[Leica] Zeiss Sonnar 50/1.5

[Leo Wesson]

Thanks Chris.  Seems to be your experience was not uncommon.

Leo Wesson
Photographer/Videographer
817.733.9157
www.leowesson.com

On Sun, Apr 12, 2015 at 9:55 PM, Chris Crawford <
chris at chriscrawfordphoto.com> wrote:

> I used to have one. It has neat bokeh, but it has several issues that made
> me leave it at home in favor of a 50 Summicron most of the time.
>
> The Sonnar has serious focus shift. That means if you focus so that your
> camera¹s rangefinder shows proper focus, the actual focus point may not
> match the RF at some apertures. Some of them were calibrated to be
> accurate at f2.8, as was mine. Used wide open, it front focuses several
> inches. Others were calibrated for f1.5, and used at smaller apertures it
> back focuses. Stop down a lot, and this isn¹t an issue because of depth of
> field.
>
> I like a lens that Œjust works¹ at al apertures. The Summicron does that,
> the Sonnar does not.
>
> The other issue is even stopped down, the Sonnar is not sharp at the
> edges. In the center it is very sharp. The Summicron I had was uniformly
> sharp across the whole image. It was just a better lens for my work.
>
> The Sonnar is cool for some things, like portraits, as long as you¹re
> aware of the focus issues. The focus shift is NOT an internet rumor, it is
> real. I tested mine and it is VERY real. If you can deal with that and can
> afford to buy a lens you will not use for most things, then get one.
>
> I sold mine after I realized that in three years, I had used it just four
> times aside from testing it for focus accuracy. I couldn¹t afford to keep
> a lens that I never use.
>
> --
> Chris Crawford
> Fine Art Photography
> Fort Wayne, Indiana
> 260-437-8990
>
> http://www.chriscrawfordphoto.com  My portfolio
>
> http://www.facebook.com/pages/Christopher-Crawford/48229272798
> Become a fan on Facebook
>
>
>
> On 4/12/15, 10:41 PM, "Leo Wesson" <leowesson at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> >Anyone using this lens?  Thoughts?
> >
> >Leo Wesson
> >Photographer/Videographer
> >817.733.9157
> >www.leowesson.com
> >
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