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Angenieux 2.5-3.3/35-70mm Leica R Mount
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 5:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

cheve wrote:
hinnerk,

With your personal style of shooting, do you ever see yourself get rid of the Elmarit 35 and Summicron 50mm and use the 35-70 exclusively? Or there are still situations that you think the individual primes would be better?

Cheers,


Hi cheve,

i already did sell the Cron and replaced it with the Summilux 1.4.
The Summilux for me is far better than the Summicron.

I take the Angenieux on vacation trips together with my Canon 70-200mm
as a small set of lenses.

Why do i keep the Leica's?

Often i did think of getting rid the Elmarit 35 and also the Elmarit 2.8/28mm. For sentimental reasons they kept in my bag. As i start as a PRO photographer in a press agency, both lenses where also part of my reporterset on a Leicaflex SLmot. I started shooting with DSLR in 2004 or so and the first lenses i did buy again are Leica lenses for my EOS 350D.
The Set i did buy contains the Elmarit 35mm, the Summicron 2/50mm and the Elmarit 135mm (and a Leicaflex SL of course). Later on i converted the 2cam Versions to 3cam Lenses, because i did buy another Set with Leica R4 and Leica R5.

But you are right, to keep some of my lenses is stupid.
There are no reasons to keep they im my bag, because the focal lengths are to close together and the Angenieuc would replace them all.

The Angenieux on the short end is more like the
first Elmarit 35mm for the Leicaflex SL. The Elmarit 2.8/35mm i use, is the newer version with build in hood and 55mm with a No. 32xxxxx..
The newer Elmarit Lens is a better performer than then the old one and especially on a fullframe body.

But to discuss this differences would be distinction without difference..
and should be part of a new thread.

This very small difference are only interesting for FF user in aspect of small vignetting and edge to edge sharpness wide open.
The Angenieux has a better edge to edge sharpness then the 1. Version of the Summicron or Elmarit 35mm, but is not as sharp in the edges as the new Elmarit 35mm wide open. But this are very small differences in the performance..

Maybe the next days i can do some static sample shots to compair and show the differences ..



Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 7:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hinnerker wrote:
Excalibur wrote:
cheve wrote:
Excalibur wrote:
***How does the numbers compare with the other MF zoom(by oly, zeiss, lecia)?***

...and Tamron SP, always interesting to know if you can see the difference from the best lenses to 2nd or 3rd best, it could save you a lot of money.


but it does make one 'feels' better if the extra $$$ actually provides that extra x% performance advantage. IMHO, whether one need to use a microscope to see the improvement is beside the point:-) Now if the extra $$$ are just for 'hot air'; then it is definitely not good.


Well as a film user, I can always cheat and go up to medium format.....Smile


Thats correct, but i would not carry my old Hassi with Distagons, Planars and other stuff any longer.. or i have to simulate a dizzy spell to use my wife as a "Sherpa" for the heavyweight gear in my bag.. Very Happy

greetz
Hinnerker


Well with a Hassi and lenses it's an excellent starting point to compare your 35mm lenses for IQ.
Even though a computer screen is an equalizer medium format film results can still show through.

Medium format 80mm f2.8 planar lens:-
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/chakrata/toad.jpg


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 7:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excalibur wrote:


Well with a Hassi and lenses it's an excellent starting point to compare your 35mm lenses for IQ.
Even though a computer screen is an equalizer medium format film results can still show through.

Medium format 80mm f2.8 planar lens:-
http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn172/chakrata/toad.jpg


Some weeks ago i did try the Planar 80 on my EOS 5D FF...

looks like this... Very Happy




And here are the lovely results..

one of my favourite sujets on my daily walk..



here an bokeh example..



The lens was lent from a friend from german forum (thanks Karsten), who visited me during his hollydays in Denmark.

Very Happy Very Happy

Adapted from Hasselblad to Leica R-Mount

Lovely lens but to heavy..

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 8:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Combining this is also a great experience.. but absolutely off topic.. Very Happy




OT MODE OFF Very Happy

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 1:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

***Some weeks ago i did try the Planar 80 on my EOS 5D FF...


Combining this is also a great experience.. but absolutely off topic.***

Not really going off topic as there could be people reading this who can never afford expensive 35mm lenses, but all is not lost if they are interested in IQ, as many probably don't know that you can buy a medium format film camera cheap, to compensate for their 2nd best lenses.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hinnerker,

thanks for the comments, appreciate that very much.

Cheers


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:22 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

On the Angenieux topic:-

M42 Angenieux 90/1.8
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150372054806

Huh! Anyone with a deep pocket, is it really better than the well known top lenses from 85mm to 105mm from other makes.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 8:28 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shocked Shocked


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 9:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes, for the old Angeneux lenses thats a raisonable price. As the seller wrote, it takes him years of searching to find this great piece of glas in this condition. This lenses are very rar !

Dont understand, why he is selling this gem. That is one of the lenses, if i ever could reach that, i would never, never sell it.

Of course, this price is very high, but the quality Angenieux delivers is on Leica Level as i described.

In addition to that, such old beautyful lenses are mostly collector gems.
Today you can buy a Carl Zeiss 1.4/85 which performce better in terms
of sharpness and digital needs, but this old lenses from Angenieux brings back a bit the air of old slides, back in your images. Thats why i hold my Angenieux lens instead of selling it for a good price, to someone who only collect old and expensive lenses.

Sure, in EBV plugins, you can also bring a bit of the old fashion air in your Images, but i prefer doing it directly. And so the Angenieuxs doing exactly that for me..

I know, its a bit crazy, to keep such an old zoom construction. But if you ever have the possibility to do some shots with this Angenieux Zoom.. it will blown you away. Than you understand, whats so extraordinary to this lens.

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 12:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

***I know, its a bit crazy, to keep such an old zoom construction. But if you ever have the possibility to do some shots with this Angenieux Zoom.. it will blown you away. Than you understand, whats so extraordinary to this lens.***

Well I know exactly what you are saying, I too like quality things..but I don't have a DSLR mind, to me that sort of money is wasted on 35mm film.


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 1:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Excalibur wrote:
***I know, its a bit crazy, to keep such an old zoom construction. But if you ever have the possibility to do some shots with this Angenieux Zoom.. it will blown you away. Than you understand, whats so extraordinary to this lens.***

Well I know exactly what you are saying, I too like quality things..but I don't have a DSLR mind, to me that sort of money is wasted on 35mm film.


I don't have only a DSLR mind.. both worlds are better then one.. Very Happy

Thats exactly the reason why i sometimes shoot on 35mm Slides. I've got an old Novoflex M42 Bellows with Noflexar 4/60mm and Noflexar 4/105mm for slow macro from a tripod...
I use this gear together with my Novoflex Slideduplicator on a EOS 5D..
the 5D and the Noflexar 4/60mm fits perfect to digitalise the old slides..

Here the complete unit mounted on my Linhof tripod....
not shown is the Metz Strobe Unit i use for that.



And here are two results from 2 slides from 1975 !! taken on a cheap
ektachrome.. (no money .. in 1975 i was a student) taken in Amsterdam
(focus on the raindrops at the bicycle..)




Thats what i mean with "air".. in french, there is a better word for it.. flair.
No modern digital cam can bring this air in the images.. sometimes i like it very much.. not sharp and without lots of Details.. its another effect tool for me..

Greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Fri Sep 11, 2009 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

***No modern digital cam can bring this air in the images..**

..and the mass of digital uses don't care or know any different.


PostPosted: Sat Sep 12, 2009 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thank you Hinnerker to share your experience and enthousiasm.

Beaulieu, Angenieux are brands that sound well to my ears, as I used to ear them when I was young.

It was another time when France still had a good photograph industry.
I am very impressed by your elogious comments about this zoom lens and I feel like if I would be really contended with such a lens. A sort of a "graal finding". Smile

I clearly imagine myself with such a good 35-70mm and my Canon 70-200mm F4 L IS USM. Those 2 would be all needed to cover my needs when traveling.


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here are some further shots, taken yesterday with the Angenieux..
first the complete images and the crop out of it..



And the crop showing the focus point



Here some nicely young ladies...







focus on wrong eye.. sorry.




And this shot did make me laughing..



and the crop



all shots taken with the Angenieux at 2.8-4. first one was taken wide open.

greetz
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Impressive, but I always thought the laws of optics and with more moving parts esp with machining tolerances, made it impossible for a zoom to equal a prime...like for like for quality....erm

As I do not know much about digital, and it might be ignorant questions:- but are your Leica primes and zoom better than the DSLR sensors, so you wouldn't see a difference? Have you compared results on film with the negative drum scanned?
http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=161885&page=2


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

<<<<<Impressive>>>>>>>

Angenieux itself declared in the flyer from the 80's the mechanical tolerances are 1/2000mm !!!

The Multicoating contains 56! layer

For those of you who are interested in this lens, here the flyer with the
technical description from Angenieux.

Sorry, but only in german language..







cheers
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 3:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Will translate the important details..

56 layer multicoating with a precision of 10 Angström (mio. part of a mm)
Light - Transmission of the Lens.. 99,5 -99,8 %

Thats the reason why the lens performs such a high level of contrast.

MFT Curve..

100 lines per mm on open aperture overall lengths
more than 125 lines per mm at f/4

The front part of the tubus doesnt rotate so you can easily use zircularpolfilters.

The Material: The Angenieux was build with

Polycarbonat.. no expansion-reaction on heat or coldness.., leightweightend and impact resistant.

Aluminium - Magnesium alloy .. for all moving parts.

mechanical precision of the moving parts 1/2000mm !!

The rest i wrote in my first Post..

Cheers
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I found 3 Angenieux 35-70mm at reasonable prices (less than 500€...).

1 is Nikon mount.
1 is Minolta MD mount.
1 is Canon FD mount.

I have a Canon 40D and just had a look at the adapter rings.
I found that both Minolta MD and Canon FD need adapters with an optical glass to keep infinity focus.

I'm not fond of adding glasses, so I would say that the Nikon mount would be a better choice.
What do you think ?


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 8:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You are right.. that one with the Nikon mount + Adapter Nikon to Canon EF would be the best choice..

If you really want to buy one, let us see your images taken with this gem here in this thread.. would be nice, to concentrate all opinions about this great lens.

cheers
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

hinnerker wrote:
You are right.. that one with the Nikon mount + Adapter Nikon to Canon EF would be the best choice..
If you really want to buy one, let us see your images taken with this gem here in this thread.. would be nice, to concentrate all opinions about this great lens.
cheers
Hinnerker

Sure !
If I do buy one, I'll post here.
I'm quite astonished by some "cons" comments on a french Nikon forum. Some say that Leica is far better than Angenieux and that these Angenieux zooms are not so optically good.
http://forum.nikonpassion.com/index.php?topic=958.25
Translation :
- I have had, some years ago, zoom Angénieux 35-70 f/3.5 in Minolta mount.
Presented in a leather box and comes with a hood that did not place a cover and a test certificate rather basic and a lifetime warranty, it does not show particularly well with its rings polycarbonate finish very ordinary. Given its very small amplitude and an opening F3, 5, performance was correct despite the absence of special glass and aspherical elements.
- Today, compared to my current zoom 35-70 F / 4 LEICA R aspherical elements, this brave 35-70 Angénieux seems to me especially at very modest levels of contrast and flare.
- So I think a lot of nostalgia and some lend objectivity to these virtues unsuspected optical already another age.
- Informed, however, I still think that the absence of a will and a serious marketing strategy and capital have led to the demise of this prestigious brand founded by Pierre Angénieux Sr., among others, the optical formula retrofocus (which helped manufacture optical wide-angle to the reflective unhindered by the mirror) and superzoom, mainly for television cameras.
- For the anecdote, zoom 45-90 Angénieux in R mount was the only non-original optical Leica in the official catalog for the LEICA Leica-R.


When I read your comments and your pro experience, I tend to listen to you, Henry. Smile
Cheers.


PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Whats the hell is a Angenieux 3.5/35-70mm with Minolta Mount ??
I dont know such a lens.. my Angenieux starts at f/2.5.
The second one i did have was a 3.5/70-210mm

First of all, in the french Nikon Forum they talk about very different lenses.
There exist a 2.6-2.8/28-70 from Angenieux, then they are talking about a Tokina 2.6-2.8 which should be the same formula.. thats simply wrong, as far as i know. I did read the same story in another board. They only are speaking theoretically about things they dont know.

One guy is discussing the 3.5/70-210mm i also did own. Not about the 2.5/3.3/35-70mm !

As far as i can see and understand (my french speaking is more then 30 Years away) nobody of them is really refering the 2.5-3.3/35-70mm.

And how could you compare a Leica with f/4 zoom with this Angenieux, which has f/2.5 ?

I dont understand, what the guys in the Nikon Forum are discussing.

Correctly the Angenieux Zooms dont look very nice. The lens is long, have to rings and to use the 2 Hoods for tele and wideangle is a boring thing. I often have to search the "plastic phantastic" hood for the lens and its easy to lost the hood. One day i searched nearly half an hour in a grainfield to find the hood again. Which guy in france did the horrible desgin work for this phantastic lens. But i think it was not possible to realize this zoom - lens in another way. But it doesnt matter to me..
i can live with the design..

Second remark..

Angenieux did use the Leica R-Mount as some others later. They did have only the License from Leitz to do so. Not more. So its clear to my, that the other Angenieux lenses were not in the Leica catalog. Why they should be there.. ?
Would be the same as Tokina, Tamron or other brands which later build there lenses also for Leica R Mount. They are also not in the official Leica Catalog. Leica oversleeps the building of zoom lenses. They were thinking, the best for her users is to take fixed focal lengths. Leica was right at this point, but the customers did have different meanings about that. So Leica has to do something in the past during this time and takes the Angeneiux 45-90mm to offer this for her customers as the first and only Angenieux in her catalog. After this, they develope there own zoom-lenses.
P.Angenieux was the Originator of zoom lenses.. as far as i remember, and so it was the best way, to take the Angenieux 45-90mm and offer this as fast as possible to the customers.

But its always the same in Forums all over the world. People getting in touch with a lens brand, have different copys of different modells and the discussion started. I know the same from a german forum, where i talked about my Yashinon DS-M Serie. Most POSTS from members mix the old Yashikor lenses, the ML Serie, the DX Serie, the simple DS Serie and the DS-M Serie, because they have only a copy of a Lens from one Serie. Different lenses, different formulas after researching the olds.. single or multicoatings...etc..
But all are Experts for Yashica Lenses in there posts. Very Happy

I have the Angenieux 2.5-3.3/35-70mm and the 2.5-3.3/70-210mm.
A friend of mine also have the 2.5-3.3/35-70mm but in M42 Screw mount.
Its exactly the same lens as mine. The same formula only the mount is different..
We both couldnt find any difference, either in terms of performance nor in terms of building or handling.

cheers
Hinnerker


Last edited by hinnerker on Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:40 am; edited 18 times in total


PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 6:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Angenieux did not only have good manufacturers but first of all brilliant lens desingers!
They perhaps were not that clever when it comes to business. Wink

There are certain similarities with Leitz. Laughing


PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 8:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here a further samples of the capability at shadow open aperture on a EOS 5D fullframe.

Seemed to be not as sharp as it could be...



But : Very Happy

a crop out of it shows the truth... hehe.



In the oof highlights you can see the open aperure.. so it is taken with
something between f/2.5 and f/3.3, varying of the focal lenght i dont remeber.. but no use of the Aperture!!

The Angenieux did a great job.. what i already did say.. on the first view not to sharp, but if you look at 100% view.. there are lots of details and the lens is really sharp and contrasty at open aperture..
shooten in RAW, converted out of DPP to jpg using a camera profile with sharpen 2 Preset.

Hope you are able to see what i mean..

cheers
Hinnerker


PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Yes Henry, I see what you mean.

In this topic, what interested me the most has been the technical informations given by member "papounet" who worked at Angenieux.
For the rest, they talk about various lenses models and some are negative, but mostly are against all the old lenses saying "why spending money on these as there are optimal modern AF lenses for Dslr".

When I look at the cropped pictures above and see all the details in them, I understand why I spend money in old MF lenses ! Smile

I was also considering that maybe the Nikon system is not good using old lenses and give poorest results than brands like Pentax or Canon.


Last edited by Olivier on Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:58 am; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Mon Sep 14, 2009 9:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

truly stunning examples of a stunning lens
- by somebody who only cares for the very best Wink