Favorite subject taken with favorite lens

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I have a new favorite bit of kit ... Its called a Summarit, it was made in 1956 and it makes photos like these! Im very very pleased with it so im showing everyone the pictures ...
Also, check out Connie now, she does loads of stuff these days :)


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8045/8109161181_b0847cece3_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/8109161181/)
Connie with her books (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/8109161181/) by Hamish_Gill (http://www.flickr.com/people/hamishgill/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8327/8109169178_ecc7e283cc_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/8109169178/)
Connie with her books (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/8109169178/) by Hamish_Gill (http://www.flickr.com/people/hamishgill/), on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8044/8109168996_380801cf45_c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/8109168996/)
Connie with her books (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hamishgill/8109168996/) by Hamish_Gill (http://www.flickr.com/people/hamishgill/), on Flickr

[Tim]

That's pretty neat Hamish, I love that first one :)

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Cheers Tim :)

[MartinT]

It's the third one for me, Hamish. Gorgeous!

So what's special about the lens and what does it fit onto?

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Thanks Martin!
It's special because of the photos it takes ;)
... Also because it completely splits opinion it seems, loads of people think they take soft indestinct mushy photos, whilst other would agree but (like me), we would call them creamy dreamy and wonderful :)
This one is LTM (leica thread mount) it also comes in M mount (or leica m mount).
It's a Ernst Leitz Wetslar Summarit 5cm f1.5

http://i728.photobucket.com/albums/ww282/hamish_gill/0018C665-42AF-4514-A000-B194428125EE-2422-000002A277CE7F60.jpg

It would have been intended to be mounted on its contemporary Leica iiif or any of the previous incarnations of the leica thread mount Barnack Leica's or indeed, with an adapter any of the m mount cameras that came after.

I use it on my voightlander r2a and epson r-d1s (m mount cameras) you could use it on any ltm cameras of which there are hundreds. Or you could even mount it on your Panasonic gf1 with the right adapter. It would give you an equivelent focal length of 100mm - it would probably make a lovely portrait lens :)

[MartinT]

Very nice - I like the soft focus look with indoor lighting.

As for my GF1, I'm still playing with the idea of the pancake lens that you recommended a good while ago. So many things vying for my money!

[Tarzan]

Very atmospheric! Beautiful pictures:)

[The Vinyl Adventure]

They have a pancake like "power" zoom now Martin... Makes the whole camera a lot more pocketable ...

Cheers Andy :)

[Barry]

If you want the soft focus lens, it has to be the Leitz f4 Thambar.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

I've thought a few times about a Nikon DC lens as it goes (I could never afford or justify a Thambar) ...
I'm not sure about the soft focus look though, it looks to 1980s to me ...
Where the summarit works for me is wide open what is in focus, is actually pretty sharp, in the centre at least. It's the out of focus areas I like! It makes everything swirly or melt together in an non-uniform way ... It's just pretty to my eye

[Haselsh1]

For me personally, that is a big problem with Nikon lenses including their AIS lenses that I use, they are just so modern. I'd love to see your old Leica lens fitted to a Zorki 4K or similar and used with a roll of original Agfapan APX100 developed in Rodinal.

[freefallrob]

Really lovely pics :-)

[Marco]

Where the summarit works for me is wide open what is in focus, is actually pretty sharp, in the centre at least. It's the out of focus areas I like!

Yes I love the vanilla-yellow creamy warmth it lends to your images, Hamish. Makes you feel all snuggly and cosy inside! Well done, dude :cool:

Marco.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

For me personally, that is a big problem with Nikon lenses including their AIS lenses that I use, they are just so modern. I'd love to see your old Leica lens fitted to a Zorki 4K or similar and used with a roll of original Agfapan APX100 developed in Rodinal.

Funnily enough I was looking at 4k's yesterday (mine died a long time ago) ...
I cant decide weather to go cheap and get a zorki or get a iiif?

As for rodinal, there is a chap on my forum who stand devs in it, I love the results, just havent got round to clicking the button on some yet...
Maybe its time i did, it is winter, and that means the dev tanks get the summer dust blown off them :)

[The Vinyl Adventure]

Cheers Rob and Marco

[MartinT]

Hmm, I'm off to Russia next year. Wonder if I could pick up a Zorki cheap? It's a long time since a Zenit EM was my pride and joy. I took a lot of good photos with that.

[The Vinyl Adventure]

you can get them cheap here, so god knows how little you would get one over there ... Id go hunting for some of the more sought after fsu lenses

[Barry]

I incorrectly described the Leitz 'Thambar' soft focus portrait lens. It is an f/2.2, 90mm lens.

Somewhat academic, as they seem to sell these days for between $4,500 and $7,000! :eek:

[Andrei]

Very, very nice. If I may be permitted a suggestion - you may wish to allow Connie some literature that is a bit more suitable. Dickens, Austen, Tolstoy for example.