A7 55/58 mm lens

[albertospa]

I would like to buy a 55/58 mm for my sony A7II. I would like a lens suited to the portrait in ambient light and landscape. The maximum opening should be 1.4 / 1.2.
- Nikkor 55 1.2
- Olympus 55 1.2
- Rokkor 58 1.4
- Rokkor 58 1.2
- Canon 55 1.2
I've heard that these lenses are often radioactive.
Do you have any opinions or suggestions?
thank you

 

[kuuan]

Rokkor f1.4/58 I find a fantastic lens! Great for portrait, very nice bokeh, stopped down enough also very good for landscape. Cheap too.
See e.g.: https://fangzhoujiang.com/2017/04/16/minolta-mc-rokkor-pf-58mm-1-4-bokehlicious-machine-from-70s/

I don't have experience with any of the other listed though

 

[sebastel]

have to agree with andreas, the f/1.4 rokkor is a very nice one.
however, the f/1.2 rokkor is even nicer. if it is worth four (or more times) the price, i can't tell for you.

and i need to remark, my experience is on film only.

 

[Chuffed Cheese]

I use the Canon ASPH FD 1.2 on my Fuji gear with the Metabones Speedbooster Ultra and that combo is darling. I had the Rokkor 1.2 and loved it but sold it along. If I were you, I'd actually consider the FD 1.4. I hear nothing but wonderful things about that lens and the price is quite good even though I know it's not on your list. I never fell in love the with the Nikkor 1.2 and have no experience with the Olympus. The Rocker 1.4 is the weakest in the bunch to me. Had quite a few over the years but never really ended up loving it.

 

[kuuan]

how about checking online samples, google results or flickr results?
e.g there is the flickr group dedicated to photos taken with the 1.4/58 Rokkor ( haven't checked yet if there are also groups for the other lenses you mentioned, but I guess there are. If you don't know how to search flickr tell me, I shall try later )
https://www.flickr.com/groups/2758050@N24/pool/

 

[albertospa]

I did a lot of research online and I saw many reviews and images. But your direct experiences are of great interest to me.
Formaggio do you mean the Canon FD 50 1.4?
Currently I have a Summilux m 50 (on the A7 loses a lot of quality on the edges) and a Nikkor S 50 1.4 (excellent but very subject to flare).
I am looking for a lens possibly of 55/58 mm.
Radioactive? The rokkor 58 1.4 turns out to be a radioactive lens that turns yellow over time. Do you find it?

 

[sebastel]

first time i hear the f/1.4 rokkor would be radioactive.
no yellowing on mine!

 

[MaxElmar]

Maybe you could find some of these cheaper, but I don’t see show you could go wrong with the Voigtlander 58/1.4 ... of course, you don’t get the thrill of waiting to see if you bought radioactive junk like you do with a vintage lens.... don’t get me wrong I love my vintage lenses - but $599 brand new with warranty? How could you not even consider it?

 

[Michael Markey]

I was using a Pentax 50/1.2 on my A7R2 today .
It`s another one worth considering.

https://johnnymartyr.wordpress.com/2017/04/03/pentax-smc-50mm-1-2/

 

[Fixcinater]

The Canon FL 58/1.2 is a very nice option that does not have the reputation (read: price) of the later 1.2 models. I find the character to be somewhat similar to the Rokkor 58/1.2 which is excellent, of course. The FL 55/1.2 is supposed to be better than the 58mm, haven't tried that. The standard FD 50/1.4 is very very good but much less character AKA flaws.

I would not use either for "landscapes" unless you like your landscapes on the pictorial side. The slower lenses would be cheaper/better for those purposes if you are stopping down to optimum apertures.

If you are looking for maximum character, the old Nikkor 5.8cm f/1.4 has quite a lot. Same with the old Meyer Primoplan 58mm f/1.9 but that doesn't fit your aperture requirements.

 

[johannielscom]

Nikkor 58 1.4
Porst 55 1.2 (either PK or M42)
Hexanon 57 1.4
Cosinon 55 1.4

to suggest a few more.

And the Helios-44 series of lenses is 58 and 2.0 but they are no slouches and can be had for next to nothing

 

[sebastel]

oh right the porst.
got no body to match pk mount, so that one sits unused

 

[eric4]

I've used my Pentax DA 55 1.4 on the a7r with good success. It's very sharp, and has nice character.

The only requirement is an adapter that controls the diaphragm.

 

[rybolt]

I have several that you mentioned. My favorite of the manual focus lenses is the 58mm f1.4 PF-Rokkor. It has a yellow tint to the coating but I don't believe it's a Thorium lens.

[/url]PRT29772 by Paul Rybolt, on Flickr[/IMG]

 

[albertospa]

Your ideas are precious.
I had thought of Voigtlander 58 1.4 but I was looking for something cheaper.

 

[albertospa]

This is a link with a lot of information about Rokkor 58 1.4
http://allphotolenses.com/public/files/pdfs/6ed7672c8151e7d8ffffdb65fe538bd4.pdf
http://allphotolenses.com/lenses/item/c_937.html
Sorry if it is in Italian, but it is written that the lenses contain Torio and Lantalio and are radioactive.

 

[johannielscom]

Not to worry about radio-activeness, the film sits closer to the lens, is susceptible to radio-activity, and even that isn't impacted.

I've read about the Kodak Aero-Ektar and radio-activity. That is a very big chuck of glass and it still had no impact.

 

[sebastel]

This is a link with a lot of information about Rokkor 58 1.4
http://allphotolenses.com/public/files/pdfs/6ed7672c8151e7d8ffffdb65fe538bd4.pdf
http://allphotolenses.com/lenses/item/c_937.html
Sorry if it is in Italian, but it is written that the lenses contain Torio and Lantalio and are radioactive.

quickly ran the text through google translator:

Also in this context there are lenses produced with rare and radioactive materials
like lanthanum and thorium. Unfortunately, the glasses that contain these elements
tend, with time and light, to assume a yellowish color that results
irrelevant in black and white photography, while in color in warm colors
slightly images.
This inconvenience can be avoided by taking care to keep it covered
the goal to fix lenses from light.



the text seems to link the yellowing to exposure to light. that seems not correct to me, as the radioctivity of the material is not depending on exposure to light. concerning a countermeasure, it has been reported that exposure to intense UV light reduces the yellow tint. (no experience of my own).

according to artaphot (http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektive/160-minolta-58mm-f14, german), the second version might use different glass.
here a link to the google translated page.

 

[Fixcinater]

The Topcor 58/1.4 is the same formula as the Voigt, can be found for much cheaper than the new option. I'm sure coatings aren't as good as the modern lens but if you use a good hood, could be a nice option.

 

[albertospa]

I was following an auction for a Rokkor 58 1.2 but it was sold for more than 400 euros, too expensive for me. I also saw the Topcor but always very expensive price. What do you think of the Ricoh XR Rikenon 55 mm f / 1.2. Affordable price and weight less than Rokkor.