Purchased CV25f4... Advise please

[Manuel Patino]

I pulled the trigger on a CV25f4 Snapshot MC. I wondered about buying one new with the finder, but I went for a used, mint copy for quite a bit less.

Now, I would like to hear some input or advise about how to use this lens focus-wise. I believe this lens is RF coupled, but I don't know if the VF in my R-D1 will work or not.....

 

[ruby.monkey]

If it's a Snapshot Skopar then it's scale-focus only, and won't interact at all with the camera's VF/RF mechanism. If, on the other hand, it's the later bayonet-mount version, then your camera will focus with it just like any other RF-coupled lens.

 

[Manuel Patino]

It's a Snapshot Scopar and seems to have a screw mount... I presume it's a LM39 mm mount. I suspect I should use and adapter similar to the one I have for my Industar 50f3.5

I suppose it might not be too difficult to focus and a f4 it might work out fine... I wonder how much of what the VF shows will appear in the picture?

 

[Tin]

I have never touched a R-D1 and would know what its VF will show, so I can't help you there. But when I used it on the Bessa R2, I just used the extreme edges of the view in the viewfinder as my guide and never bother using the external viewfinder, which is not too accurate anyway. That approximation that I used worked out quite well.

 

[Tin]

I also find the scale focusing easy and very adequate for general photography. Certainly more than enough for landscape photos and for group photos.

 

[pvdhaar]

It's a Snapshot Scopar and seems to have a screw mount...

It has got 3 click stops on the focus ring. If you use the lens for some time, you can set them by feel without even having to take your eye away from the finder. The DOF is quite generous on a 25, so except for critical work wide open at closest distance, the click stops should cover your needs..

 

[Scrambler]

It's not the ideal lens for low light shooting. It's designed for more snapshot shooting, which is why it had the name.

With an older sensor like the R-D1's you definitely want as fast a lens as you can get and I personally would look for something f2 or faster.

But see how it works for you.

Try to understand what does or does not work for you and go from there.

 

[Bob Michaels]

This lens was the epitome of logical design by Mr. K. It could be used on both LTM and M mount cameras, realized that lenses this wide were most conveniently zone focused and provided those logical focusing click stops. But the market somehow concluded that a native M mount was better than LTM with adapter and that RF coupling was necessary. So a less logical model was introduced since that was what people wanted to buy.

Now it appears that part of the market is saying you are better off toting the extra weight of a faster lens 99% of the time when the speed is not needed just so you can have that extra f stop the other 1% of the time. I appreciated the fact that this lens was small and light enough that I actually had it when I needed it rather than it sitting on the shelf at home.

I found the 25mm focal length to be a great complement to the 35mm when that was my normal lens. I only sold my 25 Snapshot Skopar when my normal lens changed to a 28mm and a 21mm became my wide.

But then I am one of those non-conformists here who believes they can make better photos with a $300 lens and $900 cash to go somewhere to shoot than with a $1,200 lens and no travel money.

 

[Brian Legge]

Bob, some of us are really bad at guessing distances and live in places that are quite overcast for much of the year making it difficult to stop down most of the time. 😉

I liked my 35mm 2.5 the first summer I had it. Once Seattle fall, winter and spring came around, I often found myself at 2.5 wishing for more speed. Mid day I was shooting at something like f2.5 / 500 with Tri X. Buy 3 pm, I was running out of light... and that was about 50% of the weekends of the weekends that year.

Different lenses for different needs.

 

[btgc]

Wow, this is what I call impulse buy - spending disposal money on a lens/whatever which looks great but I haven't researched so not sure how it mates with my other gear and how it works.

I agree that unless used at wide apertures at close distances it's not too hard to estimate distance. Once it were common skill, now rangefinders have spoiled us 🙂

 

[Manuel Patino]

Wow, this is what I call impulse buy - spending disposal money on a lens/whatever which looks great but I haven't researched so not sure how it mates with my other gear and how it works.

I agree that unless used at wide apertures at close distances it's not too hard to estimate distance. Once it were common skill, now rangefinders have spoiled us 🙂

Point taken, I do a lot of impulse buying. That being said, I did some research before pulling the trigger. However, due to my severe ADD 😉 I neglected to pursue some details... Therefore, here I am after the fact trying to get more guidance.

In all fairness, when one sees a good value available, it's often better to go ahead and pull the trigger than regret missing a buy. One can always play with stuff and sell it later if it's not the perfect solution.....

 

[Graham Line]

The original 25/4 in L39 mount works very well as a normal on Sony's ILC bodies with the focus-confirmation lights. Click stops make it kind of a speed-focusing feature.

 

[f16sunshine]

I used the snapshot version on the RD1 for a couple years.
You can use the 28mm lines as a "guide" without seeking out the external VF.
The lens was not my primary lens so relying on the 28lines was fine for me.
Focussing this lens using hyper focal is a breeze for street work or landscapes.
If you intend to use it as a 35mm equivalent and want to focus precisely I would suggest you seek out the RF coupled version. Better still go for a CV 1.9/28mm or f2/28mm.
Shoot the 25mm for a while. It's a very nice lens!


Cheers!

 

[Takkun]

I bought the M-mount version on a similarly partially-researched buy..I fully researched the 21 f/4, and accidentally bought the 25.. oh well.
Framing isn't as hard as one thinks; I used the full view of my finder as a guide, and if I get a little more, hey, it's just a surprise what I get in the image.


Though I do have the RF-coupled version, and appreciate it because if my difficulty guessing focus…let's just say you learn to guess pretty fast.

If you do low light shooting, I agree, you might want something faster. It's a great lens until you're pushing full-open, and even then you're not getting a lot of light.

 

[Sejanus.Aelianus]

I haven't tried the Snapshot on a digital camera, because it would be usable only for my M43 outfit. On my Bessa L, however, it certainly lives up to its name.

Please forgive the rotten scan; I was experimenting with one of those camera-based portable scanners...

 

[benlees]

One of my favorites. Scale focus with a 25mm is very easy; literally set and forget from 5.6 on. The click stops work great if you do want to change.

 

[Manuel Patino]

Got it the mail Saturday. The lens is perfect, mint condition! I went to a car show/meet and shot with it exclusively. Later I went home and shot a few images around the neighborhood. This lens is a lot of fun and quite easy to use at least when the light is bright and I can shoot stopped down a good bit.

 

[le-alain]

seems to work well with you !
😉

 

[Manuel Patino]

seems to work well with you !
😉

Yes, I was a little surprised about how few shots were blurry or out of focus 😀

 

[Rob-F]

I have one of these. The depth of field is so great at the 25mm focal length--especially at that limited aperture--that scale focusing is no problem at all. The click-stops make it even easier. It's a great travel lens. With the Snapshot-Skopar and the 35mm f/2.5, I shot half of France! You are going to like this lens!