Canon 7 lens?

[kerouacknew]

Hi,
I have decided to take the plunge and buy a canon rangefinder. I have wanted one for some time now and the prices seem to be more reasonable right now.
I am thinking about buying a canon 7 body and i would like some recommendations on a decent lens for it. Something not too expensive. A good staring off point. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I love these forums.
thanks
shawn

 

[wlewisiii]

Canon 50/1.8 is an excellent place to start. It's one of the classic lenses & can be found reasonably priced; the downside is that, as is common to Canon RF lenses, it uses 40mm filters. Find a 40mm to Series VI adaptor though and you'll be set. I have one the pretty much lives on my 7.

KEH has a nice bargain one right now... 🙂

William

 

[FrankS]

I agree with the Canon/Serenar 50 f1.8 recommendation. You can find themn for $125 to 180. There is also the FSU Jupiter 8 50mm f2 for less than $35, and the Jupiter 3 50 f1.5 for about $80 (but it is more of a gamble as it may probably need to be adjusted before satisfactory use.)

 

[David Murphy]

Canon 50/1.8 is an excellent place to start. It's one of the classic lenses & can be found reasonably priced; the downside is that, as is common to Canon RF lenses, it uses 40mm filters. Find a 40mm to Series VI adaptor though and you'll be set. I have one the pretty much lives on my 7.

KEH has a nice bargain one right now... 🙂

William

I agree. The Canon 50/1.8 is my standard rangefinder lens since I can't afford a Voigtlander Nokton right now. The later black ones are very sharp although I have heard some complimentary remarks even regarding the early chrome ones. I would buy one with good cosmetics and no serious scratches or damage, but be prapared to pay for a CLA to clean up haze (common on these). I had one like that CLA'ed recently for about $50 and now it looks factory new.

The other vintage screw mount 50mm lens I like is the Leica Summitar, although the collapsible design of this has problems interacting with some camera bodies (not sure how well the Canon 7 will take it -- I can check this). The sharpness of the Summitar is very good at say F8, and acceptable wide open. I think the later Canons are sharper lenses though (they are newer designs) -- the Summitar just has a certain style about it and the performance is pleasing (not eye poping mind you -- just solid quality).

If you have the money I am sure the Voigtlander Nokton would best all of these due to a 40 year technology advantage. Used these can be found for about $250 -- still rather pricey.

If you are broke after buying the Canon 7 body, the later model Russian Industars are quite decent lenses, cheap (e.g $20), although they are slow and have a somewhat rough build quality. I once had an early Jupiter 50/2 in Contax mount and I cannot really recomnend that -- the later ones in Leica mount may be better.

 

[harry01562]

I can totally agree on the Canon/Serenar 1.8's. They are fine lenses, and are common, so usually reasonably priced. If you want faster, the 50/1.2 can sometimes be found cheap, as well. Decent wide open, improves when stopped down a bit. It is large, and fairly heavy, but that's to be expected on very fast lenses.
Looking beyond the 50's, the early all chrome 35/2.8 is a very nice lens. Also, it's tiny and makes a great street shooter out of the 7. Since the 7 is a LTM, there is also the 90/4 black Elmar's. These are early lenses, many uncoated. If you find one with good glass, it may be priced well under $100. Nice lens for portraits, and gives a pleasant look to almost any genre of shots. Also, close enough to the 85 frame lines, so no external viewer is needed.
For real budget items, the FSU can be a buy, with the caveats noted.
You'll like the 7, it's a well designed (except for the lack of an accessory clip) camera, and easier to load than the Leica M's. You've probably read
the various articles on the web, and this does seem to be a good time to buy.
Good luck, and hope you find a good one.

Harry

 

[wlewisiii]

One other note that springs to mind - the Jupiter 12, at least the later black ones, will work just fine on the Canon 7. You do have to be carefull putting it on and off so that you don't whack that big bit of glass on the rear of the lens on the RF cam, but it fits well otherwise and is a screaming deal for a 35/2.8 lens. I'm going to have to get another one...

William

 

[rogue_designer]

I use the Canon 50 1.8, Chrome - it is fantastic, and with an ebay find of a $6 40mm - 40.5mm step up ring, it's easy enough to find hoods and filters to fit. Probably the best bargain in predictably good 50mm lenses right now.