Lens review: The Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 50mm f/2.8

This review is about the Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 50mm f/2.8 lens with an M42 mount and 10 aperture blades. 

Schneider made several versions of this lens, mine is produced circa 1958 and recognizable by the "Schneider-Kreuznach Xenar 1:2,8/50" text on the front, supplemented by "Edixa-Reflex" on the focusing ring. Another identifying feature is the aperture ring, to set the aperture you have to pull the ring backwards before changing the aperture setting. The design of the lens is a classical Tessar design with four elements in three groups, called Xenar by Schneider.

Specifications (10 aperture blade version):

Focal length:                        50mm

Minimal focus distance:        0.5 meters

Aperture:                             f/2.8 - f/22

Aperture blades:                  10

Lens elements:                    4 elements in 3 groups

Diameter:                            49mm

Mount:                                M42

Manufacturer:                     Schneider-Kreuznach

Built:                                  late 1950s

Use

This lens is equipped with the M42 mount, making it compatible with a wide range of M42 cameras and with adapters to pretty much every other camera system I use. It takes some getting used to the fact that you have got to pull back the aperture dial before you can change your settings but this also prevents the ring from accidentally moving. Focusing is smooth, the focus ring moves to the right towards infinity. My copy has been modified for digital cameras, meaning that the aperture pin has been pressed down and locked in that position. Thanks to this I need to use stop-down metering when using this lens on an M42 camera.

Images

The images you see below were shot with a Canon EOS 90D set at ISO 200. These images were converted from RAW to JPEG, slightly cropped and resized. No other actions were taken in Photoshop.

f/2.8

f/4

f/5.6

f/8

f/11

f/16

f/22

At f/2.8 there is still plenty of separation. Also at f/2.8 there is very little chromatic aberration visible on this shot. The image is a bit milky at f/2.8. Stopped down to f/4 that milky effect is gone. Chromatic aberration is much reduced when stopping down until it is gone at f/11. In the field the chromatic aberration was more prominent wide open though.

In the field

The images below were all shot using a Canon EOS 90D digital camera fitted with an M42 to EOS adapter. They were converted to JPEG and resized. As the 90D has an APS-C type cropped sensor the outer edges of the lens will not show on the photographs it produces. At this point I haven't used this lens of a full frame or film camera so I cannot comment on the amount of vignetting and loss of sharpness at the extreme edges of a photograph. With the 90D one focuses with the lens wide open before stopping down to the desired f-stop. This is where it gets somewhat irritating as you cannot use the aperture dial without first pulling it back. I found this to be a drawback of this lens. However, this is my only gripe. The lens focuses smoothly and I love the colors it produces. It simply loves reds! Wide open it produces a soft bubble bokeh, circular in the center of the image and more of an ellipse at the edges. When shooting against the light you'll get sort of a glow around bright objects such as flowers. However the lens is quite recessed so it doesn't flare easy. As with most other vintage lenses it suffers from chromatic aberration wide open, when stopped down that pretty much disappears completely. 

wide open, look at that bokeh

wide open

Check that glow!

wide open

stopped down

stopped down

wide open

wide open

chromatic aberration wide open

All in all this is a fun lens from one of the 'other' German lens manufacturers that renders beautiful colors, is capably of nice bokeh wide open and has excellent sharpness stopped down. As I said, my version has the 'pull-back' aperture ring that I found challenging in the field but other than that this is a well-performing lens. Don't let the fact that this a 'slow' lens at f/2.8 stop you from trying it. 

More expired color film developed in black & white chemistry, the experiment continues

As I wrote in my initial post about developing expired color film in black & white chemistry the negatives were a bit dark and in hindsight felt underdeveloped. They were usable (in fact I rather liked them) but very grainy when scanned. 

The film

I tried a new batch from the same Etos Kleurenfilm 100/24 color negative film that expired in 05/2003, essentially rebranded Ferrania Imation Color HP100 film. The fact that this film only has 24 exposures is beneficial for these kinds of experiments where I don't need a 36 exposures roll.

The shoot

This time I brought two cameras along. I went for Pentaxes again, my MZ-S fitted with a Helios 44-2 58mm f/2 and my K1000 fitted with a Helios 44M 58mm f/2. As these lenses have the M42 mount I used Pentax-built M42 - K mount adapters. The MZ-S is a solid performer, I really like the design of this camera and love to use it. In fact, I wish Pentax would have continued this style when they designed their production digital cameras. It was also a joy to use my K1000 again, a completely different beast but I like the Spotmatic design that this camera has. I wanted similar results from both cameras hence the Helios lenses. I know that the 44-2 and the 44M are different from each other but for my purposes this was good enough. It was overcast for most of the day so I used both lenses wide open most of the time. I shot the film at box speed and finished both rolls.

Developing

This time, I used Adonal developer diluted 1:50 but extended the developing time to 15:30 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius. Much like my first attempt the negatives came out quite dark. I now wonder if I should have shot this as ISO 50 rather than ISO 100 film given that this film expired 18 years ago. One to try when shooting the next batch.

The results

Well, the grain is still there...

Very dark, yet you can still see some faint traces of the red of the traffic sign in the shot.

Again rather dark.

These images were only resized, no further post-processing was done. My first reaction is that they are rather dark, but those scenes were not very bright to begin with. Certainly the grain is still there. I need to scan a few more examples but for now I'm not as thrilled with the results as last time... I gather Adonal is a very weak color developer as these images are no monochromes, that gives these shots an interesting look. 

So what are your thoughts on developing old C41 film in B&W chemistry? Drop me a line below.

Lens review: The Porst Color Reflex MC Auto 55mm f/1.2 F

This review is about the Porst Color Reflex MC Auto 55mm f/1.2 F lens. This lens was made in Japan for the German Photo Porst chain of camera stores. Two versions of this lens were made, an early version with f/22 as the smallest f-stop and a later version with f/16 as the smallest f-stop. 

This lens review is about the later f/16 lens. The two versions look pretty much the same, but apart from the f/22 f-stop there are a few differences. The f/22 closest focal distance is 0.5 meters, with the f/16 this is 0.6 meter. Cosmetically there are a few differences too, For instance, the f/22 version has the lens serial number on the front, whilst the f/16 variant has the serial number on the aperture ring. The f/16 version also has the Pentax style raised alignment dot, something the f/22 version does not have. The upper barrel of both lenses is slightly different too, although they both share the 55mm filter thread. These lenses look very much like contemporary Cosina lenses so they could have been made by Cosina. I however haven't found any confirmation of this.

I bought this lens about 5 years ago as sort of a backup for my Pentax 50mm f/1.2 lens. The price of the Porst that time was € 156, pretty cheap for an f/1.2 lens. I paid quite a bit more, € 429, for my Pentax version. As it was intended as a backup lens it never saw much use until recently, when I decided to give this lens some much-needed attention.

Specifications (f/16 model lens):

Focal length:                        55mm

Minimal focus distance:        0.6 meters

Aperture:                             f/1.2- f/16

Aperture blades:                  8

Lens elements:                    6

Diameter:                            55mm

Mount:                                Pentax K

Built:                                  1970s-1980s

Use

This is one of the bigger standard lenses in the 50mm - 55mm range. Its focus ring turns to the left towards infinity. This may seem a bit unnatural at first for Pentax users as the Pentax lenses turn to the right. Focusing is smooth and in general, the lens has a nice feel to it. I've used this lens with Pentax film cameras and with digital Canon EOS cameras via an adapter. Due to the design of the K mount these lenses do not fit APS-H and full frame EOS cameras much like the EF-S series of lenses. K mount lenses will only work on EOS cameras with an APS-C sensor (crop factor 1.6). 

Images

The images you see below were shot with a Pentax MZ-S loaded with Fomapan Profi Line Classic 100 black and white film and a Canon EOS 90D set at ISO 200.

f/1.2

f/2.8

f/5.6

f/11

As you can see at f/1.2 subject isolation is excellent! Wide open it also shows chromatic aberration (CA) which dissapears when the lens is stopped down. At f/2.8 it is almost gone and at f/5.6 there is no sign of it. The further you stop down, more pieces get in focus until at f/11 all pieces are in full focus. At f/1.2 there is also a bit of vignetting, although the APS-C sensor crops out some of it. 

full photo, f/1.2

crop of the center of the first photo 

In these shots you can clearly see the paper thin focus area when the lens is wide open. Again wide open it shows CA which is clearly visible at the edges of the coins in the second cropped image. In this shot the vignetting at f/1.2 is quite strong.

f/11

There appears to be some very slight barrel distortion, although the chess board itself is a bit crooked in that sense so it might not be the best subject to judge distortion with.

In the field

lens stopped down

Lens stopped down

Lens wide open

Lens wide open

Conclusions

Overall I really like this lens. It produces dreamy images when shot wide open and when stopped down this lens performs excellent with crisp sharp images. Of couse, this is a 1970s-1980s lens so focusing and setting the aperture have to be done manually. Focusing is tricky wide open due to its very narrow depth of field, I find that I prefer using it with classic cameras that have a split-screen focusing screen. The fact that is suffers from vignetting and CA wide open is unfortunate but can be fixed in post quite easy. When stopped down these are no longer issues. And then there is the price. This is a really  affordable f/1.2 lens. All in all, I find this to be a fine standard lens and I find myself wishing that I had started working with this lens sooner. I'm interested what you think and what your experiences with this lens are. Drop me a line in the comment section below.

Experimenting with expired film

Recently I've been given a bag full of expired 35mm color negative film. It contains film from a myriad of brands with different ISO values. As I have no knowledge on how these films were stored I really have no way what to expect. 

Experiment

I decided to do a little experiment with some of the film stock. As the colors would be unpredictable I decided to shoot one of these film brands and develop it with black and white developer. I selected two rolls of Etos Kleurenfilm 100/24 that expired in 05/2003 and loaded a roll into my Pentax LX. I grabbed an SMC Pentax-M 50mm f/1.4 lens as the day was rather overcast. 

Film

Etos Kleurenfilm 100/24 color negative film is a film branded for the Etos line of shops and has a DX code of 013613. When running this number through the Big Film Database I found that it was actually rebranded Ferrania Imation Color HP100 film. This film is now discontinued and I can't recall shooting with it before. Certainly not as Ferrania, possibly as a rebranded film early in my photography years.

The shoot

With my trusty Pentax LX loaded off I went to the Fortress City of Naarden. Pentax 50mm f/1.4 lenses have always been a joy to use and I had not used my copy for a while so I decided that I would try to get some wide open shots from this lens. I shot at box speed and finished both rolls.

The results

After reading up online I decided to use Adonal developer diluted 1:50 for 10:30 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius. Straight out of the tank the negatives looked very dark, however that might have to do with the orange tint to the base where my usual black and white film has a clear base.

After scanning sepia-like images appeared. Nice dreamy shots thanks to that 50mm f/1.4 wide open but oh boy, these shots are grainy! I'd love to hear from you if you've done this as well, have tips/tricks etc. Let me know what you think in the comment section below.

Shooting the Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8 wide open

According to photographers such as Martin Henson and Zach Horton the Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8 is a joy to shoot wide open. Sharp where it counts and a dreamy bokeh. The 180mm f/2.8 was one of the first Carl Zeiss Jena lenses I bought to complement my Pentax 645 set. As my example of this lens had slow moving aperture blades (when they were inclined to move at all...) it didn't get as much use as some of my other Carl Zeiss Jena lenses. But seeing the results of this lens wide open at f/2.8 I decided to take the 645Z - 180mm combo out for a spin.

The Carl Zeiss Jena Sonnar 180mm f/2.8

My version predates the 'zebra' design and is one of the older models of this lens. It was produced from 1961 to 1963 and is single coated. The 180mm is somewhat on the heavy side but little wonder as this lens is built like a tank. I found that, when coupled to my Pentax 645 cameras, it is fine to shoot hand-held but I might be biased as I am used to shooting long telephoto lenses hand-held - one of the perks of aviation photography. To fit this lens - or any lens with the Pentacon Six mount - on my Pentaxes I use a P6-645 adapter. There are plenty of these on eBay where they sell for about € 30.

In the field

In the field, or rather, in the quiet serenity of the Naarden Old Cemetery I set out to see what this lens could do. I am quite pleased with the results. Good separation at f/2.8, the bokeh is pleasing and not distracting and the lens has that dreamy look you can't seem to get with modern optimized-for-digital lenses. The fact that this lens has only single coating is no doubt responsible for that. There is surprisingly little CA on the images this lens produces which surprised me. I found it difficult to focus at times without the aid of a split-screen focusing screen though but that is more the result of fitting this lens to my digital Pentax (which lacks a split screen focusing screen) than anything else. 

I'll leave you with a few shots from today's outing.

Pentax Auto 110, the smallest camera I ever used

The smallest camera I ever used must have been the Pentax Auto 110. I would guess that the Pentax Auto 110 is the only SLR with detachable lenses built for 110 film, thereby being the smallest SLR system ever built. The system was manufactured between 1978 and 1985. The Pentax Auto 110 was introduced with three lenses, a 18mm f/2.8 wide-angle lens, a 24mm f/2.8 standard lens and a 50mm f/2.8 telephoto lens. These would be comparable to 35mm, 50mm and 100mm lenses for the 135 film format. A 110 winder was also produced. The Auto 110 was succeeded by the Auto 110 Super camera released in 1982 that came with a the newly designed 110 Winder II. An additional three lenses were released in 1981 consisting of a compact 'pan focus' 18mm, a 70mm f/2.8 and a 20-40mm f/2.8 zoom lens.

Lindau

For years this has always been sort of a gimmick for me. Yes, it is fun, quirky and most certainly different from what I had been shooting but when I started with the Pentax Project (shoot images with as many different Pentax camera models as I can) I took a serious look at the 110 system for the first time. With Lomography picking up 110 film production where Kodak and Fuji left off the availability of 110 film was no longer a major issue.

I managed to obtain a set with the original body, winder and the original three lenses in 2017, bought some Lomography Orca black and white 110 film and shot a few rolls with my Pentax Auto 110. And then, well, really nothing... As it turned out getting 110 film developed is no easy task. My usual lab no longer accepted 110 film and the Lomography store in Amsterdam where I bought the film had closed. Lomography offered a mail order developing, printing and scanning service but that wasn't cheap. So I went out looking for alternatives, couldn't find any and forgot about it - until I rediscovered the rolls a few weeks ago. I decided to take the plunge and send them to Lomography for developing, printing and scanning.

The results

Fellow photographer Joeri van Veen and aircraft at Flughafen Memmingen-Allgäu.

Earlier this week I received word from Lomography: I could download the scans and the negatives and prints were on my way. I happily downloaded the scans and I must say that the scans don't disappoint. The shots seem sharp and correctly exposed. I am not sure if the scans are the maximum achievable when scanning the negatives but then again the negatives are small themselves.

I would still like to know if there are any alternatives to Lomography for developing 110 film, if you know any please drop me a line.

A Portuguese Casa 295 at Schiphol

Casa 295M 16701 of Esquadra 502 'Elefantes' of the Portuguese Air Force made a tank stop at Schiphol Airport earlier today. 

16701 was on a mission to the Baltic States and used Schiphol as a stopover on the way from and to Portugal. The Portuguese Air Force has 12 Casa 295's, 7 in the transport role and 5 in the maritime patrol role. 16701 is the first of the C-295M's delivered to Portugal and is one of the transport aircraft. An unusual feature in the Portuguese C-295M's is their nose-mounted radar. This is usually not found on the transport version. 

It was not the best light this afternoon but I'm happy with the results.

Medium format slides

Slides

Since I started shooting medium format film I've always had a preference for transparency or slide film. This was mainly because in the 35mm world I used slide film 99% of the time and my work flow was centered around slides. Slides scan beautifully and it is a joy to see them projected. 

Unlike 35mm, when shooting medium format there are different sizes with regards to slide formats. I have camera's that shoot 6x4.5, 6x6 and 6x7 format slides. For scanning purposes no big issue but if you want to project these slides there is no 'one fits all' slide projector. 6x4.5 and 6x6 have the same size of slide mount so can both be used on a 6x6 slide projector. 6x7 alas is too big for that. 

Projecting

Nowadays it is uncommon to see a medium format slide projector. I was lucky to obtain one, a 6x6 projector. This means that my 6x4.5 and 6x6 camera's are loaded with 120 slide film most of the time. I tend to use my 6x7's for black and white and colour negatives mostly these days.

Ok, now I owned a projector. Next on my list was obtaining the necessary slide mounts. Although I was able to buy some 6x4.5 mounts new I usually have to depend on the second-hand market. I have been lucky to get my hands on a mixed supply of 6x4.5 and 6x6 glass mounts but these need to be cleaned before use. I do so by washing them in warm soapy water. I've also heard other stories on how to clean these mounts, how do YOU do it? Please drop me a line in the comments section below describing how you clean your medium format glass slide mounts.

Scanning

My work flow now is to scan the slide first, then mount it. These are huge transparencies to scan so this takes a while. I use an LS-8000ED Coolscan and scan at maximum capacity. Scanning a 6x6 slide gets me a whopping 80.5 megapixel 500 MB file.

The results

Last February I shot a roll of Provia 100F with my ARAX CM-MLU. This is basically an improved Kiev 88CM, when using these you definitely get those old-school vibes. I scanned these earlier today, below you'll find a small selection of winter landscapes.

• Location Naarden
• Camera: ARAX CM-MLU
• Lens: ARAX MC 80mm f/2.8
• Film: Fujichrome Professional Velvia 100F 
• Scanner: Nikon LS-8000ED