Helios 40 VS Cron 50 VS Elmarit 135

Even though last year was supposed to be my 365 project, I miss posting shots on my blog file, so its time to get back in gear!

This shot was ISO 100 f2.8 1/25th of a second , all of these shots were handheld BTW

 its a shot of a tulip in our garden just after sunset taken at point blank range with the overkill lens the Helios 40 85mm T34 tank gunsight. I say Overkill because it weighs a Kilo and is stiff as heck to focus, sometimes focusing it unscrews it from the camera, next thing I need to do is get it adjusted and lubed up.

here is what it looks like on Camera ( taken with the Elmarit 135)

 Just like the  Elmarit 135 lens on the leica M8 its a chore to use and you really suffer for your *craft* but if you ever nail it, wow, what a great piece of glassware! sharp in the centre and a rapid falloff to the edges, plus that deliciously smooth bokeh

  here is one that is similar to the next 2 comparison shots

ISO 100 f2.8 1/160th of a sec

so thats the 1965 Helios 40 85mm f1.5  stepped down a tad to f2.8, the reason for this is the Elmarit only goes to f2.8, and I wanted to compare them on semi-equal footing  :)

 Next up is the Leitz Kanada Elmarit 135/2.8 , complete with my new IR cut filter , so here is the best shot I got from that lens .

ISO 160 f2.8 and 1/125th of a second

 This shot was before the sun went down below the houses and horizon, but it is still appealing to me because of the dreamy quality the light gave it , oh to be back in San Diego now that I have some good cameras! 

 The main disadvantage of the rangefinder camera is that the minimum focus for most lenses is quite far, on the 135mm lens its 1.5 metres ( 5 feet) which is a drag  as you have to focus , and then look at the LCD and see how it looks :(   as you can see , this is a little out of focus , but the out of focus background is what I wanted to compare anyway so no big deal.


 I really like the bokeh/depth of field/ out of focus type of shots , and sometimes its nice to have a bit of fun with processing also .   Hmmm ,  even though for years I was a staunch purist now I think about it ,  no crops , no processing , no anything, blah blah, I can safely say I was full of S%$# . I have access to a fully digital workflow and darkroom, and I enjoy it a lot more than I used to, because I can get the results i want quite readily.

 so enough confession, here is the fun shot

shot wide open at F2.8 ISO 160 and  1/500th of a second .

I messed with the white balance and the contrast, I then added in some grain to make it look vintage. Ive always liked the 70s album cover shots that look like they were shot on grainy film, and thats what I ended up with after listening to Vangelis' Opera Sauvage again while editing!

 The background came out really nice and I think the colours remind me of a mid 70s sunset in the UK


 Last and definitely not least is this shot :

 Taken with the 1964 Summicron 50/2 lens , stepped down to f2.8 , as you can see , the background is a lot more defined , illustrating the difference that a change in focal length can make. 

ISO 160 f2.8 1/125th of a second

 for a goof here is a shot at f8 to see how sharp it gets

ISO 160 F8 1/125th of a second

and the best part about doing comparisons and tests, is that my kids are always nearby, and even though I was trying to keep track of the settings etc in my cameras, I managed to snap this of my eldest as she took a sniff of the tulips while I still had the cron 50 mounted

 is it flared out? a little low in contrast ? I dont care to be honest, I think its captures what being a kid is all about, sniffing flowers on a beautifully warm evening