![ken rockwell 50mm summicron ken rockwell 50mm summicron](https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/images/iiif/D3S_9546-1200.jpg)
It is hard to say why I like these shots, but I think part of it has something to do with the other worldly quality to the out of focus bokeh. Photographer: Sebboh, San Francisco flickr I picked these shots as they all have very simple subject matter, nothing flashy that has been achieved by clever lighting: the beauty in these shots is all down to the lens.
![ken rockwell 50mm summicron ken rockwell 50mm summicron](https://www.kenrockwell.com/leica/images/50mm-f2-m/m39/IMG_0628-iiif-finder.jpg)
I found these photos on camera forums and the photographers have kindly allowed me to publish them here. There were a few photos that really stood out to me as having a fantastic look to them. Reading on forums it can get a bit heated, people are so into a certain type of lens, but I guess in the end it comes down to a personal preference. There was something slightly different about a lot of the Leica photos, a soft creaminess to the background that I really liked. (that said I put in some serious searching later, and found some amazing videos below) Videos take ages to find, most of them aren't particularly well shot, or show off the lenses very well. NB I find it way easier and more enjoyable to look at photos or screen grabs rather than video. I was also after something that had a slightly different look from everything else out there.Īfter looking at loads of photos I narrowed it down to two that I really liked Zeiss and Leica.
#Ken rockwell 50mm summicron series#
I was looking for top notch optics, something that would compete in sharpness and definition with modern lenses such as Canon's L series lenses, but that were in solid metal housings with large focus throws and iris control. There are lots of old "vintage" lenses that have these features though, so why Leica? (I have previously written about lenses with iris control and zoom lenses with iris control including modern and vintage options.) Altogether these things make vintage lenses much more practical for shooting video.
![ken rockwell 50mm summicron ken rockwell 50mm summicron](https://i0.wp.com/live.staticflickr.com/7667/17146669072_0723de1b95_z.jpg)
You have a large focus throw, the iris is controllable from the lens, which you can always have declicked for smooth iris changes mid shot. There are a few reasons for this: firstly, as far as stills camera lenses go, Leicas are built very well. I have been obsessing about Leica r glass and the "Leica look" for a while now.