Another 28mm question!

[felipe]

Hey guys and gals, reposting this from the optics forum..

I've been using my "digital M-supplement" aka the Sigma DP1 a lot lately and basically I'd like a lens that produces that look, only a few stops faster, and in m-mount, obviously.

I don't have a fortune to spend, so it's either a Biogon, Ultron, Hexanon, M-Rokkor or the older Elmarit. Of course all of these are "good" and very decent perfomers, and I'm not at all worried about which one is best yadayada, I don't even care.

But I really like the colors and contrast I get with the older 35cron, (and the HexarAF for that matter).
Oddly enough I find that the Sigma somehow shares a lot of the signature from both the Hexar and the cron. In fact, I'd pry off the sigma lens and tape it to my M6 if I could..

In short, which of the above 28mm lenses produces a look closest to the 35CronIV? Of course it's highly subjective, and a very odd question on top of that, but then I hope to get equally subjective answers..

I don't really know what I'm looking for here, I can't measure it, I can only pretend to see it in the pictures I made, and the ones I found:
- Biogon shots look very balanced, colors are pleasingly neutral and very smooth and even. From what I've seen so far, I like it a lot.
- The hexanon is probably another option, although I've never seen how it behaves wide open with slide film.
- The Ultron would be my first choice, but there are very few color shots so far (and I haven't yet seen any slides) How does it fare with slide?
- The Rokkor is probably the only lens I haven't considered at all, I tried one and didn't like it, may have been due to the choice of film though.

Any thoughts? pictures? Anyone selling?

Oh, btw. I really like flare, if it's halfway controlable like with the cron, so that one really doesn't matter either..

Thanks a lot!
Cheers
Phil

 

[Spyderman]

If you are talking about the 28mm/2.8 M-Rokkor for CLE, be prepared that it triggers incorrect frameline in the viewfinder of M leicas. I think it shows the 35-135 frameline, and it cannot be easily converted (like for example the Nokton 40/1.4 can be).

 

[yanidel]

Phil,

I own both the 28mm Ultron M and 35mm Cron IV. IMO, the signature and colors are completely different. The Ultron look is more modern and a bit colder colors. So if you want a common look, I would say that these two do not go together though both are great lens. This is my finding on the M8, can't talk about film.
(edit), I forgot to mention that I found the Ultron to have quite some distortion, so here too you will have a difference.

 

[raid]

The Rokkor-M is Leica like in terms of overall quality. I also like the vintage Canon 28mm/3.5 and the Kobalux 28mm 3.5.