Still trying to like the lens.

Posted by Paul on March 30, 2011
Posted in: Photography. Tagged: , .

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The walk home

With about 4 1/2 days of my 12 day rental remaining, I find myself still unsure about this Voigtlander 50 mm f/1.1. I don’t know if I like it, yet. I developed another roll of film that I shot with the lens, this time without incident.

What I’m seeing so far is decent sharpness, little if any vignetting, which is good, and good light gathering abilities. What I’m not seeing is that “punch” that I’m used to with the Summicron. I’ve shot this lens along the complete range of its apertures, from 1.1 to 16. I’ve tried to stay as consistent as I can in my developing using the same developer, time, temperature, etc, even the same reels and developing tank. All of the negatives are coming out properly exposed, but they all seem lacking.
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Perhaps its the time of day, the subjects that I’ve picked, or … who knows what. This weekend, as a last hurrah, I plan on going to Asheville, NC and spending the day there, shooting with both lenses, then coming back and having a look.

I can say that from a purchase point of view, this is not the lens for me. It doesn’t suit my style. I usually don’t shoot in such low light levels as to need such a large lens. The extra size and weight outweigh the usefulness, to me, of the lens. It just makes the camera heavier and more obvious.

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3 comments on “Still trying to like the lens.”

  1. Two very nice shot, Paul. I especially like the landscape, great tonality. When you say “punch” I here “contrast”. Lens coatings can affect the contrast produced by the lens. I know some prefer the less contrasty coatings and control contrast in printing or processing. It’s a personal thing I guess.

    • Yes, Ken. Exactly. Contrast, or perhaps apparent sharpness? There’s just that ‘something’. I don’t see it here, but perhaps it was the wrong subject, or wrong part of the day. It was a lightly foggy morning … we’ll see.

  2. Well, you know I’m a fan of the Summicron, so I think I’ll be avoiding this lens. Thanks for the scouting report!

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