Advice on Canon 7 lens

[agentlossing]

People want different things from lenses. I look at the CV 35mm f2.5 as a great, transparent lens, both for color and B&W. It's "modern" looking with B&W, but special with color. I get some occasional flaring from mine but that's it. Never noticed much vignetting, but then I look at natural vignetting as a bonus, unless it's super bad.

 

[02Pilot]

One that hasn't been mentioned is the Komura 35/3.5 (there's also a 2.8, but it's pretty uncommon). It was sold under a bunch of names: Komura, W.Acall, and some others (details here: https://johanniels.com/komura-rangefinder-lenses-overview). Compact, heavy little lens. Plenty sharp for my use, and has a nice creamy look in the out-of-focus areas. Mostly lives on my Fuji XE-1, where the lack of speed isn't an issue, but I've used it on film as well.



I don't have a good sample photo handy, but if you are curious I'll see if I can dig something up.

 

[xayraa33]

One that hasn't been mentioned is the Komura 35/3.5 (there's also a 2.8, but it's pretty uncommon). It was sold under a bunch of names: Komura, W.Acall, and some others (details here: https://johanniels.com/komura-rangefinder-lenses-overview). Compact, heavy little lens. Plenty sharp for my use, and has a nice creamy look in the out-of-focus areas. Mostly lives on my Fuji XE-1, where the lack of speed isn't an issue, but I've used it on film as well.



I don't have a good sample photo handy, but if you are curious I'll see if I can dig something up.

The Komura 35mm f2.8 lens in LTM is a great lens and on par with the Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 in image making quality...too bad not many were made and sold.

 

[02Pilot]

Pulled a sample from the Komura 35/3.5 from an old blog post (excuse the watermark). I think it shows the creaminess I was describing reasonably well.

The aforementioned blog post has more samples from the lens if you're interested: https://filmosaur.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/on-experimenting/

 

[xayraa33]

Pulled a sample from the Komura 35/3.5 from an old blog post (excuse the watermark). I think it shows the creaminess I was describing reasonably well.

The aforementioned blog post has more samples from the lens if you're interested: https://filmosaur.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/on-experimenting/

Very nice photo...there is something very pleasing and classic pictorial that these older lenses deliver that is lacking in modern lenses despite their optical design perfection and new optical glass creations in these last 65 years.

 

[02Pilot]

Agreed. Clinical sharpness does nothing for me.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

No one has mentioned the W-Nikkor 35/f2.5 LTM. It has risen to unreasonably high prices lately, but I don't know why. I have one, and it is good, but not that good.
The Canon 35/f2 is my favorite.

 

[xayraa33]

No one has mentioned the W-Nikkor 35/f2.5 LTM. It has risen to unreasonably high prices lately, but I don't know why. I have one, and it is good, but not that good.
The Canon 35/f2 is my favorite.

I did mention that Nikkor lens in post #11

I also own and use the Canon 35mm f2 and it is a good sharp lens with modern image rendering but the Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 lens is also very good but in a different way than to that Canon f2 , the Nikkor veers off more to the Summaron category in the way it draws...very 1950s cliche .

As for price going high for the Nikkor....that has been like that for other Nikkor lenses in LTM....back in the late 1980s the 5cm f1.4 in LTM could be bought for $100 in excellent shape...I bought one for that price inc. the Nikkor Bakelite can...now many sell for 500 to 600 dollars. It is what people think is cool to own and they pay the high price just to own it, so it is a matter of supply and demand.

 

[02Pilot]

I'd like to have one of the Nikkor 35/2.5 lenses simply because of the way they fit on a Barnack. I have a 28/3.5 and it just looks right, plus the tiny size is great for easy carrying. But I think they're disproportionately small for something like the OP's Canon 7.