28mm f/1.9 Questions

[eeyore]

Hi, this is my first post to this forum, but so far, it looks like such a good forum to learn from and contribute to. I have been out of the RF scene for a few years, but before that I have used Mamiya M6, M7, Fujis, old Zeiss Ikon and a few others. I am wanting to get back into the RF scene. I am thinking of getting the CV 28mm f/1.9, cause I like the draw of the 28mm. What would be a good body to complement with it? I have on the list, R, R2A, New Zeiss Ikon, or T. In mind, I am concerned about focus accuracy, and hence the new ZI or T would probably seem the best choice, what are your thoughts? I'd prefer a black body, and thus have to wait for the new ZI to be released in black, or try to find a black T. Would the R or R2A be able to focus just as critically as the others with this lens? FYI I am complementing that with a Bessa-L with 25mm and in future maybe an Zeiss 50/2 or XpanII/40mm and a CV 15mm. Thanks!

 

[aizan]

with a 28, you don't need to worry about focus accuracy with any of these cameras. i would go for the zeiss ikon (which has a .74x mag viewfinder and big eyepiece) or the hexar rf (which has a .6x viewfinder and normal-sized eyepiece) so you don't need an accessory viewfinder. might as well, especially if the 28 is your standard lens.

 

[rover]

I agree, focusing accuracy will not be an issue with a 28mm lens. That is more of an issue with a longer fast lens.

 

[peter_n]

David welcome to the forum and of the bodies you mention in your post I would get the R2a for the competitive price and the AE. Set the 28mm to f5.6 or f8 and use hyperfocus distance and set the R2a to auto and you have a heck of a street shooter... 🙂

 

[richard_l]

28mm is great fun. As Peter said, at smaller apertures you can just set the focus at hyperfocal and forget about it. Of course if you want low light photos or artsy selective focus effects, you'll need larger apertures, so focus will be more critical.

 

[ronnie_retro]

28mm cam

28mm cam

As I understand it (them's what know better fill us in), the Zeiss will select internal 28mm framelines and preserve coupled focus. The Bessa R2-A, which is a fine camera and much less expensive than the Zeiss, will require an external viewer. This means no coupled focusing, but with a focal lens this short zone focusing should work fine as has been pointed out. It does take a bit of getting used to though IMHO.

One more point - if you shoot B&W it won't matter, but for slides it can - the Zeiss is supposed to have much finer shutter speed control than the Bessa, which selects shutter speeds in 2:1 chunks. This means in auto exposure mode there can be an error of up to 1/2 stop beyond any inherent meter error.
Regards

 

[Fred]

The Bessa R2a gets my vote. OK it's widest frame lines are 35mm, but the full finder is said to be very close to that of the 28mm so you could get away without the external finder for most of the time. The 28mm is also RF coupled so you will be able to use the RF patch for focussing should you want to. The only thing you need to be careful of is when shooting close up as you'll get parallax errors. The internal framelines of the Bessa move to compensate.

For alternatives have you considered a used Leica M4 (no meter) or M6 (not auto), these have the 28 framelines and parallax correction.

 

[rover]

I will disagree with ronnie on one point.

With the R2a you still will have coupled focusing, and may find that an external viewfinder is unnecessary. Though the R2a viewfinder does not have 28mm framelines, the field of the entire viewfinder should approximate the coverage of a 28mm lens. You will not have parallax correction doing this, but you wouldn't with an external finder either.

Another way to look at it is that with a standard .72 Leica, most folks can't see the 28mm framelines either. I cannot, though by my moving my eye around the finder I am able to set composition in one corner or side of the image and let the rest fall where it may with a 28mm lens. This is one big advantage of the Zeiss Ikon, long baselength finder with "high" magnification and viewable 28mm framelines. The Konica Hexar RF and Minolta CLE also are said to have usable 28mm framelines, but with shorter baselength finders with less magnification.

 

[ronnie_retro]

Doh! I stand corrected on the RF coupling issue. Makes sense - the lens still has its cam and the camera still has its cam follower, even if there are no brightlines for the frame.

I wear eyeglasses and even though the R2A has 35 framelines, I have to do a bit of looking around to compose the full area. The add-on viewfinder might make the picture area more easily composed?

Cheers

 

[Daniel Unkefer]

I use my 29/1.9 VC on my two Bessa R's, with the 28mm CV viewfinder. This work very well for me. BTW the outer edges of the Bessa R are -sorta- close to 28mm, if your composition is not requiring critical framing.

 

[globetrotter]

Hi everybody!
This is my first message in this forum..and my first ( of a million..) doubt about the RF world:
I was thinking to buy the R3a whit 28mm. lens,that is my standard and preferred..it's really necessary the additional viewfinder??
Do you really suggest me the r3 or the r2?
Sorry about the banality of the question..and especially about my english!!
Thanks Riccardo

 

[Chaser]

my vote goes for a Hexar Rf or Minolta CLE which both have 28mm framelines and AE and both can be found in the $500-$600 range, but that is just me i am not a big fan of external framelines.

 

[saxshooter]

I'd recommend using an auxilliary 28mm viewfinder. I even use one with my .72 M6 because compositionally, I find it easier to compensate for vertical parallax when viewing directly above the lens rather than to the left of the lens. So for me, when using a 28mm lens, the body doesn't really matter since I use an auxilliary finder.

 

[peter_n]

Good point about the vertical saxshooter. I don't particularly like the shoe finders either but that's a good reason to have one.

 

[Doug]

I agree with Chaser; it'll be nicer to have a body with parallax-compensated framelines for the 28mm view. Especially if you'll be using the 28 a lot. If it were just occasionally, then fudging with the full window view of a camera with 35mm framelines might do, or with the external viewfinder. But using a shoe-mounted accessory viewfinder, while bright and big and clear, just adds more parallax error (though vertical only) and separates the rangefinding and framing parts of shooting a picture. It's doable, just a bit of a pain. 🙂

I have to add that despite plenty of other gear, my old Minolta CLE remains a favorite user, so much so I recently got a 28 'cron that's used only on this body.

 

[rover]

I am infact ordering a 28mm viewfinder today. When the lens is mounted on my M6 I may or may not use it. My intention it to have it there for the times I think I need the help.

 

[richard_l]

The 28mm CV finder may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it's close. It is small, beautiful, and amazingly bright, with framelines for near and far focussing, a real joy to use! It's far better than struggling with the 28mm framelines on a 0.72x M6. Having to switch to the camera's finder in order to focus is a minor inconvenience, not even necessary for most daylight shots, since hyperfocus works like a charm with 28mm.

 

[Huck Finn]

When considering the relative cost of the R2A vs the ZI when frequent use of a 28 mm lens is contemplated, be sure to factor in the cost of the auxiliary VF. Cameraquest combined price for these 2 items = $704. If the grey market price of the ZI at dealers like Cameraquest & Popflash comes in at $1300 or less - which is likely IMO - the ZI becomes a very attractive alternative even considering the price because of the parallax issue, the improved metering, quieter shutter, improved shutter control, longer base line, higher magnification, & better QC. All things considered, what initially appears to be a significant savings when comparing retail prices may not be as great as it seems.

Huck

 

[anglophone1]

Hi
I use my 28mm 1.9 [great glass!] on a bessa T, which I bought specifically for use with my external finder lenses [I have 21, 15 and 12] very quick and neat package compared with using R2 and R2a with external finder .
I recently met at least two [well known photographer ] MP users who also use external 28mm Voigt finders cos they are so bright and you can see the framelines................................using an R2 or R2a whole finder as your 28mm frame, IMHO means that you lose one of the great advantages of RF, being able to see outside the frame.
My 2 euroCs worth.
Clive

 

[peter_n]

The 28mm CV finder may not be the greatest thing since sliced bread, but it's close. It is small, beautiful, and amazingly bright, with framelines for near and far focussing, a real joy to use! It's far better than struggling with the 28mm framelines on a 0.72x M6. Having to switch to the camera's finder in order to focus is a minor inconvenience, not even necessary for most daylight shots, since hyperfocus works like a charm with 28mm.

Richard are you using the current (metal) one that Cameraquest sells or the old (plastic) one?