Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/10/09
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]I was surprised that a Zeiss lens made in the 20th century would have so much attention apparently paid to its bokeh. Hell, I'm not sure when the word bokeh was coined. But all of the things that I generally find objectionable in bokeh are NOT there. No donuts, no discoid objects, no double-images, no 1/4 moons, no chatter. Jeffery Smith New Orleans, LA http://www.400tx.com http://400tx.blogspot.com/ -----Original Message----- From: lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org [mailto:lug-bounces+jsmith342=cox.net@leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Peter Klein Sent: Monday, October 09, 2006 2:05 AM To: lug@leica-users.org Subject: [Leica] Jeffery PAW - 34 - Using the new 50/1.5 Sonnar Jeffery: Ooh, yeah! That's the "good" Sonnar look all right. If you'd told us the photo was a oldie from 1935 you'd just dug up, it would have been plausible. But there's something new about this lens, at least in the picture you posted. The out-of-focus stuff kind of dissolves away beautifully like the old Sonnars, but without bright-rimmed circles of light and double lines you see in the Japanese Sonnar reformulations like the 50/1.4 Nikkor when focused close and wide open. Those nasties seem smoothed out, while the lens still has the basic Sonnar character. If it can render like this consistently, it's a gem. Did the German Sonnars you've tried have the double-line and donut bokeh? Or was it just the postwar Japanese tweaks of the formula? Have you tried the early-50s Canon 50/1.5, which is supposed to be essentially a Sonnar copy? On another subject: While reading your blog, I saw your comments about the K100D and 30/1.4 Sigma. Some days, when my M8 lust is tempered by thoughts of price, I get the urge to just get a K100D and a fast lens, and be done with it for a year or two. Of course, the K10D might be even better, blah blah blah. . . Any further thoughts about the K100D and Sigma 30/1.4 since you wrote that blog entry? --Peter At 09:04 PM 10/8/2006 -0700, Jeffery wrote: >http://www.400tx.com/2006-34.html > >So far, I'm very pleased with this new Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar. I have >spent a lot of money trying to buy and "renovate" a good LTM 50/1.5 >Sonnar from 50-60 years ago. I can stop looking. This lens gives me the >look I've been trying to achieve. _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information