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Thread: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Test

  1. #11

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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    It is hard to go wrong with the Nikkor.

  2. #12
    Corran's Avatar
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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg View Post
    Apo-Lanthar had the least contrast.
    Good for chromes. I've shot a few and was happy with the results, but didn't expressly shoot other lenses side-by-side to see the differences explicitly.
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  3. #13

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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Sorry, this wasn't intended to create arguments as such, its just a simple observation and is not meant to be a scientific test, just a having acquired one 'what do I think of it at open aperture and does it look interesting test' - one shot and would others find it interesting or useful

    Its a limited real world test but only for me, my camera ( NAGAOKA 4x5 ), my film, processing and scanning technique. I don't doubt another copy of the lens may perform better or worse given the same or different circumstances/equipment but this gives me an idea of how this one performs and if I use it in the same way what will I get. Just to note, condition wise it does have some surface scratches, nothing really horrible, but has an unbelievable amount of air bubbles in the glass - more than you would be bothered to count, but Linhof clearly found no issues with this and maybe this adds something else.

    I also have a Sinaron and a G-Claron 210mm so for just a standard shot both of these would perform pretty well and I use each for different things, but the Lanthar has f4.5 (and a reputation) so I wanted to see for me what difference this made. I appreciate the scanning equipment is pretty limited, but in my opinion it is a fairly sharp scan given these limitations and what you are seeing is mostly the lens performance under the conditions - see below 1:1 scratches on the neg from my clumsy handling (it is just a test):

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Link to full res screen grab - http://dglockwood.com/wp-content/upl...Untitled-1.jpg

    Ultimately I like the look it has and the sharpness is fine for what I would use it for - but in conclusion, would I buy one for the price they fetch having tried this - no, but would I keep this one rather than sell it given it cost me nothing and it does have something about it - yes

  4. #14

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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Quote Originally Posted by Lockwod View Post
    the look
    hmmm, those defocus discs show a very sweet bokeh.

    For sharpness yo may have to stop the lens to around f/11 or 16, and defocus a farther background, IMHO this is the way to obtain the Duftige Schärfe, if you don't stop a bit you won't get the very sharp subject, and background has to be far enough to be OOF at that aperture.

    Also illumination can be more suitable for volume depiction, well defined volumes with a sweet background should be a beutiful combination. Of course Duftige Schärfe + Scheimflug should be great.

  5. #15
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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    APO Lanthars are sharp much sooner than f/11.

    My 15cm Lanthar is noticeably sharper than my 21cm though, so that may show variability.

    f/5.6 or f/8 is a wonderful aperture range to use for sharp images with nice large out of focus areas.

    I ordered a hole saw today, 65mm, to cut a lens board for my 5x7 to use the 21cm APO Lanthar. Another day, another project. I shot my wedding formals with the 15cm and 21cm APO Lanthars on 4x5.

    Here is a shot I took some years ago of a family I met while out at a WMA. She was learning how to use a new DSLR. I offered to take their photo, mostly because I wanted to see the 21cm APO Lanthar perform. I think it was f/8:

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  6. #16

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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Before my trial/loan with potential to buy a 210 Apo-Lanthar, found that the only paper literature that I had on Apo Lanthars was on page 17 in my vintage TECHNIKA catalog. Cross sections of the Heliar and the Apo Lanthar lenses in the catalog look to be identical. Makes sense that an Apo Lanthar would be great for portraiture, since the Heliar is "particularly suitable for modern portrait ... photography." Anyways, curious as to what makes a Heliar a Heliar and an Apo Lanthar an Apo Lanthat since, per the Linhof's illustration, both optics seem to be the same. Figure that there must be simple answer out there.
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails HelarLanthar.jpg  

  7. #17

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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Quote Originally Posted by Greg View Post
    curious as to what makes a Heliar a Heliar and an Apo Lanthar an Apo Lanthat since, per the Linhof's illustration, both optics seem to be the same.
    Apo Lanthar has then front element made from lanthanum crown glass. This glass allowed a better correction of chromatic aberration. That kind of glass was initially used by Kodak for their Aero-Ektar aerial lenses in WWII, after war many manufacturer used it.

    So we have a super-heliar, this is divine heliar bokeh in a very sharp lens.

    The other super-heliar is the universal heliar, in another sense.




    Quote Originally Posted by Corran View Post
    APO Lanthars are sharp much sooner than f/11.
    True, at f/11 it's totally sharp, even better than at f/16, wich speaks about how good it is this glass.

  8. #18
    Peter De Smidt's Avatar
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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Good portrait, Bryan.
    “You often feel tired, not because you've done too much, but because you've done too little of what sparks a light in you.”
    ― Alexander Den Heijer, Nothing You Don't Already Know

  9. #19
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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    Thanks Peter. Some may notice their shoes are a bit out of focus. Perils of using such a big and heavy lens on my little Chamonix, not to mention the limited DOF at those apertures - the front standard was a bit out of alignment, tilted forward. Since then I've only ever used the 21cm on my Linhof 4x5.
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  10. #20

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    Re: Linhof Apo-Lanthar 210mm - Duftige Schärfe "fluffy sharpness" - Open Aperture Tes

    I always understood that Apo Lanthars were color corrected Heliars … so the soft -sharp focus thing makes sense.. I've found shooting B&W with my heliars, the light/dark transitions unlike other lenses in their smoothness.. even when stopped down.. so it's not surprising that they are highly sought after (if one shoots color..if not, then it's for the 'look what I got' factor - as a Heliar will do just the same with B&W)

    I remember when I first started selling at camera shows years and years ago, the Japanese buyers would come around and the only English they knew was 'apo lanthar'.. never had one.. but right then I thought...hmmmm… what's the deal?

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