Re: 50mm Summicron's

[captyng@vtx.ch (Gerard Captijn)]

>I don't buy the smoke and mirrors approach.  If the resolution is not
there, all
>the illusion in the world won't make up for lack of detail.  The contrast
>substitute may work great for the Kodacolor type stuff but for b&w, the
>resolution plus contrast added by paper grade will knockout the lower
resolution
>images in my opinion.

Smoke? Mirrors? What is the interest of having high-resolution glass when
the resolution cannot be transmitted to slide or negative due to a lack of
contrast? Also, B&W paper image resolution is lightyears away from
high-resolution glass levels.

The high-resolution 1953 collapsible Summicron 50mm/f2 delivers close to 200
lp/mm wide-open, at low contrast. Photographic paper can separate up to 10
lp/mm. Given the impossibility to get your Summicron resolution on paper,
exept for huge enlargements, resolution at 200 lp/mm levels is not of much
practical use.

In terms of contrast (tonal range), it is preferable to print a good
contrast negative on normal contrast B&W paper (Ansel Adams won't say the
contrary up there), giving you a full, crisp tonal range, rather than having
to use higher contrast paper and lose the limited highlight and shadow
detail of your muddy, low contrast but sharp negatives.
 
In terms of sharpness, the pictures from the high-resolution old Summicron
and the good-resolution new Summicron will be identical due to the low
restitutive properties of your film/photographic paper combo.

The difference in pictures made with an old and a new Summicron, both wide
open, will be crispier images with a wider range of highlight-/shadow detail
and comparable sharpness for the new Summicron's pictures. Given the way the
eye works, the new Summicron's images will look better. When stopping down
the Summicron's, differences will get smaller and practically disappear.
Check it out!

Gerard Captijn,
Geneva, Switzerland.
Fax: +41 (22) 700 39 28.