The 85mm f/2 Canon Serenar I tried is just too good for what I'm looking for. I want something really soft wide open, even slightly distorted at the edges, like the 50 f/2 Summitar. (I'd like at least an f/2.8 maximum aperture, preferably f/2.) Any suggestions? (I can't afford some absurdly expensive and esoteric collectable.) Will a pre-war uncoated 90mm f/4 Elmar give me the look I'm after?

-- Peter Hughes (ravenart@pacbell.net), August 19, 2001

Answers

My first Leica 90mm lens was the 1957-1979 Summicron. It was pretty soft wide open, and after coming to Leica from years of shooting with Nikon 85mm and 105mm lenses, I was a bit disappointed. Uninitiated, I thought any Leica was the best, at least based on the many years of reading that in the photographic press. The Nikkors were very much better than this lens to about f/5.6... at least as far as sharpness.

As is often the case, and like my first experience with the 50mm Summarit, I never really appreciated the old Summicron until it was gone and all I had left was the photos taken by it. Now when I see every blemish and pore in someone's skin after using my Elmarit M, I often wish for the older lens just for portraits. In the f/2.0 to the f/4.0 range, it could do magic for people with "real" faces. As a photographer, I would think something was not quite right, but the people whose picture I took loved them. I was being analytical, and they were being visceral.

The one down side was that this lens is simply huge, beautiful, but huge. It was a real mechanical marvel, with a two sectional retractable hood, and the smoothest action. It actually had two tripod mounts of different sizes on the lens... imagine a 90mm lens that allowed you to mount the lens, not the camera, to a tripod. Today, many zooms out to 300mm can't do that.

I bought my 1959 model for 300 Dollars back in 1989. The glass was perfect, and the cosmetics were above average.

-- Al Smith (smith58@msn.com), August 19, 2001.

I read a story once about a portait photographer from way back who had a special technique for getting lovely soft glowing images. He always left his portrait lens out on the counter face up with no cap on it, and a nice even film of dust and grime would eventually form on the front element. This person swore there was no filter that could duplicate the effect caused by the dusty film on the front element. You may also want to try a few of the Russian lenses (they are cheap enough to grab a couple of them)-it shouldn't be too hard to locate a bad one from what I have read at the LUG site. If you find one too good, let me know and maybe I'll buy it from you!

-- Andrew Schank (aschank@flash.net), August 19, 2001.

Anyone know if the Zeiss Softar I filter is available to fit the Elmarit-M? A really sharp lens coupled with that filter, wide open, produces the most beautiful portrait images I've ever taken.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), August 19, 2001.

Someone *must* make a soft-effect filter that will do what you want, most likely start with Tiffen.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), August 19, 2001.

Peter, this is probably in the category of the expensive collectibles you don't want, but the 90mm Leitz Thambar f/2.2 was specifically designed to be soft at full aperture. The lens could be made softer yet by putting on an accessory which blocked out the lens' central area. This caused greater softness by taking advantage of the greater spherical abberation at the periphery of the lens elements.

Say, there's an idea. You could fasten a circle of black paper to the center of a filter and try it on your Serenar. It might exaggerate the softness enough to give the effect you want.

Oh, and there was a 73mm Hektor, described in the 1960 Leica Manual as an "excellent portrait lens." It was a discontinued lens even then, though.

I've been unimpressed by my efforts to add softness to the 50mm Summicron by stacking up as many as 4 filters. It makes a difference, but the effect is too subtle.

I tried a Tiffen soft FX filter on my Nikon. It works, but I chose the strongest one, the #3. I think it's a little too obvious.

Best wishes,

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), August 19, 2001.

I heard of a guy that took a beat-up old lens (like the 90mm elmar) and removed all the lens elements. Then he took it to a optrician and had him cut/grind a single element lens to fit into it. This is supposed to give a nice soft effect. And if it's in an old lens housing then you can attach it to your Leica.

-- Russell Brooks (russell@ebrooks.org), August 21, 2001.

If you have an adapter try a Leitz Thambar.

-- Tony Brookes (gdz00@lineone.net), August 21, 2001.