Hexar RF, 50mm Hexanon, and...?

infrequent

infrequent

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Having decided to sell my hexar AF / voigtlander gear and getting the hexar RF kit, I am stuck about choosing another lens to go with it. Mind you I wouldn't be purchasing anything else right away (better to shoot with 50mm and learn the ins and outs of the hexar). With bowls of ramen noodles in the near future, it is an almost certainty but I want to start thinking (and start saving) for a wider lens. Right now, I am really keen on the CV 25mm Snapshot Skopar. It seems rather natural with the 50mm Hexanon (35mm is too close and 28 not wide enough). Yet I am open to all suggestions / recommendations. Any LTM lenses that I should look into? Any M bayonet lenses worth saving for? What would be your killer hexar kit?

Cheers~
Sunny
 
The viewfinder and the lines in the Hexar RF just SCREAM 35mm! This camera is just so perfect with a 35mm lens.

And there are SO MANY great 35mm lenses out there now in all sizes and price ranges. So, my advice would be to not rule out 35mm so quickly.

I would sooner have a 35mm 75mm kit for the hexar than a 25/50, but this is down to personal taste.
 
infrequent said:
... Right now, I am really keen on the CV 25mm Snapshot Skopar. ..
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I used the CV 25/4 on the Hexar RF. Works a charm. You don't even need to mount the external finder, as the field of view is roughly the same as the entire Hexar's built-in one.

Though I sold the Hexar, I kept and still use the 50 Hexanon and 25 CV combination. In my view it's the perfect two lens set up for an RF system.

Not only do the focal lengths complement each other, their imaging characteristics are complementary as well. The CV is rich in contrast, very much so; it does magic on shots taken on drab days.. it's the perfect landscape lens.

The Hexanon is so radically different. It's a lens that's all about resolution, and very versatile when it comes to contrast. Wide open it's incredibly flattering, though you can still see the minutest detail (resolution). Close it down to f4-f5.6, and it becomes razor sharp (contrast). It's the perfect people lens if you shoot women at f2-f2.8, and men at f4-f5.6..

With these two lenses, I'm prepared for just about whatever comes my way..
 
I have a 50mm CV Skopar and the 35mm CV PII Pancake lens

I agree. The 35mm does suit the Hexar's viewfinder very well. So much so that that it has turned me onto shooting 35mm far more than I ever was (always preferred 50mm). In addition the slim profile of the pancake turns the camera into something far more pocketable and handy.

Bob.
 
Well, much though I love the M-Hexanon 5O/2 I find my most-used lens is my Summilux 75/1.4 and next-most-used is my M-Hexanon 35/2 - with the UC-Hexanon a close 3rd. But that's me. I can see the 35mm framelines as being the "most natural" for the Hear RF - but don't let that limit you.

...Mike
 
What I would recommend, based on your post is CV 25/4P - the new M mount CV lens. It's great with Hexar RF - due to lower magnification of the VF you can use whole VF and be pretty accurate with a 25mm lens without need for an external finder. And reason for a 25P - its coupled one and while some do Ok with scale focus of the older one, I find that RF couple 25P works much better when you need to focus on something close at lower light, when you have to use f4 and keep things in sharp focus, and to have nice background blur. Basically having RF coupled lens offeres more uses as you can use it with correct focus wide open, while with older scale focusing one, you really need to close the lens down to make sure things are in focus. Just my opinion.
I tried both and M mount Rf coupled 25/4P is working much much better for me.
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I agree that the RF's 35mm framelines are nice to use but ...

I keep shooting the heck out of my 25mm Snapshot Skopar and 50mm Hexanon combo. Just last night I was scanning and thinking how lucky I was to get into those two lenses early on, as opposed to the myriad of other choices you could make. I have the uncoupled Snapshot (bought before there was an option) and use the whole viewfinder for my framelines with that lens.

Both lenses paint in a way that satisfies my minds eye more than any camera combo I've yet used. I know I'm preaching to the choir, so to speak, but here's one that comes to mind, intentionally metered off the sky:

Priesthood of believers, CV 25mm Snapshot-Skopar
 
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glad to hear good thinks about the 25mm snapshot skopar. i am leaning towards the rf coupled version but the price difference between the LTM and M mount is quite significant. is it worth it?

also what particular 35mm lens would you recommend thats a relative bargain? more jupiter than biogon price range is what i am looking for. is the cv 35mm worthwile as well?

cheers~
sunny
 
RF coupled CV 25/4P was worth it for me over the older one. But everyone is different. CV 35 - which? I have and like Ultron. It's not the most compact, but fast and very good.
 
Quite a few RFF'ers (like me) also own and like the CV 35/2.5 skopar classic, which is sharp, contrasty, and inexpensive. It's a really good street and landscape shooting lens. There is a flickr group dedicated to this lens if you want to look at examples. Marc-A. uses it, and Avotius uses the CV 35/2.5 pancake which has the same optical formula.

For the Ultron, in addition to Krosya's work, look up Tuna in the Gallery. He uses the Ultron almost exclusively, and takes fabulous photos w/ it. The Ultron is about $100 or so more than the skopar, but used ones turn up in classifieds from time to time.

You might also find another current thread of interest:

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51202
 
@krosya - i was thinking of the el cheapo 35mm skopar classic.

@bingley - what is the ultron signature that i should keep an eye out for? speed...sharpness? i have to admit skopar classic piqued me not only for the price but also the size. thx for the pointers to the work in the gallery and an on flickr.
 
Well I really like the 28 elemarit and the 50mm on the Hexar RF, works for me I prefer to keep the rf focusing. Wish I could change the elemarit for a 28 summicron, but that's way too much $$$$
 
I don't know how you guys can compose with a 25! I can barely handle a 28.
Go with a 35. But then again the 35 is my favorite FL. The 35 is wide enough to get what you see, and still close enough to compose with.


.and yes....the "el cheapo" is a very good choice.


.
 
@RayPA: I know what you mean. I can't compose well with anything wider than the 25 and even then, if I leave it on the camera too long I start to miss other, more ideal compositions. But I think its a great lens for a wide angle change of pace/perspective when you are shooting the 50 a lot, as I am.
 
the other reason i like the 25mm is that it works pretty well in confined spaces where you can't really zoom with your feet. also i like to take architecture shots in cities etc. i agree that its not a normal lens but is nevertheless useful. but i would definitely struggle with something wider like a 21mm or 15mm! how do you folks use that?!
 
infrequent said:
@bingley - what is the ultron signature that i should keep an eye out for? speed...sharpness? i have to admit skopar classic piqued me not only for the price but also the size. thx for the pointers to the work in the gallery and an on flickr.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I can answer your question in any great detail, as I've not used the 35 Ultron myself. It is reputedly less contrasty than the skopar, and is faster (1.7 v. 2.5). What I can tell you is that I have been really impressed with the results of that lens in the hands of RFF'er Tuna, who shoots a lot of street and urban scenes w/ it, mainly in color, and almost exclusively w/ that lens. There have been a number of older RFF threads comparing the Ultron 35 to other 35s; you can find these threads by googling the name of the lens.

The skopar has a great reputation for being extraordinarily sharp, small, and easy to handle, and I can attest to all three. Some folks have criticized it for being too contrasty, but I have not found that to be the case. If you're shooting a lot of architecture/urban scene shots, you may not need the extra speed of the Ultron (unless you shoot in low light situations). The skopar is an incredible bargain.
 
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