Interesting Tessar vs Novar test

Nesster · Expire: 2014-02-20

I don't think Hans is here - if he is, HI!

This is a very interesting comparison, though to my eye the Novar is focused a bit closer than the Tessar.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29504544@N08/sets/72157620860652449/

dof · Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2009 11:35 pm Post subject:

To my eye, the Novar seems sharper in all examples.

And, I think he's mistaken about a difference in depth of field. They both
have the same focal length so how could they have a significant difference
in DOF?

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Indeed, the Novar is a lot sharper.

Very Happy

BTW, did you know that "doof" (double "o") in German means "stupid". Wink

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

hanskerensky · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 2:56 pm Post subject:

Well you are of course right, the DOF (Nein, nicht DOOF Laughing

) should be the same only they DON'T LOOK THE SAME.

I still didn't find any good explanation for that and would welcome any
suggestions from you to enhance my comparison !

Regards,

Hans

no-X · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 3:48 pm Post subject:

Tessar has sharper left upper part, while Novar is sharper in right down part.

Either the lenses aren't focused identically, or one of the lenses (or bellows) is decentered.

estudleon · Joined: 15 May 2008 Posts: 3754 Location: Argentina

Very nice work.

I only know abot novar lens that it was made by rodenstock for zeiss. It's a tripet so the tessar must have better IQ at the borders. But your novar images are very good ones.

Rino.

hanskerensky · Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 7:12 pm Post subject:

Well, just before the test i checked the infinity focus on both cameras with my Zeiss/Voigtländer autocollimator and a surfacemirror (ex-polaroid) to the filmgate. The images of the autocollimator were exactly the same.

But for sure the testphotos show clearly a difference in focus distance.

However, in the meantime i started using a different approach, i no longer use a surfacemirror but now use rollfilm backingpaper with aluminiumfoil glued to it which i then load in the camera. With this method i'm almost 100% sure that the autocollimator is measuring on the exact filmplane even taking in account things like the film-pressureplate

This method worked quite well for my last test, Agfa Apotar versus the Solinar.

I consider remeasuring the infinity-setting of my 2 Ikontas with this new approach and see if there is any other result.

And, as i stated as comment in my test, if you really want to make a good comparison you have to take at least 10 different Novars and 10 different Tessars. I'm afraid that doesn't fit in my budget at the moment Crying or Very sad

But why not a "Tessar versus Novar" photoserie on Flickr from somebody else ? Could be very interesting.

Regarding the Novar, i have used different cameras (Nettar,Ikonta,Ikoflex) with this lens and although they were made by subcontractors for Zeiss Ikon these Novars never failed to amaze me. It could just be so that in the old days the Tessar lens was much more favored because people mainly used projectors to look at their (slide)photos and liked the more saturated colors. Nowadays with filmscanners and photoshop it's a quite different situation.

The Tessar is in fact sharper in the focussed plane , i have no doubt about that because i have seen the scans in the highest resolution in tiff-format. But the Novar (having one glass element less), handles the contrasts much better and "seems" to be sharper.