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Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 - as a landscape lens!
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:03 pm    Post subject: Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm f/2.4 - as a landscape lens! Reply with quote
Having owned this lens for 4 years now, I am well aware of its close up ability. If fact, this is what many people talk about when the word "Flektogon" comes up in conversation. However, this lens is also very special for landscapes. It's not the sharpest, in fact it can be soft in the corners at wider apertures. But...the colours! I lowered the luminance value for blues in some pictures as the light was dull.

Post your Flek landscapes here, these are my first test shots on full frame:


Netley Abbey 5 by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr


Netley Abbey by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr


Netley Abbey 4 by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr


Netley Abbey 2 by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr


Netley Abbey 3 by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr


Netley Abbey 6 by ManualFocus-G, on Flickr


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Great series Graham and very nice scenery - but all images IMHO too much oversharpened finally. (see for example the text in the frames)

Wink


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:22 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Thanks for the kind comment Rolf, the images are hardly sharpened at all though (20% @ 0.5px unsharp mask), I believe it's a combination of a funny font and the resizing in Flickr that has created that effect Smile


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well your shots are very clear, and I'm getting to know my flek and I'm pleased for close ups and short distances so far, but I seem to get (like it's brother the CZJ sonnar) more OOF shots, and "waxy" results from the supermarket, than with any other of my lenses....it would seem the lens is controlling me and the supermarket operator Laughing

Church built in 1170 ad, flek 35mm f2.4 Reala film, supermarket dev and scanned.


Church built in 1170 ad, flek 35mm f2.4 Reala film, supermarket dev and scanned.


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
That is a funky looking church! Niec shots, don't get wax on the lens though, it's too good to ruin! Laughing


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
That is a funky looking church! Niec shots, don't get wax on the lens though, it's too good to ruin! Laughing


The flek wasn't around when some of these shots were taken Wink :-

http://www.hertfordshire-genealogy.co.uk/data/places/places-s/sarratt/sarratt-holy-cross.htm


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It's a good looking church in b+w, sepia AND colour! I like all the slopey roofs!


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Seems to work well on FF. I too have many failed focus pictures from this lens. I have started to wonder if it suffers from focus shift when stopping down, a phenomenon I haven't previously experienced.





But those close ups, oh my...


PostPosted: Mon Apr 16, 2012 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
It's a good looking church in b+w, sepia AND colour! I like all the slopey roofs!



What's amazing in one of the old shots, a grave stone has slipped and is not upright and my shot shows it's still in the same position Shocked


PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 12:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
woodrim wrote:
Seems to work well on FF. I too have many failed focus pictures from this lens. I have started to wonder if it suffers from focus shift when stopping down, a phenomenon I haven't previously experienced.



That's interesting, and as you know it's quite difficult using a 35mm lens to get distant shots OOF on a film camera because of DOF...well it's either the lens, me or the camera (might be a MTL3). Sad

Flek 35mm f2.4 looks like the focus point was for about 10 ft away and shot looks "waxy":-


No problem with a Tamron SP35-80 and shot looks "cold"


Focus point here with the flek seems to be about 10 ft away:-


PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 2:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Infinity is only about ten feet away, so perhaps you either are not reaching it, or go just past. My guess is that you aren't reaching it. Although with one adapter, mine went past by just enough to make it noticeable. I now test lenses by taking a few pictures, starting at infinity and then backing off ever so slightly. But if it isn't reaching infinity, that is more difficul to know unless the pictures aren't sharp, like yours.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 7:16 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
woodrim wrote:
Infinity is only about ten feet away, so perhaps you either are not reaching it, or go just past. My guess is that you aren't reaching it. Although with one adapter, mine went past by just enough to make it noticeable. I now test lenses by taking a few pictures, starting at infinity and then backing off ever so slightly. But if it isn't reaching infinity, that is more difficul to know unless the pictures aren't sharp, like yours.


Well I'm a sunny weather shooter from f5.6 down and want to take the flek on holiday but this flek is making me feel like newbie Embarassed so I will have to sort out the problem, but it all seems strange as I can't remember my Tak35mm or Canon 35mm not having WISITVIWIG (what I see in the viewfinder is what I get) for the same sort of shots.


Edit: Just put the flek on a Canon T90 with M42 adapter for viewing at a distant subject and with the Flek just a small change in moving the focusing ring will put the distant subject in and out of focus. So from now on will set the lens at infinity or if I want the foreground in focus and rely on DOF will set lens just a very tiny amount off infinity.
Now to pop down to the village location and test it all out to see if my problem is solved.

Last edited by Excalibur on Tue Apr 17, 2012 10:30 am; edited 2 times in total


PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 8:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Very nice photos. The Flek 35mm is a good lens indeed. I still think it's plus is the close focusing range.
In normal distance photos, it does well too, but it loses in corner performance with the Distagon 2.8/35 AEJ
which sells at the same used price (or sometimes even less).
So if one does not need the lens for close focus, I would recommend the Distagon. The Flektogon is more
versatile for sure, however.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Whow, the spider close up looks great!
I love these old Flektogon because of this, but I have not the 35mm/2,4, only the 2.8 version. One with missing mount I tinkerd in a focus mount to extend the near field capabilities. And a 25mm/4 needs to be further tested.

Congratulation to this lens - and the photos you made with!


PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 6:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Solved the problem of OOF flek distant shots it was because:- a small movement of the focus ring from infinity can make a huge difference and am happy now with these test shots:-

Flek 35mm f2.4 Fuji superia 200, supermarket dev and scan, slight adjustment in PS.


Flek 35mm f2.4 Fuji superia 200, supermarket dev and scan, slight adjustment in PS.


PostPosted: Tue Apr 24, 2012 7:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
nice landscape !
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