Topcon-S 5cm f2 (M39)

[Black Pearl]

Managed to get a loan of a friends Topcor-S 5cm f2 (M39) lens from the 50's with an adapter so it works on my Fuji.

The lens is an absolute joy to use, nicely made with a rapid focus level which is properly cool. Close focus is about 1m which isn't great but a 10mm tube should sort that if I need to get intimate with a flower. Aperture is manual only so no auto stop down - not an issue with the Fuji as it works perfectly compensating in AP mode to show the metered exposure in the EVF. Focus is a cinch as I have a dual view option with a 100% crop with focus peaking to help nail the exact plane.

I bunged it on the camera and took the dog down to the local park before dinner for a quick play. They are all shot wide open to see how it renders the OOF areas....nice and gnarly as it turns out which is just what I wanted.

These are jpeg files with the Fuji set to its Monochrome Film Simulation then tweaked a little in Lightroom.

[Shadowman]

Nice series.

[rpcrowe]

Wow! I really like that very unusual bokeh!

[Manfred M]

I have not seen any Topcon gear in a very long time, other than the equipment that my optometrist uses when checking my eyes.

The mechanical build quality of the lenses from the 50's and 60's was absolutely superb (optically, not always so much, especially on the anti-reflective coating side of things). I remember shooting an old Zeiss Jena f/2 58mm Biotar. Very impressive performance and interesting bokeh, as I recall. The lens coating seemed to be nicotine based, as the photographer I borrowed it from was a bit of a chain smoker.

[Black Pearl]

This one flares at the slightest hint of a bright light, which I did play with by deliberately shooting into the sun but haven't shared. The glass is remarkably clean with just the usual dust but no lamination issues or fungus and the focus is silky smooth. I'll shall enjoy shooting with it on and off for a week or two then I'll have to hand it back and look for something new to experiment with....one of those swirly-bokeh Helios 58/2 lenses is still on my radar.

[William W]

There seems always something special about those lenses which measure their Focal Length in cm. kind of like referring to ASA or DIN . . .

I like the bokehesque more on wider backgrounds of the trees than the mass of grass... but the bokehed hair on that good looking fellow in the first shot is pretty good - especially on the side-lit side.

What's the lens's bokeh like when using some of the Fuji Colour Film Simulation - especially in low level diffused light: I reckon perhaps keeping a gnarl with a touch of "pastel creamy"?

WW

[Manfred M]

There seems always something special about those lenses which measure their Focal Length in cm. kind of like referring to ASA or DIN . . .

I especially like some of the old USA made lenses that had focal lengths measured in inches. Goerz American Optical Company was one of the better known ones (I remember a Goerz Dagor 6-inch sitting on a friend's view camera) and I suspect that the UK based lens companies like Dallmeyer or Cooke probably did the same at one time. Cooke, by the way, are still in the business and make high end cinematography lenses.

[Black Pearl]

I had a fondle of a case full of Cooke primes a year or so ago as a mate who works in TV had hired them for a job he was commissioned for. He knew I'd want to see them so dropped by one night. They were heavily insured as they worked out to be worth far more than his car!!

[AlwaysOnAuto]

That lens does have some character to it doesn't it.
I'm a fan of old lenses myself.

[Black Pearl]

One of these days I'll find a good subject/model and a nice bright spectral highlighty background to do a proper comparison between all the 50mm lenses I have. The modern ones will be biting sharp and super smooth while the older ones will have various 'characteristics' that while not technically superior might just win out in their fun factor.

[tao2]

One of these days I'll find a good subject/model and a nice bright spectral highlighty background to do a proper comparison between all the 50mm lenses I have. The modern ones will be biting sharp and super smooth while the older ones will have various 'characteristics' that while not technically superior might just win out in their fun factor.

Ah was just thinking along those exact same lines. Done a couple of FSU lens posts but haven't posted any shots for a while. Time tae rectify that....

[rpcrowe]

Manfred...

When I was a young Navy photographer, some aerial lenses were listed in two ways: In inches for the rough calibrations and in millimeters for more exact calibrations. When measured in mm, they included the focal length to two decimal points. Such as 300.45 mm. That is so you could make exact measurements from the images shot with these lenses...
\
And... for fun factor... There is always the Canon 135mm SF (soft focus) lens. With three degrees of softness that are different at every f/stop used, you could really have some fun playing with that lens if you had the time and a model with enough patience... Doesn't quite work like i wanted when using manniken instead of a real-live model...

[Black Pearl]

There seems always something special about those lenses which measure their Focal Length in cm. kind of like referring to ASA or DIN . . .

I like the bokehesque more on wider backgrounds of the trees than the mass of grass... but the bokehed hair on that good looking fellow in the first shot is pretty good - especially on the side-lit side.

What's the lens's bokeh like when using some of the Fuji Colour Film Simulation - especially in low level diffused light: I reckon perhaps keeping a gnarl with a touch of "pastel creamy"?

WW

I love all the tiny circles in the wider shots, such a fun look.

I'll run a few frames off when I get a chance.

[Wavelength]

Excellent set of images