Is anyone getting much use from their 75/2.5 Heliar?

Solinar

Solinar

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Greetings folks, I recently acquired a Bessa R and want to use it at f/4 in one my classrooms with either a 90/3.5 or a 75/2.5. The caveat with the 90 is focusing at f/4.

So, my question is to anyone who owns this lens, do you use it much?
 
I would guess that half the shots in this gallery of mine are taken with the CV 75 and R2.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost/showgallery.php/cat/663

It is a very nice combo, and a super lens in my opinion. The one qualifier I will add though is that focusing it up close with an R or R2 takes a little more attention than shorter lenes do. Most of the shots I took were from 10 feet or further away and I had no problems. Tight shots of children in a classroom where the lens is wide open may take a little parctice to get used too. If you use a flash and can stop down a little that may be a good way to go.
 
I am thinking of getting this lens over a 50mm 1.5 Nokton Aspherical as I can get a demo model on the cheap. My mate was telling me the 75 is rather good and worth getting. What say you?

And it looks really good from what I can see in Rover's pics!

*jumps on the bandwagon*

Cheers
 
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the 75 is a very fine lens and the focal lenght seems ideal as a carry everywhere lens, it often gives a more interesting FOV than a 50 IMHO. I use it alot for portraits, very pleasing look wide open and quite sharp stopped down a bit.

I'd buy it again and if cosina would stop making them I'd buy a bunch. The "look" one can get from this lens alone is worth twice the investment, and even after having shot some color I was both suprised and impressed by the results. Very nice tonality, pleasing colors and smooth and pleasant "bokeh".

I have some shots in the gallery taken with it but they don't really do the lens justice. I'll load up some more pics done with the 75 later this week.

Buy one while you can!

cheers,
Phil
 
I owned a 75mm/2.5 that I sold to Karl with the Bessa R2. It was one of the sweetest lenses I ever owned. Loved it and recommend it highly.

Gene
 
scottgee1 said:
Phil, have CV announced they'll discontinue the 75/2.5?

Thanks!/ScottGee1
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Not that I know! I was just considering the possibilty :)
(It's just so unusual that one of cosinas best lenses goes at such a cheap price)
 
Interesting that this thread pops up now since I'm considering selling mine to get a lens that allows me to have consistent 39mm filter size, e.g., 90 Elmarit/90 Heliar.

Or maybe I should keep the 75 and get a 90 as well . . . ;o)

Thanks!/ScottGee1
 
scottgee1 said:
Interesting that this thread pops up now since I'm considering selling mine to get a lens that allows me to have consistent 39mm filter size, e.g., 90 Elmarit/90 Heliar.

Or maybe I should keep the 75 and get a 90 as well . . . ;o)

Thanks!/ScottGee1
Click to expand...

FWIW I'm using a 90 2.8 Elmarit (latest? w/ retractable hood) along with the 75 and a 35 cron and it definetly gets used often..
IMHO I see the 75 more as a replacement for a 50 than for a 90. but I guess that's personal preference:)

The Elmarit is a very fine lens but brutally sharp and a tad long...

cheers,
Phil
 
Phil that's interesting, viz., the 50/75 'perspective'. Never occured to me.

So you have the current Elmarit, eh? Bit out of my budget! For that reason more inclined to the 2nd version which also takes 39mm filters.

And I now apologize for highjacking Solinar's thread and will start a different one to answer my specific questions.

Thanks!/ScottGee1
 
If I had the 75 I'd use it. the 35/2.5 on my Bessa R is probably not the ideal portrait lens, which is why I keep my Spotmatic with the Super Takumar 100/2.8.

I wonder how the 45/1.7 on my GSN would work doing a portrait? Never used it for that....

Ted
 
felipe said:
..
IMHO I see the 75 more as a replacement for a 50 than for a 90. but I guess that's personal preference:)
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- THAT'S GOOD IN MY BOOK!

Thanks for the quick responses. I forgot to mention that I've tried a 90/4 Elmar, but need to be able to shoot at 1/60th of a second in this room. Also, the 90mm is a pretty tight fit composition wise and above all else the 90mm looks a bit goofy on a Bessa.

Essentially, I'm shooting at Tri-X and TMY at 800. Then developing in XTOL. With the 50mm I'm having to crop a bit, since I can't get in close to shoot. I want to be able to print full frame for 5x7's which are then posted a bulletin board.

The best shots taken so far have been with an Agfa Record III 6x9 and then cropped, but you only get 8 frames to a roll and I really want TTL metering. Compared to the Bessa R, the Record is nearly silent.
 
Alright folks, I'm sold. The bokeh is a strong selling point, but the main reason I'm getting one is to get a semi-fast lens that allows me to fill the frame with the subject from a second row vantage point in a large auditorium and with a lens that does not look like a telephoto. Also, I'll be shooting at 1/60th of second most of the time, which will be tricky for me, at least.
 
So Gene. What camera do you have now? Still have a Bessa? Or did you succumb to the siren song of leica land? And will any camera work outside this time of year in Port Credit?

Ted

PS: Working on the third roll with my new Bessa R.
 
tedwhite said:
So Gene. What camera do you have now? Still have a Bessa? Or did you succumb to the siren song of leica land? And will any camera work outside this time of year in Port Credit?

Ted

PS: Working on the third roll with my new Bessa R.
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Ah, enjoy that Bessa, Ted! They're really nice cams.

At the moment I'm down to a single RF -- a Zorki 3M which is somewhere in transit to the Ukraine to be overhauled by Oleg. I still do a lot of SLR photography so I sold my Bessa kit to finance the overhaul of my OM-1's and to purchase yet another Zuiko lens -- an expensive, used 90mm/2 macro. The only remaining item I have from my Bessa kit is an Ultron 35 ... Fortunately Joe and I have worked out a trade so I will soon have an Olympus 35RC to use. I use all my cameras in cold weather and as long as I take standard precautions, I don't have any problems with them.

BTW, I lived in Arizona for ten years. Went to high school and university there (Arizona State, Tempe).

Gene
 
Thanx! That was Ilford Delta 3200 exposed as 1600 but developed according to Ilfords recommendations (not pulled).
 
Thanks, Gene. I like, so far, the smallness and ease of use of the Bessa R. I have some mild anxiety regarding shutter vibration in such a light camera body, so I'v been shooting at fairly high shutter speeds. Perhaps I'm worrying over nothing. Can't tell yet because I can't get the rolls processed until tomorrow.

PS: Are you a Canadian who came to Arizona to go to school, or an American who moved to Canada?

Ted

(contemplating a Bess L)
 
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