Best lense to start out with

[FranZ]

Price and Purpose

Price and Purpose

Hi Madtome,
I wrestled with the same question.
(my new R-D1s is on its way from Sapporo to me, temporaraly stuck in the Amsterdam customs warehouse🙁)
Actually it is an impossible question to ask. Akin to: "What car should I buy"?
It all boils down to the famous "P"s:
Purpose
Price
Performance
Preferences
and for me Pounds (lbs)
of which Purpose and Price are the most important.
Of money was not an Issue, I would have bought a new M8 with some Summilux lenses.
Since it is, I buy 2nd hand Camera and lenses, being maddoc's R-D1s.🙂
My purpose is People / travel photography where I want to make pictures in their home environment so I need fast lenses and a non-intimidating system.
I do own a Olympus E1 which I like, especially my new 11-22mm zoom (± 22-44 on 35mm) but its high-iso capability leaves a lot to be desired and the new (leica) 25mm 1.4 (like 50 mm in 35 format) would throuw me a 1000 Euro's back, so i thought i could try something else
For portraits, the obvious choice for me is 50mm, and since maddox also wanted to part with his 50 mm Nokton it is stuck in the same warehouse right now:bang:

This will be my single lens for a time until I am comfortable with a manual focussing rangefinder with my 52 year ols eyes.
I did own a autofocus Concax G2 with its 21-28-45 and 90 mm lenses. A very nice system with a very, very nice 21mm, but no digital future.
I do not want an external viewfinder for the time being, so my 2nd lens will be a 28 mm, probably the cv 28 1.9, since it gets good report on this forum.

I am not so sure on follow-on lenses. the 3rd one needs to be in-between 28 and 50, be more "stealthy" and capable to act as a single lens when I am travelling
choices here are:
cv 35 1.7 (good and fast, but not so stealthy)
CV 35mm P II (stealthy but not so fast)
4o mm rokkor and 40 mm nokton 1.4 (good and fast and not to big)
time will tell.
I hope this is useful

cheers,

Frans 🙄
(impatiently waiting for his new toy)

 

[BillBingham2]

Madtomo,

I think I would go with the 28/2.8 and then a fast 50mm (CV or ZI). While I love the 40 on full frame cameras (the CV 1.4 rocks), I'm not sure about here. The 50 becomes a 75ish and that's a fine focal lenghts for head shots. The 35 is just too close to the 50 or the 25 for me, I like distance between my glass. My kit is a 15/40/105 and some times a 25.

B2 (;->

 

[madtomo]

Thanks for all your help guys. I've purchased a Epson R-D1 from PhotoVillage and also purchased a Voightlander 28mm/1.9 LENS as well. If you have any more recommendations please post them. Thank again for all our help.

 

[pfogle]

FWIW I plunked for the 28/1.9 and a Nokon 40/1.4 for my first two lenses.

Since then I've been through....knows how many, but in my bag right now is a 28/3.5 Color Skopar and 50mm tabbed Summicron (Canadian).

If the light's low, I still get the 28/1.9 out, and the Canon 50mm f1.2 (yumm!)

Phil

here's a shot from each lens from a recent walk. Pretty much straight out of the camera using C1 defaults: CV28/3.5 and 50/2 'cron.

 

[Edward Felcher]

So you see, the OP learned the correct spelling of "lens" and will no longer be regarded as an ignoramus when posting online.

There is something to be said for keeping up the standards of the English language before we all revert to internet gibberish text-speak.

Dnt u thnk so?

 

[mwooten]

So you see, the OP learned the correct spelling of "lens" and will no longer be regarded as an ignoramus when posting online...

A bit harsh don't you think?

 

[Edward Felcher]

In that case, I'm doing him a favor.

And I find that English-as-a-second-language speakers are often highly more literate than "native-English" speaking home-grown dunces.

So if the next time some hypothetical public imbecile pauses before hitting the "post" button, he will have been well-served by having had the error of his foolhardy ways pointed out for public scrutiny by his betters.

The OP took it like a good sport and is in no way deterred from posting.

 

[erikhaugsby]

Sorry, but I find the widespread use of the word "lense" to be extremely annoying.

Well, I am terribly sorry that you find yourself unable to restrain yourself from attempting to impose personal issues with diction and spelling upon others.

 

[madtomo]

I, as the OP, and a native English speaker, feel that this post has gone way off course. I find it disheartening that my attempt to become more educated on lenses has turned into a asinine conversation on grammar. Rather than waste the time and space arguing over one stupid word (which, if its that important to you, is just sad), I'd like to either see this post get back on to what it was supposed to be about, helping beginners find the right lens to start out with, or have this post die. Thank you.

 

[pthurst]

50mm Nokton for me... I think this is a great lens, especially for people like me, who wear glasses and struggle to see the wider framelines.

The lens is very sharp, even wide open. This picture was shot at f1.5.

Paul

 

[Joe Mondello]

madtomo, the thread is a mess, but I'll try and answer your question!

On my R-D1 I find the 2 most used lenses are a 44 year old Summicron DR 50/2 (that had been sitting in the closet for 30 years!) and the 28/1.9 Ultron.

If I were starting now, I'd certainly go for a 50/1.5 Nokton. In fact I'm going to order one today for my M8.

 

[wintoid]

The lens is very sharp, even wide open. This picture was shot at f1.5.

I love that photo, Paul

 

[Terao]

50mm Nokton for me... I think this is a great lens, especially for people like me, who wear glasses and struggle to see the wider framelines.

The lens is very sharp, even wide open. This picture was shot at f1.5.

Paul

Nooooooo 🙁

My Nokton was about to go out the door to add to the M8 fund
Now I'm not so sure *weeps*

I'd convinced myself I didn't need it having a Canon f/1.2, a Canon f/1.8, and a Jupiter 8 all in that length, plus a Minolta 45 on the way, and the 40 Nokton...

 

[espressogeek]

I am a big fan of lenses that are classics. You can sell them and most always get your money back out of them. Here are a few I have had or want with my comments.

Canon 50/1.4 - A little dreamy until F2 but resolves well. Makes for really nice B&W images. Over F2.8 the color and contrast are spot on.

Leica or Minolta 40/2 - As long as you get one that focuses on the RD-1, well, there isnt a better bang for your buck out there. The honda accord of lenses for the RD-1.

CZ 35/2 - INCREDIBLE wide open. Vignettes a bit but that is not so bad. It works well consider the color contrast and resolution of the lens. Has an excellent hood available and shoots well directly into the sun. Colors have that classic CZ look, punchy and maybe a bit cool.

Pentax 43/1.9 - I have never seen a good series with this lens and the RD-1. I don't know if it matches well with the frame lines. I would love to find out.

Konica UC Hex - One little jewel of a lens that I can't justify keeping. The best build quality I have ever felt in my hand. The focus and stops are the stuff of legend. The bokeh, past 2.8, is very gauze like and beautiful. Its TINY and sharp enough wide open but perhaps not as sharp as the CZ. That COULD have been due to a focus error on my camera but I dont know.

I would love to find a 28 that is both fast enough and not any larger than my summi 40/2. It needs to be sharp wide open and have beautiful bokeh. I want the CV 28/1.9 but I worry it is large.

 

[Smallcreep]

Just caught up with this thread, and thought my one cent might be worth pitching in since I would categorise myself as an Epson newbie. I have a 21mm Biogon, a 35mm Biogon and a 50mm Nokton. The 21mm is a great length and geat fun, though I felt the need to buy a 35mm viewfinder for it (pity Cosina aren't producing another batch of thier 21mm D Viewfinders). The 50mm Nokton (for me) takes some getting used to, not least because of the slightly stiff travel when focussing. I bought the camera with a 35mm, so that was my first lens and took a bit of getting used to after dSLR zooms. It's still my general purpose of choice and produces great images if used judiciously.

So on reflection I might have been better choosing the 28mm, as you have done. As to Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander, you pays your money and you takes your choice. For me, subjectively, the quality of all three is satisfying, but that doesn't stop me from hoping that one day I'll be able to afford Leica glass, even though I know that's probably a silly ambition. As people keep telling us, it's about the image, not the equipment (wonder how many of them own a bucketful of Leica lenses?)

 

[espressogeek]

There is something to be said for glass from any manufacturer that is exotic. Be it leica, pentax, konica, zeiss or voigtlander. I've only seen two lenses from voigtlander that caught my fancy and one of them was the 28/1.9.

 

[espressogeek]

My current favorite wide open.
Leitz 40/2 wide open.

If you can only have one this one gets my vote.

 

[boilerdoc2]

Don't forget the Tri Elmar. The focal lengths are right on the top of the camera! Need for speed, then the Nokton and/or 28/1.9. The R isn't the best body for anything much over 50. No framelines, plus the short base length. Can be done with the 1.25 magnifier on tho. Great shots in this thread!
Steve

 

[espressogeek]

The Tri-Elmar is a one stop shop of leica love. I always wanted one but I will probably wait until the next digi RF to jump for it. I am have become a big fan of compact with my RF so anything that protrudes very far from the body is a no no at this juncture. I have to differentiate it from my DSLR in some way.

 

[rfrangefinder]

As to Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander, you pays your money and you takes your choice. For me, subjectively, the quality of all three is satisfying, but that doesn't stop me from hoping that one day I'll be able to afford Leica glass, even though I know that's probably a silly ambition. As people keep telling us, it's about the image, not the equipment (wonder how many of them own a bucketful of Leica lenses?)

I have got quite a few leica (latest type ASPH) and Zeiss lenses (their slr N type and in the past all the G lenses). FWIW, by and large, I prefer Zeiss, but that's a huge generalisation. The Leica lenses are nevertheless great. They are also the best constructed, mechanically, by a small margin. I don't want to dwell on Z vs L here, though. My point is that the CV lenses I have or have seen have really been superb too. Indeed, the much lauded 35 summilux asph i had until recently, was sold because of its wide-open flaring, which is only rarely mentioned as a flaw. I prefer the Nokton 35 for wide open shots in low light with potential for flaring, since the Nokton is almost as low-flare as the Noctilux, but better in my experience than the 35 lux. GAS is an affliction . CV lenses are excellent and should, by rights, be a good antidote to GAS.🙂