Favourite lens for R-D1/s

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Lord Fluff

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Hi all

After some time I may be finally getting hold of an Epson. I already have an old 50 Summarit which I love on my M6, along with CV 25 and 35 Skopars. I'd love a fast equivalent of a 35mm - I guess 21mm would be it if I can get hold of one.

But anyway, what lens is your favourite for use with the Epson, and why?
 
I like the 40 rokkor because of its balance. Same for the 35 pre cron. I think a 35 VC pancake would be nice also.
 
35/2 UC Hexanon. I like how the R-D1 works with many lenses (especially the ZM Sonnar C and 35mm Summilux ASPH, heck even the 85/2 Nikkor P.C) but the UC is just extra special. BTW - I shot the Avenon 21/2.8 on the R-D1 for a while, but the combination never got much love from me. Maybe if I could ever see my way to parting with the cash for a Leica 21mm or 24mm Summilux, I might like a "wide" lens on the R-D1.
 
I prefer using two (28 + 50) or 3 (21 + 28 + 50) lenses generally but if i had to bring one lens only on the desert island i think i would choose the Summicron-C 40/2 because it seems to be made for the Epsons.
Same for the 'cron 35/2 IV in a way but the 35mm framelines are so inaccurate with this lens that i have to crop my 35mm pics in most cases so that i end up with 40mm pics having less pixels than true 40mm's.
The same framelines are more accurate with the 'cron 40 at long to medium distance and what a lens my friends. Plenty sharp but not too much, even at full aperture, Leica colors and a smoooooth bokeh. Also the 40/2 is one of the smallest M lenses ever made at the (sole?) exception of the rare Elmarit-C 40/2.8.
From left to right: Elmarit-M 28/2.8 asph, Summicron-M 35/2 IV, Summicron-C 40/2 & Elmar-M 50/2.8.
 

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UC-Hexanon 35mm. Its great color rendering, consistent performance edge to center, good sharpness, compact size and f2 aperture makes it the ultimate 50mm (equivalent) on the R-D1.

After using it i sold back my cosina 35 ultron and even the wider angle 25mm skopar as they were almost never used then and could not match the rendering quality or convenience of the hexanon
 
I second the CV 28mm f/3.5 - tiny, precise handling, as wide as the build-in finder will display.

A close second for me is the CV 21mm f/4. I have the screw-mount variant attached to an R-D1. It vignettes pretty badly, but you can really make that work for you in certain situations. The particular combination of FOV and DOF make it a great from-the-hip shooter.

The one I'd like to try very much is the Canon 28mm f/2.8. Anyone got one lying around spare? 🙂
 
Favourite on the R-D1 was the 28-35-50 tri elmar for its versatility and low contrast - I must have had a mental aberration when I sold it 🙁

Current favourite is the CV 35 2.5 - small (even with the hood on) and sharp - although I liked the rendering of the CV 35 1.7 very much, but not the handling. (I have owned and sold both the 'cron 35 IV and the 35 UC Hexanon - both great lenses that will not disappoint)

In 50s its a tie between the CV 50 1.5 and the Hexanon 50 2.

As you're only ever using the best part of the lens (due to crop sensor), there are not many bad ones for the Epson.
 
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned the CV 40/1.4. This and the 15mm Heliar (which has some vignetting issues but is a nice easy (and cheap) way to get wide angle shots) are a great combo without costing very much.
 
A little off topic a little on topic - I was wondering about the 1.5x crop factor and the frameline selector and was about to do some quick research, but might as well ask here 🙂

Given the crop factor, what do the framelines on R-D1 actually show? Say I have 35mm mounted which effectively becomes 50mm, do 35mm framelines show effective FOV of 50mm? And what about wides with external viewfinders? Does that mean I'd be better off using ~18mm viewfinder with my 12mm lens?
Probably an obvious question, just checking.
 
The finder shows roughly the indicated focal length of the lens mounted. So for a 50mm lens select '50'. This is effective around 75mm.
Full frame is about 35mm. My Canon 25mm corresponds nicely, together with the Leitz 35mm hood 12585.
I think the 15mm does relatively well with the Russar 20mm finder. I just have to keep a bit distance from the finder. To be confirmed outdoors, I have only been playing indoors now. The R-D1 is very fresh to me.
 
For general people/places photography, I find myself using 35mm focal lengths the most on the R-D1, which I guess makes sense since I used to shoot the 50mm a lot on film. When I'm thinking B&W, my current favorite is the 35/2.8 Summaron LTM. When I'm thinking color (or think I'll need the extra stop) it's the 35/2 UC-Hexanon. I also have a 40/2 M-Rokkor, which is a great compact lens, in the same league optically as the UC-Hex, but I enjoy the build quality and handling better with first two. And maybe the most compact is the Canon 35/2.8, which is a great lens outdoors in high-contrast lighting.

For portraits, my favorite is definitely the Nikkor 50/2 LTM -- love the Sonnar look in B&W; for color, the Canon 50/1.8.

To go wider, it's Canons again: The 28/3.5 or the 25/3.5 -- both very compact lenses with a smooth vintage look to the pictures in B&W.

Current overall favorite? The Summaron.
 
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