recomendations for 28mm f(<=2.8)

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peppermill

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Hello,

I have had my R-D1s for around 6 months now and I have to say i love this camera :)

I own the following glass goodies :

CV 40mm f1.4 SC
CV 21mm f4 color skopar

Now I bought the 21mm originally to continue doing street photography that i would usually be doing with my Ricoh GRD. It turns out the lens is too dark for my liking and i'm constantly putting the 40mm back on as it seems to fit all situations. Only problem with the 40 is that i cannot get back enough.

Anyway, i'm off to hong kong on holiday soon and would love to finally get myself a decent all-round lens and 28mm seems to be what i need (i hope). I've been googling around for prices and they seem somewhat overpriced (average price seems to be well over £600). I don't want to overspend on this lens and would rather pay £300 if possible but I really want something i'll be happy with just like the CV 40mm f1.4

So far i have been looking at the following:

- Minolta M-rokkor 28mm f2.8: This lens has the white spot problem that can produce a ghosting effect. I'm not over fussy and quite like a retro look. If it's not too annoying what would be the recommended price to pay for an affected lens? Apparently minolta fixed several of them but i'm guessing the owners who sent them in will be keeping them.

- CONTAX 28/2.8 BIOGON G Lens - 28mm f2.8 : Would this one even fit on the RD1 and if so is it worth over £200 or would 200 be a fair price?

Alternatively if there are other lenses I could look out for that are reasonably priced.

Sorry for the long post

Tom
 
Back in the "old days" (before the financial crisis), one could have picked up a brand new one for less than $600 AUD. If you look hard enough, there may be some places that still have it for this price. Current prices for a new CV 28mm F2 would be about $550-$600 USD (at least that would be my guess).

I have this lens and (although I have not used it extensively) I do like it. Have a search on this Forum for a thread about this lens - Tom A seems happy with it, along with others such as Peter L M.
 
peppermill said:
... Minolta M-rokkor 28mm f2.8: This lens has the white spot problem that can produce a ghosting effect. I'm not over fussy and quite like a retro look. If it's not too annoying what would be the recommended price to pay for an affected lens?...
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Mine shows a few spots but no ghosting so far. Depends on the contagion level so to speak i guess. Only a guess though as the spots don't appear to be spread on the glass itself, only on the black paint of the lens innards. I paid mine 400 EUR 4 years ago and i've seen some nice copies around 500/600 EUR on eBay if i remember well.
Besides i cannot recommend the Ultron 28/2 based on my experience if you intend to use it at slower apertures than f/2 or f/2.8 as it is difficult to focus accurately then, at least my copy was. I seem to recall that Sean Reid tested it and found out some focus shift with it but i'm not sure of that.
 
I have 8 28mm lenses including the 28mm ASPH and the best one on my M8 is the Hexanon after calibration by DAG. If you are going to be in HK these few weeks you can take it out for a spin. Dante Stella turned me on to this and was the best advice I have ever gotten.
 
LCT said:
Mine shows a few spots but no ghosting so far. Depends on the contagion level so to speak i guess. Only a guess though as the spots don't appear to be spread on the glass itself, only on the black paint of the lens innards. I paid mine 400 EUR 4 years ago and i've seen some nice copies around 500/600 EUR on eBay if i remember well.
Besides i cannot recommend the Ultron 28/2 based on my experience if you intend to use it at slower apertures than f/2 or f/2.8 as it is difficult to focus accurately then, at least my copy was. I seem to recall that Sean Reid tested it and found out some focus shift with it but i'm not sure of that.
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Ah i saw one in richardcaplan's shop in london on sale for i think £250 it had a small cloud mark on the lens and some white dots inside. I'm thinking of going back today to see if i can borrow it for a half hour to test it out. I like this lens because it doesnt protrude very much. I am very fond of very small compact lenses rather than massive heavy lenses. Does 250 sound like an honest price for what i have described? If i get to test it i'll update this thread.
 
Rayt said:
I have 8 28mm lenses including the 28mm ASPH and the best one on my M8 is the Hexanon after calibration by DAG. If you are going to be in HK these few weeks you can take it out for a spin. Dante Stella turned me on to this and was the best advice I have ever gotten.
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Hi, thanks for the offer. I'll be in HK from the 6th of Feb for around a week (perhaps more) and then move on to china take some pics. Would you be around at that time?
I checked out the prices on the M-hexanon on ebay and they are more expensive than zeiss but considerably cheaper than leica for an equivalent model. seem Zeiss may be best value for money ?
 
hunghang said:
Back in the "old days" (before the financial crisis), one could have picked up a brand new one for less than $600 AUD. If you look hard enough, there may be some places that still have it for this price. Current prices for a new CV 28mm F2 would be about $550-$600 USD (at least that would be my guess).

I have this lens and (although I have not used it extensively) I do like it. Have a search on this Forum for a thread about this lens - Tom A seems happy with it, along with others such as Peter L M.
Click to expand...

can u talk a little abt the bokeh using this lens(CV 28mm F2)?
 
gohaj said:
can u talk a little abt the bokeh using this lens(CV 28mm F2)?
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I would not be the best person to make assessments on "bokeh" as I feel that this is purely a subjective topic.

Attached are some shots taken at either F2 ro F2.8. To me, I don't see anything bad with it (nor anything mind-blowing). As a modern 28mm lens, it is sharp with good contrast. The price that you pay for the F2 is the physical size - but I don't feel that it is too big. Balances well on the M6 and R4.

Sorry, hopefully the attached photos provide you with some more info than I can give.

Hung
 
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peppermill said:
Hi, thanks for the offer. I'll be in HK from the 6th of Feb for around a week (perhaps more) and then move on to china take some pics. Would you be around at that time?
I checked out the prices on the M-hexanon on ebay and they are more expensive than zeiss but considerably cheaper than leica for an equivalent model. seem Zeiss may be best value for money ?
Click to expand...

Sorry I won't be here in Feb. The Hexanon is really high quality and well worth it. I see them for around $650.
 
The Contax-G 28mm Biogon won't fit the R-D1 and isn't worth having adapted, because the M-mount version is equally excellent, and a great lens on the R-D1.
 
Another vote for hexanon 28mm:

2431673755_2e939911f3.jpg
2432486198_72b4a0d35c.jpg
 
I'm really really pleased with my CV Ultron 28mm f/2, bought a couple of months ago when I got the R-D1; it's my most used lens (though my only other options currently are the 50mm Nokton f/1.5 and the 15mm Heliar f/4.5).

I got it from Mainline Photographics in Aus, when they were under AUD$600 - http://www.mainlinephoto.com.au/category12_1.htm - for the price, it's pretty amazing! But yes, they have gone up, I see...
R
 
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Minolta Rokkor 28 is great little lens which can give wonderful results, however mine copy had developed the white spots very badly, not only on barrel, but also between elements. It had serious impact on flare and contrast ruining several important shots, so I got rid of it. Also on M cameras it will not bring 28mm framelines. I would never buy one again unless it was fixed.
 
Hi Chaps,

Thanks for your recomendations :) I wanted to go for a Zeiss but failed to find a good price. The Minolta I don't think I want to deal with the hassle and constant worry my lens may become rubbish if exposed to heat. Also i found a really battered one in the Leica shop in london, the one next to york camera. His copy has play on the focussing which doesnt quite work for me, however has absolutly no sign of white spots at all. When i asked the chap there about it he said he had never heard of this problem before. I was surprised.
Anyway, I found a (hopefully) reasonably priced mint condition M-hexanon 28mm f2.8 on ebay and bought it (£400). I hope it will arrive soon.

While looking out for lenses I found myself most interested in the Contax G2 cameras because it's design has everything I like in a camera and with the option of AF as well, surely this camera would be a classic now? Anyway, how does it feel compared to the RD-1, they do look very similar. I'd like to get myself a Contax G2-D ... :)

Tom
 
Tom,

Sorry to join the party a little late. I too like you was on the lookout for a 28mm lens for street photography on my R-D1. This is when I came across the Flickr photo stream by yavaro (http://www.flickr.com/photos/yavaro/) and stumbled upon the Industar 69 2.8,28. A nice lens for a throwaway price (I paid $25 for mine) and a true pancake lens. Great for street photography. Do give it a try :)

Kind Regards,
Prashant Kumar.
 
I'm very happy with the chrome CV 3.5 color skopar. It's very small and the images it gives are quite nice. I think it'll be ideal for traveling and it won't cost a bundle.

Eli
 
peppermill said:
While looking out for lenses I found myself most interested in the Contax G2 cameras because it's design has everything I like in a camera and with the option of AF as well, surely this camera would be a classic now?

Tom
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I really, really wanted one for ages. There where a few mint complete boxed kits knocking around for giveaway prices for a while too. Sadly the only visual confirmation of focus is an led, you have to have faith it focussed on what you wanted, at the point you wanted. I'm sure everyone says this is no worries, but it was not something I could put up with. The body is a bit bulky too.
 
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