Certaines très belles – mais cela ne prouve rien

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Kashiwa Udon Noren

Entrance to Udon noodle shop, Kashiwa [ Leica M6, Zeiss Planar 2.0/50 ZM ]

The above was a comment on a French site linking to the last set of pictures I had here. Not that it changes the validity of that statement, but I have redone things and properly scanned a series of shots taken with the new 50mm last Saturday. Obviously the scans come out a lot better when you do things properly. Click here or on the picture above to see the whole set.

Looking good so far. Surprised about the number of what I think are decent “keepers” from just two rolls. Maybe the choice of film and developer is not right for the people who want to assess the lens. This is 2 years or more outdated Agfapan APX 400 in either Xtol 1:2 or Rodinal.

First time I used Rodinal. They’re not wrong when they say grain comes out with it, especially since APX 400 is known for that already as it is. I think there are some sharpening artifacts in the grain, even though I only applied 20% USM in PhotoShop and have the scanner (Epson 3200) set to medium.

Most of those were taken on a dull, overcast day, mostly at f5.6 and 1/250 or so. Those that have some sun sparkle quite nicely but are stopped down to f8 or f11. Overall, I am pleased.