Square Bokeh: Componar 50mm f4.5 Meets Brother Componar 75mm f4.5

Went to the camera show yesterday and picked up a few more enlarging lenses.  One of which is a 4-bladed 75mm f4.5 Schneider-Kreuznach Componar, the bigger brother of the 50mm f4.5.  I expect the image quality will be better than the 50mm f4.5 and the weird bokeh will be similar.

Another enlarging lens that I picked up is the Rodenstock Rogonar-SC 50mm f2.8.  Will be interesting to compare this one with the EL-Nikkor 50mm f2.8.

Brothers - Componar 50mm f4.5 and 75mm f4.5. Click for larger.

I am happy to say that the 75mm f4.5 Componar is much better than the 50mm f4.5, in terms of optical quality, especially the corners.  It's very sharp wide open, similar to the Schneider-Kreuznach 75mm f4 (why do they have so many enlarging lenses of the same focal length?).  I do notice the square bokeh is less pronounced than the 50mm f4.5, maybe the longer focal length has less depth of field.

Square Bokeh - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 75mm f4.5. Click for larger.

Wide Open it looks normal - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 75mm f4.5. Click for larger.

Super Sharp  - NEX-5N & Schneider-Kreuznach Componar 75mm f4.5 @ f5.6. Click for larger.

Zoomar Kilfitt Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8 - A Set of Pictures

The Kilfitt Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8 is one of those lenses that while not used often, but is the lens I would grab when I want to shoot some macro pictures, or pictures in the portrait focal length.  Sure, the Contax Carl Zeiss S-Planar 60mm f2.8 Makro is sharp as a blade, and I also like it lots, but it doesn't have quite the same kind of characteristics that I find attractive with the Kilfitt 90mm f2.8 Makro.

Butterfly - NEX-5N & Zoomar Kilfitt Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Cyclist - NEX-5N & Zoomar Kilfitt Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Streetcar - NEX-5N & Zoomar Kilfitt Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8. Click for larger.

Sunflower - NEX-5N & Zoomar Kilfitt Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8. Click for larger.

A Set of Jupiter-8M 50mm f2 Pictures

When I first got this lens, which I don't even remember where and when, I thought it was some sort of disassembled part of a lens, because it has no focusing ring.  It's like an enlarger lens.  Turns out that this is a rangefinder lens used on some Russian rangefinders and is also compatible with the Contax rangefinder mount.  The focusing part of the lens is on the camera body.

There are adapter specifically made for this lens and the NEX/M4/3 but they are pretty expensive at over $100.  It's much cheaper to mount it on the helicoid and use it that way.  With the 17-32mm helicoid, it's just barely short enough for the lens to focus to infinity.  Unfortunately, the Chinese made 17-32mm helicoid is very badly made and it has some play between the parts of the helicoid when new.  And now it's basically unusable.  I used this lens on the 12-17mm helicoid.  Though works, but the minimum focus distance is a lot longer and it has the same problem with its longer brother - bad workmanship.  In contrast, the Vivitar 2X macro teleconverter is smooth and solid.

School Bus -- NEX-5N & Jupiter-8M 50mm f2. Click for larger size.

Tiger Lily -- NEX-5N & Jupiter-8M 50mm f2. Click for larger size.

Streetcar -- NEX-5N & Jupiter-8M 50mm f2. Click for larger size.