Thoughts on Canon 35mm 2.8? (Leica screw mount)

[theunconquered]

Hi,

I ran accross a couple Canon 35mm 2.8 lenses for sale (about $150, leica screw mount) lately and I have been in the market for a 35. Any thoughts as to the price and quality of this lens? How is it in terms of sharpness? I like the small size of it. I'm currently considering either this lens or the CV 35mm 2.5 Skopar.

Any insight is appreciated!

-ted

 

[J. Borger]

The Canon 35/ 2,8 is plenty sharp stopped down and glowy wide open.
It has a typical 60's way of drawing pictures ... lots of character.
I'ts a sister of the Canon 28mm Winogrand used for a lot of his work ... and that is exactly the look you get .... i would mot want to miss mine.
I am talking the all chrome one .. very solid build quality.
It has a vintage look ... both in color & B&W.

Some samples to get an idea

 

[back alley]

this is a favourite lens.
it is sharp but has lower contrast so you get good shadow detail.
the cv is very sharp and very contrasty too.

it's the difference between the look of the old versus the modern look.
they both have their place.

i have been thinking about selling mine though as it just sits now. i have started to appreciate a more contrasty (but not too contrasty) look of the zeiss lenses.

you can't go wrong with either of your choices.

 

[back alley]

The Canon 35/ 2,8 is plenty sharp stopped down and glowy wide open.
It has a typical 60's way of drawing pictures ... lots of character.
I'ts a sister of the Canon 28mm Winogrand used for a lot of his work ... and that is exactly the look you get .... i would mot want to miss mine.
I am talking the all chrome one .. very solid build quality.
It has a vintage look ... both in color & B&W.

Some samples to get an idea

nice shots.
love the middle one.

 

[terrafirmanada]

Great shots. I traded mine for a summitar a while back, and miss the wider field. I recently picked up the 28 from a rff member and love that lense too. I am thinking about getting the 35 again too. I was also wondering about the cv lense too though, since I do not have any modern glass, and it might be nice from time to time.

 

[theunconquered]

The Canon 35/ 2,8 is plenty sharp stopped down and glowy wide open.
It has a typical 60's way of drawing pictures ... lots of character.
I'ts a sister of the Canon 28mm Winogrand used for a lot of his work ... and that is exactly the look you get .... i would mot want to miss mine.
I am talking the all chrome one .. very solid build quality.
It has a vintage look ... both in color & B&W.

Some samples to get an idea

Great shots! I have a follow up question for you - I've noticed two versions of this lens: an older one that appears to be all chrome and a newer one that is black and chrome. Which lens are you using?

Thanks!

 

[Sonnar2]

In terms of resolution, the Canon 2.8/35mm shows very fine details, which can be expected from the best lenses. Also less color aberration than the Canon 2/35mm which is a bit "pushed" to contrast. But lots of flare limits usage at backlite situations. Amazingly the Canon 3.5/28 is better in this respect. Never forget "sun in the back" when it's screwd on. The newer C/V 2.5/35mm is much better in critical light situations, even my Pancake-Skopar which don't have a shade.

 

[J. Borger]

Great shots! I have a follow up question for you - I've noticed two versions of this lens: an older one that appears to be all chrome and a newer one that is black and chrome. Which lens are you using?

Thanks!

The all chrome version ..... excellent build quality!

 

[raid]

I feel the same way about this lens as the rest have expressed (above).
http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=605111

 

[theunconquered]

Thanks - in that case I will wait for one of those lenses to come available. Currently the only one I see is the later chrome/black version. If the optics are identical I would consider buying that one, but the all chrome earlier version does look better! 😀

 

[FPjohn]

B+w

B+w

Hello:


My B+W 2.8, Canon 35mm is crisp and of moderate contrast equal or better than a 3.5 Summaron in my experience. It lacks only that classic ltm form factor!

yours
Frank

 

[Brian Legge]

Only thing I don't like about this lens is how it swirls slightly wide open. Not significant but enough to get in the way of how I was visualizing a few shots recently.

Stopped down to f5.6 or so, no complaints about sharpness (film and scanning limited here):

It vignettes a bit and is a little soft closer to wide open. Still works with some images though I usually prefer a bit more sharpness.

I think for a classic 35mm look, the lens works well for me. I'd definitely like the option of something a bit more modern though, particular as I often closer to f/2.8 or so and a more modern look would probably fit most of my subjects a bit better.

 

[35mmdelux]

prices here: http://www.antiquecameras.net/canonrflens.html