SOM Berthiot Flor 90mm f3.5, produced by the French company SOM Berthiot, is a rare lens due to the brief production period of Berthiot's Leica L mount lenses.
Although a f2.8 version of the Flor 90mm also exists, this one is the f3.5 variant. The lens barrel is made of brass, while the lens front and aperture ring are made of aluminum. It features Berthiot's signature pale blue coating, which is quite beautiful. The distance markings are in meters, and the minimum focusing distance is 1 meter.
The lens retains a prototype-like appearance in its distance markings and other details. It comes with a genuine aluminum hood. This is a rare item.
Given its history of extensive use, the chrome parts of the lens barrel show numerous fine scratches. The glass exhibits slight whitening due to coating deterioration and has some very minor cleaning marks, but overall, it remains in fairly good condition for a lens of this vintage from Berthiot.
At wide open aperture and from its minimum focusing distance, the lens delivers detailed images while providing a characteristic French lens ambiance. The unique red-toned color rendition typical of Berthiot lenses adds a distinctive touch.
The results from actual shooting were excellent. Sample images have been posted in the trial gallery. All photos were taken at the widest aperture. I hope you find them insightful.
