28mm Zeiss lens?

[markrich]

Hi all!

Well time, money and eBay have found their way together for me and I am hoping to obtain another lens for my G2's. Currently I have two with 45mm lens on each. I was thinking of one for each direction. The 90mm is a given, but I need some advice on a wide-angle. As I have a 45mm, I can't see too much advantage obtaining a 35mm so I was looking at the 28mm one instead. I am worried, however that this may produce some distorted fish-eye effect. Does anyone have any experience with this and/or some pictures showing what can be done with it?

If not the 28mm, what are everybody's suggestions?

Marky

 

[doubs43]

Marky, the 28mm has almost become the "standard" wide angle lens for 35mm photography. Perspective CAN be exagerated but in the main, the pictures will not be grossly distorted. If there is a fault, it's that vertical lines on the edges will tilt inward as if to converge at some distant point. The degree of the tilt will depend upon several factors such as the distance from the object and the height of the object.

I recall a picture my father took many years ago when he had the 28mm f/8 Zeiss lens for a Contax RF....... a II, IIRC. He sat the camera in the grass and placed a bottle of Jack Daniels in front of it. Then he laid in the grass behind the bottle and reached for it. The camera was on self-timer. It was an impressive picture with the bottle huge and everything else becoming smaller as the distance increased from the lens. The distorted perspective, of course, was intentional. I wish I still had that lens but he sold it when he got rid of the Contax.

The 28mm is a most useful lens and I think you'll like it.

Walker

 

[furcafe]

Per Walker's post, 28mm is a true wide angle, so you do have to occasionally watch out for distortion, perspective exaggeration from camera tilt, etc., but it's not close to being a "fisheye." You can easily search on Google or whatnot for images taken w/28mm lenses (in 35mm format) to get an idea of the field of view & perspective.

 

[Bob Michaels]

The 28mm Biogon is an incredible lens. Both from an opitical as well as a usability view. I frequently shoot with it all day. And I photograph people, not landscapes.

My favorites are:
one lens setup: 35mm Planar
two lens setup: 45mm Planar & 28mm Biogon
four lenses, 21mm Biogon, 28mm Biogon, 35mm Planar, 45mm Planar

FWIW, the 90mm Sonar is optically superb but doesn't fit my style. Don't think I've used it in the last year. I get a lot more use out of the 21mm.

 

[loon]

If you really want to see some great samples, check out the contaxg.com. not only will it answer your question with really nice photos by people all over the world, but you will become ridiculously addicted to that site.

 

[Doug]

Hi, Marky -- The 28mm Biogon-G is superb, and a favorite of mine. The "fish-eye" effect you mention is caused by extreme barrel distortion, and this is a totally different phenomenon than the usual converging-lines perspective wide angle lenses are known for... and which is really just a combination of close subject distances and the wide field of view. Of course, close distances are pretty much necessary for these lenses... Anyway, you asked for Biogon samples:

 

[kbg32]

Hi all!

Well time, money and eBay have found their way together for me and I am hoping to obtain another lens for my G2's. Currently I have two with 45mm lens on each. I was thinking of one for each direction. The 90mm is a given, but I need some advice on a wide-angle. As I have a 45mm, I can't see too much advantage obtaining a 35mm so I was looking at the 28mm one instead. I am worried, however that this may produce some distorted fish-eye effect. Does anyone have any experience with this and/or some pictures showing what can be done with it?

If not the 28mm, what are everybody's suggestions?

Marky

If I had only one lens to carry, this would be it. I love this focal length. It is closest to my way of seeing.

 

[Socke]

Actualy the 28 is a bit too wide for my liking, so I'm pretty happy with the 35 I recently added between the 28 and 45 🙂

But I'll keep the 28 for very close quarters and cityscapes

 

[Lear]

The 28mm is one hell of a lens. No distorsion, great even ilumination, great resolucion.
Here are 2 shots taken about 1 meter distance, or less at a parade.
Both at at 2.8-4

 

[Doug]

Couple of neat shots, Lear! The lady's expression in the first one makes me wonder if someone had just asked her, "Show us your xxxs!" 🙂

 

[NoTx]

Very nice lens, though mine mainly sits now that I have the 21mm. But it used to sit on my camer 30-40% of the time.

 

[Lear]

Doug, it aint a lady 😉