S-mount 50mm lenses - 4 way comparison

[jonmanjiro]

Great thread. Any comparisons with the classical Nikon 5cm f1.4 Olympic?

Not unless you do it for us, Vick. You still have an Olympic 50/1.4 right?

 

[jonmanjiro]

I only wish you'd had in hand, when you did the tests, the main lens for my S3 body that's visiting you now in Tokyo. It's a 2007 Sonnar-C in S-mount, and I go back and forth between it and a vintage Nikkor. I haven't done what you'd really call tests with it, but I believe it has less CA than my Millennium Nikkor. Wide open it seems to preserve the old Sonnar look; then it becomes quite modern/contrasty when stopped down. If only it were in the comparison too!

I've shot extensively with that lens too, Kirk. Performance-wise its definitely a step above the vintage Nikkors, and I found that the focus shift wasn't really an issue with the precise focusing possible with the long Nikon RF focus throw. A very nice lens!

If what I've been told is correct, then much of the difference between the older Nikkor and the Millennium is the difference between Sonnar and Planar designs?

And 50 years of improvements in manufacturing tolerances and lens coatings. I've shot with maybe ten different Millenniums and it really came down to hair splitting to try and find any sample variation. Not so with the vintage Nikkors. It took me four tries to find a vintage Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 I was happy with.

 

[Highway 61]

It took me four tries to find a vintage Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 I was happy with.

Same here, four tries. The main problem I experienced with mine was huge vignetting, even while closing the diaphragm. But all were very sharp in the center onwards from f/2.8 and above. And all were quite unusable at f/1.4 but for minimum focusing distance shots (with nothing in the FOV which could make the lens flare like a fool).

Another thing to be careful about is serious balsam separation around the rear group edges. The black lenses (with golden coatings) seem to be quite more affected with this than the earlier chrome ones with blue coatings.

All in all the vintage Nikkor-H 5cm f/2 is a way more friendly lens (tremendously sharp, dreamy bokeh, no vignetting, smaller and lighter, and fully usable wide-open) ; I used to own four of them as well and they were all fabulous. Now this is the standard lens I am getting full-time stuck with as for my Nikon RF gear.

 

[pan]

Zeiss Sonnar 50 in S-Mount

Zeiss Sonnar 50 in S-Mount

Hi,

And what about the Zeiss Sonnar 50mm in S-Mount?
Is it a killer compared to others?

Cyril

 

[furcafe]

I've also noticed differences between the S mount & LTM versions of the Nikkor-S. I've had 3 of the S mount (1 chrome, 2 black) & 2 of the LTM & wide-open performance on both of the LTMs was better (a bit more contrast & less veiling flare). Maybe there was tighter quality control on the LTM version because it was sold at a premium?

Only have 1 black in S mount & 1 LTM now. Plenty of Zeiss Sonnars in Contax mount to keep me busy.

And 50 years of improvements in manufacturing tolerances and lens coatings. I've shot with maybe ten different Millenniums and it really came down to hair splitting to try and find any sample variation. Not so with the vintage Nikkors. It took me four tries to find a vintage Nikkor-S 5cm f/1.4 I was happy with.

 

[Erik van Straten]

I posted one set of minimum focus shots above. Must have been uploading when you posted After doing these tests I can see that I won't be reaching for the vintage Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4 to shoot landscapes, but it still does a good job up close and wide open or close to wide open. Definitely a low light up close and intimate type of lens.

At full aperture it has a nice "glow" for portraits.

Nikon S2, old style Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 @ full aperture, Tmax400.

Erik.

 

[Corran]

I know this test is many years old, but still interesting. I can't ever find time to do tests.

I've been enjoying a 50mm f/3.5 CV Heliar lens lately on my Nikon S-mount cameras.

 

[jonmanjiro]

At full aperture it has a nice "glow" for portraits.

Nikon S2, old style Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 @ full aperture, Tmax400.

Erik.

Interesting to see this thread bumped after so long. And also interesting to read again what I wrote over seven years ago

A lot has certainly changed since then. After buying and trying then selling many lenses I'm down to just one Nikon S-mount 50mm lens now - my fourth copy of the Nikkor-S 5cm f1.4 (late black version) and its better performer than my previous copies, particularly the copy I used for this test which was the weakest of the bunch. Here's a reasonably recent shot taken with my one and only Nikon S-mount 50mm lens (the scratches and blobs are due to a bit of a developing disaster I had when developing the film).


Tom A by jonmanjiro, on Flickr

 

[Erik van Straten]

After one stop you get rid of the glow if you don't want it, it balances nicer on the S2 and it looks better too.
I understand it has more character than the Millennium. Isn't character what it's all about in using vintage equipment?

Nikon S2, old style Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4 @ f/2, Tmax400.

Erik.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I've found that half a stop gets rid of most of the glow. And I agree about the character! That's pretty much the reason why I still have a 5cm f1.4, but no other S-mount 50s now

 

[Corran]

I don't like the busy bokeh on the classic 50/1.4, nor did I find it worthwhile to shoot at under f/2.8 for a variety of reasons - not least of all the egregious glow at wide apertures. At f/4-8 it's a pretty nice lens if there isn't a lot of stuff in the background. Smooth tones.

The 50mm Millenium is much more usable wide-open and/or near to it, if you don't want everything soft and glowing. It still has character, IMO, and nice OOF rendering. Higher contrast than the classic, of course.

The 50/2 Sonnar is a nice in-between lens. Sharper than the old 1.4* and less busy bokeh. The low price is nice too! I have two of these, on S-mount and one LTM that cost me all of $35, and it stays glued to a Canon P (ha!).

The CV Heliar is awesome but slow. It is as sharp, or close to it, as the Millenium, but with more of that classic bokeh that everyone loves on the Heliar. A tiny bit of swirl. Definitely has character.

*PS - I have had 3 different copies of the classic 50/1.4 lenses, and they all performed about the same. one chrome, two black.

Here's a shot with the Heliar, for reference, wide-open:

 

[Tom A]

Probably my most used 50 on the Nikon Rf's - The Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm f1.5. Partly due to the performance and partly due to the ergonomics. It is vey easy to handle = the Millennium 50f1/4 has a "bottle" neck at the back of the lens that I find irritating.
Hot Rambler Wagon (a bit of an oxymoron), Kodak XX, D 96, S3 Millennium and the C Sonnar 50f1.5

 

[Corran]

Any clue what the production numbers were for the modern C-Sonnar in S-mount?

I imagine today it would be cheaper to buy an M-mount lens AND a used Bessa or similar than get one in S-mount.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Nikon S2, CZ Tessar 50mm f/2.8, Tmax400.

Erik.