Canon LTM 28mm lenses

Canon M39 M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
back alley

back alley

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i'm really starting to like this focal length.

as some of you may know i am a 35mm kind of guy, seems like a natural perspective to me.
and i have slowly started to get used to the 50mm pov also, slowly.
but lately i just wanna play with the 28!

physically, i like that it's small. i would prefer built in frame lines for 28 and not to have to use an external finder, but it's not a great hardship and it starts a few good conversations 'out there' as some folks recognize the camera/finder combo as 'an old camera'.

but i notice that when i'm out i have begun to look for the wide perspective. and i have started to think about how things look a little closer and what else can i squeeze into the frame.

this change stuff is a bit scary.
 
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I had to go through that when I first came here to RFF. I had always been using 50 almost exclusivly and learning to see, appreciate and use the 35mm FOV was difficult at first. Well worth it in the end, but...

Now, though, I do find myself wondering about something a little wider...

William
 
Being quite new to an RF, a little less than a year I was used to the 28 and 50 from SLR days without a huge amount of thought for a 35. Initially just using the CV 28 Skopar (really tiny) and a 50 Cron. These days the 35 gets most use. I'd miss the 28 way too much if I sold it though, it still gets plenty of use.
 
back alley said:
i would prefer built in frame lines for 28 and not to have to use an external finder, but it's not a great hardship and it starts a few good conversations 'out there' as some folks recognize the camera/finder combo as 'an old camera'.
Click to expand...
Yep, from a pure functionality point of view an external viewfinder is far from ideal, but oh boy does it look cool... ;)
 
My photo tutor years ago influenced me to adopt 35mm as my standard lens. He said that for him 28mm was a bit too wide for "normal" and not enough wider than 35 to be useful, so he went for 24 or 21 on the wide side. When I added a 21, I saw what he meant. But not long ago I got a couple of 28s, and I'm really liking them too. They're not permanently stuck on a camera yet, but from time to time one of them gets a lot of face time.

Earl
 
i also have the 85, a 100 and a 135 and while i like having them i see myself using them less and less. there seems less motivation to put them on a camera or in the camera bag when i head out.
i can see the day when i use 28/35/50 as my main kit.

maybe i should get a cle with 28 & 40 lenses again, small, light, sharp and it all gets covered.
 
The Ricoh GR1 taught me the value of the 28 as a "normal" lens. Amazing what one can do with any focal length, and the differences in perspective each one affords. A good 28 external finder is better than almost any built-in 28 framelines, so it's not a disadvantage with that focal length. Also, it's pretty easy to zone focus with a 28, so the external VF can be an asset for speed shooting if you're not trying to nail down the focus with each shot.
 
I wouldn't want to give up my 100/2.8 on the OM (sorry, OT) though. I haven't used it much lately, but I find I go in phases. Some day I'll probably put it on the camera and shoot with it for weeks. It draws very well.
 
The 28 is one of my favorite focal lengths and it finds itself on my camera more often then not. Especially in areas that I just do not have the room to comfortably shoot with a 35 or 50. Something else that I like about it is that you do not have to ultra-skills to use it unlike the 21 or wider. I hate having a level on the camera along with an accessory finder. The 28 just gets the goods for daddy (ME). :angel:
 
back alley said:
i can see the day when i use 28/35/50 as my main kit.

maybe i should get a cle with 28 & 40 lenses again, small, light, sharp and it all gets covered.
Click to expand...

Seems like a trielmar would be a nice single lens for you. Maybe with an M4-P?
 
Then you could truly be one with your gear, knowing every single nuisance, until it became an extension of your mind and body. Your soul. Like a samurai and his katana. ;)

And the M4-P is Canadian, too.
 
that was getting good, then somehow, an image of rollerskates popped up. :bang:
 
The major advantage of using RF is wideangle, period. My first camera of this kind was the finderless Bessa-L with the great 15mm.
I've always ued the Canon 2/35 as the "standard lens" on my Bessa-R (for compactness too). Since a few weeks I discvovered the 28mm focal length on Rangefinder with the great compact Canon 3.5/28mm which seems to be far better than its common reputation. It can also be used at the Bessa-R using the whole view field as finder, but I prefer the seperate Canon viewfinder.
Fred, you have used the C/V 3.5/28? This is quite rare, maybe because of the comparable high price (and no finder included). A strong lens? I'm interested for a comparison with the old CANON/ Serenar of same speed and focal length.

cheers Frank
http://www.taunusreiter.de/Cameras/Canon_Wideangles.html
 
28mm is a wonderfully versatile focal length, pretty much the same as 45mm on 645 format and 55mm on 6x7. The 28mm framelines of my CLE are easy to work with and the little Voigtlander 28mm f/3.5 is a gem... So when I found a "new old stock" 28 'cron for a bargain price I just blew the budget and got it. No regrets...

What you may be finding, Joe, is that moving in closer and still getting useful surroundings has an attractive friendly look, more INvolved. :)
 
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