutely, the rendering of the Rigid is undeniably appealing, no doubt about that. But personally, there's something about the glow and distinctive character of the SPII that really speaks to me, especially in certain scenarios. I find that the SPII excels in portraits and capturing those delicate skintones with a certain magic that's hard to put into words. Just my two cents!
Horses for courses as they say. I do think this lens on a monochrom sensor for portraits would be really nice.
