Help with finalizing three-lens kit

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herzzreh

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Most of the stuff I like to do is on the streets. Portraits, environmental, in-between...

So, I'm selling off some of my stuff and I've settled on the following kit.
CV 15 - buy ZM 28/2.8 or keep CV 35/1.4 - CV 75/2.5, which in FF-sense gives me 22.5-52.5-112.5

The 28 vs 35 is the one where I need most help... The CV 35 has somewhat classic, to me funky, rendering, there's glow to it. How does ZM28 compare in rendering? Another concern I have is giving up two stops of light.

Suggestions?
 
keep the 35/1.4 because you need at least one fast lens, yep. and also because the 15/35/75 set up is a sensible spread, much like its wider version 15/28/50.

(this from a ZM fanboy)
 
Must agree with MCtuomey.

I must say, the 25mm ZM is one of the best lenses i've ever had the pleasure of shooting

since i dont shoot ultra wide, i currently run a 25/35/50 mix
 
i don't fancy longer lenses than 50, so to me a good combo is 15/35/50.

you might want to keep the 35/1.4 and switch the 75 for a 90 tele-elmarit, it's a very good lens, and very light. i had one and really liked the shots i took with it, but it was just too long for my normal use.
 
On 1.5x crop and for the uses you mention..
I may recommend what I had in my RD1 days - 21/40

lines up with 30/60 for 35mm users, which is pretty much the sweet spot for most RF users.

On 21 I used the Avenon 21/2.8, mostly because it was the fastest 21 at reasonable price.
On the 40 I used the CV40/1.4 as it is a fast 40 and has better bokeh/etc than the CV35/1.4.

This would satisfy your usage with 2 lenses, and also get you some fast glass.

I own a ZM25/2.8 now, and use that on my M8, very happy with the glass... great performer.
If you wanted a 3 lens kit, you could do..
CV15/4.5 | ZM25/2.8 | CV40/1.4
That would be 23/38/60 in 35mm world.. sweet spot with a little more on the wide side.
 
Another vote for a fast lens. I would go:
21/2.8 ZM
35/1.4 C/V
50/2 ZM

The 15 is a marvelous lens, but unless you often wish you could go wider, it really is a specialty purchase. You can add it later if you find that the 21 isn't wide enough for you.

I know that the 25 has a cult following. I like the 21 as much and it is really wide on 35mm film.

Another way to approach the question you actually asked, though, would to examine how you actually "see" the world. I owned a 28 for 15 years before I purchased my first 35mm focal length lens. But that was because my 50 was my "normally-bolted -to-the-camera" lens and the 28 was a good "jump" in perspective. But these days a 35 is my go-to focal length and so, if it was me, I'd get keep the 35 and buy something appreciably wider for my next step "wider."

Why don't you break down your pix for the last year by "gut feeling" focal length? Consider the following made-up numbers:

1% - 15mm or 12mm
25% - 21-24mm
45% - 35mm
20% - 50mm
the rest = longer portrait lenses like a 90 or 105.

If those were your numbers, with the percentage showing the relative use each focal length was getting it would tell you something about how you see the world and the tools you should use.
 
Did you like the 15mm at all? To me, most lenses wider than 28mm are niche lenses for specific purposes (of course there are always exceptions)... I find it's better to spend your cash on the lenses that you will actually use many times in a year first. I'm a 28/35/50 guy... but there are many 28/50/90 or 21/35/75 people it seems too.
 
Thank you for opinions all. I have some points to ponder.

I do agree that anything wider than 28-30 is specialty, but not so on a 1.5x sensor, and since I'm shooting with a crop sensor, I have to keep this in mind.
 
For me on a 1.5 crop sensor

1 lens kit would be either a 28 or 35
2 lens kit 21 and 40
3 lens kit 21, 28 and either a 40 or 50

I agree u need one fast lens in the group..

Gary
 
My kit looks like this:

CV 15mm
21mm Zeiss (f2.8 version)
35 Summicron
50 Elmar

The 21 zeiss (31.5mm equiv on FF) is on my camera 90% of the time. The CV 15mm is probably the next most used at 8% and the summicron at 2%. The CV15 is really a brilliant little lens, it's just a little too wide for me. As for the Elmar, I rarely put it on. If you shoot wide, a good 21mm puts you right in the sweet spot of the 28/35mm range, might be something to consider if you normally shoot in that range with 35mm film.
 
Gary,

Are those ff-equivalents or the actual focal lengths you'd go for?

GaryLH said:
For me on a 1.5 crop sensor

1 lens kit would be either a 28 or 35
2 lens kit 21 and 40
3 lens kit 21, 28 and either a 40 or 50

I agree u need one fast lens in the group..

Gary
Click to expand...
 
herzzreh said:
Gary,

Are those ff-equivalents or the actual focal lengths you'd go for?
Click to expand...

The actual full frame marking on the lens. Example
28mm equiv to 42 on 1.5 crop sensor and 35mm equiv to 53mm on 1.5 crop factor sensor..

The 40 becomes a 60.. So the 2 lens kit is a 32 and 60 combo once u convert to the sensor factor...

Gary
 
Last edited:
It took me a while to get used to it. I used a 40 in full frame so much, that I decided to try it as a 60 on a crop sensor and got to liking it after about three weeks of continuos usage. In full frame rf I never used anything longer than a 50 normally. I tend to go to an slr once I get past a 50 most of the time in the past.

Gary
 
on 1.5x 28 is superb normal. 35 is pretty tight.

the contax 28 would be very sharp but a tad slow--hence I'd suggest CV 28 ultron (either) or ideally 28 cron.
 
15/28/50 for me. Although I do miss those 2 extra stops from time to time, it's not such a big problem on my Nex with its brilliant Iso 3200...
 
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