How do the images captured with this 40mm lens compare with using a “standard” lens of 80mm focal length?
 

[C377-3: 80mm Xenotar 1/500 f/22]

[C377-1/2: 40mm Curtagon 1/500 f/22]

No prizes for composition with either of these pictures, but the idea was to show the field of view of the 40mm Curtagon, compared with the “standard” 80mm Xenotar lens.  Both images shot on an Exakta 66 Mk III body, using the Exakta TTL metering prism.  Vignetting no longer seems to be a factor, and definition is sharp to the edges.

It has not been possible to return to Hitchin town square to take pictures with this lens, but here are some other shots taken with it.
 

[C377-14/15] 40mm Curtagon 1/250 f/11 In the original, by enlarging massively, the details on the plate  half way up on the left are clearly visible. The only limiting factor is the grain of the film (FUJI NPH 400)

[C377-12] 40mm Curtagon 1/250 f/22 Before printing this shot I cropped out most of the foreground to improve the compositon, but here I have included the full frame to show the definition into the corners

The results certainly seem to justify all the effort involved in the project to mount this lens on the Exakta 66 camera.  It is very sad that this lens did not become more widely available.

Here are a few more pictures taken with this lens:

	P6 Fujicolor Pro 160S 40mm Curtagon 1/125 f/22 11/4/12 Görlitz and the Neiße river from Poland [C497_8_9.jpg]		P6 Fuji Pro 400H 40mm Curtagon 1/250 f/22 14/4/12 View out of the window of our hotel room in Dresden [C498_17_18.jpg]
The picture on the left above shows in the sky a typical mildly wide-angle effect.  The image on the right above is pictorially not a great image, but it is a good test of the 40mm Curtagon.
	P6 Fujicolor Pro 160S 40mm Curtagon 1/250 f/19 11/4/12 Der Untermarkt, Görlitz [C497_14.jpg]		P6 Fujicolor Pro 160S 40mm Curtagon 1/125 f/22 11/4/12 Sohrstr., Görlitz [C496_11_12.jpg]
For these two pictures minimal perspective correction has been applied (I did not have a shift lens with me on this trip!), and the images have been slightly cropped on each side to suit the composition.

See a further picture taken with this lens here.  For a comparative review of this lens and a 40mm Zenzanon-S Bronica lens, modified for mounting on the Pentacon Six, see here.

For a comparative review of this lens with a series of wide angle lenses, including lenses designed for the Pentax 67 camera, see here.

Back to Part 1 of the Curtagon Story

On to the other wide-angle lenses

To go back to the beginning of the lens tests, click below and then choose the focal length that you want to read about.
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© TRA November 2005, Latest revision: June 2021