does logic rule or get punted?

back alley

back alley

IMAGES
Local time
11:40 AM
Joined
Jul 30, 2003
Messages
41,289
Location
true north strong & free
View My Gallery
i have 2 favourite lenses that i use on the rd1.

i love both the 15 cv and the 50 zm sonnar.
one fast and one slow.
one wide and the other a short tele. (23 & 76)

i also have 2 other lenses, the 21/4.5 zm and the zm 28, both fine lenses. in fact the 21 is near perfect really.
i seem to use them less and less.
the 21 is like a 32 - the 28 closer to a 43. these 'should' really be my 'go to' lenses as they represent my favourite focal lengths on film, the 35 and 40 (ish).

i have a 40 on the way which i can see becoming a main lens, a close to 60 on the rd1. i like the 50 but it can sometimes be a bit too tight when up close.

i'm rambling...have no point but to say that what should be when it comes to lenses doesn't always translate to what is.

joe
 
My ideal always is to have only a one camera/lens outfit. So my dedicated lens for my "new" R-D1 is a CV 25/4. I already owned a CV 40/1.4 and the combo works very well.

I am toying with the idea of getting a CV 50/2.5...a 38/75 combo would work well...may be a 15mm later to make a 23/38/75 outfit [I am sure a 25mm finder will work well enough with the 15mm].
 
I must admit, having a host of lenses to choose from is a luxury I´d rather not be without. But having said that, the Ultron 28/1.9 is by far the most used lens on the R-D1. I could make do with it and nothing else, if I had to.
 
if this is all about pleasure and taste, i don't see why logic has to rule at all, joe.

it kinda sweeps over me how the majority of posts, no matter the forum, seem to be exercises in gear logic. i'm as guilty as the next person.
 
gear logic versus gear guilt.

i.e., take my 21/4.5 zm lens...i feel guilty thinking about selling it or trading it, guilty for not keeping it because it was pricey, because it's sooo good a lens and because i quite like all the zm lenses.

it's like i should keep it even though it gets less use than the others and when i look at my images, very few 'good shots' have come from the combo of this lens and me.
 
kinda same boat here with a zm 25, joe. i don't shoot it often, and what i don't use i tend to sell. i don't think wide very well, i guess. anyway, i keep it because for the few times when i need a wide, i'll have it.

like you, i have a thing for zm lenses. actually sold off most of my accumulated lenses once i started shooting zeiss, all the pricey ones anyway, to afford a zm kit. i could be very happy with just two: the c-sonnar and one from the 25/28/35 group.
 
MCTuomey said:
kinda same boat here with a zm 25, joe. i don't shoot it often, and what i don't use i tend to sell. i don't think wide very well, i guess. anyway, i keep it because for the few times when i need a wide, i'll have it.

like you, i have a thing for zm lenses. actually sold off most of my accumulated lenses once i started shooting zeiss, all the pricey ones anyway, to afford a zm kit. i could be very happy with just two: the c-sonnar and one from the 25/28/35 group.
Click to expand...

maybe we should trade...i have the 21 and the 28 and the 25 could replace either or both, actually.
 
My new motto is never sell a lens. Joe you will come back to the ZM 21. it is only a matter of time. I can be very anal about one body, one lens. But I have ALWAYS regretted it when I sold a lens.
 
Depends on what you want, Joe.

Over the few years that I have done the GAS thing, I have come across many lenses with annoying sample variation (of all brands, really), and regretted selling previous copies. Plus selling for me usually triggers buying, so like Akiva, my motto now is: never sell a lens you like.

Further, trying to focus more on photography than on gear novelty (to me), I am now ending up with "traditional" lens combos in my kits: a moderate wide, a normal and a tele, sometimes (like in 35/75) no normal at all. I feel, these combos are "classic", not for logic, but because they are most useful. Really, without the collector in me, I would need nothing else but 35 and {75,85,90}.

All that being said, I've seen a lot of keepers from you shot with 35 and equivalent.

Rambling myself.

Roland.
 
Last edited:
for some reason, i rarely regret selling gear though i have been known to re-buy various lenses and cameras.
the 21 is not working for me on the rd1, not like the 15 is. i wonder if it is too short and if the 25 might be better?
the 25 might be able to replace both the 21 and the 28 and actually lighten my camera bag.
 
Good call, Joe. Plus the ZM 25 is the best horse in their stable ....

Now, wait, do you regret selling yours ? 🙂
 
One more thought: I know you like Zeiss lenses. But also compacts. Have you considered the 25/4 P CV lens ? Those new P lenses are really well built .... You might get some money back in the process and, besides speed, not loose anything.

Cheers,

Roland.
 
Seeing the 15mm and fast 50mm combo is what initially attracted me to the R-D1, when I saw photos by Tommy Oshima who seemed to be alternating between the 15mm and his Noctilux. So you're in good company.

Lately I've been going with a combo of various 50s and my GRDIII for wide-angle. But I go through various phases.
 
ferider said:
One more thought: I know you like Zeiss lenses. But also compacts. Have you considered the 25/4 P CV lens ? Those new P lenses are really well built .... You might get some money back in the process and, besides speed, not loose anything.

Cheers,

Roland.
Click to expand...

i had the cv 25 before and it was great so i am not adverse to it, but i love the zm 25.
 
sevres_babylone said:
Seeing the 15mm and fast 50mm combo is what initially attracted me to the R-D1, when I saw photos by Tommy Oshima who seemed to be alternating between the 15mm and his Noctilux. So you're in good company.

Lately I've been going with a combo of various 50s and my GRDIII for wide-angle. But I go through various phases.
Click to expand...

i follow tommy o. on flickr but didn't notice the similar focal lengths used.
he makes some very impactful images.
 
Joe,

isn't it at the end a luxury problem? Or, maybe, a philosophical one? I remeber right now the days when driving motorcycles. I was a BMW enthusiast those days, maybe you are familiar with these 60ies types. When driving a boxer R50 or R60, I was always wishing one of these pure, no additonal weight one cylinder R26/R27 types. Driving these, I'd like to have the additonal horse power of the boxer.

A classical dilemma. To prevent serious mental illness, I sold all motorcycles (except one R27, which is sitting in my living room) 20 years ago, and driving old fashioned MG roadsters - and try to prevent a test ride in a Maserati 3200...

In lens speak: Why do you use an R-D1? Because its easy to handle. Why do you use a certain lens? Because its fast/easy to focus/suits your needs.

Last one is important. Think about your needs. And think about, what is comfortable. And think about, what you like.

A digital SLR is easy to use. The common lenses are la-la. With a R-D1 and a high speed lens (Jupiter 3, CV 40/1.4 and so on) you will whow the crowd.

Maybe you have discovered the problem of the modern western world in your hobby: confused by options.

Take a breath (a very deep one), buy a Canon Canonet 1.7 at eBay, shot five rolls of film, and think about it.

Your goal are good photographies, and you can do this - you have proved it by your postings here. Its a question of your eye, not the gear.

So...go out, look, feel, enjoy and take the moment. At the end, no one is interested in Zeiss or Lomo - the captured moment is important.

Cheers,

Andrwas
 
Last edited:
Joe, how do you find the vignetting on your 21? Isn't it a bit slow for whole day shooting? I mean early morning and late afternoon might be some issues but I'm sure you're pushing to higher ISO when the need arises. I now have my RD1 and the lenses I'll use with it will be my existing M lenses; Ultron 28 2.0, 40 1.4, 40 2.0 summicron-c, 50 2.0 hex. I might need something in the 28-30 equivalent FL so looking for somthing to fit that bill. The 21 will be good but I don't like to have excessive vignetting if it is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom