What's out there in 35mm Lenses??

[jmooney]

Hi All,

I'm looking to pick up a 35mm lens in LTM and I was curious what's out there from FSU and other manufacturers. Any advice is much appreciated.

Take care,

Jim

PS - Sample pics are always welcome too! 😀

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

The only one - from fsu, is the J12 in ltm, I've just had an imaculate one in the classifieds for a week at a bargain price, - and no takers!...looks like it'l have to go on the 'bay!
Dave.

 

[jmooney]

Is it still in the classifieds? If not I'd love to hear about it.

Jim

The only one - from fsu, is the J12 in ltm, I've just had an imaculate one in the classifieds for a week at a bargain price, - and no takers!...looks like it'l have to go on the 'bay!
Dave.

 

[Dave Wilkinson]

Jim,- if you PM your Email a/d, I'll send a couple of pictures later.
Cheers, Dave

 

[Vince Lupo]

I have a Steinheil 35mm f/4.5 Orthostigmat that produces excellent results. I paid less than $ 50.00 for it about 20 years ago, but now I'm seeing them go for about $ 350.00 or more!

Another lens that's really nice is the newish Voigtlander 35mm f/1.7 -- very sharp!

 

[lawrence]

Another lens that's really nice is the newish Voigtlander 35mm f/1.7 -- very sharp!

These are really excellent and apart from being sharp there is very little vignetting even wide open. It outperforms the 'cron IV at f2.8 and wider and for the price is a real bargain.

 

[payasam]

Jim, if things do not work out with Dave, I too have a J-12 which needs a new home. Not having PayPal, I cannot put it in the classifieds.

 

[Harry S.]

These are really excellent and apart from being sharp there is very little vignetting even wide open. It outperforms the 'cron IV at f2.8 and wider and for the price is a real bargain.

Outperforms the Summicron how so? In terms of vignetting upto 2.8?

I had the Ultron 35mm and sold it after a week. sharp, but way too contrasty IMO.

 

[venchka]

Canon. 35mm. f:2.8. 34mm filter size. All chrome. Probably has the <EP> stamp on it. Built like a brick. A tiny, silky smooth brick. A very nice lens.

 

[raid]

Yes, the Canon 35mm/2.8 is a good choice but so is the Canon 35mm/1.8. Both lenses keep their values, so if you want to sell the lens one day, you get back your money.

 

[Hacker]

Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5.

 

[Hacker]

Yes, the Canon 35mm/2.8 is a good choice but so is the Canon 35mm/1.8. Both lenses keep their values, so if you want to sell the lens one day, you get back your money.

Don't forget the Canon 35mm f/2.

 

[David Murphy]

Jim the J12 is fine for its low cost, but it only works on certain bodies due to the protruding rear element. It works on the Leica I, II, and III series and most similar bottom loaders just fine. The Kyoei-Acall 35/3.5 (sometimes branded Telesar or Komura) is a good bargain at around $100 (sometimes). The Canon 35mm F2.8 is great for about $150 or so (and up). Moving up the ladder is the Canon 35mm F2 at $350 or so. Then the beautifully crafted LTM Summarons start in from $225 to about $450 depending on the the speed (f3.5 vs. F2.8) and condition.

All the modern Voigtlanders are wonderful, but my favorite is the sometimes maligned 35/1.7 Ultron - stunningly sharp edge-to-edge (about $200-$270).

I'm not such a huge fan of the Nikon LTM wides as user lenses - beautifully made and good to collect, but optically too dated for the money they command as user lenses- and it's serious $$. As they sometimes say: "these are better left to collectors".

Of course there are others, some a little obscure though (like the Steinheil mentioned above or the Schact Travenar). Other off-beat ones I've seen over the years include the Komura 35/2.8 and the Soligor 35/2.8. Here is a nice, but not fully complete list:

http://www.camerapedia.org/wiki/39mm_screw_lenses

 

[raid]

Don't forget the Canon 35mm f/2.

If cost is not a factor of concern here, then the Nikkor and the Canon lenses suggested by you are certainly very fine lenses.

 

[wclavey]

...What David said.... I take his advise often and have bought stuff from him... my personal choice is the pedestrian and ubiquitous J-12... it works for me and I enjoy using it.

 

[le vrai rdu]

color skopar 35 2,5

 

[Krosya]

UC-Hexanon 35/2 is the best you can get - if you find one and its not cheap. Best nest one would be Ultron 35/1.7 - great lens and well priced. Some others like Canon ltm 35/2 or f/1.8 or 2.8 are good from what I hear, but no personal experience there. Ultron and Hex are great ltm options though.

 

[lawrence]

Outperforms the Summicron how so? In terms of vignetting upto 2.8?

Exactly so. It's particularly noticeable at f2.0, where the 'cron IV shows poor sharpness and contrast, particularly towards the edges, and very obvious vignetting. At this aperture the Ultron gives moderate contrast, better sharpness but still with some vignetting. I'm surprised you think the Ultron is particularly contrasty although I guess it depends on what you are comparing it with...

 

[lawrence]

Best nest one would be Ultron 35/1.7 - great lens and well priced. Some others like Canon ltm 35/2 or f/1.8 or 2.8 are good from what I hear, but no personal experience there. Ultron and Hex are great ltm options though.

I have the Ultron and the Canon f1.8 and at wide apertures there is no comparison -- the Ultron walks all over the Canon. Not too surprising really as the Canon is an ancient design while the Ultron is an aspherical design and relatively recent (it's also somewhat bigger and heavier).

 

[lawrence]

All the modern Voigtlanders are wonderful, but my favorite is the sometimes maligned 35/1.7 Ultron - stunningly sharp edge-to-edge (about $200-$270).

Ain't that the truth...