Just a simple lens comparison.

Lens comparison.

There are lenses that have character and there are lenses that just have flaws but in our perfect computer designed world of lenses today we accept them too. 50 years ago we would have thrown them in the trash.

These are three lenses that all have character. They all have little flaws - although at the time the Leica Summar was made it was considered an optical masterpiece for its excellent center sharpness and cost the equivalent of somewhere between 800 and 1000 Euros. Not a cheap lens at all. Its lens design is a double Gauss 6 elements in two groups, one of the first “modern” lens designs.

The Jupiter 8 is a Russian copy of the Zeiss Sonnar - the German version cost almost as much as the Leica when it was introduced - calculating out to between 750 to 900 Euros. The Jupiter 8 never cost that much of course - in 1955 it could be had in east Germany for about 100 East Marks or the equivalent of 10 euros. A Sonnar is a classical, still used today, lens design - 7 elements in 3 groups.

The Voigtländer Heliar remake cost me - used in 2024 - 350 Euros. New it is about 600. Of course it is a Heliar design - 5 lenses in 3 groups, one of the oldest lens designs.

All of these classical designs were manufactured before there were CNC machines and computer programs to calculate optics. These were all ground by hand, calculated on paper - so they all have character.

The heliar, although the oldest design, is the most modern lens in its rendering. The colors are realistic and although wide open it is only 3.5 it has a pleasing out of focus background (although not as out of focus as the other two lenses). It is sharp across the board, which lends me to believe that while Voigtländer might be using an old lens design - but the elements definitely aren’t.

The Leica has what so many internet pundits love to call the “Leica glow”. It’s only when it’s side by side with a cheaper lens and a more modern lens though that you notice it at all. The bokeh has an interesting swirl effect to it which adds to that central “glow”. The colors are also realistic but more muted and they have a slight green tinge. The elements are uncoated (pre-war Germany couldnt get the coatings) and that might be the reason for the color tinge.

The Jupiter is - well it is what it is. Its off color, the plane of focus is out of whack (and probably was from the day it was made) and it tries to glow but instead just looks slightly ill. The colors are shifted towards yellow which might be due to the coating used on the front element. It still has character though - and because it’s not 1970 Im not going to trash it.

This is just a lens comparison to break up the science fiction - and show those of you who may be following me because of my knowledge of analog cameras and film etc. that I haven’t forgotten you.

All three images are SOOC RAW files straight out of the M10P imported directly into Apple photos. No retouching or “developing” has been performed.