Ernostar 110mm f1.9 Projection Lens - Photo Set

It's been a little while since I used a projection lens to make pictures. Though many people don't share my love for them, I find them fascinating. I do admit, without aperture control, sometimes I find it a bit frustrating as I don't always want to have paper thin depth of field and a sharper image is desirable. Complains aside, these projection lenses are very cheap and the quality is excellent, especially in low lights.

Tree Trunks - NEX-6 & Ernostar 110mm f1.9. Click for larger

Sparrow on fence - NEX-6 & Ernostar 110mm f1.9. Click for larger

Pay Phones - NEX-6 & Ernostar 110mm f1.9. Click for larger

Canon's Upcoming EVIL Camera

The rumor mill is in full swing regarding the new Canon EVIL camera that's coming on the 23rd of this month.  The good news is that instead of the M4/3 sized sensor used on the G1X, Canon will be using the APS-C (presumably same 1.6x size as all the Canon crop cameras use, except the 1D series).  Specs are still sketchy, but I really hope the flange focal distance will be short like the 20mm of the M4/3 mount, otherwise the wonderful M lenses will not be usable, and that will be a huge disappointment to many.

For some reason, I am not as excited as I thought I would be.  Sure, the camera will probably be good, but the EVIL camera market has matured to a point where most EVIL cameras are already excellent, especially since the OM-D EM-5, which is a benchmark of a camera for M4/3.  It would be tough for Canon to surpass it in terms of image quality (judging from their current 1.6x sensors) and usability.  I didn't notice it before, but lately when I look at the images I shot with the Canon 1D III, they clearly lack the dynamic range that the pictures from the NEX-5N have in high contrast situations.  I prefer (or maybe I am used to) the Sony image.

Regardless, I am eager to find out what Canon has to offer.  Will it be another me-too camera, or something that causes a paradigm shift in the EVIL camera industry?  Somehow I am not holding my breathe for the latter, but I will be more than happy to be proven wrong.

Red Leaf -- NEX-5N & Zeiss Ikon Ernostar 110mm f1.9 Projection Lens.

Zeiss Ikon Ernostar 110mm f1.9 Projection Lens

Unknown to many, the Ernostar name is quite famous.  Ludwig Bertele created the world's fastest still photography lens with a maximum aperture of f2, and used by the Dr. Erich Solomon.  Dr. Solomon captured some of the world's most engaging and unforgettable photos, often without the subject knowing that he was photographing them.

Ernostar was derived from the equally famous Triplet design, and in turn, the Sonnar design was derived from Ernostar.  The Canon EF 135mm f2L lens that I and many love, is a derivative of the Ernostar.  With this history, I had high expectations when I tried out the Ernostar 110mm f1.9 projection lens.

B&L Cinephor 120mm f1.9 on the left, Zeiss Ikon Ernostar 110mm f1.9 on the right.

The Ernostar 110mm f1.9 has nice multi-coating.

This is a very large lens, similar to size and weight as the B&L Super Cinephor.  It has very beautiful multi-coating, which is quite unusual for old projection lenses.  However, the very short flange focal distance makes it hard to focus to infinity even on the Sony NEX-5N.  I had to use a very short 12-17mm focus helicoid.  In actual use, the lens performed better than the newer B&L 120mm f1.9.  Purple fringing is surprisingly well controlled.  It's almost as good as modern lenses.

Green -- NEX-5N & Zeiss Ikon Ernostar 110mm f1.9. Click for larger.

The lens is sharp with very good contrast.  I would rate it excellent at its working aperture.  If only I could stop it down a tiny bit, I am sure the sharpness will be even better. As is, it's completely usable but the thin depth of field makes it hard to focus.  Again, the EVF helps a great deal here.

Bokeh -- NEX-5N & Zeiss Ikon Ernostar 110mm f1.9. Click for larger.

I promise this will be the last of the weird alt lenses that I will post with regularity.  I know lately I have been overly enthusiastic on these kind of lenses, which I am sure very few people actually would use, or find it useful, but I enjoy making them usable and using them to take pictures.

Next time we will look at a couple of 55mm f1.4 lenses: Mamiya Sekor 55mm f1.4 and Auto Chinon 55mm f1.4 M42 mount lenses.