Here's my write-up:
Canon 85mm F1.5
Years ago, when I first became interested in rangefinders, after using Nikon SLRs, I heard about the legendary Summarex. This was 20 years ago, and even then, the Summarex was prohibitively expensive. I bought and sold and traded my way through lots and lots of rangefinder gear- too numerous to list here, but I always kept that idea of a fast 85mm in the back of my mind. The closest I got was a couple of Nikon LTM lenses…the 85mm F2 and the 50mm f1.4- both pretty decent lenses that I enjoyed for a while- the short barrel 85mm was heavy but nice. My 50mm f1.4 had a huge deep scratch in the front element- didn’t seem to affect pictures much! Later, I had a Canon 85mm f2 chrome lens- it was longer than the Nikkor- and not as sharp.
Anyway, to make a long story a bit shorter…I recently found myself hunting for something faster than my 85mm f2.8 Steinheil Culminar (a decent lens in its own right) to use with my M4-P and my Canon rangefinders. I was looking for something that would create a pleasing portrait look with interesting out-of-focus/bokeh affects. I looked again at the various options in vintage medium tele-photos from Leitz, Nikon, and Canon. It didn’t take long to see that the fast 85’s from Nikon and Leica were pretty expensive! I found a viable option in the form of a Canon black and silver (version III) 85mm f1.5. I negotiated a decent price and eagerly awaited shipment! I was a bit nervous about the condition of my specimen as well as the size and weight, but excited with the fast aperture.
Then the lens arrived! Very good condition- just a few stray marks on the glass- a user – not a collector grade lens. I also found a cheap but good metal hood – 58mm and a modern UV filter. Total weight with the hood is 718 grams. Lighter than the listed 730 grams – which is probably the weight of the first version of the lens- the all chrome Serenar. The focus and aperture ring were found to be a bit stiff but not un-useable. Then it was time to try it out! Fits fine on the M4-P- it brings up the 90mm framelines with an adapter ring….the body of the lens is very close to the release button and the preview lever, but it doesn’t quite touch, thank goodness. Did I mention this lens is HEAVY? It’s probably a good thing that I have a grip on the Leica- helps support my hand…it’s a real neck-breaker hanging from it’s strap- would not be an ideal tourist lens hauling around all day while on vacation.
Tested with a roll of Lomo 800 in the Leica M4-P and a roll of Fuji 200 in the Canon 7. The lens balances nicely on the Canon 7 – although the position of the strap lugs make it stand out when carried around the neck- I had a slight bump on the door-frame leaving the house in the morning- just tapped the hood- no damage to the lens. Results to follow…
