21mm Kobalux 2.8?

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xcapekey

Guest
Has anyone heard of this lens? Is it a good shooter? What is it worth? Scoured the interwebs and found little pricing info.

Thanks
Russ
 
Fellow RFF'er Dante Stella has a few writeups here:
http://www.dantestella.com/technical/kobalux.html
and here:
http://www.dantestella.com/technical/kobalux2.html

I owned the 28mm f/3.5 Kobalux for a few years and now I miss it. Wish I never got rid of it because it was one of my favorite wide angles. I got it when they were still in production and inexpensive. Now they are almost a cult lens and kind of pricey. I've seen the 21mm go for about $1000 but have also seen it go for much less. It's a fickle and weird market.
Anyway, the Kobalux lenses are both awesome. You can find them under the names Avenon and Pasoptik as well. All the same thing with different labels. All are equally as good as the others.

Phil Forrest
 
Thanks for the info. I just came home after a few years of traveling and dug out my pelican case with camera gear and saw that I had one still. I thought I had sold it years ago! Hard to find pricing info on it now.

R
 
I used to have a Kobalux 21/2.8 - I forget which version. It's a nice piece of glass and worth the purchase if you can find a good price. If the price approaches the price of one of the ZM 21's, I'd get the ZM (I also used to have the ZM 21/2.8).

In the end, it wasn't the glass that I didn't like. It was the focal length. Just like 28mm and 40mm, 21mm just didn't fit my style. I'm happier now with 18-25-35-50.

BTW, that Kobalux viewfinder is HUGE!!!
 
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Tokyo 1995. I had the Kobalux 21f2.8 for several years. Not a bad lens at all - quite large and the finder is HUGE - and not particularly good. Mine was an early sample - a bit prone to flare in direct, strong light. Today, I would try to source a Zeiss 21f2.8 as a "fast" 21 instead. Some of the first Kobaluxes also had a tendency to unscrew the retaining ring for the front element. Mine did until I Loc Tite'd it in place. A friend got it from me and still uses it - and likes it.
 
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Some years ago Dante did a brief run as a reseller of the last generation of Kobalux 21mm and 28mm lenses in LTM mount before they were discontinued. They were very attractively priced. I ordered a last gen. 28mm from him only to return it because of a stiff focusing ring. It would have been an easy fix and he offered to have it done, but I declined. The only thing that kept me from totally regretting that decision was that I didn't try to use it so I never knew first hand what I was missing. I'm thinking that if I had known, I would not have parted with it.
 
They seem to sell for between $500 and $700 on eBay when they appear, which is not more than a few times a year. They are not too common. I've also owned the Kobalux 28/3.5 - nice lens.
 
I had the Kobalux 21/2.8 for a while in the 90's. I was quite impressed with the image quality. I ended up selling it because I wasn't using it much, and needed the cash. I regret that now. I didn't care much for the viewfinder. Has anyone mentioned how big it was? It also had a fair bit of field curvature, which may have contributed to a lot of sea sick horizons in my images. I wasn't either crazy about the the look of the chunky focussing ring, although the focus was nice and smooth.
I would consider getting one again now if the price was right.
 
The view finder was disproportionally large, both in length as well as diameter. Its size and cylindrical shape reminded me of a can of frozen orange juice.
 
I also had one for a couple years but didn't get on with the focal length. A beautifully made lens that comes in a few guises; Avenon, Bower, Kobalux and Pasoptik. They're all the same and manufactured by Y.K. Optical of Yokohama. I had the v.2 which only focused down to 0.9M, the v.3 goes to 0.7M.
 
I just got one 21 f2.8 Avenon Super Wide Millennium Edition:


21 f2.8 Avenon Super Wide by teknopunk.com, on Flickr

Luckily the RFF blackout happened j u s t after I got in touch with the seller ;-)

I will post some pictures, once, I used it enough.
Here is two drive by shots from the M8.2:


woman bicycle library by teknopunk.com, on Flickr


woman waiting with luggage by teknopunk.com, on Flickr

It definitely is a lower resolution, low contrast lens - the other 21mm, I have, a Konica Hex 21-35mm murders the Avenon in both and amazingly has very nice detail into the corners.
The Avenon seems a different animal, but I like it that way, fits nice to a 35 Lux pre ASPH or Noctilux f1 I guess.
 
I just saw the interesting write up of Dante Stella, stating also some magazine tests, made with the Avenon 21mm.

Interestingly, the test outcome exactly mirrors, my handheld quick comparison of shooting the lens through all apertures, to test out infinity resolution (hence - is it landscape compatible or not).

It indeed shows:
very weak resolution @ ƒ2.8,
a big improvement @ ƒ4,
peak performance @ ƒ5.6
slightly less resolution @ ƒ8
going downwards from there …
 
Agree with the above comment.
I would not say very weak resolution but not pin sharp either. Its still good to use especially for B&W shots. Shooting at f4-f8 has been good for me. Also the lens renders in a more classic kind of way when shooting wide open. I will post a few pics soon but for now.. heres that hell of a sexy lens and not forgetting the big a** VF

6809691969_04c3c279aa_z.jpg
 
Dante Stella found the Kobalux to be stellar in resolution when used with a film camera, but he pointed out in a follow-up review of the Kobalux on the M8 the mismatch of the sensor of the M8 with the Kobalux 21mm lens.

It makes a difference on which type of camera you you will be using the Kobalux 21mm lens.
 
I have the 21/2.8 (black one) and it's quite sharp even wide open. Sharper than my C/V 21/4 and better to handle. Flares a bit in backlite.
Lately I found a 28/3.5, black millenium edition also, no finder. I will make some test shots with my NEX-6 when it arrives.
LOVE that kind of small stuff.
Not sure about the design, never saw a lens diagram from any Avenon. Did anyone? Dante Stella states that the 21 is a symmetric design, which is hard to believe for me. The back lens distance isn't that small. I would guess a Biogon type design. Also from it's very good contrast.
 
I'm glad that Tom mentioned about the front bezel of the 28 3.5 tending to unscrew easily. I just bought a 28 3.5 with finder and leather case from a fellow RFF'er. I was dismayed to find that when I tried to unscrew the filter, the whole front bezel (which also is the aperture control mechanism) began to unscrew!

I haven't had the courage to lock-tite it. I change filters rarely, so it'll be a non-issue for me.

The 28 3.5 is indeed tiny. With hood attached, it is smaller than the Leica 28 2.8 Elmarit ASPH with its hood attached. The Leica style focusing tab makes it easy to focus.

Right now, I'm shooting the same test pictures with the Avenon 28 vs the Elmarit ASPH to see how they compare.
 
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