CV 21/4 vs Kobalux/Avenon 21/2.8

[yarinkel]

GAS attack! Still in the market for a wide angle.

I have an opportunity to get a Kobalux/Avenon/Pasoptik 21mm 2.8 in mint condition for about 58000 Yen.
Question is, how does this lens compare with the CV 21mm 4.0, which goes for
a bit over 40000 Yen, new?

I can live with the higher price, additional weight and size of the 2.8 but only if this lens is significantly better than the 4.0.

Has anybody got the chance to compare both lenses side by side?

Thanks for your time.

 

[JoeFriday]

I was doing an online comparison with those two lenses just a few days ago.. it's hard to compare based on low-res uploaded images, but based on what I saw, as well as a few reviews, the Kobalux is visibly superior to the CV.. not to mention being a faster lens

my own impression was that the CV is a very sharp lens and definitely the best bang for the buck.. the Kobalux is probably as sharp and has a better bokeh.. that's the area where CV lenses are frequently criticized.. their bokeh can be a bit distracting if the background involves high contrast and a lot of color.. but this isn't quite as obvious with a 21mm lens

I decided against buying the Kobalux only because the sample I found didn't include a separate finder, and was nearly twice the price of the CV version which did include a finder (and apparently a very nice one, at that).. I'm still debating, but I'd probably buy the CV and put the extra money toward film

 

[Kim Coxon]

Hi,
There are more comments here. http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=14782&highlight=Kobalux

Based on that I would go for the Kobalux with the prices you quote.

Kim

 

[yarinkel]

Hmm, interesting points.
Of course, if I go for the Kobalux I will buy a CV 21 viewfinder, the Kobalux one is just ridicoulously big, not to mention the distortion. That will add to the price.

Given those great pictures taken with the CV :
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=322503
It seems that the bokeh is better than lenses like the nokton 40/1.4. On top of that, given the huge depth of field a 21mm gives, the bokeh is not to much of a concern.
I acually like sharp but low-contrast lenses. I wonder how the Kobalux 21/2.8 compares to the CV 21/4 in those departments.
JoeFriday, you say you did an online comparison. Could you point me to a link to the Kobalux pictures that makes you say that it is a superior lens? There aren't much online. I have seen Dante Stella's one, tho.

The Kobalux is also a monster size-wise compared to the CV 21/4. But then it opens at 2.8, one stop more...

And no, I will not buy both, thanks for suggesting 😉

Arghh, close call.

 

[yarinkel]

I went to the shop and took a serie of snapshots with both lenses on the same film (Reala) with my Bessa R.
I post two samples of the series because I think there are representative. Closing down the aperture does not change the halo of the Kobalux much. Coating? Fungus?
Anyway, I went with the CV because I intended to take many nightshots with it, and I dont't like the halos around the lights.

Big files for pixel peeping (1Mb):

Avenon Kobalux 21mm f2.8 (at f4)
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6169687
Voigtlander 21mm f4 (at f4)
http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=6169689

 

[tajart]

21s

21s

i've had both; never thought i'd be interested in anything that wide, but soon came to really enjoy the 21 field of view. i first had the kobalux and put a leitz 21 finder with it to make a very nice package on my m6. it was rather overbearing on my 3f, but amusing in its own right. in retrospect i enjoyed it very much and sad to say i sold it.

later bought the 21/4, liking the compact size. it is sharp, crisp, contrasty, and the loss of a stop isn't too much of a problem, or i should say it hasn't been yet.

lately i've watched kobalux/avenon 21s go for what seem to be very high prices, approaching what you might find a clean used elmarit 21 for...

i like both lenses. i think the 21/4 is a great place to start given performance, availability, economics... i don't hesitate to recommend the kob/ave for its performance either, but given current availability and prices, think i'd wait and put the money toward a used elmarit...

 

[venchka]

21 * 1.33 =28mm + 1:2.8 = M8

That might explain the jump in price.

 

[foto_fool]

I keep telling myself that I am going to buy the LTM CV 21/4 w/finder and make this very comparison, but so far have not been able to pull the trigger. This is probably because 1) I like to shoot in the dark and 2) I already had a Zeiss 21/2.8 Biogon w/finder for the Contax G.

A dealer in Japan who trades on eBay as jiri-e has sold several new-in-box Avenons recently. I allowed myself to get sucked into overpaying for one at auction (I think Wayne is right about the M8 pushing the price up) but was happy with the acquisition nonetheless. The Avenon is a little bigger in diameter than the Biogon, but also significantly shorter. Build quality is excellent.

Though I can't compare the lenses side-by-side on the same body, I can say that in similar shots with both lenses the edge for sharpness, contrast and lack of distortion goes very slightly to the Biogon. The Avenon is a very good lens, and I like using it when/where the noise and sometimes-slow autofocus of the G is an annoyance. I use the Contax 21mm finder with both lenses.

- John

EDIT - 58,000 yen is US$470 today - this is a bargain price for a mint example of the Kobalux and I have not seen a 21mm Elmarit go at auction for anywhere near this low recently.

 

[ferider]

For the price the Avenon currently costs, I can get a Zuiko 21/2 and
fit on my adapter. I'll wait for this ...

Roland.

 

[jbf]

I know this is brnging this thread back from the dead, but how did you get an adapter for an olympus lens to an m mount? Are you the same user who created his/her own adapter for lenses?

If so, how hard was it to create the adapter and how well does the adapter work? Any chances on selling any?

Thanks,

Jonathan