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Portrait with FED 50mm/2

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Printed on: 5/7/2026 3:52:19 PM


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Topic author: Moxies

Posted on: 20180415164608

Last time I tested this lens I was quite pleased by result. But it was only test shots. Today, I decided to give it an opportunity to do portraits photos (as it's a tiny lens, it's not a big deal to add it to the bag). Well, I like its rendering a lot! Naturely, it has to be corrected in post-treatment, especialy contrast and colors (since it was made for B&W photo, we cannot blame it). So here is a portrait I made with it on Sony A7.

https://img-fotki.yandex.ru/get/1338466/18405597.b7/0_19098e_b49793cc_XXL.jpg

Replies

Reply author: Alfa2

Replied on: 20180420072037

Very nice photo.
What was the aperture here ?

Reply author: Valkir1987

Replied on: 20180422010330

Nice photo! The Fed 2.0 is capable of taking good color pictures, but usually you have to clean the optics inside. A very thin layer of grease builts up over the years. Just like a window, you only see the difference after wiping.

The contrast of this lens is commonly a little lower, because it has many reflecting surfaces and no coatings. Which brings down the contrast. When the lens ages a natural coating builts up which improves the lucidity but it is only a little.

You can make excellent color shots with non-coated lenses. Most black and white film is panchromatic (even back then) and requires the lens to be color corrected.



Reply author: seany65

Replied on: 20180601140344

What did the photo look like originally?

Reply author: D-KLIK

Replied on: 20180611105450

Hi everybody,
Here is my contribution to the FED 5cm/F2 gallery, made with an APS-C Fuji XE2 (I know, that's cheating, it's not full frame...), and a lens I recently received with cristal-clear optics (might have been cleaned). I do also usually add up some contrast to compensate for the inherent lack of it of this lens, although the softness of the lens can be quite nice on some pictures. I never add sharpness, so once the contrast is back, the lens basic sharpness can be judged.
First an indoor shot at F2 :

http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/1162018_F2 contrast added.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1162018_F2 contrast added.jpg

Originally (pre photoshop) it looked like this :

http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/1162018_F2 as is.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1162018_F2 as is.jpg

Now a garden shot made under cloudy weather (not the best for contrast...) ; First at F2 with contrast added (focusing on the lamp post) :

http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/1162018_F2 contr added.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1162018_F2 contr added.jpg

Now the same at F8 :

http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/1162018_F8 contrast added.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1162018_F8 contrast added.jpg

And finally as a reference the raw scan (no contrast added) at F8 :

http://www.ussrphoto.com/resize/resize_image.aspx?ImgWd=800&IptFl=/UserContent/1162018_F8 as is.jpg


http://www.ussrphoto.com/UserContent/1162018_F8 as is.jpg







Reply author: seany65

Replied on: 20180902181340

I've seen a lot of reviews of old lenses but most of them seem to be done using digital cameras. I was wondering if anyone knows if old lenses perform differently on digital cameras than on old cameras?

Reply author: Partradams

Replied on: 20220309095526

<font color="black">I like this portrait photo! A very gentle girl, and I like that the background is blurred and the girl is the central figure in the frame. Is this a friend or relative of yours? If this is your girlfriend, you are very lucky to admire such a beauty next to you all the time. I recently looked at photos from my youth. My wife and I are very young and beautiful in these pictures. Our son saw these old pictures and gave us a gift. He ordered the printing of enlarged photographs on https://www.frameshop.com.au/acrylic-prints. Now old photos have joined the ranks of photographs on the wall in our living room.</font id="black">