any wide angle sonnar available ?

[pb908]

either M/LTM mount ?

most of my lenses are sonnar, but mostly from 50mm-85mm-135mm. if there are wide angle sonnar, it will be interesting to know how it will perform.

I know there is 40mm f2.8 rollei HFT sonnar in LTM mount, but 40mm is not that wide enough.

any idea guys ?

 

[Neare]

A contax t3 will give you 35mm. I don't know anything wider than 40mm in any leica mounts however.

 

[shyoon]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that the design of the Sonnar is such that it's unable to be adapted for wide angle lenses. Sorry I can't be much more of a help than that.

 

[Mister E]

MS Optical could always convert the T3 lens to m-mount.

 

[sevo]

The Sonnar was conceived as a fast, narrow angle triplet derivative - so there was no classic Sonnar in wide. Whether the wider Sonnars put into compacts from around 1970 on have true Sonnar characteristics is quite another question - I consider the Rollei 35 Sonnar excellent, but in my eyes it shares more IQ properties with its contemporary Planars than with older Sonnars...

 

[varjag]

A wide angle Sonnar is called Biogon.

 

[sevo]

A wide angle Sonnar is called Biogon.

By a very, very stretched definition. Zeiss claimed that they "invented" the Biogon by evolving the Sonnar, but it is historically more likely true that they copied the Russar. Which, the USSR not being in any patent treaty at that time, was unprotected - but if Zeiss had admitted a influence from the Russar they could not have claimed any Biogon patents of their own...

 

[varjag]

By a very, very stretched definition. Zeiss claimed that they "invented" the Biogon by evolving the Sonnar, but it is historically more likely true that they copied the Russar. Which, the USSR not being in any patent treaty at that time, was unprotected - but if Zeiss had admitted a influence from the Russar they could not have claimed any Biogon patents of their own...

You are wrong on two accounts:

1. Biogon design appeared in mid-1930s, well before Rousinov succeeded with his infamous 6-hour defense of doctor thesis (presenting his technique of aberrational vignetting) at Leningrad Optical Institute.

2. The advances from Russar design were incorporated into post-war 21mm 1:4,5 Biogon. The other versions were not directly affected.

 

[sevo]

2. The advances from Russar design were incorporated into post-war 21mm 1:4,5 Biogon. The other versions were not directly affected.

The large format Biogons (and some medium format ones) are positively Russar derived as well. As far as the Contax age small formats are concerned you are right, and that legacy probably got carried on to lenses by other makers in other mounts. So the original poster may perhaps find his wide Sonnar in a Biogon type lens, at least by family tree.

 

[varjag]

Or right, they were in other formats, too. Should be then "90 degree Biogon designs", I guess.

 

[pb908]

Thanks for all the reply, now this become heavy topic for me to learn. I wonder if adapting a T3 35mm sonnar lens or even rollei (35S) 40mm sonnar lens is going to be easy for "DIY" people. Any clue how to do it? A rollei 35s mostly cost<200$ off ebay, it's cheaper than to buy 400$ or more for LTM 40mm sonnar.

 

[sevo]

With lenses from pre seventies metal body cameras you can generally do trivial scale focus home made conversions with nothing more than a body cap, some bits of brass or aluminium tubing and some mate black paint, if you enlist the help of the nearest metal workshop for reaming out and cutting the barrel threads.

Later compact and AF compact lenses are less suitable, they usually lack any independent mechanic aperture (on time-priority or program automated cameras it is part of the electronic AE system) so that the lens is permanently fully open after removal from the original host. And AF compacts also lack a transplantable focus mechanism, so that home made conversions will generally be restricted to fixed focus.

Full conversions, which are professionally looking and will focus accurately with the rangefinder are really beyond being merely advanced. Even professional converters tend to limit their fixed price offerings to a few familiar lenses which fit the barrel of some widespread LTM lens or which have Leica compatible rangefinder couplings and dimensions so that the conversion can be done by switching mounts only. With lenses that are outside the Leica range of focal lengths and/or have a different focusing mechanism, a conversion means having to build a full new barrel with geared helicoid.

If you are the type of person who will also build soaring planes or steam engines from scratch, high grade lens conversion might be the right hobby for you. But be aware that it will divert enormous amounts of time and money away from photography - simply buying the best Leica lens in that focal range would save you a lot of money and hassle.

 

[Neare]

Thanks for all the reply, now this become heavy topic for me to learn. I wonder if adapting a T3 35mm sonnar lens or even rollei (35S) 40mm sonnar lens is going to be easy for "DIY" people. Any clue how to do it? A rollei 35s mostly cost<200$ off ebay, it's cheaper than to buy 400$ or more for LTM 40mm sonnar.

If you want a lens that is actually coupled to the RF, look up MS Optical as Mister E says. The guy is a genius and can convert most lenses and make them coupled too.

I would never think to DIY a entire lens mount. You're looking at taking a fixed lens and adding a mount to it and then a coupling mechanism, then adding a aperture and focus ring etc...

 

[Mister E]

Miyazakisan charges about 50,000 yen to convert most lenses. For that you get full coupling. Jonmanjiro or japan exposures can tell you more.

 

[markjwyatt]

Does anyone know the status of the post-war Contax RF (Carl Zeiss or Opton, i.e., made in Oberkochen) 35mm f2.8 Biogon? Is this essentially a slightly modified pre-war Biogon? I do not see a lot of definitive information about it.

 

[phofseth]

it may be worth noting that Lens names like company names remain valuable merchandise and are sometimes licenced or sold, so they have become totally unreliable as indicators of design (or even of quality).


p.

 

[nzeeman]

nikon l35af is 35mm sonnar-there are some ltm adaptations... also i think 7artisans 35mm f2...

 

[maartenmoerman]

right - isn't the 7artisans 35/f2 a sonnar derived lens? It's pretty sharp, some barrel distortion is it's only flaw (after proper calibration) i would say...