Best affordable 28 2.0?

[retinax]

Toying with the idea of a fast wide and sort of ready to leave Pentax M behind anyway, I thought I'd ask. Mostly thinking about the Olympus and Minolta offerings, looking for a modest three lens kit eventually. Although want to have the option, I wouldn't want to shoot wide open very often, but I enjoy the brighter view and precise focusing with a fast lens. Never used Olympus OM, but I know I like the Minolta 50 1.4 I kept when I foolishly sold the rest of a small Minolta kit. Anyway. The Canon FD 28 2.0 has issues with deteriorating plastic parts in the mechanism for the floating elements I read. Is that also a concern with other lenses of this sort? Nikon, Leica R are too pricey, the Pentax is extremely rare.
Mainly my question is, has anyone used both the Minolta and Olympus 28 2.0 and can say something about their optical quality and possible issues?

 

[santino]

I don't think olympus has plastic parts in the mechanism. Minolta depends on the vintage of the Lens.

 

[Bille]

Contax Zeiss Distagon 28/2 if you want to spend that much. Minolta MD 28/2 is awesome too for a lot less money. Comparable Nikkors are worse in my experience.

 

[Tompas]

Toying with the idea of a fast wide and sort of ready to leave Pentax M behind anyway, I thought I'd ask. Mostly thinking about the Olympus and Minolta offerings, looking for a modest three lens kit eventually. Although want to have the option, I wouldn't want to shoot wide open very often, but I enjoy the brighter view and precise focusing with a fast lens. Never used Olympus OM, but I know I like the Minolta 50 1.4 I kept when I foolishly sold the rest of a small Minolta kit. Anyway. The Canon FD 28 2.0 has issues with deteriorating plastic parts in the mechanism for the floating elements I read. Is that also a concern with other lenses of this sort? Nikon, Leica R are too pricey, the Pentax is extremely rare.
Mainly my question is, has anyone used both the Minolta and Olympus 28 2.0 and can say something about their optical quality and possible issues?

Never give up on Pentax! 😉

I have and like both the SMC-M 2/28 and the SMC-A 2/28. They are indeed a little rare but they are good. The SMC-M can be found quite cheap, if you can wait a while.
I also like my manual Nikkor 2/28 AiS; not so rare and not very expensive.
With Minolta or Olympus I have no experience.

 

[Sumarongi]

Mainly my question is, has anyone used both the Minolta and Olympus 28 2.0 and can say something about their optical quality and possible issues?

I do not have the Olympus in question, but I have a heavily used MC W.Rokkor 1:2 f=28mm, see:
http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sr/objektive/145-minolta-28mm-f2
and two Vivitars 28mm 1:2.

Re Vivitar, see:

Vivitar (Komine 28xxxx) 28mm F2.0 MC Close Focus Wide Angle
Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-28mm-f2-0-mc-close-focus-wide-angle-series.html

Vivitar (Kiron - serial 22xxxxx) 28mm f2
Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-28mm-f2-mc-m-series.html

Vivitar Series 1 (Tokina 37xxxxx) 28mm F1.9 VMC
Read more at: https://www.pentaxforums.com/userreviews/vivitar-series-1-28mm-f1-9-vmc.html

I can recommend all of them, except the Series 1 Vivitar Tokina (since I do not have it).

A little flare, not unwelcome sometimes, and a soft front lens can be an issue, so be warned that lenses having *cleaning marks* will be no exception.

 

[capitalK]

Contax Zeiss Distagon 28/2 if you want to spend that much. Minolta MD 28/2 is awesome too for a lot less money. Comparable Nikkors are worse in my experience.

Not what the OP is asking for, but the Zeiss Distagon 28/2.8 small, light and an excellent performer. One of my favourite lenses I own.

 

[kuuan]

Never give up on Pentax!

I have and like both the SMC-M 2/28 and the SMC-A 2/28. They are indeed a little rare but they are good. The SMC-M can be found quite cheap, if you can wait a while.

Pentax had been my favorite lenses, wished to have either of the two.
The Olympus Zuiko MC f2/28 is a good lens, here are my photos taken with it ( I believe all taken with Sony A7 with 35mm sensor ) https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/albums/72157667515357403/page1
and a real cheapy but a good lens, at least concerning sharpness even until corners is the Vivitar f2/28mm ( made by Kiron, serial number starting with 22, though some say the one made by Komine, serial starting with 28, is even better? )
my photos taken with it: ( only the frist 2 taken on Sony A7 with 35mm sensor, rest on APS-C! ) https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuan/sets/72157622961763081 )
a - fast and dirty - infinity test I did with a few 28mm lenses including the OM and Vivitar 2/28: https://www.flickr.com/photos/kuuanslenstests/collections/72157670043721223/

 

[retinax]

Thanks for the replies so far!

Tompas, two specimens of the Pentax recently went on eBay.de for around 400€, that's a bit too dear for me. Same goes for Zeiss. The reason I'm ready to give up in Pentax is that I find the M (yes, Leica folks) bodies and lenses too tiny, I have large hands, and the K lenses have gotten real expensive and are rare in Europe. Plus my 28/2.8 has fogged somewhere unaccessible. It's actually a pretty good lens for black and white I think, color only OK. But as I said, I'd like something a little faster. So that's becoming a main criterion for a new system. I have a Spotmatic as well and I like it. So another option would be getting m42 lenses:
Is there any good 28/2.0 in m42? Fuji maybe? Are the Vivitar, Kiron, Tokina... ones the same as the ones in e.g. Minolta mount or earlier designs?

 

[raid]

Canon FD 8/2.0 can be used with Canon Adapter B (to ltm). This is an advantage.

 

[Sumarongi]

So another option would be getting m42 lenses:
Is there any good 28/2.0 in m42? Fuji maybe?

1:2 f=28mm Fuji, or Mamiya, or Yashica -- that would be very nice, but never heard of, unfortunately.

Other, more obscure makes: Eyemik, Formula 5, Promura ... see
http://m42lens.com/m42-lens-database/56-wide?eorder=field_max_aperture.num
-- these three look like triplets, and like a lot of metal, but no idea what's actually inside.

Are the Vivitar, Kiron, Tokina... ones the same as the ones in e.g. Minolta mount or earlier designs?

Well, it's quite improbable to meet all your criteria at once:

Cheap plus no plastics exists, but then it's a pre-1975/1980 lens formula.

Cheap plus after-1975/1980 lens formula: contains plastics somewhere quite certainly.

 

[Mackinaw]

....The Canon FD 28 2.0 has issues with deteriorating plastic parts in the mechanism for the floating elements I read........

The FDn version of the 28/2.0 is the lighter one that probably contains plastic. The original breechlock FD version is all metal.

Jim B.

 

[retinax]

1:2 f=28mm Fuji, or Mamiya, or Yashica -- that would be very nice, but never heard of, unfortunately.

Other, more obscure makes: Eyemik, Formula 5, Promura ... see
http://m42lens.com/m42-lens-database/56-wide?eorder=field_max_aperture.num
-- these three look like triplets, and like a lot of metal, but no idea what's actually inside.



Well, it's quite improbable to meet all your criteria at once:

Cheap plus no plastics exists, but then it's a pre-1975/1980 lens formula.

Cheap plus after-1975/1980 lens formula: contains plastics somewhere quite certainly.

Thanks for the suggestions, I'll check them out.
I'm not opposed to plastic if it can withstand age and normal use, which apparently isn't the case with the Canon. Neither am I opposed to older designs, although I think fast wides have benefitted most from more recent developments. I just asked if they were older formulas because I wondered if one could go by the reviews for the lens in a different mount, like those you linked earlier.

 

[retinax]

The FDn version of the 28/2.0 is the lighter one that probably contains plastic. The original breechlock FD version is all metal.

Jim B.

Oh interesting. But are you sure even the guide pins or their sleeves (or whatever one would call them) in question, for the floating element, are metal?

 

[peterm1]

The Nikon 28mm f2 is universally highly rated. If you can be agnostic about the system to use then it is a safe bet. Although I am sure there are other very good lenses of this spec. this one is right up there in quality and price. I bought an early AI one for $250 (Australian) and it is in excellent condition. I regarded this as a pretty good price for a lens of this quality. later versions have better coating. Earlier versions have better price. If you are adapting it to another system camera then pre AI is an option and you get the price benefit too.

The following quote indicates how one reviewer (link below) feels about it.

"Typical for older manual focus lenses the Nikkor Ai-S 28mm f/2 comes with an exceptional build quality and super smooth focusing - most of today's lenses feel cheap in comparison and the glory doesn't stop here. At medium aperture settings the lens is capable to produce some of the highest resolution figures tested to date. At f/2 the results are somewhat softer regarding both border resolution and contrast. Distortions and vignetting are quite well controlled whereas CAs could be a little lower at f/8. The lens is no longer in production but if it fits your needs you should be easily able to find one on the used market"

http://www.opticallimits.com/nikon-...1-nikkor-ai-s-28mm-f2-review--lab-test-report

 

[Mackinaw]

Oh interesting. But are you sure even the guide pins or their sleeves (or whatever one would call them) in question, for the floating element, are metal?

First place, I'm not at all convinced that FDn lenses are falling apart because they contain plastic. Because you read it on the internet, doesn't mean it's true.

And yes, I am sure the sure that the internals of the breechlock FD 28/2.0 are all metal, I took one apart.

Jim B.

 

[kuuan]

Is there any good 28/2.0 in m42? Fuji maybe? Are the Vivitar, Kiron, Tokina... ones the same as the ones in e.g. Minolta mount or earlier designs?

The Vivitar f2/28 come in all kind of mounts, incl. Minolta, but, as far as I know, not in M42.
There is a good Vivitar Series 1 f1.9/28mm that comes in M42

 

[johannielscom]

Look for a Panagor 28mm 2.0 or 2.5 in M42 mount.
Those are Kiron-manufactured and are often overlooked so if you manage to find one, you probably can get it cheap

 

[Doug]

Sure, stay with Pentax? Currently my nearest 28 is the f/1.8 31mm Limited. Fabulous lens!

How about a Kiron? As it happens, mine is a Pentax K mount, and here's a couple samples shot on a Pentax K2....

 

[Sumarongi]

Sure, stay with Pentax? Currently my nearest 28 is the f/1.8 31mm Limited. Fabulous lens!

... £600.00 ... affordable was the cue.

 

[Doug]

... £600.00 ... affordable was the cue.

Good point... I got mine 12 years ago and it was about that cost then. But the Kiron of the illustrated samples should be "affordable" as (also 12 years ago) I paid $74 for both the lens and the Pentax K2. 🙂