R3a with 35mm f1.2 for a starter

[mhazzaa]

First steps into the rangefinder world... with no money and a desire for a fast affordable (kind of... ) 35mm with soft creamy bokeh (i know bokeh is subjective... and that the VC 35mm 1.4 is an excellent lens but i just like the f1.2 more).

the Questions are:

1- Apart from the weight and size, is there anything else that i should consider before buying this lens as my every day walk about lens?

2- How bad is the intrusion in the VF with an R3 ?

3- Is it easy to acurately focus this lens on an r3?

4- For framing i will use the entire VF, is that stupid?

thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Regards for Egypt,

Mahmoud

 

[mfogiel]

The lens is fantastic, but it will trip the R3A forward quite a bit. If you do not wear glasses, the entire VF could work, with glasses you have to hunt around even for the 40mm frames. I have not used it on the R3A but I think it should focus wide open reasonably well, providing the R3A is aligned correctly, which is by no means easy. All in all, If I were you I'd bite the bullet and hunt for a used ZI instead, which is the ideal body for this lens.

 

[mhazzaa]

But I AM biting the bullet already !

I kinda like the idea of the 1:1 too ... i recently looked through an M8 ( 0.68x) and though "..if only it was bigger" ("& a lot cheaper!", my wife's voice in my head added)

 

[mr_phillip]

The lens is fabulous - a bit on the heavy side, but in a reassuring 'built like a tank' way that's actually rather nice. It's also quite bulky by RF standards, but if you're at all familiar with SLRs, then it probably won't seem that big to you.

I do worry about the logic of using it with an R3A though. With no 35mm framelines, you'll never get accurate framing, you'll likely find composition rather difficult, as your eye will be required to scan an extremely large area while framing your shots, and you'll be missing out on one of the key advantages of RF photography - the ability to see beyond the edges of your frame. An R2A would make much more sense with a lens of this length. And of course either camera will focus this lens accurately with no issues at all.

 

[mhazzaa]

mr phillip,

wont i be able to shoot with both eyes open (because its 1:1) ??
if not, i can get used to that.

thanks for the answers..

 

[kshapero]

This is a great lens to have but I would mate it to the R2A or ideally the ZI.

 

[mhazzaa]

Okay.... another question:

would the Vf intrusion be less or more on the R2 as opposed to the R3?

 

[kshapero]

Okay.... another question:

would the Vf intrusion be less or more on the R2 as opposed to the R3?

less. It has a 35mm frameline.

 

[nome_alice]

stick it on an R2A instead. greatly reduced intrusion into the frameline area.

also, if creamy bokeh is what you want rather than superduper speed then have a look for a second hand Ultron 35/1.7

it has much nicer rendering than the 35/1.4 and is much smaller than the 35/1.2

 

[kshapero]

stick it on an R2A instead. greatly reduced intrusion into the frameline area.

also, if creamy bokeh is what you want rather than superduper speed then have a look for a second hand Ultron 35/1.7

it has much nicer rendering than the 35/1.4 and is much smaller than the 35/1.2

the 35/1.7, one of my all time favorite lenses, great ergonomics, small, and great artistic bokeh.

 

[imush]

I also use the lens often with great success (on R2M), but I wouldn't call it an everyday lens to walk around with. Unless you really need the speed, there are many smaller alternatives in 35mm.

If you prefer the 1:1 viewfinder, I would look into R3x with the CV 40mm/1.4, which is also an excellent lens, but much more portable, and costs about half the price.

 

[morgan]

I have the 1.7 and the 1.2. The 1.2 kills the 1.7 in terms of buttery drawing, smoothness, and bokeh. I'd more compare the 1.7 to the 1.4. The 1.2 is in a league of its own. I use it with an R2A and it intrudes into the finder a little bit, but not much. I would say though that if this is your first trip into rangefinder land that it might be worth trying a smaller lens. The 1.2 is big (for an RF lens) and I have a different experience with the camera when using smaller lenses. It's a lighter, smaller, more manageable package. But for pure performance the 1.2 can't be beat (at any aperture really).

 

[lngu81]

mate, I'm using 35mm 1.2 with R3m, I have no issue with using the whole viewfinder for frameline, you will get use to the framing after taking your test shots. I do shoot with both eyes open and it's fantastic. The len intrudes less than 20% of your viewfinder, you wont notice it's even there. For the len, it is beautiful, i love every bit of it and it is heavy, ideally using a grip on the camera will be much more comfortable

 

[P. Lynn Miller]

R3 with the Nokton 35/1.2... not sure, but the 1:1 viewfinder would be nice, but I would find using the whole viewfinder a bit annoying. Tried that with R2 and Ultron 28/2, but ended up getting a brightline finder in the end.

The big Nokton 35 is in a league of its own in pretty much every way. It is my principle 35m lens.

I use the Nokton 35/1.2 with my M5... a perfectly balanced kit. I shoot with both eyes open most of the time even though the M5 has a .72X finder.

 

[mr_phillip]

wont i be able to shoot with both eyes open (because its 1:1) ??

Being able to shoot both eyes open, once you get used to it, can be quite fun (I use a Canon P which had a 1:1 finder several decades before the R3s came along). The best bit about shooting this way, for me at least, is that the brightlines appear to hang in real space in your field of vision. I don't know how that'd work when you're relying on the full field of the viewfinder though, especially as you'd still have the distraction of brightlines of some sort in view.

If you do decide to go for your intended combo, I'll be interested to hear how you get on.

 

[P. Lynn Miller]

It is easy enough to get rid of the frame-lines with a piece of electrical tape over the frame-line light window on the front of the Bessa. From memory Tom A. uses a piece of tape on his M2 with a 28mm.

 

[Tuolumne]

I think any super-fast lens, like the 35mm f1.2, is a bit of a specialty item. If you are just getting started, why not try an easier to use f2? Speed isn't everything.

/T

 

[mhazzaa]

lngu81 and mr phillip,

thank you for the answers, i have decided to go with my plan. Will delay things though because of financial issues.

if i ever get the kit i will let you know how it is.