50mm lens with messy/swirling bokeh

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>Any recommendations for an M-mount or 39mm screw mount 50mm lens that gives messy/swirling bokeh? It's this type of look that I'm trying to achieve: <a href="

The Noctilux is a good one. I'm using one that is a version old from the current model. It is big, heavy, and expensive.

See this link (w/ example): http://www.photo.net/columns/mjohnston/column49/

<p>The Summitar is said to be swirly. I just bought one but had to send it back because of severe focus shift on digital Ms. OTOH, everything depends on your backgrounds. Foliage, like in your example given, can exaggerate a given lens' OOF characteristics; while it might appear "neutral" with a cityscape background.</p>

<p> The summitar is great for swirls in the background!</p>

<p>Some used a swirl of Vaseline on a filter -- easy to apply, adjust & remove. Haven't got any samples to share, haven't done it in decades. Can be interesting.</p>

Thanks folks. I was hoping for a cheap option,

like a $30 Russian optic :-)

A Summar would also be swirly. The

Russian lenses are Tessar or Sonnar

family, neither prone to swirly bokeh.

<p>The Russian L39 lenses use the Contax standard which is not compatible with Leica.</p>

Jupiter-8, modified for Leica mount and 0.65m close-focus.<p>

 

<img src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3746/18882443299_2d6f743323_b.jpg"> <p>

 

Not swirly, but does have coma.<p>

 

<img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/518/17920415424_c9caaa18a5_b.jpg"><p>

 

This is with the Industar 61L/D, a Good Tessar formula lens, adjusted for Leica, "about $45".<p>

 

<img src="https://farm1.staticflickr.com/664/21578074854_ca0600292f_b.jpg"> <p>

 

<img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5824/22012779800_d4d8622a32_o.jpg" > <p>

 

<p>

 

This is with a Minolta 5cm F2 in Leica mount, a hard-coated, rigid mount, Summitar formula lens<p>

<img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2935/14521848464_24c0a45037_b.jpg"> <p>

 

About $250<p>

 

"Swirly Bokeh" - usually found in double-Gauss type lenses with low field-curvature.<p>

<p>It's cheating I know, but the industar 44, 58mm f2 LTM lens mounted on a Zenit 3M SLR, a Leica II based SLR which used LTM, gave me exactly what you describe at f2, and more exaggerated than in the link. Fortunately that was also the common standard on all other Zenits, with Pentax screw mount, and possibly the cheapest usable camera around.</p>

<p>Thanks again for all your responses. That's plenty for me to think about. I will investigate the Summitar. The Zenit option also sounds very attractive.</p>

<p>this is a summitar...</p><div></div>

<blockquote>

<p>the industar 44, 58mm f2 LTM lens mounted on a Zenit 3M SLR</p>

</blockquote>

<p>The M39-mount 58/2 was Helios 44, also readily available in M42 mount. </p>

The Canon Serenar 50/1.9 is a classic double-Gauss, same formula as the Summar- about the same performance as the

Summitar. Hard-coated, and collapsible. Usually about 1/2 the price of the Leica lenses.

<p>Thanks again folks, great information.</p>

<p>Summitar, for sure.</p><div></div>

<p>Carl Zeiss / Jena Tessar 50/2.8 bokeh is pretty busy.</p><div></div>

<p>nice, john...</p>

<p>I agree the Summitar is can give swirly backgrounds. The third version of the 50 Summicron isn't bad either.<br>

<img src="http://www.l-camera-forum.com/uploads/monthly_08_2014/post-103899-1428696082632.jpg" alt="" width="667" height="1000" /></p>