Notes from the field, er street, er . . . alley: A Consideration of the Voigtlander 35 1.4 SC
Yes, I do make a habit of looking into dumpsters. You never know where you will find something interesting.
After a couple of months on the shelf, I picked up the Biogon again this week. A couple of observations:
- The focusing tab on the CV did indeed turn out to be addictive, but only for 35mm lenses. When I’m using the 50 Hex, my fingers naturally find the ring, but going to the Biogon, my fingers start searching for the tab. During my time with the CV a bit of muscle memory must have built up between the 35mm focal length and the focusing tab; eyes see 35mm frame lines, fingers go looking for tab. This wouldn’t be a problem if the Biogon also had a tab. Instead, it’s got something more like a nub, which my fingers don’t interpret as tab at all, but rather as something entirely unrelated to focusing. Stupid brain.
- Before we leave the subject of focusing tabs for more interesting topics, it occurs to me that tabs in place of knurled rings make using the camera one handed nearly impossible. I can’t reach the tab with my right pinky no matter what I do, but on lenses that have them I can often reach and get enough purchase on the knurled focus ring with my index finger if I stretch, which greatly facilitates shooting without setting down your drink.
- In another quirk of visual muscle memory, I find that knowing the Biogon is mounted changes the kind of pictures I shoot. With the Biogon on the camera – and I know it’s on the camera because my fingers can’t find the f$%*ing tab – I’m much more likely to square up all the straight lines in the photo. With the CV on the camera, I immediately step to off angle. This cockeyed approach is self-defense against the CV’s incredible barrel distortion; this lens can turn a federalist style post office into a Gehry. I’m not sure what this means for my style long term, but it’s got me thinking about the slightly askew compositions of fellow stills member akikana. I’m finding I have deeper appreciation for his compositions as a result.
- Looking back through the blog, I’ve remembered that the small size of the CV was one of the reasons I plunked down the $600 for it. What I hadn’t expected was that this small size would become so integral to my appreciation of the lens. The CV really isn’t that much smaller than the Biogon, but the difference in size is enough to change the handling and carrying of the camera for the better. When Zeiss announced the more compact C Biogon, I snorted derisively just once before dismissing it altogether. Now I know better. Compact size can compensate for a variety of other shortcomings in a lens. Leica might be on to the same thing with the new Summarits.
- Build quality: The CV is just better built than the Biogon, which is funny since the same company builds both lenses. My Biogon has a bit of wobble in the lens barrel and doesn’t mount quite as snuggly as the CV or any of my Hexanons. No big deal, but interesting.
What does all this mean for my future with these two lenses? It’s too soon to tell for sure, but the Biogon has gone back on the shelf for the time being. From a practical perspective, it’s a far superior lens. It’s sharper, more resistant to flare, has less distortion etc etc etc, but the CV just has more character and is more fun to use, and in the end, that’s what it’s all about.
and i’m so used to the tab’s shape and form on my 35 ‘lux that anything else … just doesn’t feel right.
i used a couple cv lenses doing some fashion stuff yet the flares were just a bit “too much” as opposed to both the ‘cron and the ‘lux …
it’s not that i don’t like the flares that the cv’s produce … they just don’t look right.
i see you wear headphones whilst shooting! me, too, when i can!
I like the flare. It’s like throwing a veil over the picture, but it’s a very specific look that doesn’t necessarily work for every picture.
The headphones are my education, helping me learn Dutch, French and Economics.
Headphones? No, those are how Matt receives the instructions from the robot overlords. Don’t believe that education stuff. That’s what he was told to say.
‘No, those are how Matt receives the instructions from the robot overlords.’
Well, since I don’t understand french, dutch or economics, I could easily be receiving instructions without knowing it. It would explain some things . . .
Interesting post. I think we sometimes like to pretend that our choice of equipment has no impact on the pictures we take, but in practice that’s often not true.
Matthew
Matt,
Another f-stop down and you can forget about distortion. At least I didn’t notice it with the CV f/2.4 35 mm PII lens I’m using. Like you, I’m preferring the tab over a knurled ring for focussing. The slower lens is no problem with the new T-MAX 400. Developped in X-TOL, the negs really look like ISO 100.
Matthew, yes, I do think the gear we use has an impact on how we photograph. I shoot differently with SLR than I do with an RF. You see different subjects and different approaches. This is one reason to change your gear every once in a while; it can broaden your photographic skills.
Christoph, I’m not sure the distortion changes with the F stop. I’ve always thought the barrel distortion was constant across f stops.
I’ve heard good things about the new Tmax, but I was also a fan of the original TMY; the t-grain filmes are just really easy to use despite their reputation to the contrary. I’ll certainly be giving it a try in the future.
Sorry, Matt,
I wasn’t being clear about what I was suggesting: Try an entirely different CV lens, the Color Skopar f/2.4 35 mm PII lens.
Not suggesting you’d buy more lenses ;-)
Best regards, Christoph
Ah, well that makes more sense. It’s funny you mention buying more lenses, as this whole mess has got me thinking about what 35 would be compact, at least F2 and freer from distortion than the CV.