NikonGear'23
Gear Talk => Lens Talk => Topic started by: MEPER on March 25, 2020, 17:17:09
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During a break from homework and inspired from the other threads using unusual lenses on Nikon digital bodies I remembered I had a vintage Voigtländer Septon 50/2 lens and an adapter for it also. I took a couple of test shots just to determine if lens was useable or not. First impression is positive. Lens sharp and nice colors. Has a bit of field curvature as only flaw I have found so far. Also sharpness at full aperture and bokeh is ok. Couple of images attached included a 100% crop for each. I have not been out on the street so images shot out of window and inside living room. 100% crop from inside picture is the computer monitor. Lens has a very nice built quality. Think lens deserves to be tested more?
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Yes, nice lens. I have one too, on a Bessamatic.
Do you use a cheap Chinese DKL-Nikon F adapter? Without problems?
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Yes, A nice lens and the lens was also attached to a Bessamatic. I gave away the Bessamatic and kept the lens.
I think it is just a cheap DKL-Nikon F adapter. It has apertures 1.8 - 22 to select from with clicks. It seems to work. It can be a little hard to get the lens to click into place so it is fixed.
I have another adapter made by a company from GB. It holds the lens with set screws and the aperture if fixed when you has inserted the lens (aperture selected by turning the lens in the adapter before it is fixed by the set screws). I use that adapter for a Color-Skopar X 50/2.8 lens.
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Thanks for the explanation. No Infinity problems then?
I was thinking to use it on the Nikon Z-camera's and have two adapter options as a direct DKL-to Z is not there yet. The DKL-to F and connect via the FTZ. Or the DKL-42M and connect via my macro-adapter to Z. That last option had advantages as the close-focus distance of most Septons is a 90cm. The DKL-F has the advantage to use on the other Nikon Camera's
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With the DKL and the special made adapter I am able to infinity focus so it works well.
I also have a Voigtländer Super-Dynarex 135/4 I could try. It is a cheap lens on the 2nd market but it may be a fine lens.
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Nice old lens, looks like great fun to explore it more, it definitely is capable of a vintage look ;)
On a side note,,,
Funny to be able to instantly recognize the exact location just from the air raid shelters in the second image ::) ;D I happen to pass that area sometimes ;)
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Yes, I should find time to go out and find out more about the lens!
Bokeh seems fine.
The 2nd image is shot from my balcony. I have many of those images as it is easy if the purpose is just a test :-)
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A quick shot with the H. P20 the Bessamatic - Voigtlander Septon 50mm f/2. Now waiting for the adapter to arrive from China (with all the delays)
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The Septon is a very nice lens. I have seen many fine images on the web shot with this lens.
Relative sharp wide open and very nice bokeh.
The designers probably knew what they did many years ago. Think the lens is from 1966.
7 elements (not surprising that is why it is called septon) in 5 groups:
http://allphotolenses.com/lenses/item/c_4809.html
The scores it quite good but don't know what is "behind" the scores.
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Thank you for the information:
Also here lots of information is to be found:
http://www.der-klinterklater.de/lanskop.html#septon (http://www.der-klinterklater.de/lanskop.html#septon)
The original Bessamatic was made between 1959 and 1962. With an original price of nearly 470 DEM in 1959. The Septon lens nearly three times more expensive than the original 50mm, the Color Skopar.
On this website some tests with the lens were performed:
https://www.digicamclub.de/showthread.php?t=15899&page=4 (https://www.digicamclub.de/showthread.php?t=15899&page=4)
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OK.....so first version was from 1959 with 0.9 m close distance and from 1965 is was 0.6 m.
I also have a Prominent camera with original Ultron, Nokton and Color-Skopar. I tried to find a Z-adapter that could mount the lenses but could not find it but it is possible via two adapters. Either Prominent to Leica M or Prominent to 39mm. I read one place that the Septon design originates from the Ultron. The Ultron 50/2 for the Prominent is also a nice lens.
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The Prototype for the Voigtlander Septon is the Carl Zeiss Planar 50mm f2.0.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voigtl%C3%A4nder_Bessamatic
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voigtl%C3%A4nder_Bessamatic)
Zeiss worked together with Voigtlander at that time, resulting in two Voigtlander lenses: The Septon 50/2 and the Colour Ultron 50/2.8
Unfortunately there is no direct Z-adapter, but I guess change the mouth to a Nikon F gives more options for use. Connection with the FTZ has advantages with regard correct tagging. ( Non-CPU lens-data works better with the FTZ-adapter)
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I have many adapters on the way from GB and China and will wait to see what I get as it is hard to remember but think I should be able to mount a classic Ultron on the Z50 which is also under way :-)
I have been searching this link which was previous "Taunusreiter":
http://www.klassik-cameras.de/Bessa_RF_histo_dt.html#Septon
There is a lot of interesting information about classic cameras and lenses.
What I think is very impressing is the Color-Skopar 50/3.5 for the Prominent. It is almost an APO lens?
A bit down the page "Color-Skopar 2.8 order 3.5" is written that the max. color derivation for the 50/3.5 is 1.5 "winkelsekunden" which should mean that if you make a x400 enlargement then the max. color error (must be in the far corner) will be 0.1mm. It requires something when lens is assembled. But maybe those specifications are quite normal for primes.
There are also mentioned 1964 prices and Septon was close to 300 DM.
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Yesterday I was out on a short walk with D5200 + Septon to test a little more how lens performs. Three images attached with 100% crops of each. The first image is with full aperture. I tried to focus on the tree to the right to evaluate bokeh of the lens and also to verify sharpness. I can see that I may not have nailed 100% focus on the tree. I used center sensor for MF and reframed afterwards. This is not the right to do it also taking into account that lens has a bit of field curvature. But I think it shows that lens may be sharp enough for portraits at full aperture. Now I got a Z50 body so interesting to see how MF works using this body. The next two images are with lens stopped down a bit. Think it shows that lens is quite sharp.
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You will also 'fool' the light metering when you re-frame after focusing, unless you are in full manual mode.
For lens testing I would switch to Live View for consistency until you get the Z50 ;)
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I was on full manuel mode. Think it is the only way I could get D5200 to work with lenses/adapters with no contacts. So I used the histogram to check exposure. Sometimes it is quite nice to be in 100% control like in the old days. Z50 came yesterday. In the documentation for FTZ adapter they write that non-AI lenses are not compatible and they may destroy contacts. I can't see the reason for that as the difference between AI and non-AI lenses in general is not what is inside the adapter which could damage the contacts. Then they mention some very old lenses by name which is incompatible. But a non-AI 50/2 works as good as AI'ed version of same lens as I see it without having tried it out other than non-AI lenses mounts nicely. The body will not see any difference between the two. I have noticed a small black switch on the F-side of the adapter which is placed just outside the mount and can see if I mount a more modern lens like AFD 85/1.4 this switch will be activated. But no difference between older non-AI/AI. I assume that stop down exposure method is used for both types of old lenses like I do now with Septon on D5200 via an adapter.
I find it difficult to use live view. The sunlight can cause that it is difficult to see what it going on and I can hold camera more steady using optical finder. So look forward to use Z50.
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The Septon is a gem, I call three of it my own and use it with the F4 and D700.
It is excellent for B&W use and I like the Bokeh of it.
BTW: all Voigtländer lenses for the Bessamatic sytem are good usable lenses, very interesting is the Zoomar 36-82 f/2.8
I love the lens destorsions of it :o
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The Septon 50/2 is not bad. The Color Ultron 50/1.8 is much much better.
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This is an analouge cyanotype print copy of a digital image I made with the Septon lens. Self coated Fabriano water colour paper.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/7840/32339376637_53292b141d_h.jpg)
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very interesting is the Zoomar 36-82 f/2.8
I love the lens destorsions of it :o
Nice colours too?
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Nice colours too?
For analouge film the colours nice, in digital use it has colour shifts. I use it in B&W only