Joining your ranks - need a little lens advice...

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Draycat

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Hi all,

I'm extremely happy to say that I'll be the proud owner of a R-D1s soon. I'm really looking forward to it!

This is my first step into the world of rangefinders (I usually shoot with an SLR) so if possible I'd like some advice regarding lenses.

I'll get a Nokton 40mm classic f1.4 with the camera, but long term I want to look at getting something a little wider (maybe 15-21mm range) and something longer (75mm or longer). I generally shoot portraits/people and my style generally suits a long lens (my most frequently used lens is 135mm f2) so I would like to get a longer lens - I would like shoot some portraits with a different feel to an SLR. In terms wide - I generally don't shoot wide so often so I want get more into that once I have the Epson to develop my general skills as photographer. You can get an idea of what I shoot at the moment from my website: www.draycat.com

I could really use a few recommendations to point me in the right direction, especially since I know there is a wide range of lenses, makers, and mounts - it seems like a lot to navigate.

Thanks in advance for all your help. It's greatly appreciated.

Draycat
 
When I had my RD1-s, my favorite lens on that body was the CV 35/1.2

For 15-21mm, I'd say pick a focal length first. If that FL is 21mm, then the ZM 21/2.8.

For long, again pick a focal length. If you most frequently used lens is a 135mm, then get a 90mm lens (to achieve an equiv FOV as 135mm). Plenty of nice choices there - the CV 90/3.5 is a great value. Personally, I really liked the Nikkor 105/2.5 on the R-D1s. Caveat: using a long lens on the R-D1 is hit or miss -- headshots become headless shots. Good luck!
 
greetings!

i prefer a 40mm on the rd1...seems like they were made for each other...and the cv 1.4 is a great lens.
for wide i use a cv 21 and am waiting on a cv 25 to arrive soon...i think the 25 will be the perfect somewhat wide.
i have used the cv 15 on the rd1 with satisfying results but it's harder to do than with the 21.
a 75 works nicely on the rd1 using the 50 framelines and adjusting with use. a 90 also works ok but it's harder (for me, anyway) to use the 50 framelines and adjust.
right now i have a 21/40/50 kit...waiting on a 25 and looking for a 75 (foolishly got rid of my last one)
 
There are frame lines only for 28, 35, and 50. I find anything between 21 and 50 is easy to use with the existing frame lines, longer and wider gets a bit trickier.
 
I've found the Zeiss C Sonnar to be heavenly on the RD-1. Equivalent 75mm focal length and that beautiful Sonnar rendering.


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I use the CV 15mm and really like using it. Despite it being a slow lens, just set it to around 2metres and shoot away. I tend to shoot without finder and giving a 23mm FOV I find it ideal for shooting in crowds or tight places.
My standard lens is the CV 28 3.5, again a slow lens but given the quality of the high ISO performance of the RD1 I find it more than adequate.
My only other lens and both my fastest and longest is a 1958 Jupiter-8 50mm f2 giving me a 75mm FL. A surprisingly sharp lens and also gives a smooth look to the tones.
 
Keith, every time I decide to forget about another RD-1 to replace the one I sold my son, I get blown away with the output, such as your two posted pics. They look spectacular to me.

John
 
Hi to everybody. I just owned a RD1s and got some 35/40/50 lenses, badly wanted a wider lens. 'm considering a CV 15 or 21... 15? 21? 🙂
 
general rule of thumb...the wider the lens the more difficult it is to get a good shot with it.
the 15 is great on the rd1 but it takes a bit more effort to get a great shot.
the 21 is great on the rd1 as well but a bit more difficult than a 25 to get a great shot.

much depends on how much effort you want to invest...

the 40 works wonderfully with the 35 framelines...
 
Thanks for all the feedback, its greatly appreciated. I also had a nice time looking through all your websites and Flickr pages. Thanks also Keith for posting images here 🙂

In terms of wide stuff I'm researching the CV 15mm and 21mm that you guys suggested and its likely that I will go down one of those two routes. Once and get the camera (and the cash) I'll see if I can find a camera shop which will let me try both and then I can decide from there. In the meantime I will have the 40mm as my starting point.

In terms of long, I did some research into the Nikkor 105 2.5 suggested by Kxl. It looks like a beautiful lens, my only concern is that it looks a little heavy. Kxl - how did you find it on the R-D1 in terms of weight/size. I assume also that it needs an adapter?

gilpen thanks for the rec of the Hexanon 90 2.8. I'll take a look into that now. Do you have any sample images from it? I'd love to see.

Another lens that's caught my eye (although this would be a long way in the future) is the CV Nokton 50mm 1.1 - I've seen a couple of images that I loved with this at 1.1 - a very dreamy feel to them.

decisons..decisons...decisons...
 
I do not have an Epson, however have tested many lenses on a similar 1.5X crop sensor: Sony Nex-5N. Some recommendations on RF lenses of medium-cost category:

15/4.5 Heliar.. excellent.
25/2.8 Biogon... outstanding.
35/2.8 C-Biogon.. outstanding.
35/2.8 Summaron... outstanding except f2.8 is not comparable to the C-Biogon.
40/2 Summicron...outstanding, f2 is a tad soft.

50/2 Planar... Probably the best medium cost 50mm lens you can find.
50/1.5 C-Sonnar.. Having the most character.

35 and 50mm Summicrons: Highly recommendable (if you can find one with the prices of the above.)
 
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