jigesh wrote:
I "heard" that due to US copyrights for "Super Six," they need to do a new "logo" for the "ZS6" lettering, which if true, might explain the delay.
FWIW, I received a message from LLL as follows:
" the ZS6*had been delayed due to the new clean room renovation, and the production of the low-contrast glass element of the ZS6* specifically had tolerance issues."
stgrove wrote:
FWIW, I received a message from LLL as follows:
" the ZS6*had been delayed due to the new clean room renovation, and the production of the low-contrast glass element of the ZS6* specifically had tolerance issues."
I'm a bit surprised to hear that. The Low Contrast copy I have, which came from regular production and was not hand picked, is perfectly rangefinder calibrated and well centered. My Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.9 Rigid ZS6 is actually the one with a very slight amount of play in the focusing ring.
Thank you for the great review and sample photos. I am inclined to get the low contrast version of this lens. I hope to see a few more samples in situations where there are lots of light sources behind the subject, such as this one I took with the Canon 50mm f1.5 LTM. Let's say if shooting foliage in daylight the ZS6 renders quite similarly to the Canon 1.5 and I am hoping to spot enough differences as well
I try not to let personal taste creep into my reviews...I stick to technical tests and sample shots instead. Still, out of all the 50/2 M-mount lenses out there, the ZS6 has quietly become one of my favorites.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I try not to let personal taste creep into my reviews...I stick to technical tests and sample shots instead. Still, out of all the 50/2 M-mount lenses out there, the ZS6 has quietly become one of my favorites.
Fred, If you fitted the IROOA hood to this lens, does it make a difference with the sun to left or right? Straight into sun and sun from behind not part of my question.
stgrove wrote:
Fred, If you fitted the IROOA hood to this lens, does it make a difference with the sun to left or right? Straight into sun and sun from behind not part of my question.
Thanks for what you do.
Yes, that's where is makes the most difference. With sun left or right and out of the frame, you should expect reduced or eliminated veiling flare/haze and contrast loss from raking light hitting the front element. Also better suppression of secondary reflections (ghosting).
I just checked my order status which says it was delivered this past Saturday, However it wasn't shipped to me, it was sent from Inglewood, CA to San Rafael, CA. Anyone else have a similar issue? I know sometimes gear comes in to the US and reshipped but this seems weird. I emailed LLL a little while ago.
I have been to these sample photos many times and right now I would say, pictures 1 and 3 out of these are the most interesting to me by far. I don't know why I am this way but I am always drawn to images with light sources in the background, and showing me how a particular lens handles those is very useful to me.
AKA, I like this lens now.
Fred Miranda wrote:
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Optical Vignetting and Specular Highlights shape
One of the most distinctive rendering characteristics of the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/1.9 Rigid-ZS6 is its optical vignetting. This is separate from tonal vignetting, which is actually very well controlled despite the lens not having an oversized image circle extending into medium format (44×33mm GFX coverage).
Optical vignetting affects the shape of out-of-focus highlights, particularly toward the edges and corners of the frame. On the ZS6, this produces moderate cat's-eye specular highlights that create a subtle swirling bokeh effect. Depending on the scene, this effect can extend well beyond the corners and reach toward the center of the frame, giving the lens a distinctive rendering signature. Depending on subject distance, the rendering can also take on a more painterly character, which is a very unique trait of this lens. The inner structure of the highlights remains very clean due to the non-use of aspherical elements, contributing to a more organic bokeh rendition.
Another interesting characteristic is the outlining of the specular highlights. Near the center of the frame, the outlining is relatively uniform around the entire highlight. As you move away from the center, however, the outlining gradually becomes stronger on one side of the outer edge. These characteristics are identical between the Standard and Low Contrast versions and closely resemble the behavior of the Leica 50mm f/2 Summicron-Rigid.
The combination of low tonal vignetting and pronounced optical vignetting is one of the traits that sets the ZS6 apart from many classic 50mm designs. For example, the Light Lens Lab 50mm f/2 Speed Panchro II shows considerably less optical vignetting and therefore lacks the same swirling cat's-eye bokeh. Some photographers will prefer the rounder highlight rendering of the Speed Panchro II, while others will appreciate the more distinctive swirling character of the ZS6.
Some of the samples have been magnified to better illustrate the position and shape of the specular highlights across the frame.
I will start by showing 3 resized image examples illustrating how the highlights render across the entire frame. This will be followed by 100% crops that reveal more detail in the optical vignetting from other images, as well as the shape and character of the highlights....Show more →
