Canon RF 35/2

[corazon]

Hey hey! New to the forum. I've been checking it out a lot inadvertently recently, while doing lots of research on Leica's. I just bought an M4-P and a Canon FL 55mm/1.2 with the bayonet adapter.

I might be in the wrong section for what I'm about to ask, but I am looking hard for a Canon RF 35/2 lens! I let one slip the other day on eBay that was very much to my liking. I'm looking for a cosmetically worn 35/2 with clean optics! If any of you guys have one you're thinking of parting with, I am open for offers!

I'm really eager to get going with my rangefinder life. Been looking forward for some time now for a fully manual/indiscrete camera to get me shooting more often. That said, the FL 55/1.2 is comparatively a beast! I am really excited though to bust it out for available light photography. I'll be heading to some shows to get myself started once I've got everything together. Digressing some, but I thought an intro would be welcome.

So if anyone could point me in the direction of such a 35/2, I would be truly grateful and many other things!

Salutations

 

[xayraa33]

welcome to the forum.
checkout Kevincameras if you want a Canon 35/f2 lens real soon and don't mind paying a little more.

 

[corazon]

actually I do mind paying more (after everything I dropped on those two items I just got). The 35/2 I saw went for $158.00. The barrel was pretty worn but the optics were clean and clear. No fongus, no scratches, no separation..nothing. I know that was a bargain that doesn't come along often, but I was hoping it oculd be replicated for me. I'm looking to spend $150-$200. I'm not looking to buy right away necessarily anyways, the money tree's been shaken bone dry..and I've got to water it with seeds of... work?

I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled, but it wouldn't hurt to have a couple extras 😉

ps: thanks for your reply!

 

[Peter A (NYC)]

Be aware that there is more than one version of this lens, and the latest is supposed to be the greatest. Search around the internet to find out more. Good luck!

 

[payasam]

Mounting a Canon FL lens on a Leica M body would need two adapters. There will be no R/F coupling.

 

[xayraa33]

Mounting a Canon FL lens on a Leica M body would need two adapters. There will be no R/F coupling.

one auction seller has recently sold a modifed Canon 55/1.2 FL lens complete with RF cam and M mount.
this seller also had a modifed Rokkor 50/1.4 lens, all setup for an M mount camera, inc. rf function.

 

[Paul C. Perkins MD]

A Canon 55mm F:1.2 FL coupled to a rangefinder body . . . Even if you could do such a thing . . . why? I don't know. I'm happy enough with the 50mm F:1.2 Canon originally intended for use on a rangefinder. I just recently jettisoned all but two pieces of Canon FL gear. The 55mm F:1.2 was a beast. I had a 58mm F:1.2 - it was almost as large as the 85mm F:1.8 Canon FL.

 

[David Murphy]

actually I do mind paying more (after everything I dropped on those two items I just got). The 35/2 I saw went for $158.00. The barrel was pretty worn but the optics were clean and clear. No fongus, no scratches, no separation..nothing. I know that was a bargain that doesn't come along often, but I was hoping it oculd be replicated for me. I'm looking to spend $150-$200. I'm not looking to buy right away necessarily anyways, the money tree's been shaken bone dry..and I've got to water it with seeds of... work?

I'm gonna keep my eyes peeled, but it wouldn't hurt to have a couple extras 😉

ps: thanks for your reply!

The good ones usually end up at around $400 on eBay -- sometimes more. I've never seen a decent one sell for less than $350. You might consider the Voigtlander Ultron 35/1.7. These can be had for about $250 if you hang around here and watch the Classifieds (I'm certain the Ultron will out perform the Canon lens). It's currently my favorite 35mm RF lens, but then again I can't afford a Summicron 35mm.

 

[Didier]

The difference between the two 35/2 types is quite small, version I is also very excellent. Version II was produced in a lower amount and such is more collectible. Peter Kitchingman has some information about it.
Didier

 

[Charles Woodhouse]

You could do worse than put jiri_e on your Ebay seller search. Jiri regularly turns up these excellent lenses in various conditions, and you won't find a friendlier seller. I've used one of those plastic 35-70 Canon FD zooms with adapter B on a Canon 7 with great results, but you do need the little crescent shaped aperture locking piece and an ability to scale focus.

 

[JTK]

Didier's right about I Vs II (re the urban legend...nobody really knows)

$158 was a huge bargain if the lens was in good shape.

Note however that this is a 50 year old gizmo and, as such it may need CLA, especially if it's had a lot of use...$100. Don't buy on price, buy because you're a classy guy.

If you're into huge lenses of the same speed (1.7 Vs 2.0), just use your SLR. If you're into great contrast/snap and better construction in a far smaller package, get the Canon. Drawback to Canon is 40mm filter thread..near impossible to find..I bought a genuine Canon UV on 'bay, couldn't find a B+W or Heliopan

 

[burninfilm]

Hopefully you can find one for a good price. I had one for a while which was very worn, and the optics weren't perfect. Still, the lens surprised me with the good performance it was capable of. Here's a few frames from it:

 

[sleepyhead]

Hopefully you can find one for a good price. I had one for a while which was very worn, and the optics weren't perfect. Still, the lens surprised me with the good performance it was capable of.

I've tested the 35mm Canon f/2 vs. the Leica 35mm Summilux ASPH on my Epson RD-1 (so trhe usual non-full frame caveats apply) on a tripod with cable release. None-the-less, I was surprised to find that the Canon performed astonishingly close to the Leica lens which is 10X it's price once the Canon was closed down a couple of stops. At f/8 and beyond I couldn't discern any difference between the two lenses on the RD-1. Contrast seemed to be about the same.

At f/2 the Summilux ASPH was clearly better, especially in the corners. The Summilux also clearly won in terms of Bokeh. At f/2 and close distance focus (1 meter) the Summilux also had "more bokeh", meaning that the out-of-focus areas with the Canon lens held more detail, while the same areas with the Summilux were nicely fuzzily OOF.

This is a great, small, inexpensive lens!

 

[corazon]

yeah I was thinking about getting an FD and adapting it to fit the Leica.. but as I`ve already gon`t that route with my FL 55/1.2, I really want the compactness of the Canon 35/2.

Exactly, JTK. Sharp contrast and tight little package. ah, love.
Tell me about it...finding 40mm can be tough. I thought I`d found something good the other day, but turns out it was a generic brand (durst), I had never heard of before. In any event, I am in no rush. I bought a Summitar the other day to counteract the monstrous size of the FL 55/1.2, so that I`ve got something compact when shooting other than available light. So, in truth I`ve got enough to keep my hands full for a while, but still I can't stop myself from eyeing around.


Wow burningfilm, some of those shots are really impressive.. I`m smiling just looking at them. You take that pic while you were riding? Nice bike too! what is it?

And Charles Woodhouse. I`ll give him a little search and see what comes up.


Thanks all around for such attentive commentary