Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/01/07
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Phong wrote: > Rob McElroy <idag@pce.net> wrote: > > ... > > The Apo-Lanthar lenses made by Voigtlander for large format cameras in the 50's and > > 60's, were some of the first lenses to make use of a highly-refractive rare-earth glass > > called lanthanum which has a slightly warm/yellow color, which can be clearly seen if > > you just pick up the lens and look through it. It's actually quite pleasing. > > Like putting a very slight warming filter over your lens. > > Rob, > > Does the lens actually produce a yellow cast on the resulting pictures > (slides would be better) ? > Or does it just look yellow when you look thru it ? Thanks for any > clarification. > I have some Contax G lenses that have different color coatings (yellow in > some lenses, blue in some others), but cannot detect any difference > in the resulting color slides. > > - Phong Phong, Yes, the large format Apo-Lanthar lenses produce a slightly warmer/yellower rendition of the world, and it shows up on film the same way. The emphasis here is on the word "slightly". If you weren't told about the effect and you were looking at several 4x5 transparencies of the same subject, shot at the same time, each shot with a different 150mm lens, you might choose the transparency shot with the Apo-Lanthar as your favorite, because of the warmer skin tones, slightly bluer sky, not to mention extreme sharpness and high detail contrast. As I said in a previous post, it is like putting a slight warming filter over your lens. Nikon lenses, on the other hand, while very sharp and contrasty, tend to be much "cooler" in their unfiltered "raw" state. In regard to the Contax lenses you mentioned, do not confuse the anti-reflection coatings that appear in the reflections on the front element of your lens, with the slightly yellow transmission qualities I described above. They are entirely different. If you are holding an Apo Lanthar in your left hand and another company's lens in your right hand, look through them at a white piece of paper and you will see the difference. The white paper will look warmer/yellower with the Apo-Lanthar. Hope this clears it up. Rob McElroy Buffalo, NY