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Lumix GH1 meets Macro Switar 1.9/75mm

kds315

Active member
f2-5.6 if I remember correctly. I tend not to stop down too much.

I have the f1.1/26mm Macro Switar coming in a few days and I'm
already excited to test it...
 

Jonas

Active member
The Switar 26/1.1 is a lens to have some fun with! One gotta love the rendering from these Switars, and the build quality!

/Jonas
 
V

Vivek

Guest
The only Macro Switar I have (36/1.4, made for Super 8), easily outresolves the G1's sensor. It won't focus to infinity, neither will it cover the whole frame at ~1meter. I just use it for close-ups and to ~1X (in this region it does cover the frame well).

The key to finding the "bleeding of the eyeballs sharpness" from these lenses is to use a tripod (even if the shutter speed is pushing the high limits) or a stable support (it turns out, the same applies for the Computar-TV 25/1.3 as well).

Handheld snaps will not do any justice to their performance, IMHO.
 
D

drxcm

Guest
I have the 26 1.1 - the vignetting is moderately strong, but in a pleasing way. It is a LOVELY lens. Mine will never go...
 

Jonas

Active member
I have owned used and sold the Macro Switar 26/1.1 and it doesn't cover our sensors very well at all. Vignetting isn't the right word really; the extreme corners are cut off and then there is vignetting, heavy smearing and all associated aberrations at the borders and a bit in towards the center.

At the same time the rendering is beautiful indeed with a nice glow (but less than the Pen FT 42/1.2 for example) at the largest aperture openings, the lens is very sharp stopped down and the bokeh is great, simply put. As you can suspect by now there is quite some distortion.
I liked the lens but sold it as I was on the hunt for a fast and good normal lens. Despite its flaws it was my favourite lens for some time.
 

kds315

Active member
Well, I'll give it a try and see how it performs for me. I was mainly interested in the fast f1.1 speed, as I have the 25mm range quite well covered (esp. the Kinoptik 1.9/25mm is my favorite lens).

Btw. I read in another forum that someone called the Macro Switar 75mm "apo" corrected - I have never heard about that though. I would say quite close to from my tests.
 
A

Abbazz

Guest
Congrats on your new lens, Klaus, it's definitely a keeper. Your flower pictures are awesome.

There are more and I often find modern high resolution lenses to suffer from CA in a way making me looking for older and less "sharp" lenses.
I fully agree. Slower lenses also tend to have much less longitudinal chromatic aberration than faster lenses, even when stopped down.

Cheers!

Abbazz
 

Photomorgana

New member
Well, I'll give it a try and see how it performs for me. I was mainly interested in the fast f1.1 speed, as I have the 25mm range quite well covered (esp. the Kinoptik 1.9/25mm is my favorite lens).

Btw. I read in another forum that someone called the Macro Switar 75mm "apo" corrected - I have never heard about that though. I would say quite close to from my tests.
I also have heard from someone in the past that 75 Switar and maybe even some other Switars are APO corrected. I don't do serious testing, but based on hundreds of picture I took with 26, 50, 75, I'd say they very well might be an APO. (just like Kinoptik)
I took some shots with 26mm and some Leica 40mm, VC 28mm and Hexanon 50mm lenses against strong back light of my window and Switar beat them all in aberration department. (but yes, it does have a distortion, so no architectural work with that one)
I don't think I'll be selling any switars any time soon :)

Klaus, nice pictures. I even see some plasticity in #3 and 5
 
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