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Zeiss Linhof Biogon 53 mm-a legendary wide lens- on Phase one back.

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Alkibiades

Well-known member
Everybody knows the very known Zeis Biogon 38 mm for Hasseblad and some use this lens with digital backs so I always wanted to try the big brother of this lens:
especially made for Linhof technika: zeiss Biogon 4,5/53 mm.
 
A

Alkibiades

Well-known member
about this lens:
Zeiss made especially for Linhof some premim lenses for large format:
for 2x3 inch (6x9 cm )
- Biogon 4,5/53 mm
- Planar 2,8/100 mm
- Sonnar 4,8/180 mm
- Tessar 3,5/105 mm
and similar lenses for 4x5 inch:
- Biogon 4,5/75 mm
- Planar 3,5/135 mm
- Sonnar 5,6/250 mm
- Tessar 4,5/150 mm
The lenses were produced from about 1950.
All these lenses were superior at these time. The focus of these lenses was not a big image circle for big movements on large format cameras like Schneider lenses but the possibility to deliver best image quality even wide open in order to use these lenses on Linhof technika cameras like big Leicas. Together with in camera build View finder and sharpness finder you could shot without tripod. All of these lenses had a legendary optical performance. Most of them deliver double more of the resolution than similar Schneider lenses even wide open.
All of them are also much bigger then similar Schneider lenses.
So I wanted always try how they would performe no a modern digital back.
First the 53 mm Biogon.
I have already seen the performance of the 38 biogon. The lens was sharp but the courner sharpness poor.
so lets see if this also regards to the 53 mm Biogon.
 
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Alkibiades

Well-known member
as you can see the lens has perfect sharpness at canter and extrem borders- there is no decrease in sharpness. also no chromatic aberration.
 
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Alkibiades

Well-known member
still amazing: even at 20 mm movemnt the sharpness is outstanding!
I made afcouce LCC correction.
remember: this lens come from the fifties, is even single coated.
As all Zeiss lenses from this collection the lens tend to a a warm, yellow stitch, where modern lenses are much more cold.
But this cen be changes with one correction click.
Not bad for such old lens.
 
mristuccia

mristuccia

Well-known member
Hi Alkibiades,
thanks for this interesting test!
Just out of curiosity: which P1 back are you using here? BSI (aka 4150) or non-BSI (like 3100)?
I guess it is the BSI one, as such lenses are symmetrical and the quality usually suffers with a non back-side illuminated CMOS sensor...
Best
marco
 
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Alkibiades

Well-known member
mristuccia said:
Hi Alkibiades,
thanks for this interesting test!
Just out of curiosity: which P1 back are you using here? BSI (aka 4150) or non-BSI (like 3100)?
I guess it is the BSI one, as such lenses are symmetrical and the quality usually suffers with a non back-side illuminated CMOS sensor...
Best
marco
Click to expand...
I used Phase one 250 back that shares the very common 50 MP Cmos sensor- a non back-side illuminated. This is not the best sensor for symetrical wide angle lenses, thefore is so amazing that this lens work well with it. The quality with the new 100MP sensor should be even better.
 
mristuccia

mristuccia

Well-known member
Alkibiades said:
I used Phase one 250 back that shares the very common 50 MP Cmos sensor- a non back-side illuminated. This is not the best sensor for symetrical wide angle lenses, thefore is so amazing that this lens work well with it. The quality with the new 100MP sensor should be even better.
Click to expand...
That's even more interesting.
Thanks for the info!
 
A

Alkibiades

Well-known member
Its funny, I hoped that nobody else comes on that idea.
I plannet this experiment earlier but had never time for that.
Now I tested the Zeiss Linhof Sonnar 250 mm- a huge lens, also a legend.( Sonnar 180 has exactly the same design but for formats till 6x9 cm)
It is a interesting lens that can be, or even should be used wide open...
 
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Alkibiades

Well-known member
richardman said:
The Planar 135 has a really busy bokeh.
Click to expand...
Yes, the Linhof- Planars are very special in large format, both 135 mm and 2,8/100 mm are legends.
But also the Sonnars 180 and 250.
Both: Planars and Sonnars got for the times revolutionary coatings, the real predecessor of modern MC coatings.
the Sonnars should also be a bit radioaktive.
And not to forget the Linhof Tessars: 3,5/105 and 4,5/150 mm.
These could be the first MC coated lenses ever made. Very underated and much better than the usual xenars made in that times.
 
C

cuida1991

Member
Hello, really nice post! Can I ask three questions:
(1) How do you mount this lens to tech camera and what tech camera are you using?
(2) What's the DOV of this lens on 44x33 sensor when not shifted?
(3) What's the usable image circle of this lens? Can 44x33 sensor shift more than 20mm (like 25mm, or more) without color contrast issue/smearing not correctable by LCC?
Thank you so much in advance!
 
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Alkibiades

Well-known member
cuida1991 said:
Hello, really nice post! Can I ask three questions:
(1) How do you mount this lens to tech camera and what tech camera are you using?
(2) What's the DOV of this lens on 44x33 sensor when not shifted?
(3) What's the usable image circle of this lens? Can 44x33 sensor shift more than 20mm (like 25mm, or more) without color contrast issue/smearing not correctable by LCC?
Thank you so much in advance!
Click to expand...
1- I used the lens on my Linhof techno and made an adapter from technika 23 to technika 45 lensboard that also techno takes.
2- sorry, what do you exactly mean?
3- till now i used only 20 mm max. I was surpriced that the lens manage it so well- I didnt expect it. I can try more maybe tomorrow. The image circle is big, for film allows good movements on 6x9 cm.
 
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Alkibiades

Well-known member
30 mm is still very sharp but the LCC does not work well any more on the 50 MP chip. I am sure that on the new 100 MP sensor -back illuminated- it will work well.
For 50 MP sensor 20 mm is really great and this is really much. even Digaron-W 50 mm dont allow you more.
 

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