Berthiot Special 4.5/105 vs Angenieux Type U1 4.5/105

[alex ph]

Two coated triplets off 1950s (?) MF folder cameras. I was always curious of how they compare. Both put on Sony Nex with a lens booster, Chinese helicoid and extension rings. Shot wide open, unprocessed beside resizing. Click the image to see it in a better resolution.



The light is not the best for peeking into details, but gives an impression of the lens' IQ and glow.

Here are 100% unprocessed crops from both:

Berthiot



Angenieux



Interestingly, the real focal looks slightly different, Angenieux being longer.

Some more arbitrary Angenieux shots, this time with contrast/exposure slightly tweaked. Similar Berthiot shots, in different light and weather conditions, could be seen here.

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[alex ph]

Some more shots from Angenieux, with the same setup. This time at f5.6, with heavier exposure/contrast tweaks.

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[simple.joy]

Interesting comparision. It's hard to say for sure because they do look similar overall, but while they both might not be the most effective lenses for challenging lighting, I would suspect that both render nicely when used at close-up distance. The Berthiot lens does look better for my personal taste (I've also taken a look at the other thread). I've observed a similar thing with projection lenses btw... while Benoist Berthiot lenses are viewed as technically better lenses (sharper/more contrast) by many projectionists, I've been more impressed by the Som Berthiot lenses I've tried in terms of look.

If you're able to take a couple of the same close-up scenes with both you'll likely be able to tell if there are significant differences in terms of look. I'd certainly be interested to see. Perhaps I can compare my Angenieux and Som Berhiot enlarging lenses as well...

[simple.joy]

So here's a quick comparison between the

Angenieux Type U2 88 mm f/4.5 (enlarging lens)



and the

Som Berthiot Flor Type A 135 mm f/4.5 (enlarging lens)



While there's of course differences in the final image because of the focal length and necessary distance to the scene, I feel like those lenses clearly show some differences in terms of rendering. And, pretty much like expected - I clearly prefer the (less contrasty but in my opinion more uniform) look of the Som Berthiot lens here.

I wonder what you'll find with your lenses, if you also try to compare them close-up...

[alex ph]

Thank you for your feed back, substantive as always.

I do like both Som Berthiot and Benoist Berthiot lenses, starting from my first Benoist Berthiot slide projection triplet which struck me with its cinematic quality and central sharpness.

I found a four- or five-glass Som Berthiot Flor 3.5/105, taken off from an old folder, pretty exceptional in its vivid, 3D and "organic" rendering.

Meanwhile I am fond of Angenieux quality, both simple projection and enlarging triplets which give an unusual pop-up, as well as tinier cine-projection lenses which give a special clarity, kind of highlight of illuminated surfaces.

So, I find it difficult to choose decisively among these three makers.

I will make some close-ups with the two folder triplets when the light here gets a bit less grey and slightly more generous.