Rebirth of a Legend – Hektor 5cm f2.5

by Rolleica^® 禄徕客

Copyright:       Rolleica^®

Serviced by:    Rolleica^®

WhatsApp:    +852 6807 9298

1^st Edition:    ‘24-02-20           

Revised:       

Test shots in JPG (need to be resized) at article end for free download.

出廠93年罕有Hektor 5cm, complete overhaul and recalibrate後，煥發神采，

色彩還原及演繹均令人驚訝。

發現：

(1) F4似為最佳光圈。

(2) Elmar 5cm f3.5遮光罩FISON用於Hektor時，並無暗角。

(3)有無遮光罩，對成像影響並不大。

(4) 以原廠標準保養校準後，即使93年鏡成像也令人讚歎。

A rare 93-year-old (1931-32) chrome RF-coupled Hektor 5cm f2.5.

Issues：jammed blades, misaligned coupling, tight focus helical.

Service: Fully disassemble, restore & recalibrate, incl. blades, helical and glass elements.

Test shots with M11(tripod, self-timer) are simply amazing given its age and its being an un-coated Hektor, albeit glass has a bluish tint:

@2.5 image quality is much better than expected.

@2.8 better rendition, though not very obvious.

@ 3.5 akin to Summicron 50/2 Type I.

@ 4.0 Truly amazing! The slight haze seen in larger apertures is gone & the whole image area becomes crisp.

@5.6 Interestingly. To my eyes, image is less appealing than @4.0.

@f8 Across-the-table sharpness, though Subject is less outstanding.

Findings:

1. f4 appears to be optimal aperture. Other tests also suggest f2.5 is better than f2.8.

2. f2.8 vs f2.5. Subject is slightly more solid, but not much.

100% screenshot. F2.8 vs f 2.5

3. FISON does accommodates Hektor rather well.

(1) @ f2.5 with FISON – In ambient light, FISON doesn’t create any vignetting.

(2) @f2.5, 100% screenshot. Left, no FISION. Right, with FISON:

So, at least this test seems to suggest, that the use of a lens hood (FISON) on Hektor 5cm may not necessarily improve image quality, or may not improve it substantially.

Again, interestingly, @f2.8, image isn’t improved much by the use of FISON.