Poll: sharpest CV lens?

[thefsb]

based on your own subjective assessment of results, which of these CV lenses would you consider sharpest? (ignore ones you've no experience with).

 

[kb244]

Isn't it subjective/unobjective to ignore the ones having no experience in? 😛

I could shoot a junk jupiter lens for years and consider that the sharpest if I never shot anything else. In my case I could only tell you that I am "satified" with a CV 21/4, but couldn't compare it to any other CV lens I have not tried.

 

[cme4brain]

based on your own subjective assessment of results, which of these CV lenses would you consider sharpest? (ignore ones you've no experience with).

My view is that the sharpest lens is the 50mm f/1.5 Nokton, followed a tick later by the 28mm Ultron, then the 75mm.

 

[mr_phillip]

I would say 28mm Ultron (best general production screw-mount optic ever?), closely followed by the 50mm Nokton.

 

[Richard Black]

The 28/f3.5 is the sharpest lens I have ever used. This is compared to the Minolta/Pentax/Canon/Sigma/Jupiter 35mm lenses I own or have owned. The CV is sharper than either of the 28 Minolta lenses, 1 AF - 1 MD, and those two lenses were my favorites before I got the CV. If it gets any sharper, I don't think I could use it.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Isn't it subjective/unobjective to ignore the ones having no experience in? 😛

I could shoot a junk jupiter lens for years and consider that the sharpest if I never shot anything else. In my case I could only tell you that I am "satified" with a CV 21/4, but couldn't compare it to any other CV lens I have not tried.

Exactly!....life's too short! - let's get out and enjoy using them!, I stopped worrying about this sort of nonsense back in the sixties, - when I got deep in debt for my first Nikkors! ,,,,,,now where did I put that Holga!! 😀

 

[brachal]

I have the 28mm and 35mm Skopars, and they are both very sharp.

 

[spiderfrank]

I have the 35mm f2.5 Color Skopar and the 90mm f3.5 Apo-Lanthar, and the 90mm is really amazingly sharp, I voted for it, I guess it's the sharpest!

Ciao
Franco

 

[ferider]

I've used them all except for the 12, 35/1.2, 50/2.5 and 90. For the well collimated ones, I honestly couldn't say which one was the sharpest, say
at f3.5. Maybe the 28/3.5 but only by a very small margin.

 

[photogdave]

I'd vote for the Ultron 35 if it was on the list.

 

[hofrench@mac.co]

I think the 28 Ultron (not listed here) is a very fine lens, and very sharp, too.
Technically speaking, it is a lot easier to make sharp medium-to-long focal length optics than it is to make sharp wide angles.

 

[Keith]

My pic is my 15mm Heliar ... for what it costs it's an amazing lens! 🙂

 

[tedwhite]

I borrowed a 28 Ultron, but when I compared its "sharpness" against my 35/.2.5 CS I could see no discernible difference.

Ted

 

[gavinlg]

I personally didn't really like the 28mm ultron. It was just very... flat. No particular character or fingerprint.
My old CV 35 f2.5 PII was an awesome lens however, I'm very sorry to have sold it truth be told - It was very very sharp with excellent bokeh, and the transition from in focus to out of focus (I know - note often talked about) was beautiful. Not only this, it was very small. Beautifully built as well... I'll get another sometime.

 

[RayPA]

Tough call! Toss up for me...It came down to the 50/1.5 and the 90/3.5. I went with the 90/3.5.

 

[pvdhaar]

As far as Voigtlander lenses are concerned, I can only compare the 25/4 and the 90/3.5.

The 25/4 has more contrast, so looks the part. But the 90/3.5 is actually a hair sharper when closed down a bit..

 

[hofrench@mac.co]

I also own the 15mm Heliar and think it is a terrific lens, with a great, compact, design, and an extraordinary value. It's a good performer, and I particularly love its reproduction of color, but it can't be considered one of CV's sharpest lenses.

 

[Marc-A.]

Sharpest at which aperture btw? This an equation with 2 unknown (length/aperture) ...

My anwser: all CV lenses are sharp enough ...

 

[Sonnar2]

My vote for the outstanding 15/4.5. Stopped down to f/8-11, it squeezes the grain out of the film. The 25/4 and 21/4 are also very sharp lenses. Very pleased with the 35/2.5 for sharpness but more tends to flare. Worse with the 35/1.7. Very good, the 75/2.5, but not outstanding. No experience with the 28/3.5, 50/1.5 and 90/35, all of them probably very sharp lenses.

 

[photophorous]

Why is the 50/2 Heliar Classic always ignored? I think it's at least as sharp as the 35PII, which is always spoken highly of. Whether it's sharper or not, the images from the 50/2 look consistently better to my eye than what I get form the 35 PII. So, I didn't vote.

Paul