Leitz Colorplan 90mm f2.5 Projection Lens

Cherry Blossoms -- NEX-5 & Leitz Colorplan 90mm f2.5 Projection Lens. Click to see larger.

This is my second Leitz projection lens.  I also have a Hektor 120mm f2.5, which I converted and covered here. These two lenses share very similar image characteristics.  Not overly sharp, but have reasonably good bokeh and quite nice colour.

Skywheel at Night

Skywheel viewed from the side -- NEX-5 & Sony 16mm Pancake

Took the kids to Niagara Falls for a couple of days this long holiday weekend.  As usual, everything is expensive in a tourist area like Niagara Falls, but the kids had fun.  We took a walk at night around Cliffton Hills and the Sony 16mm lens came in really handy.  I could shoot hand held and still got sharp pictures.  I have heard a lot of bad things said about the 16mm f2.8 lens, but I really like this little pancake.  It's very sharp in the center at f2.8, and quite acceptable at th edges stopped down.  For the money, it's a good deal.

Metropolitan United Church

In Full Blossom -- NEX-5 & Astro-Kino 65mm f1.5 Projection Lens

The Astro-Kino 65mm f1.5 projection lens has many qualities of an old cine lens, especially the swirling backgrounds.  I didn't expect a  projection lens would behave this way, but this particular lens was designed for 16mm projectors so the imaging circle probably did not need to be very large.  Another interesting thing I found out is that most projection lenses is sharper at infinity than close up, which makes sense when you think about it.

A lot of people pay a lot of money for lenses like the Dallmeyer Speed 1 inch f1.5, which share similar swirling backgrounds as this lens.  If this is what pleases you, you should keep an eye on one of these lenses, which turns up on eBay once in a while for $30 to $50.

A Snail's Pace

Getting there -- NEX-5 & Kowa (EIKI) 50mm f1.2 Projection Lens.

The Kowa Super Prominar-16 50mm f1.2 projection lens is so far the fastest of the projection lenses I have, beats out the Paillard-Bolex 50mm f1.3 by a hair.  It's also the only projection lens so far that won't focus to infinity with my home-brew focusing helicoid.  The end of the lens almost touches the helicoid, and still not enough to focus more than a few meters away.

Unlike the razor-sharp Paillard-Bolex 50/1.3, this one is much softer.  I have only used it once today, so haven't really gotten a feel for it yet, but I kind of like how the pictures come out of the lens.

Pine Cone #1

Pine Cone -- NEX-5 & Bell & Howell 76mm f1.6 Projection Lens. Click to see larger

Yet another projection lens.  Sometimes I feel like I would never have enough time to convert all my projection lenses into something usable.  There are still a few of them waiting in line to be used.  Projection lenses currently represent one of the best values in lenses.

There are advantages:
1.  Optimized for wide open performance.  The posted aperture of the lens is usually the best aperture.
2.  Very fast optically.  It's not unusual to have 50mm f1.2 aperture or even faster.
3.  Most of them are extremely sharp

The Disadvantages:
1.  No Aperture control
2.  No focusing ring
3.  Usually very short lens flange

For a lens junkie like me, projection lenses are irresistible.  The conversion process is as much fun as taking pictures using them.  

Pink Bicycle Bell

Pink Bell -- NEX-5 & Industar 50mm f3.5 @ f3.5. Click to see larger.

Over the years, I have had a few Russian lenses.  Most of them were copies of the Zeiss designer, such as the 85mm f2 (Sonnar) and 58mm f2 (Biotar).  The Industar 50mm f3.5 is a tiny pancake lenses that I picked up at the Photo Show on the weekend.  This lens is a copy of the Tessar design and produces surprisingly good and pleasing pictures.  As with most Tessar lenses, this on is sharp wide open and very sharp stopped down.

If you are looking for that Zeiss look, but don't want to pay through the nose, these old Russian lenses are good alternatives.

Leitz Varob 5cm f3.5 Enlarging Lens

If you don't look at the name ring of this lens, you might just think that it's just one those old, cheap and probably useless enlarging lenses.  Holding this lens in your hand, you just won't hear it scream "Leica Quality".  In fact, I think the Federal enlarging lenses I have been using are better made than this one.  Definitely unusual with a Leitz name.

This lens is one of the early enlarging lenses and therefore not coated.  Naturally, I didn't expect much from it.  And in reality, it's not a really sharp lens, at least not at infinity.  It performs much better at close range.  Unexpectedly, this is one of the enlarging lenses with nicest bokeh.  Making it worth the time that it took me to make it fit the focusing helicoid.

Bokeh -- NEX-5 & Leitz Varob 5cm f3.5 Enlarging Lens. Click to see larger.

Trapped by the water -- NEX-5 & Leitz Varob 5cm f3.5 Enlarging Lens. Click to see larger.

Not Tulip! -- NEX-5 & Leitz Varob 5cm f3.5 Enlarging Lens. Click to see larger.

Astro-Kino Color IV 65mm f1.5 Projection Lens

This is one of the (quite) a few projection lenses I have.  Due to their simpler design, these lenses are normally much faster than a "real" lens with the same focal length, because only one aperture setting needs to be considered and corrected.  For this reason, most projection lenses are very sharp wide open, as they are designed to be best at this one and only aperture setting.

 

Yellow tulips - NEX-5 & Astro-Kino 65mm f1.5. Click to see larger

I don't even know who makes this lens.  There is no place of original engraved on the lens, but the numerical system used (1:1,5 vs 1:1.5) indicates that it probably orginated from Europe, or at least designed for the European market.  The coating is similar to that of the Kern Paillard Bolex 50mm f1.3, but is not as well made as the Bolex.  Also, both were designed as a 16mm projection lens.

The Astro-Kino 65mm f1.5 is not as sharp as the Paillard-Bolex 50mm f1.3, but it has one less common characteristic: swirling backgrounds.  Some really like this kind of affect, I am not so much into it.  If anything, it makes my head spin.

Like most projection lenses, flare control is not great, and bokeh is strange and a little too weird for my taste, but not as bad as the Ilex 80mm f1.3.  That one is the worse lens for bokeh, bar none, at least within my lens collection.

Astro-Kino with the home brewed focusing helicoid. click to see larger.

In terms of purple fringing, the Astro-Kino is one of the better ones.  Unlike the Paillard-Bolex 50mm f1.3, which can be as bad as causing a layer of light purple on the picture where there are bright white colours.  I guess the biggest drawback of using a projection lens, other than the focusing issue, is that there is no aperture control. But, shoot with what you have, and be surprised!

 

Creamy, Delicious Bokeh

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Pink Tulips -- NEX-5 & Zoomar Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8 @ f2.8. Click to see larger.

If you like creamy, dreamy, delicious bokeh, the Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8 delivers.  Of all the manual focus lenses I have used, this lens is by far my favourite when it comes to bokeh, and the Leica-R Summicron 90mm f2 is a close second.  As I said before, the unique feature of this lens is the rings from highlights wide open.  These rings are gone by f2.8 f4.

Red Tulips -- NEX-5 & Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8 @ f2.8. Click for larger.

Admittedly, everyone looks at bokeh a bit differently.  There is no bad/good bokeh.  It's a very personal thing.  Aside from the nice bokeh, I like the pictures from this lens too, due to its very rich tonal rendition.  There are so much details that can be pulled from pictures taken with this lens.  The highlights roll off very gracefully that you won't see the disgusting dead white when it clips.

White Tulips -- NEX-5 & Makro Kilar 90mm f2.8 @ f2.8. Click for larger.

My copy of the Makro Kilar is not great, and getting it was purely accidental.  I was buying the Birns & Saywer 150mm f3 movie lens, and the seller said he had another lens at home and if was interested to see it.  Sure I was, and I am glad I said yes.  The condition of this lens is poor.  Very well used and quite dusty inside, and the coating is starting to disintegrate.  All that does not seem to affect the image quality one bit.  I love how the images are rendered by this lens.

Sorry about all the tulip pictures.  I like tulips :)

Will I Be Happy with a 1Ds Mark II?

For some reason, I have been thinking about another Canon full frame body lately.  Two came to mind: 5D II and 1Ds II.  Everyone knows that the image quality of the 5D II blows the 1Ds II out of the water, and with video to boot.  But I kind of like the 1-Series bodies and the handling, not to mention the built quality.  Yes, they are heavier and a lot bulkier.

I have seen the 1Ds II on Craigslist for around $1700.  That's a very tempting price, considering how much it was when new, and is cheaper than the 5D II used.  It was my dream to own one of this beasts, but the cost was way out of my reach.  What I am afraid will happen is that once I got the 1Ds II, I will be thinking about the 5D II.  The high ISO capabilities, the video, the smaller form factor and portability.  But, I like the 1Ds II too.  It shares the same batteries as my 1D IIn, same image quality as my 1D IIn that I know what to expect, which to me is acceptable even at ISO 1600.  I also like the fact that is a Canon made cross split focusing screen for manual focus lenses, not to mention it works with more manual focus lenses without hitting reflex mirror.

Perhaps I should just shoot with the NEX-5 for another year or two, exclusively, and who knows what kind of revolutionary products may be introduced in two years?  OK, that's an excuse, but I just can't decide.

Swirling Effect -- NEX-5 & Astro-Kino 65mm f1.5 projection lens. Click to see larger.