Stitch Definition
Leica CL + Leica Summarit 50mm f2.5
I am still auditioning lenses for the role of my ‘main’ work lens. With my previous DSLR setup it was the Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm. But with all the new options available to me, I am now rethinking my process a bit.
The vintage Zeiss Jena lenses are dreamy and surreal. But the modern M-mount lenses I have access to {technically they are my husband’s, but I can freely borrow them} render textures with more detail and nuance. This is important, because I am photographing knitwear - where characteristics such as finishing details, stitch definition, and ‘halo’ {the fuzziness of a yarn} are crucial to what I am trying to capture. But are they more crucial than ‘mood’ and ‘atmosphere,’ of which the vintage Zeiss may offer just a bit more of? Honestly I don’t know. And I don’t even know for sure whether the vintage lenses actually do have more of this so-called ‘atmosphere’. I am still experimenting.
With that being said, the candidates so far are:
. the 35mm Voigtlander Skopar
. the 35mm Zeiss Jena Flektagon
. the 50mm Leica Summarit
. the 50mm Zeiss Jena Pancolar
Which raises another point: That I can’t seem to settle on a focal length. I used to be quite certain that I preferred a 50mm for work-related photos. But now I am liking 35mm just as much, and seem unable to decide between the two.
This uncertainty over vintage vs modern, and over 35mm vs 50mm has allowed an unwelcome thought to creep in… that I might need another lens. Specifically: the Summicron-C 40mm. A Leica lens of 1970s vintage made for the original {film} CL model, with a focal length between my two favourites, this lens could very well combine all the qualities that I say I want in a work lens.
Unfortunately, while part of the appeal of these particular lenses used to be their price {even fairly recent reviews quote under $400USD}, the prices seem to have doubled over the past year. But perhaps if I bide my time and ask around, I might still find a bargain.
In the meantime, I am enjoying experimenting with the lenses available to me - most recently the husband’s 50mm Summarit. The way it renders the stitch definition and the halo on this mohair-blend sweater, is just amazing. And I certainly would not call it clinical.
