I still have my RF (and I finally acquired a brand-new 28mm in January); the last time I used it was about a month ago, when I was testing out the 15 Heliar. Its ergonomics are something the M8 could definitely imitate. It got to be a lot more fun with a -2 diopter and the little case. Plug in a megaperls eyepiece adapter and a 1.25 magnifier, and it's good to go.
I have been debating whether or not to sell it; in typical gift-of-the-magi fashion, this camera (and its predecessor) generated so many good negatives that I am not sure how to scan them all (let's not even talk about the darkroom time - I get too depressed), and it may get sacrificed to my outsource scanning habit. I have 350 rolls of b/w left to do, and with a frame count of about 12,000, even doing the best 10% is a pretty monumental task. At the rate I am banging out prints in the darkroom, I will never catch up (well, maybe in 94 years).
The one mod to my RF was done by DAG, who (on his own initiative) shortened the back focus when he adjusted my M-Hexanons for the M8. All said and done, there was no discernible effect on anything. Getting M-Hexanons readjusted for the M8, on the other hand, yielded massive performance increases on the digital body and resulted in lenses that - contrast and resolution-wise - pretty much wipe the floor with anything but the newest Leica aspherical glass. To be fair, I had to have several Leica lenses redone for the M8 as well.
On the topic of the 21-35, it is a good lens - and more than capable of maxing out the M8's sensor at every aperture (up to f/8), both focal lengths, and every distance. It is much, much harder in terms of contrast than a Tri-Elmar, and its 35mm setting is a touch longer than the 3E.
The 21-35 is not as mechanically ambitious (or impressive) as the 3E (since the 21-35 lacks the auto-aperture compensation, third focal length, and auto frameline selector) - but it is a very well executed lens, with exceedingly smooth operation.
I am a little bit amused when people complain about the size or speed of this lens. It's not as big as people think it is. Nor is an f/3.4 maximum aperture at 21mm limiting (the fastest 21mm made is only a half a stop faster...) - or even an f/4 aperture on a 35mm. I have wandered the earth with Fuji GA series cameras, the fastest of whose lenses is f/4 - and have never been upset for lack of effective aperture. If you travel a lot, dual (or in the case of the 3E, triple) focal lengths are a much bigger asset than gaining 1/2 to 1 stop of speed.
I also saw the comment last week speculating that for the same money you could get a 21/4 CV and a 35 Biogon and get better performance. You would still end up with two lenses to fumble with, drop, collect dust, require UV/IR filters, or bang together in a camera bag. A 21/4 CV lens is not in the same league as the 21-35 optically, and a 35 Biogon is nowhere near as well built. The 21-35 was a halo lens for a company with cash to burn, it was designed and built like one, and if you take the time to put a calibrated M8 system together, it may be the only lens you ever need.
Dante
Oh, tell me about it, Dante. 🙂 (And, thanks for the correction.)
This reminds me: your being the person who wrote the most comprehensive review of the Hexar RF I've read online (ultimately tipping my hand toward buying my first one, then building a system around it...yeah, that means I'm blaming you for all of it 😉), what's your Hex status as of now? No, I won't be slighted in the least if you've moved on...
- Barrett
