Best lens

[oftheherd]

Yashinon was the higher end Yashica lens. They also made the Yashikor line. My first two accessory lenses were a set of Yashikor 28mm and 135mm (of course). I was so happy to get them! Wow, wide angle and telephoto. I was hunting with the big dogs, lol. Those things were so flare prone you wouldn't believe it. I actually got pretty good at learning how to use flare artistically because of that. But the Yashinons were very sharp. I have the 50mm f/1.7 and it was and is sharp.

I also have five old screw mount Fujinon lenses. Those are even sharper. Of course, what would you expect of a Fuji lens? It was a shock when I saw a shot that I knew I could use flare artistically, and couldn't, even shooting straight into the sun, because the Fujinon 28mm lens just didn't have any flare to talk about. (How sad is that? Want to have lens flare and can't.)

Konica lenses were always known for their sharpness, at least the older ones. But, for some reason, they, like the Fujinons, never gained the widespread reputation of the Nikons, Canon, and Minoltas. If anybody had enough of those different types of cameras, it would be very interesting to do some side by side comparisons. I think the quality and sharpness of the Yashinons, Fujinons, and Konica lenses (I forget their name) would suprise a lot of people. I think they would hold their own.

 

[bmattock]

I believe that the Konicas were called "Hexars". I don't have any experience with them - I have a couple of Auto S2's, but non-functioning, unfortunately. I thought I fixed one, but apparently not. As to the Fujinons, well, I have to agree with you! I have a Fujica G690, and the 100mm f5.6 on 120 rollfilm (6x9) is incredibly sharp! I have one Fuji M42 lens that is an 'EBC' lens, but haven't tried it yet.

I'm addicted to Canon FD and FL mount SLR lenses, they're amazing too, but pretty much everyone knows that, so prices stay a bit on the high side. Well, maybe not so much for the FL lenses, but they're good.

I have an old Yashica 635 TLR with the 3-element Yashikor lenses, and it's 'good' if not 'great'. I can live with it, and it has a lens shade, so no flare. Not so sharp at the edges, but that in turn gives an 'antique' feel of its own - interesting to have modern photos that have an old-timey feel to them. And the 635 has a 35mm conversion kit with it - so if you shoot 135mm film in it, the 80mm lens becomes the equivalent of a short telephoto, f3.5 becomes relatively fast, and no edge-falloff because you take the photo out of the middle of the lens, so sharp all around.

Of course, if you're talking 35mm SLRs, you can't leave out the Pentax Super Multi-Coated Takumars, either! Or the Vivitar Series One lenses of a certain age. I have a 90mm f2.5 Vivitar Series One in Canon FD mount with the macro attachment that just smokes - but sad to say, my tiny A. Schacht 90mm on my LTM Bessa is just as good or even better.

The truth is that there are all kinds of great lenses out there - and not all of them are 'discovered' yet. I guess that's part of what I love about collecting cameras and photography - finding new things, discovering 'secrets' and sharing that information on rangefinderforum.com.

Best Regards,

Bill Mattocks

 

[oftheherd]

Now that you say it, I think that is correct about the name of the Konica lenses.

In the Fuji lenses, the EBC stood for Electron Beam Coating. As I recall, there were something over ten different coatings, all according to the advertisements and magazine articles, put on by electron beams. Whatever, they are sharp. If you have a screw mount EBC Fujinon lens and a camera to fit it on, try it. You will like it.

You mentioned the Vivitar Series 1 lenses. I have a link somewhere (got it form a poster on PP&I) that gives the actual manufacturer of the older Series 1 lenses. As you no doubt know, Vivitar never manufactured any lenses. I have a 35-85mm Series 1. What a sweet lens (but big). I also got the 70-210mm zoom at the same time but unfortunately the diaphram blades aren't working. Got those and a Fujica ST801 from a pawn shop for something like $120.00. I never got to use the ST801 as I can't pry it out of my daughter's hands. Nor get her to remove the 43-75mm zoom I got with a Fujica AZ1. She considers it quite a professional camera. She also enjoys parading it in front of her friends.

You are right about sharing information. It enriches us all.

 

[GeneW]

Of my 'modern' cameras, I find the lens on my Olympus Stylus Epic (35mm f/2.8 fixed lens) to be particularly sharp. My gripe is that the camera is so automated I can't easily control the aperture. The camera favours maximizing shutter speed. If they could ever offer this cam with aperture priority it would be an incredibly useful little cam.

I picked up a used Leica CL last year and find the 40mm f/2 Summicron-C quite a good performer. I haven't put it through its paces yet, but I'm pleased with my preliminary results.

Gene

 

[Scarpia]

To Bill M.
I will try to dig up the Travenar pics (about three). They are very sharp but nothing more than pics of a boxed in garden my wife made. They have no artistic merit whatever. Your pics taken in NYC amazed me as I have lived here most of my life and have taken for granted the views you captured. I loved them and wondered why I passed such things by all these years.
Kurt M.

 

[Taipei-metro]

To Mr. Offtheherd,
I have a Fujica ax-3 with a non-Ebc fujinon 50mmf1.9,when searching for the 28mmf3.5 ebc x-Fujinon, I come accross a non-ebc x-Fujinar(not Fujinon) 28mmf2.8, a non-Ebc x-Fujinon 28f2.8 and a non-ebc x-Kominar 28mmf2.8 DM which looks the same with the Fujinar and the x-Fujinon 28mm2.8.
I wonder do you have any experience with those lenses?Thank you!
Sorry about a little off topic here.
Sharpest lens I have ever experienced is the 35mmf2.8 on that Nikon 35ti.I am very impressed with the Canon FD 28mmf2.8 SC.I used to carry the F3 with 35mmf2 Nikon,also a super sharp lens at 2.8 or smaller appertures.
Thanks!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I have a 30 year old Pentax Ultra-Achromat 85mm F4.5 lens in M42 mount that I have used with my Argus Cosina STL1000. All of the optics in it are Calcium Fluoride. It is sharp, but the color saturation on it is unique and unlike anything else I have used. One to watch out for on the Surplus dealers; it was used in a Streak camera for recording UV images. The lens can be used from UV to far IR.