choosing a lens for the rd1

my favourite walk-around lenses are my 2 pre-asph 35's -- v.1 Cron for sunny days and closer focusing, the Lux if it's going to be dark. much to my surprise, i found i like this FOV on the Epson whereas i only have 28mm (Ricoh, Sigma) compacts. it's hard to find anything smaller and still have the speed.

i've found some of my best composed images have been when i've mistakenly set the framelines for 28 and the scene has been tight -- go figure! that also tells you how loose the framelines are....

i've got a 21 SA on the way to curb my craving for wide and give me the ability to do hip shots. i haven't received it yet (damn!) so i can't comment yet. likewise the old Canon 25 LTM i picked up -- too slow for the weather we've been having.

i really really like the look of older lenses on the R-D1 but it seems from reading above i may be the only one. i prefer better range of tones and can adjust contrast and levels in PP (i do mostly b/w).... of all my lenses, the C-Sonnar (which i believe you have?) is my absolute favourite in colour.

before you buy another lens, i'd play around with what you already own and see what you feel is lacking. every once in a while i get an urge for the super wides and hope to play with my friend's Zeiss 18mm at the end of March.
 
sorry for a bit off-topic,
have no r-d1 but i want to tell you I found many new nice contacts for FlickR in this thread

regards from Vienna
 
Out of curiosity, the framelines on digital rf - do they compensate for crop (you use "35mm" framelines w/ a 35mm lens?) or would you have to use the 50mm framelines with a 35mm lens?

martin
 
martin s said:
Out of curiosity, the framelines on digital rf - do they compensate for crop (you use "35mm" framelines w/ a 35mm lens?) or would you have to use the 50mm framelines with a 35mm lens?
Click to expand...

yes, they compensate for the crop and give you the proper framelines for the lens you're using -- i.e., put on a 35mm lens, chose the 35 framelines, and you'll get a 53mm FOV.
 
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Like others have said, it really comes down to what FOV you personally prefer so from that perspective only you know what suits you. Having said that...

I don't own an R-D1(s) but have used one on a few occasions so take this with a grain of salt.. i think one of the best reasons to get the R-D1s or the M8 for that matter is to use the abundance of vintage glass on a digital body... no doubt that modern VC, zeiss and leica lenses are fantastic however so are modern Nikkor and Canon L, Pentax Limited and other glass... it's easy to find sharp, contrasty, well corrected glass for dSLRs and other than the RF and size, there aren't huge differences in IQ between modern SLR and RF glass on digital. However the few times i've used the R-D1 and from the images I've seen, glass like the Canon 35/2.8LTM, Canon 50/1.5LTM and type 1-2 50 Summilux or Summitar seem to make the greatest impact on my eyes vs. the 35'cron, 50'lux asph, 50Nokton....

the one modern lens exception is probably the 35 Nokton ... it's a great FOV on the R-D1 cropped body... though having used one on an M3, M4 and Hexar RF I personally would only use it 10% of the time and much prefer the 35'con v3.

Think of this as a reason to buy the vintage glass you've never or don't currently own, you live to churn through gear so why stop now? 🙂
 
My most used lens is a ZM 25 Biogon, trying to use the hole viewfinder (not so precisse but i prefer that than using an external finder), a 35 cron asph and on last days a Nikkor 50/1.4 LTM which i adore.
 
I started off with the 40/2 M-Rokkor, which is great on the R-D1, and almost perfectly fits the 35mm framelines (they're actually about 15% tighter than the FoV of a 35mm lens, to give you some fudge-factor).

Then, for a while, it was the Canon 28/3.5 all the time. Great medium-contrast lense with good sharpness.

These days, it's a 35mm for general purpose shooting: Usually the Summaron 35/2.8 in daylight or the UC-Hexanon 35/2 in dimmer light. For portraits, a 50mm becomes a nice 75mm effective FoV -- and I like my vintage Nikkors or "rigid" 'cron best.

So I guess I have a tendency toward vintage lenses, probably since I shoot mostly for b&w. I pull out the more modern glass for color.
 
The ZM 35/2 was the first lens I had for the camera. And it's still the one I use most of the time. Excellent glass. I'd consider it, if you are used to 50mm FOV with film.
 
There are three questions you should consider before purchasing a lens for the R-D1:

1. What are you favorite focal lengths on a 35mm camera? You will need a lens of approximately 1/3 shorter focal length to have a similar field of view on the R-D1. Do remember the spacial perspective of the lens does not change. A 28mm wide angle on the R-D1 has the same stretched perspective it does on a 35mm camera.

2. Do you want to use the R-D1's viewfinder framelines or can you comfortably live without them? The R-D1 framelines will handle 28mm, 35mm, 40mm, and 50mm lenses. If you desire a different focal length, the R-D1 becomes more difficult to use. Either you have to estimate the framelines or use an externally mounted viewfinder, separating framing and focusing into two different viewfinders.

3. What is your tolerance of image vignetting versus the size and weight of the lens? The R-D1 vignettes more than the typical rangefinder camera, this is especially true of 35mm or wider lenses. Faster lenses with larger front elements vignette less on the R-D1 than slower, smaller lenses. The price you pay is a larger, heavier lens and camera. Since vignetting can be corrected in imaging software, this issue is really a personal preference of which issue irritates you more, vignetting or lens size and weight.
 
My cv 28/1.9 sits always on my RD-1. I have tried 35mm and 50mm on it as well, but for me the 28mm (42mm) is perfect. And no lens change means that I don't need to clean the sensor 🙂.

TAH
 
Surely the 28/2 Ultron is the one? Faster than the Zeiss, cheaper, and smaller. I'm surprised this lens doesn't get more props, particualry as, unlike its predecessor, it's the perfect , compact size for a rangefinder.

I used the 34 and the 40 on my R-D1 and found them both a bit narrow if you're used to 35 or 40mm; the Ultron gives you close to a 40mm FOV, and will deliver an acceptably shallow depth of field. Sounds perfect, to me at least!
 
i'm leaning towards a 28 as my 'normal' lens and thinking about staying with the zeiss line up, for a consistent look.
probably stay with my current lens line up for awhile though.
buying and especially selling gear seems to be in a slowdown mode right now.

joe
 
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