35mm connundrum

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nome_alice

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okay a quick rundown of how i got to where i am >>

- i have the Nokton 35/1.2 and the Ultron 35/1.7
- i bought the Ultron 35/1.7 cheaply second-hand to try the 35mm FL.
- hated 35mm for a long time so the Ultron 35/1.7 was my do-everything day and night lens but then i suddenly figured out how to shoot 35 and got the 35/1.2 because it kept calling my name.
- i love the rendering of the Ultron 35/1.7 but now that i have the 35/1.2 for low light i'm wanting a nice compact, sharp and distortion free 35 for daytime shooting (f5.6 - f11).

the Ultron 35/1.7 is pretty small and doesn't have much distortion but it's not all that sharp even at daylight shooting apertures.

actually i don't mind carrying the 35/1.2 around all day and find it admirably sharp when stopped down to usual daylight shooting apertures but the barrel distortion bugs me (quite a bit)

so far from my research i've read that the color skopar 35/2.5 is super sharp and so is the zm biogon 35/2.8 but what i can't seem to find is information on distortion.

do either of these lenses exhibit barrel distortion? any other things to consider with either of these lenses?
 
It's not on your list, but the ZM Biogon 35/2 is virtually distortion-free.

The smaller C Biogon 35/2.8 has some vignetting wide open (that I quite liked) and a tiny bit of distortion according to the MTF that I could never see, unlike with the fast CV 35s.

The CV color skopar is reputedly the best deal in a new RF lens around. I can't answer your question about distortion on it, but somebody else surely will very soon.
 
I used to own a Skopar 35/2.5 in Nikon S-mount (same optics as the M-mount version) and don't remember seeing any distortion in images taken with it.

The Zeiss 35/2 is definitely almost distortion free. If distortion bothered me (it doesn't, but large lenses do) this is the lens I'd get. I had one but sold it to buy a Nokton 35/1.4.
 
thanks for the advice so far guys. i'll look into the biogon 35/2.

i shoot a lot of things straight on in a boring manner so barrel distortion tends to scream at you if it's there at all. the distortion of the 35/1.7 is really quite acceptable but i just find it lacks the bite - that sparkle of fine detail - the 35/1.2, 50/1.5, and 75/2.5 voigtlander lenses give me.

maybe my ultron 35/1.7 just needs some focus adjusting, don't know. i use the voigtlander brand m-mount adapter and get similar results on my bessa and m4-p

i guess i could just buy a 35/2.5 to try. i can probably sneak that past the treasurer 😉
 
The 35/2.5 is super sharp. It's a great little lens although I think it can be a bit harsh for portraity stuff if you're very close.

I'm in a similar boat as you. I have the 1.2 and and the 1.7. I want something light for an easier walkaround and I might sell the 1.7 for the 35/1.4 or the 2.5 (I sold my 2.5 to fund the 1.2). But i agree about the 1.7. It's a nice lens, but is just kinda meh, especially compared to the 1.2 which draws like butter.
 
The Color Skopar has practically zero distortion. Feels much like a Summicron.

Sounds like your 1.7 is not the best sample. Mine was very sharp. Maybe try another one ?

The 35/1.4 is a great lens too, unique in size and speed and colors if you get the SC version. But it barrels just like your 1.2.

Also, why not try a 28 for a change 🙂
 
well i just ordered the color skopar 35/2.5 PII from stephen gandy.

at first i thought i'd get rid of the ultron 35/1.7 but i've been thinking, i might as well just keep it 🙂
 
I have the 1.2 Nokton, 2.5 LTM Color Skopar, and ASPH Summicron.

Both the Skopar and the 'Cron have virtually no distortion. The Skopar draws more "clinically" (it's damn sharp), while the 'Cron has a smoother rendition. Which 35 I use depends on the effect I want to acheive.

If you do a search on my flickr, you should see examples from all three.

Happy hunting!
 
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i received the color skopar 35/2.5 PII late last week and shot a roll on the weekend. i love the handling. i didn't think i would because i have pretty big hands, but it feels very nice in practice.

it also feels quite liberating to have such a compact kit (on the M4-P) out during the day.

and no complaints about the image quality!
 
CV35/1.2
BG


BG
 
35mmdelux, i haven't shot enough to give too an authoritative answer but so far the few shots with straight lines, the line have stayed straight so I'm pretty happy. Much better than the 35/1.2 in that regard.

kshapero, got one already.

meven, I've shot the ultron 35/1.7 on a Bessa R2A, Leica M4-P and Leica M3 with 3 different adapters, a Leica one, a Voigtlander one and a china ebay one. All permutations and combinations have given the same outcome.
 
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