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Voigtlander Skopar-X 2.8/50 pop
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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2022 11:38 am    Post subject: Voigtlander Skopar-X 2.8/50 pop Reply with quote
Similarly to a wider 35mm Skoparex in DKL mount, Voigtlander Skopar-X 2.8/50 is a very capable lens, giving great pop, sharpness and colours. The colours are sligthly muted (in a noble way) in SOOC jpeg and easily PP-boosted. The lens is also small and at some occasions not that comfortable to operate as a classic lens for reflex cameras. But the results are joyful.

Those who own a Schneider Kreuznach Xenar 2.8/50 must have a similar experience. In my spontaneous view, these two lenses are pretty close performance wise. Xenar users would certainly correct this superficial observation.

Here are some shots taken with Skopar-X put on Sony Nex + speedbooster. Apertures are mostly f2.8 and maybe f4.

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PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2022 11:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
There's very little difference between contemporary Tessar, Xenar and Skopar, or Meyer Primotar for that matter. All use very similar designs, similar or the same glass types, all are very good lenses indeed.


PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2022 12:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I find some nuanced differences that might make sens. My CZJ Tessar is sharp and seems to give an even more faithful colour rendering than Skopar-X. But Skopar gives a better pop. Besides bokeh is a bit different to my memory, without making any direct comparison.

Here is a shot taken with CZJ Tessar on Sony Nex. I'd expect a bit stronger pop from Skopar.



That would be interesting to make a side-by-side comparison.


PostPosted: Sat Jun 18, 2022 5:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The pop is really good.


PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 4:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Some more samples coming from a carefree walk, with a really slight exposure/contrast tweaking.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
How's contrast straight out of the camera?


PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Here is a couple of the corresponding jpegs, SOOC except resizing. I'd say the contrast is amazingly good.

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PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 4:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Looks good to me 👍


PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 5:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I like the skopar 50/2,8 very much.
The SRL lens versions or the rangefinder one. All good.

I like the rendering of the yellows, reds and blues colours.


PostPosted: Fri Jan 06, 2023 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Good point about the rendering of specific colours. I am also attracted by a light grey tint (which is lighter than some triplets or soviet Mir give) which imparts to images a kind of luxury tune.

A very nice bonus of the lens destined to Bessamatic or Retina cameras is its compact size. The downside is its long MFD, 1m.

Shot at MFD, f5.6


PostPosted: Sat Jan 07, 2023 2:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
Good point about the rendering of specific colours. I am also attracted by a light grey tint (which is lighter than some triplets or soviet Mir give) which imparts to images a kind of luxury tune.

A very nice bonus of the lens destined to Bessamatic or Retina cameras is its compact size. The downside is its long MFD, 1m.

Shot at MFD, f5.6
[url=http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20231/big_6699_DSC09554_1.jpg]

[/url]


The X versión has 1 m MFD, The last versio (without X) has 60 cm MFD


PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 3:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
If I remember correctly, the Ikarex version of the lens (with it we make a step out of DKL mount) has an even shorter MFD of 30cm. But one shoots with the lens it has.

One more shot from my copy at MFD



PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
famous lens 'pop' thing Wink

I wonder if anyone could write down some short explanation: what is 'pop' and why / how / when .. occures

btw, have you pic examples of 35mm 3.4 too ?


PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex_d wrote:

btw, have you pic examples of 35mm 3.4 too ?


Here you are.

As for the pop, to my mind it's the separation of the main subject from the background at a degree that gives you a feeling of the subject that is not laying on a two-dimensional surface but jumps a bit out towards you. I have a clear feeling that with these lenses it works just like that.


PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ok thanx for the link, that lens shines in some situations !

is that France or some pics are from the Netherlands too ?


PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Unfortunately no shots from Netherlands which must be really inspiring for a journey with a camera and MF lenses on it.


PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ok then its all from FR (I suppose), cause this one http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20215/big_6699_DSC00516_1.jpg could be from the NL too


PostPosted: Mon Jan 09, 2023 7:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
Unfortunately no shots from Netherlands which must be really inspiring for a journey with a camera and MF lenses on it.


it could shine that 35/3.4 in NL landscape for sure.

however on a ff format, too tight for a small sensor


PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 12:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex_d wrote:
ok then its all from FR (I suppose), cause this one http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20215/big_6699_DSC00516_1.jpg could be from the NL too


You are right, this one might be also Netherlands. Meanwhile all those shots taken with the 35mm Skoparex are France. One day I would make it in NL.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2023 10:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I keep hearing people use the term "pop", but of what does that consist? Kind of like saying something is "cool". Are we talking contast, acutance, what?


PostPosted: Wed Jan 11, 2023 12:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I could hardly give a more precise definition of pop as compared to what I put forward a couple of posts above:

As for the pop, to my mind it's the separation of the main subject from the background at a degree that gives you a feeling of the subject that is not laying on a two-dimensional surface but jumps a bit out towards you.

So it has much to do with subjective perception, and degrees may vary.

What remains on the objective side is the clear separation of individual items within the frame. From this point of view I'd say that the first shot has more pop than the second (Skopar-X 2.8/50 on a speed booster and Astro-Kino-Color IV 1.4/50 respectively)

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 10:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
alex_d wrote:

btw, have you pic examples of 35mm 3.4 too ?


Here you are.

As for the pop, to my mind it's the separation of the main subject from the background at a degree that gives you a feeling of the subject that is not laying on a two-dimensional surface but jumps a bit out towards you. I have a clear feeling that with these lenses it works just like that.


I have often tried to see this effect, where it was claimed here, without success. But I shoot a lot of stereo pairs where it is a very real effect.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
e6filmuser wrote:
alex ph wrote:
alex_d wrote:

btw, have you pic examples of 35mm 3.4 too ?


Here you are.

As for the pop, to my mind it's the separation of the main subject from the background at a degree that gives you a feeling of the subject that is not laying on a two-dimensional surface but jumps a bit out towards you. I have a clear feeling that with these lenses it works just like that.


I have often tried to see this effect, where it was claimed here, without success. But I shoot a lot of stereo pairs where it is a very real effect.


I also struggle to see the "pop" effect where I have seen it mentioned in the past.

I suspect the effect observed is something to do with the way the various lens aberrations such as spherical aberration and astigmatism interact away from the plane of focus; for the same aperture and focal length, some lenses may have the blurring set in more suddenly whereas for others it is a more smoother linear transition from sharp to out-of-focus blur.

Maybe, just maybe that is the "pop" effect some folks are observing, but it is only a hypothesis.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:42 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
This is pretty subjective, but some lenses provide a more clear in-focus vs OOF separation which seems to be the key factor.


PostPosted: Sat Mar 02, 2024 12:02 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
alex ph wrote:
This is pretty subjective, but some lenses provide a more clear in-focus vs OOF separation which seems to be the key factor.


This pops to my eyes.

You need good resolution, good contrast but not excessive and progressive transition between in and out focus areas that is not too brutal. Pics taken at short distance with a big tele opening at 0,8 with far away background does not deliver pop since it is merely a juxtaposition of a sharp and an unsharp image without transition.

Magnolia by lumens pixel, sur Flickr

Printemps | Spring by lumens pixel, sur Flickr
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