Sonnar and Sonnar-type fan page :)

[raytoei]

This lens never cease to amaze me.

I remember reading from this forum about the whole range of Sonnar and Sonnar types and the crazy beautiful images it produces. While there are those who would prefer something sharper (say Planar) or higher resolution (say Summicron), I believe Sonnar has quite a character.

For those who wonder what's the fuss about this lens, consider this:

Wide-open, say f1.5 - f2.8, the image it paints is soft but detailed. It isn't sharp wide open but it is pleasing to the eye. In other words, it is a Char-Bo lens, great for taking pictures of daughters, wives, and girlfriends.

Here is a picture taken today, exposure was like f2 and 1/1000 second on Kodak Plus-X pushed to iso 400. M4-P and CZJ Sonnar.

"Wear Glasses Day"

Stop-Down, this lens is sharp. I am continuously surprised by how sharp it can be.
Here is a picture on the same roll as above, but at f16 and 1/1000. Same lens and camera. (Excuse the poor framing)

Level 33 View of Marine Bay.

Please share your Sonnar (ZM, CZJ-Sonnar LTM) and Sonnar-Variants (Canon 1.5, Jupiter-8, Nikkor SC 1.4).

cheers!

raytoei

 

[paapoopa]

i think this is a very poison thread...
i have only try 1 type of sonnar, contax mount version.
my copy i believe is the 1950s post war sonnar.
i like it so much that i am very tempted to get the amedeo contax to m mount adaptor to use it on my leica..... but the adaptor is so hard to hunt down..

contax iiia + carl zeiss sonnar 50/1.5 + tri-x
rodinal 1:100
my copy of sonnar seems pretty sharp even wide open

from the same roll
i like the painted feel bokeh

even misfocus shot, i also like how it renders.. :bsmilie:

 

[newghost]

one modern sonnar and another from decades past... i love them both!

click on link to view on black...

zm 50mm f1.5



canon 50mm f1.5

 

[Thedraperyfalls]

zm 50mm f1.5

This is stunning man, love the rendering and the glow. Very 3D too. That aside, it's also a great shot.
Your daughter? Pretty girl!

 

[tcy81]

Couple of photos from Zeiss Opton T 50mm f1.5 sonnar Contax mount

 

[hookonclassic]

i think this is a very poison thread...
i have only try 1 type of sonnar, contax mount version.
my copy i believe is the 1950s post war sonnar.
i like it so much that i am very tempted to get the amedeo contax to m mount adaptor to use it on my leica..... but the adaptor is so hard to hunt down..

Bro...I believe you can buy from Chiif or HK store...

http://www.c9leica.com/leicameras/?q=amedeo

 

[Shahrie]

Come on guys. Quit opening poisonous threads! My 1st Leica and cron now being CLA'ed. Haven't buy lightmeter, half case, straps, soft release, stock up films. My pockets and pants already burned liao. Hahaha.

But the pics are amazing!!! Arghhh!

 

[raytoei]

my no.1 mei mei shot, sometime last year at Alcova.
m4 with Canon 50/1.5 with Neopan 1600 pushed past 6400 iso.

 

[raytoei]

Here is a brillant article by Roger Hicks (I have 3 of his books, which you can buy off Amazon.com for like $5 each, the shipping will cost much more)

http://www.rogerandfrances.com/photoschool/ps firstlook sonnar 50.html

Let me quote the 3 faults:

a. there are sharper lens out there, if you read steve huff column, he thought the had a bad sample when he found the sonnar 'soft' compared to the lux.

b. it vignettes

c. It suffers from focus shift. There is also the concept of optimization at certain aperture. (Mine is optimized at f1.5-f2.8)

cheers!

raytoei

 

[gommy]

Posted this on the "Wish List for 2011" thread:
The fastest 50mm Sonnar:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/823198-10-wish-list-2011?p=7190081#post7190081

 

[blacvios]

Posted this on the "Wish List for 2011" thread:
The fastest 50mm Sonnar:
http://www.clubsnap.com/forums/threads/823198-10-wish-list-2011?p=7190081#post7190081

Give me a time machine

 

[artspraken]

Zunow is very ex. Even if I can buy it (need to sell both my kidneys), I dun think I dare to bring it on walkabout.

Zeiss C Sonnar F1.5 is comparatively cheap and affordable. Its a very flexible lens. Wide open it is soft cha bor lens, but stopped down it becomes modern sharp. The reason I have not got it is because there are 2 versions due to focus shift optimisation: one optimised for 1.5 and one optimised for 2.8. The trouble is the version is not apparent from the box or the serial. The only way to find out the version is to actually test it, and not many sellers willing to bother. Even if they know about the 2 different versions, they rather pretend they don't. All this makes the buying experience rather like a shot in the dark.

Which version is better, is subject of much academic debate. You can google for sonnar focus shift and you will see the discussions. I figure it really depends on personal preference. Anyhow, on film I do not think the focus shift is very apparent. btw, few people mention it but the Sonnar focuses at 0.9m which is something u might wanna note.

 

[newghost]

This is stunning man, love the rendering and the glow. Very 3D too. That aside, it's also a great shot.
Your daughter? Pretty girl!

Thanks my friend. Yep, she's my daughter
With the modern zeiss, it adds a touch of 3D which is lovely, kind of seafood to some and "poison" to others! :devil:

Which version is better, is subject of much academic debate. You can google for sonnar focus shift and you will see the discussions. I figure it really depends on personal preference. Anyhow, on film I do not think the focus shift is very apparent.

Probably that's also the reason why you rarely see this lens come up for sale in the b/s subforum. I wouldn't even contemplate letting go my chrome copy...

 

[raytoei]

one problem is that not all rf are aligned accurately,

here is one test to frustrate you:
focus on a subject but turn the barrel from
right to left (inf to near) and then note the distance shown,
then focus from left to right and you will be surprised that
there may be 2 different distance shown on the same subject
. I found that my M4-P is more accurate from Inf to Near,
so as a habit that is how I focus.

Once the RF is not aligned property, focusing with
a f1.5 aperture becomes a problem. Hence
f2.8 becomes more tolerable.

For example, at 1.5m distance, at f1.5, the DOF is only 7cm.
It becomes even more narrower at 1m, which is only 3cm.

At f2.8, 1.5m has a 15cm DOF while 1m = 6cm.

this is a good place to check: http://www.dofmaster.com/dofjs.html

raytoei

 

[Cactus jACK]

chose your sonnar poison...

in case you missed it, i refer you to the 2010 sonnar lense test by zoomp et al.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Zeiss C Sonnar F1.5 is comparatively cheap and affordable. Its a very flexible lens. Wide open it is soft cha bor lens, but stopped down it becomes modern sharp. The reason I have not got it is because there are 2 versions due to focus shift optimisation: one optimised for 1.5 and one optimised for 2.8. The trouble is the version is not apparent from the box or the serial. The only way to find out the version is to actually test it, and not many sellers willing to bother. Even if they know about the 2 different versions, they rather pretend they don't. All this makes the buying experience rather like a shot in the dark.

Which version is better, is subject of much academic debate. You can google for sonnar focus shift and you will see the discussions. I figure it really depends on personal preference. Anyhow, on film I do not think the focus shift is very apparent. btw, few people mention it but the Sonnar focuses at 0.9m which is something u might wanna note.

A few years back, I sent two ZM C-Sonnar 50/1.5 lenses to Cosina for optimisation for f/1.5, but Cosina adjusted both lenses so that the focus point at f/1.5 was at the rear edge of the DOF, and the focus point at f/2.8 was toward the front of the DOF. According to the Cosina tech I spoke to, that was the best compromise for use at f/1.5 and f/2.8 - so both lenses were effectively optimised for f2. Cosina did the optimisation for free as well!!!

Now, Cosina charges to do the optimisation and will adjust the lens according to the customer's requirements - everything from perfect focus at f/1.5 to a compromise between f/1.5 an f/2.8 is possible.

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Zeiss C Sonnar, optimised at F1.5, Chairman's copy:



Jupiter 3, Xavier's copy:



I've never really owned a Sonnar, mostly on loan from the RF guys just to try how.

However, I'm looking for a mint copy of Canon Sonnar, will trade it with my chrome Nokton 50mm F1.5! Anyone interested?

 

[artspraken]

Zeiss C Sonnar, optimised at F1.5, Chairman's copy:



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What excellent gleaming white teeth! That is a smile that can carry a toothpaste advert

 

[Royale With Cheese]

What excellent gleaming white teeth! That is a smile that can carry a toothpaste advert

Chairman's copy optimised at F1.5 is damn sharp wide open!

 

[meven]

...

Zeiss C Sonnar F1.5 is comparatively cheap and affordable. Its a very flexible lens. Wide open it is soft cha bor lens, ...

This statement applies for old sonnar lenses but it is definitely not true for the modern Zeiss C Sonnar ZM. It is a very sharp lens even wide open, check out all the examples on Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/zeissikon50mm-c/
http://www.flickr.com/groups/86731438@N00/pool/tags/ZeissCSonnar50mmf1.5

It is probably the only lens I would never consider selling.