Which 28mm lens is the best with a few money?

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Iridium

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Hello,

As a rookie in the forum and less in rangefinder cameras, I was thinking of buying a Zeiss Ikon ZM in order to use it as my main camera for street photography (I use a Nikon FM2 till the moment).

I have red all these here and I am tempted to this camera instead of a Voigt R4A/M or searching for a 2nd hand Leica M6. Then, I can find a silver one brand new for less than 900 euros.

I would like to combine the body with a 28mm lens, but I want to pay less than 500 euros for it. The problem is that the Zeiss Biogon 28mm costs more than 700 euros.

Could you recommend me the best solution for less than 500 euros? Perhaps, the Voigtländer Ultron 2/28mm M?

Thanx in advance,
Fotis
 
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If you dont need the speed the 28mm f 3.5 color skopar is a great lens, and very affordable. It has great contrast and sharpness in my opinion. Heres some examples from it. (I actually sold my 28 Biogon and kept this lens because I liked the look of the Skopar more!)

U17588I1253995441.SEQ.0.jpg


U17588I1253068035.SEQ.0.jpg
 
For 500 Euros (approximately $725 US), you should be able to get:
Konica M-Hexanon 28/2.8 ($600-700 used)
Cosina Voigtlander 28/2 ($580 new)
CV 28/1.9 LTM ($300-400 used)
CV 28/3.5 LTM ($250-300 used)

Edit: As for "best", it's a series of trade-offs:
The CV 28/3.5 has probably the best price/performance ratio and it's very compact, but its maximum aperture isn't very fast.
The M-Hexanon has probably the best overall image quality in this group, with moderate size and a bit more speed, but it's the most expensive and cannot be bought from the manufacturer anymore.
The two faster CV lenses have benefits and deficits between them: The f/2 is M-mount while the f/1.9 is screw mount. The f/2 reputedly has some focus shift, while the f/1.9 has some tendency to flare. The f/2 is slightly smaller than the f/1.9, but is significantly more expensive than the f/1.9.
Decide what your maximum aperture requirements are, decide whether you prefer small, medium or large lenses, and make your purchase -- any of these lenses will provide excellent image quality in real use.
 
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Welcome to RFF, Iridium!

The usual suspects are:
  • Voigtländer Ultron 28 1.9
  • Voigtländer Ultron 28 2.0
  • Voigtländer Color Skopar 28 3.5
  • Konica M-Hexanon 28 2.8
  • Minolta M-Rokkor 28 2.8

All of them have been discussed a lot here. After reading the pros & cons I just bought a EX+ Ultron 2.0 at ebay for €322.

Cheers,
Greg
 
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benmacphoto said:
If you dont need the speed the 28mm f 3.5 color skopar is a great lens, and very affordable. It has great contrast and sharpness in my opinion. Heres some examples from it. (I actually sold my 28 Biogon and kept this lens because I liked the look of the Skopar more!)
U17588I1253068035.SEQ.0.jpg
Click to expand...

Ditto (including selling the Biogon and keeping the Skopar). The Skopar is outstanding value for the money.
 
Another vote for the CV 28mm f3.5. I shoot half my photos with it. I find that the f3.5 max aperture is simply not a factor in 99 1/2% of my photos. But I appreciate the light weight and small size 100% of the time.

I shot for years with the 28mm Zeiss Biogon in ContaxG mount. That is one of the lenses that the lens geeks rave about. But I can see no real image quality difference between the CV 28mm f3.5 and the Zeiss Biogon when I look at good size prints.
 
if you want the biogon you can get a used one for well under 500 euros, but there are plenty of great 28mm options.
 
I have a CV 28/1.9 and it's an awesome lens. Razor sharp and I like how it render the images. If you can find one, buy it (and also get the adapter as it's a screw-mount lens).
If you can't find it, the 28/2.0 is M mount and they say that it performs a little better than the 1.9. The 1.9 performs great anyway.
 
A used Zeiss ZM 2.8/28 Biogon should run less than 700 Euros which in US dollars is $1030. Currently they list for $876 US which is 595 euros. Patience is the key to finding good deals. Often dealers/members here will list used equipment excellent and better for very good prices.
 
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