"The Summilux 35mm F1.4 Pre-ASPH." This is the synonym for a lens that many old lens fans want to use once. Its top feature is the beautiful light spreading wide open. This lens was released in 1961 and there are many versions including the first version, the one with a stopper, the one with a painted stopper, the one with a stopper in chrome, and the one without stopper. This time I introduce the one without the stopper that seems to be most common and I think mine takes great pictures. Just take a look at the uniqueness and beautiful light spreading.
The light is spreading nicely, isn't it? This gentle atmosphere can only be reproduced by this lens.
We tend to focus on the light spreading only, but the f1.4 max aperture and the compactness enable nighttime shooting.
Depending on situation, this lens changes its depiction. Actually, old lenses are not almighty lenses. The results will be very different according to the lighting condition (direct/against the sunshine, or oblique light), aperture, where the lens is faced to, and the height of camera position. Yes, it's like an unruly horse, but because of that, I want to master it by taking advantages of its uniqueness. Love is blind, isn't it? Of course, it takes a long time to take a full control of halation and one would even wonder if it's necessary, but hey, why waste such a sweet halation?
Let me show you how aperture makes difference. The picture above was shot at f1.4 and the one at the bottom was shot at f2.8. The lines are very thin in both pictures, but there's a big difference in light spreading.
This is just one ordinary park in one ordinary day, but because of the lens, the picture came out so sweet. Some people say this lens is faulty, but you can get an unique picture by taking advantage of the weak point. To master a lens like this, just keep shooting and take a close look at the pictures. In the picture above, you can find the beautiful light spreading on the white background. Now, take a guess.
What was the light condition like? And what was the distance between the photographer and the subject?
Just keep shooting with it, and take your time looking at the pictures. The more peculiar the lens is, the happier you will feel when you mastered it.
( Photo & Text : A.Inden )
