The 1960s was a decade of amazing innovation and creativity for the Japanese optical companies. They sold equipment equal or superior to many of the German offerings at the time and eventually dominated sales in the USA.
Long-term readers may remember that I bought a Canon 50mm ƒ/1.4 ltm lens in 2019. It was superb optically but was a big cylinder that blocked too much of the viewfinder of my little Leica IIIC. I reluctantly sold it and looked for one of the smaller ƒ-stop Canon lenses.
As I noted in the earlier article, Canon mounted their early post-war lenses in heavy chrome mounts. I wanted one of the lighter weight mid-1960s versions. Problem: many (most?) of these 50mm black barrel ƒ/1.8 lenses suffer from the infamous hazy or etched inner elements. No one has a solid answer why this happens, but the haze was likely caused by gas from the lubricants used in the aperture mechanism. Many of the 1.8 lenses are totally ruined and cannot be cleaned, but once in awhile, one shows up on the infamous 'Bay with a clear interior.
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There's a fungus among us
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| Precise engraving; brass and aluminum helical mount |
I bought one of the 1.8 lenses with clear glass but minor fungus. The Japanese vendor was honest and the price was right. I have used fungus before. The 35mm ƒ/3.5 Leitz Summaron lens that I bought in Buenos Aires in 1982 was a fungus farm. A technician cleaned off the inner coating to remove the fungus, and I proceeded to use the lens for another 15 years. No issues at all, and barely any flare problems. As usual, I wish I had kept that lens.
Here are some initial examples from my Canon 50mm ƒ/1.8 lens in and around Vicksburg, Mississippi on Fuji Acros film.
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| 2917 Drummond Street (empty for years) |
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| Kansas City Southern rail yard, Levee Street (1/60 ƒ/4.0½) |
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| Have a seat, Valley Street (1/60 ƒ/5.6) |
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| Stouts Bayou footbridge at Avenue A |
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| Stouts Bayou from Letitia Street |
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| Need a mask? Letitia Street |
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| Morgan Lane (1/100 ƒ/5.6, yellow-green filter) |
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| Alma Street, Vicksburg (1/60 ƒ/8) |
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| 1920s or 1930s cottage, 2613 Alma Street, Vicksburg (1/60 ƒ/8.0½) |
With Vicksburg's hilly terrain, many older homes have serious steps.
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| Bowmar Avenue house undergoing endless renovation (1/200 ƒ/8, yellow-green filter) |
Conclusions
This is a nice lens optically and mechanically. I have no complaints. Oops, one issue: this lens uses 40mm filters, an odd size (while dozens of German and Soviet lenses used 40.5mm). With an adapter, I can use Series VI filters. The correct Canon screw-in filters would be more convenient and faster in the field but are seriously expensive from the Japanese sellers. All flaws in the photos above are those of the photographer's. I have sent the lens to Don Goldberg (DAG Camera) for cleaning and checking. When it is back, I will use it regularly, along with my 1960s Soviet
Jupiter-8 lens and my 1949 Leitz Summitar. (Yes, I know, I have far too many cameras and lenses....)
Update July 2022: The little Canon lens is back from its cleaning. Now to make time to use the little Leica IIIC.
3 comments:
Scratches, bubbles and small amounts of fungus often have imperceptible effects on image quality. Such blemishes may be esthetically unpleasing, but it is worth trying some pictures sometimes. I have a Vivitar zoom which has some peripheral fungus. I would not risk trying to disassemble it for cleaning, but I'm thinking I should at least give it a chance to see how it actually performs.
Alma Street reminds me of the part of West Virginia where my father grew up.
Mike, you are right that minor internal dust or lint usually have no noticeable effect on the lens' optical performance. I have used some rather grungy lenses in the past. In the case of my new/old 50 ƒ/1.8, I want to be sure the fungus does not spread, and it may have a tiny bit of the infamous Canon haze. Don Goldberg will put it into tip-top shape.
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