Fast 35's with R-D1

[Terao]

I have the 35mm Nokton. I'm sure I'll eventually grow to like it but for the moment I haven't really bonded with it. Undoubtedly a good lens but it lacks character for me, unlike a Biogon or a Lux. Even my Canon 35 f/2.8 has more character. I think what really puts me off liking this lens is its size/weight though, just the wrong size of too big. In contrast my Biogon 25mm stays on the camera and that's hardly compact. I'm another fan of the 40mm Nokton - compact, fast, and sharp stopped down. Detail can get a little mushy wide-open but for theatre/low-light social photography I think its ideal.

 

[Charles D. Orze]

Canon 35mm f1.5

Canon 35mm f1.5

Hi,

I've just fell in love with a newly acquired and reshimmed Canon 35mm f1.5. As it came to me it was very soft at 1.5 close up and I did some tests and realized it was improperly shimmed. Some judicious use of emory paper and a day later and it is every bit as sharp wide open and up close as my Nokton 40mm SC. At infinity the Nokton wins as it has biggeer image scale, but the old Canon is not far behind. I suspect that some of the bad rep this lens has has to do with how close the shimm tolerances have to be to be spot on. I will try to post some unprocessed side by sides in the next few days. And it has nice bokeh to boot.

Charlie

 

[haagen_dazs]

What would you expect to pay for a clean user ZM 35/2?

i would say about 20% below cheapest retail price (at this time, it looks to be popflash)

 

[jjcha]

I'm only a beginner (I'm coming from Canon DSLR background) but the 35mm Nokton (my first lens with the R-D1) has always fascinated me with how its colours seem extra vibrant/contrasty and, at least before custom white balance correction, has this warm tone to it. For me it always produced images that reminded me of older cameras and prints because of that. I just got a new 35 lux, and it draws a much more modern image, at least to my eyes. It's less contrasty, tone feels more neutral, certainly less warm than the Nokton. It feels more modern to me because it kind of reminds me more of the results I get out of the very good Canon glass I've used in the past. Ultra-smooth, creamy bokeh. Much more neutral/technically correct looking. But none of this takes away from how much I like the Nokton. The Nokton just feels different to me than glass I've used in the past, and different from the 35 lux, and it's different in a good alternative way.

Best regards,

-Jason