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What is the best M42 50ish 1.4 money can buy ?
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PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:11 pm    Post subject: What is the best M42 50ish 1.4 money can buy ? Reply with quote
So everyone, I want your oppinions. Not the best bang for the buck. I mean the best, price does not matter.

So the best M42 50ish 1.4.
Planar ? Fujinon EBC ? Takumar SMC ? Topcon ? Revuenon ? Porst ?

Leaderboard:
1)Asahi SMC Takumar 50m f1.4 (TBaker,dude163,LucisPictor,caspert79,kuuan)
2) Carl Zeiss Planar T* 50/1.4 ZS (rbelyell,pirius,ManualFocus-G)
3-6) Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 55m f1.4 (Attila)
3-6) G.Zuiko 50mm f1.4 (dsmlogger)
3-6) Mamiya/Sekor 55mm f1.4 (Pancolart)
3-6) Fujinon EBC 50mm f1.4 (Arkku)

Last edited by Joosep on Sat Jan 08, 2011 8:41 pm; edited 15 times in total


PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:15 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
You gonna start a war! Laughing

btw there is an M42 topcon?


PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Bruce wrote:
You gonna start a war! Laughing

btw there is an M42 topcon?

I want a war !

Yes. They made 800 of those. 58 1.4. They sold them with the Bessaflex TM.


PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 55m f1.4 M42 made for Pentacon Super is my choice.


PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Quote:
I mean the best, price does not matter.

As annoying as this sounds, I believe you can only decide for yourself. There are so many different characterisitics of a lens to consider, surely it's just personal taste.


PostPosted: Mon Jan 03, 2011 11:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
goombles wrote:
Quote:
I mean the best, price does not matter.

As annoying as this sounds, I believe you can only decide for yourself. There are so many different characterisitics of a lens to consider, surely it's just personal taste.

Joosep wrote:
So everyone, I want your oppinions.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 1:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Since I've only used one I pick the Tak SMC 50mm 1.4. Very Happy


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:33 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
You might saw my thread before, I own

1.Fujinon EBC 50/1,4
2.Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50/1,4
3.SMC M Pentax 50/1,4
4.I also tried Canon FD 50/1,4 & the SSC one and SMC Takumar 50/1,4

Best color & 3D is #2,
fastest lens #3 its faster than smc Tak
other aspect looks same to me


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 9:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
IAZA wrote:
You might saw my thread before, I own

1.Fujinon EBC 50/1,4
2.Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50/1,4
3.SMC M Pentax 50/1,4
4.I also tried Canon FD 50/1,4 & the SSC one and SMC Takumar 50/1,4

Best color & 3D is #2,
fastest lens #3 its faster than smc Tak
other aspect looks same to me

What is your nr 1 ? Fujinon ?


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
IAZA wrote:
You might saw my thread before, I own
.....
2.Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50/1,4
.....

You have M42 version of this lens?


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
i have always wanted to try the pancolar attila mentioned, as well as the tomioko 55/1.4, but they would have to go a long way to beat the zeiss planar 1.4! its just eyepopping!


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ZS version of the modern Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 must be pretty good Wink I think I also encountered M42 version of Rollei Planar HFT 50/1.4 which should be in the same league.

If you are looking for something more common, SMC Takumar 50/1.4 is a great choice. EBC Fujinon and Auto Mamiya Sekor are also good choices if you are looking for a lot of character wide open, just don't expect them to be perfectly corrected unless you stop down the aperture.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
SMC Tak 50/ 1.4 is stellar


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'd choose the Tak as well.
But don't forget the Mamiyas...


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I found the PORST Coloreflex Auto G 55mm f1.4 to be sharper @ f1.4 than my Zuiko 50mm f1.4 and my friend's Mamiya 55mm f1.4.

However, my Zuiko had more clarity @ f2 and f2.8 and I simply love the Zuiko handling.

So I would strongly recommend the Zuiko, especially one with a serial number above 1mil. that are said to be even better.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 6:07 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
pirius wrote:
ZS version of the modern Zeiss Planar 50/1.4 must be pretty good Wink I think I also encountered M42 version of Rollei Planar HFT 50/1.4 which should be in the same league.

If you are looking for something more common, SMC Takumar 50/1.4 is a great choice. EBC Fujinon and Auto Mamiya Sekor are also good choices if you are looking for a lot of character wide open, just don't expect them to be perfectly corrected unless you stop down the aperture.

So your vote goes to Planar ZS ?
BRunner wrote:
IAZA wrote:
You might saw my thread before, I own
.....
2.Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50/1,4
.....

You have M42 version of this lens?

I think not natively. You can convert.


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 7:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I have not tried the 50/1.4 ZS specifically myself but I will give my vote of confidence to it as a M42 incarnation of the venerable Zeiss Planar lineage Smile


PostPosted: Tue Jan 04, 2011 9:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
If the ZS Planar is as good as the Contax version, it certainly gets my vote!!


PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Joosep wrote:
IAZA wrote:
You might saw my thread before, I own

1.Fujinon EBC 50/1,4
2.Carl Zeiss Planar HFT 50/1,4
3.SMC M Pentax 50/1,4
4.I also tried Canon FD 50/1,4 & the SSC one and SMC Takumar 50/1,4

Best color & 3D is #2,
fastest lens #3 its faster than smc Tak
other aspect looks same to me

What is your nr 1 ? Fujinon ?

No the # isn't mean rank

For best performance CZ Planar HFT 50/1,4 in Rollei mount (I answer Brunner too Very Happy) I never saw planar in M42 mount. In my community here, this HFT planar is popular to be the best, better than contax version.


PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
does anyone know how zs/hft/contax planars really compare?


PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 2:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I don't know about the HFT/Rollei one, but the ZS has slightly more harsh bokeh than the Contax in some test that I have seen. The ZS has a nice 9-blade aperture though, where all the older versions all have 6.

Overall the ZS should be very similar to the Contax, but it has more modern coatings with a bit higher contrast (maybe a bit warmer colour rendition too).


PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2011 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Most 50/1.4's I have used are pretty good. I really like the SMC Takumar 50/1.4 (love the mechanics!). First shots of my Porst Color Reflex 50/1.4 that I've recently acquired look promising.


PostPosted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 10:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
+1 Mamiya / Sekor.

Don't forget Yashinon DX and possibly Rikenon. PORST Reflex is COSINA made and early versions are nice (especially those with red coating).

CHINON is prone to having aperture blades greased, otherwise it has the smoothest focusing and nice green coating very useful for indoor shooting.


PostPosted: Fri Jan 07, 2011 12:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
if in M42 the S-M-C 1.4/50 will be hard to beat. It certainly plays in the top league even if it was any 1.4/50, though what's 'best' here certainly also is a matter of taste.
btw. for me to be 'best' it is very important how easily the lens can be used, how well it handles and is built, these were the main reasons why I got into Taks in the first place.


PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 12:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
IAZA wrote:
....
fastest lens #3 its faster than smc Tak
...


#3 is Pentax M f1.4/50 and you say it is faster than SMC 1.4/50.

have you found this from direct comparison?
according to my own test this is not so, but Super Takumar, S-M-C, SMC and Pentax M 1.4/50, all four, are equally fast ( even though we had found, in another thread, that your Pentax M is faster than your f1.4 Nikkor and my version of a 1.4/50 Nikkor is faster than my S-M-C )

However my copy of the M 1.4/50 has a haze between it's two cemented elements. Could this haze, which makes for a photo of less contrast and a different looking histogram, make it just that much slower that in the end it looks equally fast to the others? I was surprised to see that the Super Tak ( ver.2 ) is not slower than the later versions, it's smaller rear element had made me expected a slight difference.
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