Some photographers, upon receiving a new (or in this case old) lens, photograph brick walls, test charts and/or newspapers to test a lens. I’ve never done this nor understood the reason for that approach. I prefer to test a lens within the context of a photograph I’ll actually enjoy looking at — to discover the lens’ rendering qualities. Yesterday afternoon a Novoflex-Noflexar f:3.5/105 R arrived. I rounded up the necessary ring and tube to hang it on my Visoflex III. Today I photographed my lunch with the lens. With only one frame exposed it appears that I will enjoy working with this 40 year old, $50 gem. It focuses continuously from infinity down to filling the M8 frame with a 25mm subject (on the long dimension — at a working distance of 18cm). Both sharpness and bokeh appear quite tasteful.
(click photograph for larger view)
Leica M8, 105 mm R f:3.5 Novoflex-Noflexar on Visoflex