Makinon 135 MC Macro 2.8 vs Soligor 135 2.8 portrait shootout

I got my negs back from the lab. Turns out the old Sologor 135 is just too sharp and contrasty. It also puts the whole face in sharp focus, while the Makinon gives a pleasingly soft look and renders the eyes and front of the face somewhat sharper than the rest. I prefer the bokeh on the Makinon too.

While I have come to the conclusion that a 135 lens is too long for me to handhold wide open in low light, as long as I'm outside it should work well. I bought both of these 3rd party manual focus lenses for under $70 incl shipping, so $35 is a great price for a portrait lens that I really, really like. Now I can sell the Soligor.

The camera was a Nikon n8008s. The film was consumer Fuji color 400 and developed and scanned by mu local lab. Can't wait to shoot some TMY 400 and Tri-X w/ the Makinon.

The first shot is the Makinon at 2.8, and the second is the Soligor at 2.8. My model was not feeling well, as the photos show, but the last shot taken with the Soligor has her getting back to her old self. As much as I like the last shot, I realize it's subjective because she looked so much better. Judging just the technical details, the Makinon was the winner, a fact I failed to get my model to understand :[

What's really interesting is how the crows feet around the eyes completely disappeared outdoors.

I still prefer the "traditional" "portrait" lens of ca. 75-105mm focal length to the 135mm.

One of my all-time favorites is an old non-AI Nikkor P 105mm f/2.5 which I use on Nikon, Canon and anything else I can adapt it to.

However, the Soviet Sonnar 85mm f/2 is also a wonderful lens-- and like the Nikkor, still a bargain on the 'net.

Nikkor P 105mm f/2.5