favourite 28mm lens

[pab]

Folks

I would be interested in your experience of any the various Leica-fit 28mm lenses currently available, particularly how they compare wide open versus stopped down.

Thanks

Per

 

[aizan]

afaik, all of the m-mount lenses are great. it's the older ltm lenses that soften up noticeably.

 

[Fred]

I love the CV 28 f3.5 Skopar, it's very small and does not impede into the viewfinder like some of the faster lenses. I don't recall shooting with it wide open, normally stopped down at least half a stop to F4.

Example in my gallery:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=18255&cat=500&ppuser=1521 at f5.6

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=11983&cat=5010 at F8

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13367&cat=5010 at F4

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=11984&cat=5010 at F8

 

[Richard Black]

I too am pleased with the CV Color Skopar 28mm 3.5. I was attracted to it for its size and the pleasant photos it makes. It is small and if you don't have a viewfinder, it works fairly well with the R's v/f full frame. I have some examples in my gallery.

 

[Huck Finn]

I love the CV 28 f3.5 Skopar, it's very small and does not impede into the viewfinder like some of the faster lenses. I don't recall shooting with it wide open, normally stopped down at least half a stop to F4.

Example in my gallery:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=18255&cat=500&ppuser=1521 at f5.6

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=11983&cat=5010 at F8

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13367&cat=5010 at F4

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=11984&cat=5010 at F8

Fred, those are beautiful shots. I, too, am pleased with my CV28/3.5, but your shots have inspired me to do more with it!. BTW, where is "Haystacks, Lake District"? The scenery in all your shots is spectacular, but I like that one especially.

Huck

 

[Fred]

Thankyou very much for your kind words Huck. I'm thinking of using the Haystacks one for use in the RFF Book Two.

The Lake District is an area in Cumbria in the North of England, I love the place. This one was taken in early March this year a day or two after the snow fell in the area. Different parts of the lake district landmarks have been given names over a very long time. To get an idea follow this link www.streetmap.co.uk and enter 'Hay Stacks' (two words) and select the GB place button. hit the '-' button on the lower zoom and you'll get the idea.

I stayed in Keswick at Lakeland Photographic Holidays which is a little North West. of Hay Stacks. The holiday was a week with three excursions around the area, this one was taken on one of the non excursion days. I was with a very good freind and fellow RF user who sadly passed away a few weeks later.

I'm not affiliated to the holiday place but I can recommend them, very freindly and the food is fantastic.

 

[thafred]

Those CV 28mm 3,5 Pictures look very nice Fred!!

I have a little experience with the FSU Orion-15 28mm 1:6, here´s my 2cents:

Wide open (aparture 6 ! lol) its sharp in the center and softens a little in the corners.
At ap 8 and 11 it´s sharp from corner to corner
At 16 and 22 it again softens a bit in the corners

(I have the Orion-15 test shot in my gallery (1:8 if I am correct), the same Pic was shot at all apartures with a tripod...if you are interested I can scan some details on the other Prints)

Colour rendition is ok (a little flatter than the cv nokton 50mm) but I didn´t shoot lots of Colour with it so don´t take this too serious.

Pro´s:
Cheap (payed ~100€ for mine)
Small and light (under one inch long when installed on my Bessa and you don´t even notice its weight on the camerabody)
Very sharp (at least I think it is)
quite distortion free
RF coupled
Bessa R´s finder gives good approximation of framing.

Con´s
Slooooow (1:6 is bull**it in winter 🙂 )
Flares (the lens barrel acts as a hood but that doesnt help too much)
Overall quality far behind CV stuff (my focusing ring is stiff and needs CLA..when theres time..)
Aperture ring sits on the Front of the lens (not hard to reach but hard to see!)

I must say that I enjoy using this lens very much and I do so every time when theres enough light. For the price there is no alternative and it really is great but if you have the Dollars I´d go for CV 28/3,5

I hope I could help a little
Greetings
Fred

 

[pab]

thanks guys for your positive endorsements of the CV f3.5. Does anyone know how this compares with the Leica offerings?

Per

 

[Fred]

I don't have a Leica 28 to compare it to, the CV will do me just fine. I guess you'd need to compare it to other lenses of similar speed though or the lens itself will impede the view through the VF more.

I guess the Leica glass would and should be better but to be honest it's down to what you can afford. I also think the difference might not be as much as you'd imagine.

In a nut shell, if I could afford a new Leica lens (which I can't) it would not be a 28, my Skopar is just fine for me. I'm not good enough to make use of or see the difference anyway.

 

[GeneW]

You might also want to touch base with todd.hanz on the CV 28 Ultron. He uses one and has posted some excellent results with it.

Gene

 

[peter_n]

Nice stuff from the Lake District Fred! By gum - they take me back... 😉

I have an M-Hexanon 28/2.8 which I like. Would love to be able to post a couple of pics from it but my scanner is at the shop being repaired. 🙁 From the negs it looks like a pretty good lens and it is built like a brick as are all the Hexanons.

 

[Doug]

Nice shots indeed! The 28mm focal length is a favorite of mine, though often in the form of 45mm on my Bronica RF645. I do have the 28mm Skopar, and it's a gem both in construction and in optical results. Of course it's on the slow side, so I also have a 28mm Summicron, a marvelous lens. I have not made any comparison between them.

They are both quite small, and indeed smaller size was a big reason to prefer the 'cron over the Ultron. But the Skopar is even smaller and handier. Right now the summicron is my favorite.

Well, I did find the same scene shot with both lenses, but one's color (the 28mm Skopar) and the other's b&w (the 28 Summicron), for what it's worth...

 

[DougK]

Nice shots, all!

I've thought about a 28mm for my Bessa R (so I don't have to slog my SLR around) and the Skopar sounds great. Being an eyeglass wearer, though, I have some trouble with the 35mm framelines so I'm a little concerned about framing the shot. Does anybody else have that issue and if so, how do you get around it without using an external VF?

 

[back alley]

i only have the canon 28/3.5 and it seems a good lens.
i have not used it as much as i would like but i have a couple of favourite shots and they were taken with the canon.

i just bought a second 28/3.5 canon and i'm hoping it is in better shape than mine as mine is a user for sure with a finder that has a scratch across the front glass. it works just fine but i find it annoying.
if this second sample is better i intend on selling my original at a bargain price.

joe

 

[einolu]

Sadly, I dont have a 28mm at the moment. If someone can give me a 28mm skopar and a m4-p, I would be very happy and might start believing in santa again...

 

[back alley]

Sadly, I dont have a 28mm at the moment. If someone can give me a 28mm skopar and a m4-p, I would be very happy and might start believing in santa again...

just send me your address...🙂

 

[VictorM.]

I had a Canon Serenar 28/3.5 until a few years ago. A little soft wide-open, but surprisingly good stopped down a bit. The first snap: IIIf, Tri-X, ei1200, FG-7, cropped quite a bit, circa 1974. The second: IIIf, Tri-X, extreme crop, circa 1985.

 

[einolu]

victor, did you manage to turn monopoly into a drinking game? 😉.

backalley, my address is: 99 beech street, belmont, ma 02478. So I should expect the package around new years?

 

[VictorM.]

In 1974, drinking was not a game. 😛

 

[back alley]

I had a Canon Serenar 28/3.5 until a few years ago. A little soft wide-open, but surprisingly good stopped down a bit. The first snap: IIIf, Tri-X, ei1200, FG-7, cropped quite a bit, circa 1974. The second: IIIf, Tri-X, extreme crop, circa 1985.

what happened to it victor?

joe