Avenon 28 or CV 28?

[aconcepcion]

I live in Tokyo, and found an Avenon 28 3.5, in good condition (with finder, hood, and leather box) for about $170. I was actually in the store to purchase a CV 28 3.5, but thought I'd get the Avenon and try it out for a few days. I'll be using it with a Leica IIIf.

I have 10 days to return it for a full refund, and would like to get some opinions on the two lenses. Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[emraphoto]

$170?!? wow, get it. have heard loads of good things about it with a sprinkling of not so good things. i would presume most of this is due to copy variances.

i am using one right now and will post some stuff when i can for the "peeping" portion of the thread. it suits my needs as a daylight wide however i am easy to please. only negative i could come up with is that it is NOT a close focuser by any stretch.

 

[35mmdelux]

The CV is smaller I think more consistent with the Leica IIIF. But for $170 I might try the Avenon. Good luck.

 

[ferider]

Test it and see if you like it, that is a great price. It used to be one of the sharpest 28mm lenses out there.

I myself love the Color Skopar. Technically, the biggest difference is closest focus, probably.

Roland.

 

[raid]

Buy the Avenon and sell it here if you don't like it. I love my Kobalux 28 3.5, which is identical to your Avenon. It used to cost about $400-$450.

 

[Palaeoboy]

It used to be one of the sharpest 28mm lenses out there.

It did? I would dispute that, I have found the Avenon 21 and 28's (and their various incarnations) to be well made but not a match optically for the the Voigtlander offerings. Even the much maligned Rokkor 28comes out on top as well. Given there are even better 28s to the Voigtlander 3.5 and Rokkor out there I cant help but wonder where or how the sharpest 28mm claim actually came about?

 

[johannielscom]

What Raid says.

USD 170 is a laugh. I promise you now, if you do not like it I'll take it off you for that price. Shipping and PayPal on me, even!

 

[ferider]

It did? I would dispute that, I have found the Avenon 21 and 28's (and their various incarnations) to be well made but not a match optically for the the Voigtlander offerings. Even the much maligned Rokkor 28comes out on top as well. Given there are even better 28s to the Voigtlander 3.5 and Rokkor out there I cant help but wonder where or how the sharpest 28mm claim actually came about?

Hi Joel,

there are Popphoto measurements of April 96 quoted on Dante's website (http://www.dantestella.com/technical/kobalux.html). When I said "used to be", I meant before CV lenses were released.

BTW, the Rokkor I used was measurably sharper than the CV 28/3.5. And the Color Skopar is really good. I do prefer the color rendering of the Color Skopar though. I personally have not used the Avenon/Kobalux lens.

Roland.

 

[raid]

It did? I would dispute that, I have found the Avenon 21 and 28's (and their various incarnations) to be well made but not a match optically for the the Voigtlander offerings. Even the much maligned Rokkor 28comes out on top as well. Given there are even better 28s to the Voigtlander 3.5 and Rokkor out there I cant help but wonder where or how the sharpest 28mm claim actually came about?

I have used the Kobalux 28mm 3.5 alongside a Canon 28mm 3.5 and a Rokkor-M 28mm 2.8. Each of these three lenses is very sharp. In fact, they are so good lenses that I can't bring myself to sell any for many years until now.

It could very well be that the CV lens has been massaged to have added contrast which in turn will make a sharp lens appear to be even sharper.

The Rokkor is as good optically as a Leica 28mm from the same vintage, and I would not refer to is as "maligned".

 

[Leica0Series]

I use my Avenon 28 a lot, although I like it better on the M8 than the M4. It's dinky, can't imagine the CV is smaller. It's pretty much the "body cap" lens on my M8. And I paid a lot more than $170 for it, without any of the ancillary stuff.

 

[aconcepcion]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Thanks you, everyone. I will try it out over the next few days, and will decide. Given the price, I will probably keep it, and just sell it if I don't like it, as Raid suggests.

 

[raid]

You will like it a lot. Trust me on this one.

 

[emraphoto]

i agree that there is little chance the vc offering is smaller. the avenon (kobalux whatever) version i have is the smallest 28 i have ever seen.

 

[jonmanjiro]

Interesting to read this thread. I was in the exact same position a few months ago but ended up with a CV 28 and I'm in Yokohama not Tokyo 🙂

As others have said, $170 is a good deal for the Avenon 28/3.5. You could buy it to try, and sell it for a little profit if you decide its not for you.

When I was looking, I had my eye on a used black multicoated Avenon 28/3.5 complete with box, finder, etc. and a new silver CV 28/3.5 (Nitto Camera in Nakano still has new CV 28s in stock). They were both priced the same (about 24,000 yen). Physically, the Avenon is a little lighter and more compact, and took 43mm filters (a big plus in my book), but didn't feel or look as well built as the CV 28 to me.

However, in the end I went for a CV 28 because I have one in S-mount and knew it was a great performer, whereas I'd found some hands-on reviews of the Avenon in Japanese describing its performance as "average". Seems to be quite a lot of sample variation with the Avenons. No regrets so far.