Now, you desire a new lens...

Unless it's part of a compact camera, I am probably not going to carry anything longer than 90 mm very often. Occasionally I get the itch to shoot wide, even very, very wide, sometimes 8 mm circular fisheye lens wide. But otherwise, I mostly shoot with 35 and 50 mm lenses, and also have 40 mm and 58 mm lenses. Lately all I've felt like doing is shooting with my Sony SEL50M28 at f/5.6: That lens seems a wee bit soft for the A7R4, but at f/5.6, it seems good enough that I'm in no hurry to change.

I've got some credits with Sony's Rewards program and have been toying with the idea of using them to buy either a DSC-HX99 (small sensor, crazy zoom range) or RX100 VII and I'm leaning towards the latter as I currently have the first-generation RX100 and it's a particular favorite on hot summer days when I wish to travel as lightly as possible.
 
Voigtlander 40mm f2 SLII in F mount.
Perfect for my FM3a.
With this lens I can ditch my bazillions of 38mm f2.8 compact electronic and RF cameras.
Or not.
 
Fortunately for me, I haven't been hankering for anything new or vintage. I feel I have enough - although, if I get an itch, it's more for the curiosity and discovery than need.
 
I own many lenses, but I recent bought for the first time a new lens. I was interested in a lens that I knew I would use a lot. It was a 50mm lens. This is my favorite focal length. I had not before owned an APO lens, so I chose the CV 50/2 APO. I bought it because I had a budget that allowed such a purchase and maybe the COVID19 effect played a role. People nay start thinking about life and death .

An interesting thread.
 
What I'm waiting on is the black '79 Nikon F2AS I'm purchasing from Sover Wong. Already have the lenses in-hand.....20mm f2.8 AI-s, 35mm f1.4 AI-s and 85mm f1.4 AI-s.
 
Even though I have a 8mm f/2.8 rectilinear fish-eye for my mirrorless digital cameras and a 16mm f/2.8 rectilinear fish-eye for my 35mm SLR cameras and even though I do not really need it, I still would like to have a 37mm f/4.5 rectilinear fish-eye for my RB67 medium format SLR.
 
narsuitus said:
Even though I have a 8mm f/2.8 rectilinear fish-eye for my mirrorless digital cameras and a 16mm f/2.8 rectilinear fish-eye for my 35mm SLR cameras and even though I do not really need it, I still would like to have a 37mm f/4.5 rectilinear fish-eye for my RB67 medium format SLR.
Click to expand...

I'm curious: What do you mean by a "rectilinear fish-eye"? Seems a contradiction in terms! I've not heard of that before. What are the characteristics of a "rectlinear fish-eye"?

Or do you perhaps mean a "full-frame fish-eye": a lens which achieves the curvilinear rendering of a fish-eye optic but fills the frame, achieving 180° FoV across the image diagonal?

thx,
G
 
Nitroplait said:
Then why don't you invest in the chat you want to start by giving us your own answer to the question?
Click to expand...

Good question, thanks for asking. I did not answer my own questoin in order not to influenxe anyone else answers!

Since you ask I am not much interested in extreme high technical quality of a lens, its performances. I think most of lenses already deliver a very good image quality, at least for my own photography.

I'm more interested in a differnt look I could achieve with a different lens.
 
Vince Lupo said:
Since you asked, a Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.2 for my Z7. A monstrous lens I know (particularly for a 50), but that really doesn't bother me. I know I'd get a lot of use out of it.

We'll see how the rest of the year goes!
Click to expand...

I'm nor personally familiar with the Z lenses but I'm sure for what I read they are all extreme good. I guess the 50/1.2 will open for you many more expressive possibilities.

Crossing fingers here for the rest of the year !
 
nikon_sam said:
Just like Vince...since you asked, I wouldn't mind trying an older 50, 55 or 58mm 1.2 lens...something made by Nikon or Minolta...I have the Minolta 58mm 1.4 and really like using it...
I currently own about 15 50mm lenses ranging from 2.0, 1.9, 1.7 & 1.4 and made by Nikon, Pentax, Vivitar, Rikenon, Canon & Takumar...
Click to expand...

Wow, 15 50mm lenses is a lot! And for sure a 50 1.2 should be an interesting tool to add to your inventory :)
 
Yokosuka_Mike said:
No tax refund here, sadly quite the opposite. However, if I had the cash to burn I’ve been interested in getting one of the Voigtländer “SE” series lenses. I’m leaning toward the 35mm but also have great interest in the 50mm.

Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f1.2 Aspherical SE (Sony E-mount) lens
Voigtländer Nokton 50mm f1.2 Aspherical SE (Sony E-mount) lens

A few years ago I would have just bought both and been done with it but since retiring I’ve become more conscientious about how I waste my money. :)

All the best,
Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike, if I read correctly these two lenses both 1.2 should give more expressive opportunities to your photography.
True, when you retire you have much more time for your passions but must keep in mind that income is somehow limited when you budget you purchases. Same here!
 
I'm looking for a different, less than razor sharp lens that lets me work with its shortcomings to produce a look that I like. Currently, the MS-Optical 28mm f/2 APOQUARIA-III F MC for M-mount is on my radar. The images I've seen indicate that this lens fits the bill and my budget.
 
davidde1000 said:
The one thing I try to avoid is to be in a situation where I am on a quest to get sharper, faster, and/or more expensive versions of focal lengths I already own. I say, either go at the outset for the best possible lens you can afford (or can't afford) at the focal length and stick with it, or just be happy with and use what you have. The years long process for many of gradually "trading up" makes no sense to me. Get the Summilux now, or just be happy with your existing Voigtlander.

If ever purchasing something "new," I look to lenses that challenge my abilities as a photographer to be able to look at something in a new way -- like focal lengths I do not normally use. Or a lens that has a unique attribute or rendering style, although it may not be the sharpest or most distortion-free. The older I get, the less desire I have for $2,000+ lenses, as I do not make money from photography and I am not in a situation where that kind of lens will ever make or break a composition.
Click to expand...

Similar way to think here, I try to buy "the best" I can afford in a certain moment and then learn to use it so much as possible, using all the possibilities I can have from a certain piece of gear,
 
SolaresLarrave said:
For a long time I lusted after a 'cron 35mm. Any.

I finally gave myself one for my birthday last year. Guess what? I'm not impressed. It's the second version and the handling (with the aperture ring so close to the focusing one) is a bit awkward.

Yet, I'm again lusting for another kind of lens.

Ever since I re-discovered the 50mm focal length, and along with my finding the Leica R system, I would like a 50mm 'cron for my R8. Who knows? I may lay my paws on one some time this year...

But not with the stimulus check. That's already gone to the much needed new car fund.
Click to expand...

Tha handling of your "cron 35" does not satisfy you. How about image quality? For me the handling of my gear is very important, more than tech quality. In family we also need a new car...I guess no new lens in the near future for us !
 
Godfrey said:
Let me say at the outset that I'm not planning to buy any new lenses any time soon. For FF, APS-C, and FourThirds formats, I have more lenses than I use or need already, with some overlap in all three of those formats. I don't want or need any more cameras either.

If I were to be buying another lens at the moment, there's two that I would choose between: I'd either buy the XCD 65mm f/2.8 or the XCD 120mm f/4 Macro for the Hasselblad 907x. The 65 is a near perfect normal lens on this format camera, and the 120mm Macro is an eventual "must have" for me anyway. I haven't already bought the 65mm yet because I'm bracketing the focal length with 45 and 90 mm native lenses; I don't have the 120 Macro yet because I have the Makro-Planar 120mm f/4 in V system gear and haven't felt pressed to spend the money for a native lens yet.

I will eventually buy those two lenses. The 907x is just about my favorite camera to shoot with now, but like with most medium format film cameras, I just don't ever feel the need to have a lot of different lenses for it. The three I have span from ultra wide to a medium telephoto and do the job very well for the present. And I have fun adapting other mount lenses to it and working around the foibles of eshutter to see what I can get out of it.

(My 907x is on the way back from Hasselblad after being evaluated for the weird, intermittent fault that I've had going on with it since new. As all intermittents do, it refused to surface in their hands and none of the analytic tests showed anything wrong. So back home it comes, and I'll push it until the problem recurs, then document the heck out of it and send it in again. Eh, such is the joy of machinery...)

Why wouldn't I be looking at something new in the other formats, where I actually used to enjoy having a dozen lenses to swap around? Well, I know for a fact that, with the range of focal lengths and characterful lenses I already have, it wouldn't bring much new to my photography AND I just have too much for those formats anyway. I might consider selling off a third of my lenses and actually not having enough for a bit, just to see how it pushes my creative juices ... or whether it pushes them at all, to be honest.

As time goes on, I find myself using less and less gear, making fewer and fewer exposures, and getting more and more satisfying photographs from my efforts. In fact, I find that Dr Edwin Land's masterpiece, the Polaroid SX-70, really really does most everything I want beautifully... In fact, I think I'm going to pick up the SX-70 and walk to a restaurant, have a little dinner, and see if I see a photo along the way. There's something going on in that. :D

Onwards!
G

"Equipment is transitory. Photographs endure."
Click to expand...

I'm sure your dinner was good!
The SX 70 is not only a camera, is a beauty, a masterpiece of engineering, a dream...I should shoot a few Polaroid again...
 
JeffS7444 said:
Unless it's part of a compact camera, I am probably not going to carry anything longer than 90 mm very often. Occasionally I get the itch to shoot wide, even very, very wide, sometimes 8 mm circular fisheye lens wide. But otherwise, I mostly shoot with 35 and 50 mm lenses, and also have 40 mm and 58 mm lenses. Lately all I've felt like doing is shooting with my Sony SEL50M28 at f/5.6: That lens seems a wee bit soft for the A7R4, but at f/5.6, it seems good enough that I'm in no hurry to change.

I've got some credits with Sony's Rewards program and have been toying with the idea of using them to buy either a DSC-HX99 (small sensor, crazy zoom range) or RX100 VII and I'm leaning towards the latter as I currently have the first-generation RX100 and it's a particular favorite on hot summer days when I wish to travel as lightly as possible.
Click to expand...

Travel light is always agood option, specially in an hot summer day!
 
raid said:
I own many lenses, but I recent bought for the first time a new lens. I was interested in a lens that I knew I would use a lot. It was a 50mm lens. This is my favorite focal length. I had not before owned an APO lens, so I chose the CV 50/2 APO. I bought it because I had a budget that allowed such a purchase and maybe the COVID19 effect played a role. People nay start thinking about life and death .

An interesting thread.
Click to expand...

I know you have a rich inventory of lenses! Do I think right if I say when you went for an APO lens you were curious to see personally the techical benefit such a lens could give to your photography?

Forn the pictures we have seen in the gallery you must be satisfied with you lens!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom