Unique color rendition

[wolan]

Hi,
can you name me a few old MF lenses, which in your opinion have some unique / interesting / unusual color rendition?
If you can post or point me out to some samples that would be great.

Cheers.

[BurstMox]

Uran-27 100mm/2.5 has specific color rendition. Very warm rendering, but deep blue flares...

[kds315*]

Basically, older lenses which used thoriorated (= radioactive) glass how intense browning,
which gives a unique warm "retro" effect (based on strongly reduced blue part of the spectrum)
Such as some Takumars, Yashinons, Kodoka Ektars, TTH Ental lenses etc.

See http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Radioactive_lenses

A sesond source would be to use lenses designed for near infrared (not the ones for longer
IR >1000nm / 1 micron as they do not transmit visible light at all), as they also have missing
blue transmission and often very unique color rendition.

The Uran-27 mentioned above is one of these latter ones, as it was once designed for aerial
reconnaissance, using deep yellow filters to suppress the effect of aerial fog.

Further older cine lenses often have such unique rendering, too, but have gotten rather sought
after by indie movie makers and hence have gotten expensive and somewhat hard to find.
Cine lenses made by Dallmeyer, Watson, Meyer Plasmat etc. ....

A few examples (all from same location):

Dallmeyer 1.9/2" (50mm): https://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/albums/72157647221808809


Cyclops 1.5/85mm night vision lens: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/albums/72157640103076383


Steinheil Culminon 1.5/75mm: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kds315/albums/72157632190676049

[kuuan]

I regard color rendition of pretty much any of my lenses that had been made before about 1965 as interesting to unique.
special mention 55mm Auto Takumars, e.g. the f2/55m:

Untitled by Andreas, on Flickr

merit ! - ? by Andreas, on Flickr

Untitled by Andreas, on Flickr

[tb_a]

[uhoh7]

In my own collection the newer Leica lenses really stand apart in terms of rich colors, like the SEM 21, 28 Cron and 90/2.5. My older v4 cron, a legendary lens is not in the same league color wise, nor are my zeiss lenses, though they are the closest.

Of course you have to pay alot for this

Puts is interesting on the issue:

"The spectral characteristics of a lens can be evaluated in terms of its total ef- fect on the several layers of an average color film. The effect on the blue sensi- tive layers is called the blue photo- graphic response of the lens. These responses can be calculated.
The CCI value is computed by multiplying the relative transmittance values of a lens by the weighted spectral sensi- tivity values for the blue, green and red sensitive layers. The total response is obtained by summation. and will give a number for blue, one for green, one for red. To simplify, make the smallest ele- ment of the three number designations equal to zero. If a lens has a Color Con- tribution Index of 0/5/4, this means that the average color film in standard illumination sees the lens as providing more green (5) and more red layer (4) re- sponse relative to the blue (0) than that obtained with no lens in the system. This lens would give a yellow cast.
The ISO however has established that with the sensitivity data of emulsion manufacturers, the standard lens should conform to the 0/5/4 index.

The tolerances are established as follows.
Blue is 0 with +3 and -4. Green is 5 with +0 and -2 Red is 4 with +1 and -2. " From Souls and Secrets

but the wildest lens I own in terms of color is the Sonnetar, which has some special glass:

Right out of the M9 you get a look like this:

L1031622 by WS Snails, on Flickr

which of course varies alot with light:


L1032716 by unoh7, on Flickr

The variance of light itself, white balance in the camera, and camera profile in LR or other editor all contribute variables.

The palette of CV lenses is all over the place, while at least for M mount the Leica and Zeiss are more consistent with later lenses.

So when we see samples it can be hard to tell what is the lens and what is something else

[tb_a]

[wolan]

Hi,
thanks. Nice pictures.

This is the lens right? http://allphotolenses.com/lenses/item/c_1479.html
It says it has a mount for large format cameras, so how to use it on a DSLR?

Cheers.

[kuuan]

[iangreenhalgh1]

This is the digital age, colour rendition is infinitely tweakable in software so lens selection for colour rendtion is rather redundant.

[kryss]

Second that Ian...

[jamaeolus]

[kryss]

?????..

[BurstMox]

[iangreenhalgh1]

I agree about the interesting nature of lenses with character, for sure. I mostly use lenses with character for both their interesting nature and the fact the images are a bit different.

Colour rendition however is something that is so easy to tweak that I've never really thought about it being part of the character of a lens.

[Nordentro]

The Canon 35mm 1.8 in LTM have different color output than most lenses I have tested.

[uhoh7]

[kuuan]

agree with both Lars / Nordentro and Uhoh7, though I don't have his or any Leicas and more refer to characteristics of old lenses.
Canon LTM 1.8/35 does the pastel colors of Vietnam very well, reds and blues also can be strong and coldish. For me color rendition is a very important characteristic of a lens, and another lens that comes to mind is Komura LTM 3.5/105

Canon LTM 1.8/35 on Sony A7
Untitled by Andreas, on Flickr

Canon LTM 1.8/35 on Sony NEX5n
Canon LTM 1.8/35 wide open by Andreas, on Flickr

Canon LTM 1.8/35 on Ricoh GXR M
Untitled by Andreas, on Flickr

Komura LTM 3/5/105 on RIcoh GXR M
Untitled by Andreas, on Flickr

[Pancolart]

[buerokratiehasser]

You can't tweak what isn't there. Spectrum is continuous, light sources maybe not so, wavelengths eaten can't be gotten back by pulling the Red slider up and amplifying the other Red wavelengths.

You can't tweak cross effects (from film) like Velvia Reds.

You can't tweak/duplicate wide angle lens shot from 4 cm away (you can just move farther away or stitch for a boring landscape shot)

That said, a lens is rather unlikely to eat all the light in a wavelength or to cross (would require sharp filters more expensive than the lens itself, or nonlinear optics).

Still, people do speak of "Minolta colors". The reds look very nice indeed but I haven't got around what these colors are exactly. Maybe excellent transmission even in deep Reds, overall neutral cast.

[buerokratiehasser]

Oh if you want a lens that taints, I mean, tints your photos, try cheap wider screw-on lenses. They are so bad that they usually come with surreal blue-green tint. Add to this effective 11 mm or so and you're in Strange Territory. Worse than Holga.

[tb_a]

[iangreenhalgh1]

If by APO you mean free of CA, yes, software can do that.

I sense a lot of hot air being spouted to justify overpriced Leica lenses yet again.

It's like when Leicists talk about 'Leica glow' as if it's some magical property only their expensive Leica lenses possess. How laughable, it's nothing more than residual spherical aberration.

[Rick1779]

[Rick1779]