Help me find a wideangle.

[Fabian]

Hello

After lurking a few weeks on the Largeformatforum😱 (gas has reached its ultimate level, if you find yourself looking for 8x10 cameras on ebay)

But for now I managed to get my feet back on the ground and concentrate my gas on RF stuff.

At the moment the only lens on my M2 is a Summicron DR. And it is lonely.
There are so many choices that it is quite overwhelming.

Here are the facts:

Lens will be used for occasional architecture and landscape stuff and maybe street too.
1000 Euros is the absolute limit, less would be better.

My thoughts on different lenses so far.

21 cv and 35 PII seems like a lot of lens for the money, but I think 21 will be too wide for my taste.

28 Ultron sounds good too, I have 28 framelines, but I am wearing glasses and I would have to take them off for serious composition.

35 Biogon would be best but I don't know if its wide enough.

Does anybody own the PII and the Biogon and can tell me the differences?
I don't need highspeed, 2.8 will be fine.
Any lenses I forgot?

Performance is the main criteria.

I am thankful for any input.

Fabian

 

[ferider]

I recommend to get a combo of CV 21/4 and 35/2 v3 Summicron.
Should be within your budget. Fits your 50 perfectly, and 35 or
even 28 for architecture is tough sometimes.

I'm not saying the 35 Summicron is better than other 35/2 lenses, but
it is flare resistant, and has a similar signature to your 50. And it is tiny.

21/35/50 is a classic RF combo.

If you want a single 28 and speed is not so important it will be
hard to beat the 28/3.5 Color Skopar.

One always needs speed however. Not for low light but
for DOF ....

Roland.

 

[Fabian]

Thanks for your interesting answer.

Why do you suggest the 3rd over the 2nd and 4th summicron. Just curious.

Fabian

 

[icebear]

Biogon 21 or 25

Biogon 21 or 25

Hi Fabian,

for street I would definatly go for a 35... For architecture that will be too thight most of the times go for a 25 or even 21mm ZM Biogon. Incl. the brightest finders of all you'll have too order in the US though or you'll be beyond Euro budget. A combo of CV lenses instead of a decision for one Zeiss would be the other option.
Endless discussions possible on the preference of the 35 summicron versions...
Happy shooting (after the GAS has been satisfied 😀 ).

 

[ferider]

Thanks for your interesting answer.

Why do you suggest the 3rd over the 2nd and 4th summicron. Just curious.

Fabian

I personally believe its "the most lens for the dollar" ... v4 is over-priced,
v2 mechanically not as nice, v1 has collector value.

See also

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=604281

we are just discussing it in another thread ....

Cheers,

Roland.

 

[andreas]

Hi Fabian,
i think all the cv wideangle lenses are really good and excellent value. I wouldn`t spend a fortune if you`re not sure which focal length you will prefer. You can do this always later on. In the meantime keep saving for your 8x10!

 

[BigSteveG]

The CV 25 rocks if you can deal w/ the slow speed.

 

[mfogiel]

Architecture, landscape and occasional street - this is a recipe for a 24-28mm lens, and though you might not need the wide aperture for landscape, esp if on tripod, then it is invaluable for interior shots. To my mind there are 2 logical top quality choices: Ultron 28/1.9 if you are happy with a slightly tighter fov, and are less willing to splurge (this lens is a boon in low light too), or the Biogon 25, which is simple THE reference lens at this focal length independently of the price. If you buy directly from Japan, you might just be lucky enough to get the lens and the viewfinder together for 1k eur. An alternative could be to get a Bessa R4A with the set of wide frames for about 600 eur (always directly from Japan), see for yourself which frames you like best, and then decide on the lens.

 

[sepiareverb]

I'd suggest the Biogon 28. This is a truly a lot of stunning lens for the money. Still well under the 1000 Euros, even with the hood.

This has quickly become a favorite lens of mine, I find I shoot it more than the 25, which was a length I used daily when shooting SLR's. You will never be wanting for quality with either B&W or color.