25mm lens choices

[Dougg]

Am I not right in saying that the CV 25/4 is called a Snapshot Skopar as it doesn't have a standard focus ring, only about 4 different distance settings dependent on the users requirements. You get the subject in focus mainly by use of dof and guesswork - this makes it a great hip-shooter, but perhaps not so good when precision is required.

You're partly correct in that with one of the lenses not coupled to the RF, like the 4/25, you do focus by eyeball estimation, knotted string, or tape measure with distance set on the focus ring's scale. 🙂

But the Snapshot Skopar's focus ring is like that on other lenses in that it rotates though the whole range of distances... The difference, the nice feature, of the 25 Skopar is that the focus ring has detents at 1, 1.5 and 3 meters. This is very nice because it allows quick focus to those distances by feel alone.

 

[BillBingham2]

Keep in mind, not all 24/25mm lenses are the same. My Nikkor 24 gives everyone a football head, where as my CV 25 is very kind to most people. Unless there is a hole burning, I would wait around till spring for a CV announcement. My guess is Pres K will come in with a great lens, M mount and coupled in that range.

B2 (;->

 

[faneuil]

Just sold my Voigtlander 25mm to buy a used Zeiss 25mm.
can't wait to get it.

Eric

 

[back alley]

Just sold my Voigtlander 25mm to buy a used Zeiss 25mm.
can't wait to get it.

Eric

i'd be interested to hear your impressions of the zm lens after having the cv 25.

and welcome to the forum.
joe

 

[Toby]

I sold my 25/4 because I found it flared too easily, especially since the VF almost never flares. I shot some stuff at the notting hill carnival this year and the 25/4 flared in sitiuations where I wouldn't really have expected it.

 

[x-ray]

25/1.4 would be very difficult. Even though the filmplane/flange depth is less than on an SLR, it would still be a bit much for such a fast lens at that angle.

Kim

My 24mm canon L is a 1.4 and is excellent. The 24 1.4 has been available for a number of years. It should be no problem for Leitz or Zeiss to make one. The only problem is size. It's a fairly large lens and would block the VF / RF.

 

[Kim Coxon]

That's why I didn't say it was impossible. 😉

The problem is the type of lens design. In a fixed lens camera such as the natura, the designer has a relative freedom on where he puts the lens which makes life much easier. In general terms, the faster the lens, the more difficult it is to correct for various lens errors and to maintain resolution etc. The design with the least errors is a symetrical oneas typified by the planar design. However, once you use a multi-element design, you have to consider both the front and back focus distance. This reduces as the angle of view increases. Easier on RF distances than SLR ones but beyond about 30mm this starts to be a problem even on an RF. To go beyond this you start to have to use an inverted telephoto (retro focus design). Mucg easier these days with CAD but still very problematical for very wide apertures. There are 2 problems. The wider the angle and the faster the lens, the more the lens is likely to show large distortions and the more difficult to correct and the larger the lens becomes. (Hence the "football head on the Nikkor). The early Pentax 28/2 in K mount was slightly larger than the 135/3.5!

A very fast 24/25 in M mount would be expensive. The Canon 24/1.4 is nearly 4 times the price of the 2.8 and 3 times the price of the 20/2.8. To pay this much, users would expect a well corrected lens and the I expect this would push the price level well beyond CV and firmly in the Leica court (and possibly in Zeiss's range). As a Leica lens or even Zeiss, users would expect a performance similar to the latest asph offerings. To do this the lens would have to be big which would then block the finder etc.

If anyone was going to make one, I would expect it to be Zeiss and it would be designed for the SW body ie no RF. I think an f2 would be far more achievable and likely. CV may even market one as an F1.9 in the same way as they do with the 28 Ultron. (It's a bit like the fact that $9.99 seems at lot less than $10!)

Kim

My 24mm canon L is a 1.4 and is excellent. The 24 1.4 has been available for a number of years. It should be no problem for Leitz or Zeiss to make one. The only problem is size. It's a fairly large lens and would block the VF / RF.

 

[x-ray]

A few years back I had the Nikkor 24 f2. If I remember correctly it only used 52mm filters. The lens was no bigger than my 35 Nokton if that big. Optics were excellent and the price wasn't out of sight.

 

[Nachkebia]

My 28mm f/1.4 nikon uses 72mm filters its huge and its heavy but I love it 😀

 

[SDK]

Doesn't the Fuji Natura S point and shoot have a 24mm/1.9 lens? It should be possible to build an RF version? Though with the greater mechanical precision of having a coupled M mount, I bet it would cost more than a couple Natura S complete bodies. It seems like a small, quality 25mm/2 M mount lens should be possible for Zeiss, Fuji or Leica to do at some rather high but not astronomical cost (say $2,000-3,500 US).