Choosing a 35mm..

[jamxo]

Hi there!

I've done a fair amount of research and browsing on the three canon 35mm lenses (1.5,1.8,2) and wanted to get some opinions on potentially which one to go for.

My situation is as follows.
I shoot on a Leica m6 and have a 35mm Nokton and 40mm Summicron. I havent really got on with the summicron and so plan to sell it and the CL i got with it to fund a new 35mm lens.

What I am really looking for is a small, fairly fast lens to compliment my beastly Nokton, which is used when needed or wanted, but otherwise isnt much use on my camera 24/7.

I want a lens that is cheapish (I live in London so things are quite expensive), small and at least F2 in speed. Which is why I've chosen the Canon's. The new CV 1.4 doesnt really do it for me and whilst the Hexanon 35 F2 looks nice, it seems larger and harder to find.

I am quite tempted by the Canon 35 1.5 because I love to shoot low light, or with a small depth of field, and whilst this lens seems quite soft wide open, it would still be nice to have the option of speed. I guess my main question is how does it compare to the other canon lenses at F2, because if there is a large difference, maybe I should consider one of them.

Thanks for any advice offered,
J.

 

[Michiel Fokkema]

What's wrong with the cv35/1.4?
I'm pretty sure it will out perform the Canon 1.5.
I will order one the coming days to replace my Leica summilux.

cheers,

Michiel Fokkema

 

[infrequent]

first of all i am a big time fan of yours! love your photos man..

i can't help but note that you already have one of the best 35mm lenses out there in the hexar af. too bad you can't use it on the m6 i suppose.

 

[saxshooter]

keep in mind that the new CV 35 1.4 will focus closer than the Canons, if that is important to you.

 

[jplomley]

I've got a Zeiss 35/2 Biogon I am thinking of selling. Just got it a few weeks ago. Spectacular optic, but I think I prefer shooting with my Mamiya 7 and 65mm lens combo than my M6TTL 0.58 and CZ 35. If interested let me know and I'll get back to you once I'm done wrestling with this decision.

 

[ferider]

If you like the Hexar AF, go for the UC Hexanon, it's practically the same lens.
If you want fast, go for the new CV lens. If you want medium speed and
good rendition/bokeh, I recommend the Ultron.

Best,

Roland.

 

[trittium]

i <3 my canon 35/1.5. If you can find one cheep, get it. Check out the link. It is small and very light.

http://flickr.com/photos/trittium/sets/72157600057844524/

f1.5

 

[jamxo]

Thanks for the replies, although there are reasons why I am tempted by the Canons:

New CV 1.4: I dont really like focusing tabs, some of the images at 1.4 are a little nasty, and I dont have £300+ to spend on it, but otherwise its definately a possiblity

CV Ultron: I used to own this lens, but sold it, was nice, but a little too big for a 24/7 walkaround lens

Hexanon: I love the results this lens gives, but I cant find one, and again it seems a little too big

Biogon: Too big, too expensive

(I am a student with very little spare £££ at the moment!)

So yeah, I guess I was curious as to the difference between these canon lenses, which seem to offer a nice combination of speed, price and size (I dont really care about lenses being brutally sharp!)?

Thanks for the replies!
J

 

[Jacob]

I have a Canon 35/1.8. It might be a good choice for You since it is small (29mm long), fast and quite sharp. Things I don't like is the long focus throw, infinity lock and 3,5ft close focus. You might have read about it here: http://www.dantestella.com/technical/canoleic.html
I have just bought the CV 35/1.4, so I am thinking of getting rid of mine...
Just saw another one on the 'bay BTW, presently £45, ending in 11 hrs and located in Isle of Wight.
Jacob

 

[Alex Krasotkin]

I prefer to shoot with Konica Hexar AF with wonderful 35/2 lens and Hexanon-M 35/2 on my M7. This combo always deliver excellent results!

 

[Sonnar2]

The Canon 35/1.5 is a top lens bokeh-wise, but probably the CV 35/1.4 is sharper wide open. At f/2.8, the 35/1.4 is the strongest of all CANON RF 35's, as far as I'm concerned, and has the best handling IMHO.
It shows some strange ghost pictures in certain (backlite) situations, though. For a high-speed-lens still an excellent overall behavior.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14734139@N00/tags/rfcanon3515/

 

[ferider]

J,

just to clarify:

there are two different 35mm Hexanons. One comes only in M-mount and is fairly big. The other one ("UC") comes in LTM mount, and is much smaller. The UC is a derivative of the Nikkor 35/1.8 like the Hexar AF lens. You can still buy it new on ebay, check item 160216013313, for instance.

Best,

Roland.

 

[jamxo]

Thats a funny co-incidence, I literally just clocked that and was coming here to post.

Wow, this hexanon UC seems really nice. Way more than I can afford (but no doubt there is some old grear I can sell), and it seems to be a super nice lens. And to buy it brand new for that price, wow its tempting. Like everything about it that I've read/seen.

Would you recomend it?

Thanks for all the replies,
J

 

[ferider]

It is as good as the best 35/2 lenses out there. You know how it performs from your Hexar.

The only downside is, I believe the minimum focus distance is .9m or so.

Roland.

 

[foto_fool]

Yes, the UC Hexanon is tiny, and it is a great lens. Today I'm going to post a comparison between the Hexanon, the new CV 35/1.4 and the 35 Summilux ASPH in "Lenses & Optics" if you are interested.

 

[jamxo]

Awesome, I will look forward to it.

On another note, can anyone that owns the Canon 35mm F1.5 tell me how it compares to other lenses at F2?
I really like the idea of the Hexanon UC, as a small sharp 35/2 lens like the summicrons is pretty much my dream lens.

That being said, the more I think about it, the less realistic I feel about actually having enough £££ to buy one, and I do also love fast lenses, so the Canon 35mm 1.5 is tempting me alot.

I love these photos taken by it: http://ferider.smugmug.com/gallery/2890163_TsBAY#155365997

Ahh, decisions decisions!!

 

[jamxo]

Update: Had a lovely suprise in the post this morning in that I recieved a cheque for a magazine feature I recently shot, so I could afford the Hexanon UC, and bought one from Matusuiya Store, which seems to have a very good reputation. I am so excited for this lens, will be the perfect compliment to my Nokton I reckon.

😀http://stores.ebay.com/MATSUIYASTORE_W0QQsspagenameZMEQ3aFQ3aSTQQtZkm

 

[infrequent]

awesome man!

 

[foto_fool]

Jamxo - congrats on the UC! IT is the smallest and lightest lens in my kit, and has impressive performance (as I discovered in my comparison with the Summilux ASPH and CV 35/1.4 Nokton).

Noriaki at Matsuiya store is a pleasure to deal with. He answers emails promptly and packs his shipments well. I have received items from him via EMS in 4 days - though I am located much closer to Tokyo than you.

My only issues with the lens are its black paint finish, which chips easily, and the slip-on lens cap, which is more properly described as "slip-off". I have come close to losing the original cap, and now use a cheap 43mm snap cap.

Remember you need the proper LTM adapter for your M6. I use a CV 35/135 adapter from CameraQuest. I suppose Robert White would be your closest supplier (£29.00).

 

[jamxo]

Yep I had an adaptor from Robert White when I used a CV ultron, but sold both recently. Ill get one from Aperture Photographic, which is an awesome little second hand camera shop & cafe here in London. Silly question but using a LTM lens with an M adaptor doesnt have any negative side effects does it?

Really excited for this lens, I've wanted a 35/2 lens somewhat similar to a summicron (as I can nay afford one of them) for ages!