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View Full Version : A quick test of Vintage lenses


Lostlabours
23rd January 2016, 02:02 PM
I've just tested a few old lenses to see how differently they behave in terms of contrast and flare. For practical reasons the tests were made using bellows on a DSLR.

The reason for the tests was I'd just recieved a 120mm f6.8 Goerz Dagor in a Compound shutter, made around 1911/12. I was visually comparing it to a Goerz-Ihagee f6.3 135mm lens and was surprised how clear the DAgor was, I put them on a lens board and there was a very marked difference in contrast on the screen of my Super Graphic. All test shots were at full aperture.

C.P Goerz Dagor 120mm f6.8

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/dagor-sm.jpg

Goerz-Ihagee f6.3 135mm (Dialyte)

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/goerz-ihagee-sm.jpg

CZJ f5.3 (rare) n165mm Tessar

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/tessar-sm.jpg

Meyer f9 141mm WA

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/meyerwa-sm.jpg

Unknown 6" (approx) f8 Rapid Rectilinear

http://lostlabours.co.uk/photography/cameras/images/rr-sm.jpg

In many ways the results are as expected as it mirrors the number of air galss surfaces in all theses uncoated lenses. All the lenses are in excellent optical & mechanical condition with no cleaning marks or scratches, However I didn't expect the Dagor to be so far ahead of the Tessar, I did expect the Dialyte and wide angle to have much lower contrast.

Ian