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Portrait lens comparation
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PostPosted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 11:29 am    Post subject: Portrait lens comparation Reply with quote

I would like to share in this post my experience with lenses in portrait focal length. Please do the same in replies. I would pick-up most useful lenses for human portraits.


    Carl Zeiss Jena Biotar 75mm f/1.5

    Super sharp even at wide open, this is the main problem for me to use for human portraits. I like soft lens for this purpose, animals are different, highly recommended for animal portrait.

    Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 80mm f/2.8 M42 alu

    I found this lens is excellent for portrait and all other task in it's focal length. Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 80mm f/2.8 Pentacon Six mount don't ! Latest P6 version is a sharp lens with average color rendering and bokeh nothing special.




    Carl Zeiss Jena Biometar 120mm f/2.8

    Same opinion than in 80mm focal length,nothing special.


    Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm f/3.5

    Very sharp, great lens, but in good light too sharp for human portraits.


    Helios-40 85mm f/1.5

    Superb I like this lens, in every aspect soft enough at wide open but sharp too.




    Jupiter-9

    I still can't deside love this lens or not. Good performer from every point of view except the bokeh.




    Nikkor-S 50mm f/1.4

    Superb lens too, excellent sharp at wide open, but not too sharp it has creamy bookeh like Pentacon has.



    Nikkor P.C 105mm f/2.5

    Creamy bokeh, beautiful color rendering I like this lens, sharp at wide open.



    Pentacon-135 f/2.8

    King of lenses, I love so much this lens. I have I guess at least 8 pieces from different variations. Pentacon 135mm zebra is the best, but others are also very good performer.

    Pentacon 135mm f/2.8 zebra


    Pentacon 135mm f/2.8 MC

    Tamron SP 90mm f/2.5

    Superb lens, I not found any weakness. Designed for macro photography, but excellent portrait lens too. I think a must have lens for every photographer.




PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanx for sharing.
Having the Tamron 2.5/90 and the Pentacon 2.8/135 MC myself I can share your opinion.

Another very good portrait lens is the Meyer Trioplan 2.8/100!
Not that sharp - superb bokeh, a bit creamy but not realy soft.
Sharpness itself is o.k. - contrast not that harsh.
Well made - and perhaps the cheapest portrait lens.

I have the Jupiter 2.0/85 too and love it - but it sometimes already is too sharp.
ssssst:
Compared with my Pentax A 1.4/85 the Jupiter even was the winner....
(sharpness, focussed at about 30 m) - for portraits the Pentax was the better lens.
Again (have a look at the best 135m lens-thread): Sad that I don't have it any more!


PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Paul wrote:
Thanx for sharing.
Having the Tamron 2.5/90 and the Pentacon 2.8/135 MC myself I can share your opinion.

Another very good portrait lens is the Meyer Trioplan 2.8/100!
Not that sharp - superb bokeh, a bit creamy but not realy soft.
Sharpness itself is o.k. - contrast not that harsh.
Well made - and perhaps the cheapest portrait lens.

I have the Jupiter 2.0/85 too and love it - but it sometimes already is too sharp.
ssssst:
Compared with my Pentax A 1.4/85 the Jupiter even was the winner....
(sharpness, focussed at about 30 m) - for portraits the Pentax was the better lens.
Again (have a look at the best 135m lens-thread): Sad that I don't have it any more!


Many thanks for your comment Paul, next time I will try Trioplan for portrait I made photos with Trioplan but not used yet for portrait.


PostPosted: Wed Mar 07, 2007 12:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Great "dolly shot" on portrait lenses Attila.
Gotta love your Pentacon 135mm. 2.8
I have one also, but of the recent kind.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:05 pm    Post subject: Asahi Pentax Super-Multicoated Takumar 85mm f/1.8 M42 Reply with quote

Asahi Pentax Super-Multicoated Takumar 85mm f/1.8 M42

Click here for full album...



Last edited by Attila on Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:14 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:12 pm    Post subject: Asahi Pentax Super-Multicoated Takumar 85mm f/1.8 P/K Reply with quote

Asahi Pentax Super-Multicoated Takumar 85mm f/1.8 P/K


PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You have a killer portrait in there, Attila: second row, rightmost photograph.

It's misfocused, but it's such a good combination of natural face expression and perfect pose (those light patterns on the hair are a professional portrait maker touch, how the devil could you get them - I envy that much!), perfect 2/3rds composition, that you forgive the non perfect focus.

The second one you posted after here, has right focus, very good photograph too, but if you compare it with that one, it lacks that "magic moment".

Photography, my friends, is really a matter of instants. And of much luck, because the photographer can only hope to catch the perfect instant, he can not plan on that. The Heavens decide when you can take the photograph of your life, or not!

The lens seems very good - very sharp, see the hair - but definitely different from Russians. In spite of the obvious great performance, I don't think that i would trade my Helios-40 for it.

Great portrait shots, Attila. Now you know what you have to do, my friend: pick the best of them, and submit them for the calendar. Or do you want my photos to sit there all alone? Wink


PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank for your nice words! While you typed these lines I sent 10 photos to 2008 January , seems we are on same wave mind reader friend Smile This lenses are highly regarded, I agree with you Helios-40 one of the best for portraits. I don't think so this lens is better than Pentacon 135mm, Jupiter-9 and Helios-40.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2007 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
Thank for your nice words! While you typed these lines I sent 10 photos to 2008 January , seems we are on same wave mind reader friend Smile


You're welcome.
You know, it's not easy to make non-model people to pose well.
I know it, because I struggle so much whenever I have to make my woman pose for me.
If you look at many of the portraits posted here and there on the forums, many look fake, because either the model is uncomfortable, or the photographer asks the model to take poses that make her/him feel uncomfortable.
What I really appreciate in your portraits (not only these, but also those of your wife and of that other very fine woman with the dark hair you often photograph), is that you are able most of the times to make your models feel comfortable.
This is a really good talent - it may seem like a minor thing compared to the technical aspects, but everyone who shoots portraits knows that this is the most difficult thing!
So congratulations!


PostPosted: Sun Mar 18, 2007 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you !


PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:19 pm    Post subject: Pentacon 100mm f/2.8 Reply with quote

Pentacon 100mm f/2.8 wide open ISO 800 Olympus E-1



Last edited by Attila on Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:13 am; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:38 pm    Post subject: Re: Pentacon 100mm f/2.8 Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
Pentacon 100mm f/2.8 wide open ISO 800 Olympus E-1


Wow, great portrait Attila! This one deserves to be in the artwork gallery, it is wasted here!!

I like very much the lying down pose, and mostly, how you did have the courage to do a very tight closeup. This makes the image more intense. many photographers make the error of thinking that they must show everything of a head, and not cut it, and this makes the image weaker. One of the things I learned at the cinema university courses is, that the bigger the closeup on a face, the more intense the image becomes in the story. I have found that this is true for still photography also without a story. Your portrait shows it.

Again I have to compliment you for your ability to make the subjects feel at ease.

You have a fantastic model in your daughter, she has a very beautiful face, very sweet eyes. Not just sweet, also very intense, communicative, which is important for being a model (there are persons with ebautiful eyes but with a dumb gaze). I'm sure that with all the boys that she must have around, your karate skills must come in very handy! Laughing
You are a lucky photographer, surrounded by so many beautiful women which are so many potential models!! Very Happy

The Pentacon 100mm confirms the reputation it has of being a great lens. It is said to be the greatest of the Pentacon teles. I know you have a fondness for the 135mm. I don't have the 100mm so I can not compare. But the 100mm Pentacon is one of the few lenses that I really still want to buy. Preferably in the Meyer version, as I don't have a Meyer lens in my collection yet.

You said you were not happy with the colors of the Olympus, but I see nothing wrong with the colors of this image! Very balanced mix of yellows and reds. I like it when human faces do not look like raw ham!! Laughing


PostPosted: Sat Mar 31, 2007 11:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Smile Thank you very much your nice words! I put this image to gallery too. Hopefully you able to see my kids in August and we able to make a comparative test with your famous Zeiss Sonnar 85mm let we see the difference between a top rated lens and this old Pentacon or Meyers.Perhaps nothing wrong with Olympus E-1 just need more and more practice to use it.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
Smile Thank you very much your nice words! I put this image to gallery too. Hopefully you able to see my kids in August and we able to make a comparative test with your famous Zeiss Sonnar 85mm let we see the difference between a top rated lens and this old Pentacon or Meyers.Perhaps nothing wrong with Olympus E-1 just need more and more practice to use it.


Actually the more I see it, the better I like this greenish cast, that I don't know where it comes from (if window or tapestry maybe?). It makes the image look really artistic.

About the lens, wanna know a secret? I think that there is no big difference between the best of the "humble" lenses and the "big names". Most of the times, it's just our imagination.
In my case, I have a special feeling with Zeiss lenses. I think it dates back to my childhood, when my mother used to photograph me with a Zeiss camera.
I think that it's for this reason, that is stayed in my heart.
If I rationalise, I see buying the Planar 1.4/85 as a real waste of money when I already have the Helios-40s

But on the other hand, I am trying to make art, so I MUST waste somebody's money. Wink

The only problem with the plan is that I am wasting mine! Laughing

On the other hand, our life is so short. Man it feels like yesterday when I was a child, and I am over 40. In the same or even shorter gap of time, I'll be dead. So what the heck - I will waste as much money as I can until I am alive.


PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Feeling about lenses very important I have also some favourite lens even if they are not the best. One of them Helios-40 and Tair-11 133mm and Helios-44 M39 .


PostPosted: Sun Apr 01, 2007 12:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Attila wrote:
Feeling about lenses very important I have also some favourite lens even if they are not the best. One of them Helios-40 and Tair-11 133mm and Helios-44 M39 .


Yes of course Attila!
Photography, like all arts, is a matter of love. Nothing more nothing less.
You must feel for what you do and for your instruments as well.