Which 2 wides? Help.

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itf

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Hi, I'm going to be buying two new lenses (for Bessa R), and I'm looking at the CV lenses. Problem is I can't decide between the 35/2.5 28/3.5 25/4 and 21/4. They will go along with the 50 I have.

I've almost decided against the 28 in favour of the 35 for two reasons; the 35 is around a stop faster, and the R doesn't have 28mm framelines (though maybe the outside of the frame would be enough).

I'm still left with the decision over 25 vs 21 though. The 21 is coupled, which isn't really necessary, but attractive. I think they both come with finders too.

Oh, my background is with a 50 and a 28 on an SLR, and 40mm on a fixed lens, occasionally I've thought something wider than 28 would be nice.

So, help me decide on a nice complimentary combination, please! 😀
 
You'll like the 35/2.5. It's nice and sharp, contrasty, and easy to handle. I'd get the 21, as it's coupled, making it a bit faster to use. I'll have one of them soon, and will even experiment with NOT using the external viewfinder just to see what I get...

I've also seen some terrific stuff done with the 15! Again, for me at least, coupling is an attraction, although not really necessary, as scale focusing works fine.

Regards!
Don
 
the 21 and the 35

later the COUPLED 25

or grab the discontinued 28 because it is discontinued.

I found the 21 a good length over the 25 [because of the coupling]
 
Last edited:
35 and?

35 and?

I would get the 35 and a 25 get the new coupled version the 21 is nice but you will use the 25 more. And later get the 15 David
 
I would get the 35 and a 25 get the new coupled version the 21 is nice but you will use the 25 more. And later get the 15 David
Click to expand...

Unfortunately, there are two things stopping me: the main one is I have a screw mount R so M mount won't fit, the second is I'm off on an extended trip before that lens will come out. I'm getting these lenses so I can take just the rangefinder, but still have wide (which I'm currently using an SLR for).

The coupling isn't a big issue for me really (though nice, as I said), I'm more intersted in which of the 25 and 21 would best compliment the 50 and 35. I'm just not sure which I'd find myself using more.
 
itf said:
Unfortunately, there are two things stopping me: the main one is I have a screw mount R so M mount won't fit, the second is I'm off on an extended trip before that lens will come out. I'm getting these lenses so I can take just the rangefinder, but still have wide (which I'm currently using an SLR for).

The coupling isn't a big issue for me really (though nice, as I said), I'm more intersted in which of the 25 and 21 would best compliment the 50 and 35. I'm just not sure which I'd find myself using more.
Click to expand...

so when you return get a R4M 😀
then the coupled 25 will work just grand😉
 
If I didn't own a 21, I would have waited for the new CV 25. Using the frame lines on the R4 as a guide, I bought the 28/3.5 to go with my 21 and 35/2.5. I may still pick up a 25 later. The 28/3.5 is a very small lens and very well made. The fact that the 28 was discontinued was also a deciding factor.
 
itf said:
Unfortunately, there are two things stopping me: the main one is I have a screw mount R so M mount won't fit, the second is I'm off on an extended trip before that lens will come out. I'm getting these lenses so I can take just the rangefinder, but still have wide (which I'm currently using an SLR for).

The coupling isn't a big issue for me really (though nice, as I said), I'm more intersted in which of the 25 and 21 would best compliment the 50 and 35. I'm just not sure which I'd find myself using more.
Click to expand...

So, you want a wide lens primarily for this trip? What kinds of scenes do you want to shoot? Landscapes? Cityscapes? People? Architecture? Will you be using slide or print film? How large do you intend to develop your prints? Will you be shooting a lot of indoor/low ligh tshots or will you be shooting outdoors? How fast is your 50?

Without knowing any of this, my hunch is that the 25/4 would be the most versatile lens for a lot of travel situations & would not introduce a lot of distortion into architectural shots as the 21 would. But that's just a wild guess.
 
itf,

The 25/4 is a must have lens. I have one for my LTM/M system as well as one for my Nikon S system. It is great, wide but not too much, sharp and small.

What about going even wider to the 15/4.5? My two body kit is a 15/40/105 on my M6 and a 25 on a Bessa L. I shot most of my stuff with the 25 or 40 and then have the other two lenses when I want to go either end of the spectrum.

B2 (;->
 
Thanks for the input, I use mainly B&W print film and I'm not worried about pushing it, I push a lot of film. As for print size, not much gets larger than 8x12 and usually full frame.

My photograph are usually of people in places, not close up but showing people in their surrounds and doing whatever it is they do. Rarely do I take photos where the landscape or architecture are the main subject, but often it is part of the photo.

I don't think I'll go wider than 21 at the moment, I think 21 or 25 would be much more useful to me, but maybe in the future!
 
itf said:
Thanks for the input, I use mainly B&W print film and I'm not worried about pushing it, I push a lot of film. As for print size, not much gets larger than 8x12 and usually full frame.

My photograph are usually of people in places, not close up but showing people in their surrounds and doing whatever it is they do. Rarely do I take photos where the landscape or architecture are the main subject, but often it is part of the photo.

I don't think I'll go wider than 21 at the moment, I think 21 or 25 would be much more useful to me, but maybe in the future!
Click to expand...

Sounds to me like 28 or 35 would be best for those situations. You have the advantage of being able to get the 35 with a little faster maximum aperture than the others. I think a lot depends on how close you can get to the human subject & how prominent you want that subject(s) to be in relation to the rest of the photo.
 
Thanks for the input everyone. I'm really bad at making decisions like this. I'm tempted to get the 35 and 21, because I can't see there being many situations where 35 is too long and 21 too short. But there have been situations in the past where 28 has been too short, and 25 might not be different enough to make much difference in a situation like that. Here's one of those times:

http://shuttertripper.blogspot.com/2007/03/skurfing.html

I was teetering on the front of the (small) boat, each time the skurfer cut hard the whole boat would slow suddenly and jerk to one side, and I would almost come off the front.

Does anyone have any photos taken from the same vantage point with a 25 and a 21, and possibly a 28? Just as a comparison. Maybe there's some up somewhere, I'll try a search.

Cheers.
 
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