CV 25/4 Skopar; Seeking Support

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mike goldberg

The Peaceful Pacific
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May 28, 2006
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Friends...
I'm about to plunk down $360- to our own Stephen Gandy for a CV 25/4 Skopar, LTM.
Here's the itemization:

25/4 Color Skopar in silver: $245-
For black 25/4 Skopar, add: 30-
Gandy's LTM to M2 Adapter: 55-
Shipping to Jerusalem: 30-

TOTAL: $360-

All things being relative, this is not a lot of money compared to the cost of a Super Angulon or aspherical lens. It IS a lot of money for me.
COMMENT: In my working PJ days, I very much enjoyed the Nikkor 24/2.8 AI, long since sold.
Things are opening for me in RF photography, and I feel this lens callin' to me.
FEEDBACK is very welcome. Special thanks to cbass, who has taken the time to give me a lot of useful info.
Ciao, mike
 
I still plan to order one of those (but in S mount) at some point. There are different opinions on CV glass in general, but I hardly ever heard a negative comment on the 25/4.
 
I think that CV will be making a new 25mm lens, faster and RF coupled. If you can wait for it, you have a choice. The discontinued 25 may be cheaper by then too.
 
The CV 25/4 was my main shooting lens for quite some time, together with the Jupiter-8. I rarely shot with anything else. Most of my Mongolia and China shots were taken with these two lenses. The CV 25/4 was my first lens. I got it together with the ubiquitous Bessa L, which is still a fab combo. The CV 25/4 also makes a worthy companion to a Leica CL. Add a 40/2 and you've got yourself one hell of a street shooting combo.
 
25/4 Color Skopar in silver: $245-
For black 25/4 Skopar, add: 30-
Gandy's LTM to M2 Adapter: 55-
Shipping to Jerusalem: 30-

TOTAL: $360-

No duty fees?? That's what keeps me from ordering 21/4.
I mean how come that all CV lenses are so $%# expensive in EU. Does it have something with protecting european producers(i.e. leica, I think it's only EU producer at the moment)
 
Mike, I'm a former PJ too, and a Nikkor 24 was an essential part of my working kit - I still have it. I thought a C-V 25 would be a great wide for me on my M6 so I picked one up used.

It was a great lens, really fantastic. However, having to use an accessory VF drove me nuts! I ended up selling it to get a C-V 28 so I could use the internal VF, and am much happier.

I kinda wish I had kept the 25 - it really was a superb lens. I've thought putting one on a If with a RW would make a great street shooter. My complaint with using an accessory VF on the M6 was the size - I don't think it would bother me as much on a small I series Barnack. The click stops in the focusing ring make it a joy to use zone focused.

The C-V VF is big and bright, but I was always worried about breaking off the foot. If I ever get another I'll look for a different VF.
 
cruz said:
I mean how come that all CV lenses are so $%# expensive in EU. Does it have something with protecting european producers(i.e. leica, I think it's only EU producer at the moment)
Click to expand...

Things are generally more expensive in Europe than in the US. Wages are higher, taxes are higher, insurances are higher, etc. Does anyone in the US pay 42% income tax? I do. Does anyone in the US pay Eu 125 for health insurance every month (twice, because my wife likes to be insured as well). Does anyone in the US have a Eu 650 expense for his mortgage every month, which is pretty a average mortgage here? Or 19% VAT on most items (it's 6% for food and such essentials)? And so on.
 
We pay more in health insurance (if not supplied by the employer) but less in taxes. Many of us would be paying a lot more in taxes if we went to the socialised model for insurance-which may eventually be crammed down our throats.

Mortgages have gone up here, too-new homebuyers have been hit pretty hard by high property values. No VAT, thank heavens.
 
It is not unsual to pay $800-$1000/month for health insurance per family in the USA unless you work for the government or state or major corporation which have assistance plans for health insurance.

Raid
 
Mike,

One thing I forgot to mention in our PM exhange...you may want to budget for a polarising filter becuase the 25mm focal length will include a lot of sky.

Don't make a purchase with "scared money." If buying a new lens will put you in financial difficulty then perhaps you should wait for a used one. They do come up every so often. I suspect that more of the non-RF coupled lenses will become available as shooters purchase the RF-coupled replacement lenses.

Also, save your $30 and buy a silver lens. It might age better than a black lens anyway! 😀 My 25/4 is silver ; however, I bought mine on closeout from PhotoVillage for $179 and silver was the only color available 😱 .
 
I have a CV25 as my first lens on my First Bessa R2. I got it because I too liked the Nikkor 24/2.8.

It is a very sharp lens indeed, able to pick very small details. For example, you can't see it in this example, But above the middle set of theater doors on the building. there is a number for the address. It can be read in PS at a high magnification, It is easily read with very little edge softness. I shoot it with the CV25 at F/1I @ 1/60s Kodak Portra 160NC with High Resolution scan at 2400x3600 at a local lab.



Also link to larger Photo HERE

Hope this helps. I love it. I may get the 4a as my next body.. the uncoupled Rf with this lens is not a big deal, unless you shoot between 2.5 and 5 feet a lot.
 
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Sometimes looking at the PC for too many hours, we get bleary eyed and lose efficiency. Somewhere herein, I thought I had posted the deal is done. I went for the silver CV 25/4 Skopar, 30- bucks cheaper; LTM to Leica M adapter; Soft Release, small, silver; Shipping & Insurance. Total: $350-

As a personal import, it should clear the tax man OK. There's no customs on cameras in Israel, especially film camera gear. As to the cost of living here and surviving in the Holy Land... that would be a whole new Thread 😀
Ciao

Thanks for your support, guys.
Ciao, mike
 
mike goldberg said:
COMMENT: In my working PJ days, I very much enjoyed the Nikkor 24/2.8 AI, long since sold.

Ciao, mike
Click to expand...


I recently took the RF plunge, where prior to that I was a Nikon SLR photographer myself, and liked the Nikon 24 mm just like you. When I started looking at an RF I knew a 24/25 was a lens I had to have. I haven't been out with it much, but I like what I have seen so far.

So I would recommend this lens whithout a doubt!
Brian
 
I, too, am a big fan of the 25/4. Like others here, I was a newspaper Nikon SLR photographer for a long time, and the 24/2.8 Nikkor was my wide angle of choice (and one of my favorite lenses ever). When I switched to Nikon rangefinders in the pre-Cosina days, the 24/25 focal length was too pricey and tough to find. I ended up with a 28mm Nikkor and 21/4.5 Zeiss Biogon, and was constantly wishing I had one lens in between instead of two that weren't quite where I wanted them. I now shoot mainly for myself and family, but I did get a CV 25/4 last year, and shooting with that focal length has been like becoming reaquainted with an old friend.

OT: On taxes and living expenses.

I live on the East Coast of the U.S., where population density and infrastructure are somewhat comparble to Western Europe. My employer-subsidized healthcare costs me $300 per month for myself and family, and does not cover dentist visits or vision. Our mortgage is in the range of $1,500 per month for principle and interest, not uncommon for a recently purchased home in an urban area, three bedrooms, two levels, mid-size yard, comparable to European family dwellings we rented when we lived in Germany for a decade. Our property tax is a bit more than $400 per month.

On the other hand, the United States became a country in part because of opposition to 1 percent import-tax on British tea in 1773. The good people of Boston dressed up as Native Americans, raided cargo ships in Boston harbor, and dumped the tea overboard. This so-called Boston Tea Party is taught in our schools as a great act of patriotism, turning us into a nation of coffee drinkers. I assume the British view it differently, as vandalism by insurgents.
 
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Gandy is still listing new CV 25/4s in Nikon-Contax mount for $369. ... The Nikon-Contax version is rangefinder coupled.
 
My Order...

My Order...

Hi...

The new CV 25/4 Skopar that I bought is silver [not black] in LTM mount at $245-, including finder. Gandy's LTM to M-mount Adapter is $55-. As a treat to this new 'hole in my pocket,' I also ordered the small, silver Tom Abrahamsson Soft Release, $15-.

Small item Express Mail to Jerusalem is $30- plus another $5- for insurance.
BTW, if one orders 2 lenses or a camera body from CameraQuest, the International Shipping is $40-. It's all in the site FAQ. When shipped, I'll get a tracking number. Insofar as I know, there are no longer taxes in Israel on cameras, especially film cameras; thus, the lens should clear customs OK.

Vince, I'm a former Bostonian, and I know how expensive COL has gotten there. As for tea, well... I'm a coffee drinker. 😀
Ciao, mike
 
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