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Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.

Explore the world of vintage lenses through repair notes, real test shots, and detailed archive threads packed with images.
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Which lens do you like for the bokeh?
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Hi my friend,

Just to know your opinion about the bokeh of the lens you love. Please select the pictures of the best bokeh of yours and tell me you lens. I'll hunt for it. Laughing

Thank you for joining me.


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For me, now I love Dallmeyer Dalrac 135mm f4.5 M39 screw mount.

Camera : Canon 10D.








Laughing






Very Happy






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I love first picture.

Helios 40 85mm f1.5
SMC TAKUMAR 85mm f1.8
Pentacon 135mm f2.8
Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 135mm
Carl Zeiss Sonnar 135mm f2.8
Micro Nikkor 200mm f4


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Tair 11-A (Excellent from 20 blades)
Rokkor 58/1.2
Volna-9
Leica R Summicron 90/2.0 (Nice transition from into and out of focus)


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the best and ultimate: Volna-9 50/2.8 - creamy, soft, smooth, typical and unbeatable at f/2.8 Smile

other lenses I like:

S-M-C Takumar 50/1.4
Biotar/Helios 58/2 and 50/1.8 (sometimes excellent, sometimes average)
Pancolar 80/1.8 (it's bokeh is so smooth, that I consider it almost boring Laughing )
Zenitar M2s 50/2 (I didn't use it too much, but it surprised me)
Meyer Telefogar 90/3.5 - 12 blades, very strong character, very retro- feel
Jupiter 37AM 135/3.5 - 12 blades, very soft bokeh

waits for testing:

Tair 11A 135/2.8
Biometar 80/2.8 M42


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Tair-11 133/2.8 or Tair-11A 135/2.8
MC Volna 50/2.8 macro

And..

MC Volna 50/1.8


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no-X wrote:
the best and ultimate: Volna-9 50/2.8 - creamy, soft, smooth, typical and unbeatable at f/2.8 Smile


I don't own this lens, but I have been told it has a star-shaped iris. Is that true? I guess the bokeh is not as nice at f/5.6 Wink


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meyer/pentacon 135 1.8


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That bokeh from MC Volna 50/1.8 looks wonderful.


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My best bokeh lens is without doubt the "Blow up" Nikkor-H 1.8/85 (year 1965):



some of the other good ones:

MIR-24M :


Contax Distagon 2/28 (Hollywood):


Contax Tele-Tessar 3.5/200:


SMC Takumar 1.4/50


CZJ Sonnar 4/135:


Contax Planar 1.4/50:


Jupiter-11A


There woudl also be the TAIR-11A, but I can not find samples of it at the moment.

I do not include macro lenses, because it would not be fair: all macro lenses have excellent bokeh due to their close up nature.
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Spotmatic wrote:
no-X wrote:
the best and ultimate: Volna-9 50/2.8 - creamy, soft, smooth, typical and unbeatable at f/2.8 Smile


I don't own this lens, but I have been told it has a star-shaped iris. Is that true? I guess the bokeh is not as nice at f/5.6 Wink

Yes, can be quite ordinary when you close it down, but there is a lot of lenses, which have acceptable bokeh at f/5.6, but only one outshines them when wide-opened Smile

here:

http://forum.mflenses.com/comparing-bokeh-on-my-50s-manual-focus-lenses-t8624.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/industar-61l-and-volna-9-t11656.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/love-my-volna-9-t9920.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/volna-9-vs-voigtlander-nokton-58mm-t9721.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/volna-9-t8437.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic,p,103300.html#103300

as for star-shaped iris - depends on situations: sometimes creates smooth bokeh, sometimes not - but you can use it in creative way Smile


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Hmm, that Volna is lovely Very Happy

On an italian forum i've seen a photo taken with a Voigtlander Lanthar 180 APO, it seemed nice to me.

The first photo is taken with a Voigt 180 f4 (photo not taken by me)

http://www.photo4u.org/viewtopic.php?t=248899&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1520


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I am so in love with my Zeiss Planar T* 85/1.4 ZF



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mUg wrote:

On an italian forum i've seen a photo taken with a Voigtlander Lanthar 180 APO, it seemed nice to me.
The first photo is taken with a Voigt 180 f4 (photo not taken by me)
http://www.photo4u.org/viewtopic.php?t=248899&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=1520


Veijo has a copy of that lens, he likes it very much as far as I know.

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oops i was forgetting the Contax Planar 1.4/85:



The best "3D lens" in the world AFAIAC


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Leica 90/2.0


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I forgot about CV Apo Lanthar 125/2.5




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Really nice one this Leica, beautiful sample!


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I haven't seen any star shaped bokeh yet with Volna-9.




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Attila wrote:
Really nice one this Leica, beautiful sample!


It's an honor to be complimented by a wonderful photographer as you.
I'm still a novice...


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Many thanks!


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Planar 85mm f1.4 picture damn good Orio!


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huhging wrote:
I haven't seen any star shaped bokeh yet with Volna-9.


Volna 9 ~ f/8 (?)


Industar 61 L/Z ~f/8 (?) (similar diaphragm)


Volna 9


100% crop


Last edited by sichko on Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:11 pm; edited 1 time in total


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Micro Nikkor 200mm f4




Last edited by Attila on Fri Dec 19, 2008 9:05 pm; edited 1 time in total


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Volna-9 has star shaped aperture from f4 to f8, "normal" aperture from f8 to f11 and perfectly round again at f16. Wide open the bokeh is exceptional...