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Cactus peeping with Rollei Planar 1.8/50
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 1:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I got interested in the Rollei Planar and ended up with a few copies of it. I kept hearing some of the Planars were better than others and one that didn't get a ton of attention but was well regarded was the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon.

I would think they would all perform equally but from my experience, the Xenon seems to be sharper than any of my three copies of the Rollei. Seems odd, I know.




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PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 6:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Have done some comparison shots between this Planar/Ultron 50/1.8 in my Singapore made HFT Voigtländer branded version and my nifty standard lens Sony FE 50/1.8 on my Sony A7R II 42MP FF camera.
Result: Fully open at F1.8 the Sony lens (which is based on the original Ultron design, evolved from the Minolta 50/1.7) definitely beats the old Zeiss lens slightly in every discipline but as soon as stopped down as from F2.8 or even more at F5.6 these lenses are hardly distuingishable any more, not even on pixel peeping level with 200% magnification on a 4K Eizo screen.
I would say this speaks for the old "Zeiss" lens as the Sony normal lens is strongly underrated and certainly a very excellent lens.
In other words: For normal photography the old "Zeiss" lens is even for todays standards still highly recommendable and most probably the best lens available for very little money.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 7:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
bobo777 wrote:
I got interested in the Rollei Planar and ended up with a few copies of it. I kept hearing some of the Planars were better than others and one that didn't get a ton of attention but was well regarded was the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon.

I would think they would all perform equally but from my experience, the Xenon seems to be sharper than any of my three copies of the Rollei. Seems odd, I know.


That's indeed interesting. The Schneider Xenon is Tronniers 6/4 basic design and the predecessor of his later Ultron design for Voigtländer.
Furthermore it's single coated only. It was produced 1972 to 1976 by Schneider in Germany.
BTW, which camera did you use for your comparison?


PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
It would be interesting to see your comparison photos.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 12:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
blotafton wrote:
It would be interesting to see your comparison photos.


OK, here are the pictures. All shot RAW and converted and exported without any modifications to JPGs with Lightroom 6.14.
Focus was always on the building in the middle. Tripod used.
The name of the files should make it easy to identify the used lens and apertures.
Feel free to download the pictures here for your examination: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xw1roG4llTzG3CO4sMgiA9JVoLvEcjNs?usp=sharing


PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 6:42 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
blotafton wrote:
It would be interesting to see your comparison photos.


OK, here are the pictures. All shot RAW and converted and exported without any modifications to JPGs with Lightroom 6.14.
Focus was always on the building in the middle. Tripod used.
The name of the files should make it easy to identify the used lens and apertures.
Feel free to download the pictures here for your examination: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xw1roG4llTzG3CO4sMgiA9JVoLvEcjNs?usp=sharing


Thank you for sharing.
Very useful images.

To my eyes, at f/2,8 there are easy to see differences between those lenses.
More sharpness and microcontrast in the Sony.

At f/5 6 both have practocally the same IQ. The Sony has the edge at the corners .

The planar should be my lens.

The Schneider has 5 blades. I don't like i so much.
In my experience it has very good resolution wide open ( perhaps better than the planar hft) but from f/2,8, no difference to me (Scneider less contrast).


PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 8:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
bobo777 wrote:
I got interested in the Rollei Planar and ended up with a few copies of it. I kept hearing some of the Planars were better than others and one that didn't get a ton of attention but was well regarded was the Schneider-Kreuznach SL Xenon.

I would think they would all perform equally but from my experience, the Xenon seems to be sharper than any of my three copies of the Rollei. Seems odd, I know.


That's indeed interesting. The Schneider Xenon is Tronniers 6/4 basic design and the predecessor of his later Ultron design for Voigtländer.
Furthermore it's single coated only. It was produced 1972 to 1976 by Schneider in Germany.
BTW, which camera did you use for your comparison?


Sony A7II and Fuji X-H1. It wasn't scientific by any means. I may try to do a more formal comparison this weekend.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 21, 2020 11:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Good performance from both. Thanks for posting!


PostPosted: Thu Apr 23, 2020 5:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thank you, Thomas, very informative, as always!

I would not rate Zeiss WO on the looser side. It glows more in the corners, while keeping shapes quite well. Someone might call that character.


PostPosted: Thu Apr 23, 2020 6:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
Thank you, Thomas, very informative, as always!

I would not rate Zeiss WO on the looser side. It glows more in the corners, while keeping shapes quite well. Someone might call that character.


You're welcome. You are right, normally nobody would make infinity landscape pictures wide open, therefore this can be considered as the absolutely worst case.
For shorter distances the difference wouldn't be that obvious. For almost 50 years difference the old Zeiss lens performs indeed very well.
However, in this case I think I prefer to use my nifty Sony instead. Wink


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 12:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
My second Planar HFT 50/1,8 is with me now.

My first is s/n 10.7xx.xxx made in Singapore

My second is s/n 12.7xx.xxx made in Singapore too.

Different coating

The oldest, with green and red reflexions.

The newer with more blue reflexions.

I think that there are not important differences in IQ.


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 9:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
papasito wrote:
My second Planar HFT 50/1,8 is with me now.

My first is s/n 10.7xx.xxx made in Singapore

My second is s/n 12.7xx.xxx made in Singapore too.

Different coating

The oldest, with green and red reflexions.

The newer with more blue reflexions.

I think that there are not important differences in IQ.


There are no records whatsoever that the HFT coatings have been changed during the Singapore production period, at least not in my books.
I think that shouldn't make any difference in the final pictures but you are now in the position to find out. Wink


PostPosted: Sat Apr 25, 2020 1:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
tb_a wrote:
papasito wrote:
My second Planar HFT 50/1,8 is with me now.

My first is s/n 10.7xx.xxx made in Singapore

My second is s/n 12.7xx.xxx made in Singapore too.

Different coating

The oldest, with green and red reflexions.

The newer with more blue reflexions.

I think that there are not important differences in IQ.


There are no records whatsoever that the HFT coatings have been changed during the Singapore production period, at least not in my books.
I think that shouldn't make any difference in the final pictures but you are now in the position to find out. Wink


Yes, they are different.

And the is the reason why I had bought the second Planar.

I will post the images of both fronts, but with my cell. My new camera is in the post way. In Argentina We are in strict quarantine

And my old nex 5N is broken.
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