thegman
Mentor
Hi all,
Right now, on my ZI, I'm sporting a 35mm 1.4 Nokton, an excellent lens. Sometimes I think I may want a 50mm, as a lens more suited to portraits so I'm not right up in the subject's face. Also, maybe the shallow DOF might make the subject pop off the backdrop in a pleasing way.
I was thinking of maybe trading my Nokton for an f2 Summicron, I've seen such Summicrons go for prices not unlike the Nokton, and I think I can live without an extra stop of light. But then I noticed Jupiter 50mm lenses going for almost nothing on eBay. Image quality is important to me, will a Jupiter disappoint? I can't justify keeping the Nokton and a Summicron, but I could certainly justify keeping the Nokton and getting a Jupiter.
So, is the Summicron so good to warrant selling the Nokton, or would I be better off trying out a Jupiter?
I'm not the type to carry multiple lenses around with me, so having only only one (albeit very good) lens, appeals to me.
Any thoughts on the matter?
Thanks
Garry
Right now, on my ZI, I'm sporting a 35mm 1.4 Nokton, an excellent lens. Sometimes I think I may want a 50mm, as a lens more suited to portraits so I'm not right up in the subject's face. Also, maybe the shallow DOF might make the subject pop off the backdrop in a pleasing way.
I was thinking of maybe trading my Nokton for an f2 Summicron, I've seen such Summicrons go for prices not unlike the Nokton, and I think I can live without an extra stop of light. But then I noticed Jupiter 50mm lenses going for almost nothing on eBay. Image quality is important to me, will a Jupiter disappoint? I can't justify keeping the Nokton and a Summicron, but I could certainly justify keeping the Nokton and getting a Jupiter.
So, is the Summicron so good to warrant selling the Nokton, or would I be better off trying out a Jupiter?
I'm not the type to carry multiple lenses around with me, so having only only one (albeit very good) lens, appeals to me.
Any thoughts on the matter?
Thanks
Garry
tbarker13
shooter of stuff
Was in a similar situation a couple months back, trying to figure out which 50 I would use for portraits. For more modern portraits, I went with a Zeiss Planar.
Obviously the 50 summicron is a great lens, but the planar isn't too shabby.
The third photo is a Jupiter 3. If you can get a nice copy, they are awesome lenses. But different.
Obviously the 50 summicron is a great lens, but the planar isn't too shabby.
The third photo is a Jupiter 3. If you can get a nice copy, they are awesome lenses. But different.
photo4ls
Well-known
If you decide to go w/Jupiter (J-8 or J-3),
you should talk w/Brian Sweeney, he is very
informative about these lens when it comes
having them shimmed to fit your M bodies.
Nelson
you should talk w/Brian Sweeney, he is very
informative about these lens when it comes
having them shimmed to fit your M bodies.
Nelson
Jason Sprenger
Well-known
A J8 and an adapter may be a good way to see if a 50mm is going to meet your needs more entirely than the 35/1.4 Nokton or if you find a 50mm would complement the wider lenses you already have. If it does, you can then sell with the 35/1.4 Nokton, get the sharp 50mm and see if you prefer the modern look or sonnar look.
A black Jupiter-8 is one of my favorite 50mm's particularly these days if I'm only bringing a camera and not a bag with other lenses. My J8 is plenty sharp stopped down but is more about "the look" than the sharpness.
Nevertheless, a Planar or modern Summicron is going to be sharp w/o compromise. A cool thing if you can swing keeping the Nokton and getting a Planar is that they share the same hood and filters.
A black Jupiter-8 is one of my favorite 50mm's particularly these days if I'm only bringing a camera and not a bag with other lenses. My J8 is plenty sharp stopped down but is more about "the look" than the sharpness.
Nevertheless, a Planar or modern Summicron is going to be sharp w/o compromise. A cool thing if you can swing keeping the Nokton and getting a Planar is that they share the same hood and filters.
thegman
Mentor
Thanks for the advice to all. Tim, those portraits are superb, the Jupiter seems more than up to the job, for that reason I'll take a look at the Jupiters, thanks!
tbarker13
shooter of stuff
Thanks.
Jupiters can be a wonderful thing. I'd definitely suggest doing a bit of research on them, particularly if you go for the J3 (50/1.5 model). The lenses made in the 1950s are supposed to be among the best. Mine is a 1953 model that was worked on by Brian Sweeney.
There are a lot of people on this forum who know a lot more about them than me. And there have been several recent threads that should help you with your decision.