Which 28mm would you suggest for the M8?

OurManInTangier

OurManInTangier

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My Hexanon 28mm f2.8 has unfortunately received a nasty bash to the coupling and will need some specialist attention. Whilst it's away I'm very tempted to replace it and sell it once fixed. This lens has never produced the goods in the way I had hoped as it seems fairly characterless and a little vague i.e an image shot with it can be technically sharp but have no real punch, appear a little soft but have no character in it's soft rendering. Perhaps this whole description is soft and a little vague buts it's very hard to describe what I feel is missing. I use it predominantly on my M8 as a loose 35mm and would be looking to replace it with a good performer on that camera.

Does anyone have any suggestions for a punchy 28mm? Does Zeiss have anything worth considering or perhaps there's a cheap unknown gem out there?

Apologies for another 'what lens thread' but this forum does excel at informed lens comment and examples!
 
if u don't mind the size, the old 28 1.9 ultron has been my lens of choice on the m8 for the last 2yrs. I find it more than sharp enough wide open with quite nice oof areas. I use it mainly for street/journalistic type shots but it's made a good impromptu portrait lens and decent scape lens as well. Its quite big and heavy but a real steal at today's prices. Alternatively, 28cron? I had one of thos but didn't dare use it cos it was too pricey
 
Hey Simon,

What other lenses do you have / what is a good lens for you?

I have the ZM 28/2.8 and apart being away now for a service (it loosened up and needs relubing too), it's been really nice.

Unfortunately, I've only used the two 1.9/2.0 Cosina/Voigtlander 28's in comparison so cannot compare with the Hexanon/Leica lenses.

If you're still looking a couple weeks when it is back or at the meet, you're welcome to give it a try.
 
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I had the cv ultron 1.9 as my 28mm before the Hex. It was indeed a very good performer but the build quality of my one at least was appalling. Mine finally fell apart, literally in my hands, whilst covering the G8 protests in London a couple of years back. This may have been very bad luck on my part but it has made me slightly wary of buying another. With money an issue I think Leica glass may be out of my reach at the moment.

I love the look I get from my 50mm Planar on the M8 which is why I'd be intrigued by any Zeiss offering. Second hand may be my only option too so build quality may raise it's head once more?!
 
If you can find one (they are rare), the Canon LTM 28mm f/2.8 has plenty of character.
Wide open it is sharp in the centre, enough, and get soft in the field. Stopped down, it is very sharp. its low contrast is perfect for digital sensors too. It renders black and white tones like no other 28mm lens.
for top quality, I would take the recent Leica or Zeiss, they are awesome lenses. The VC are perhaps very good too, but both the f/1.9 and F/2 are too large lenses for my taste. Moreover, they would show the same lack of character that you complain about the hexanon.
 
Hey Kully.

I tend to use the 50mm Planar, 35mm Nokton 1.2 or 35mm Summicron which all give me the results I like. If there was a 28mm version of the Nokton 1.2 I'd be a very happy chap
 
OurManInTangier said:
Hey Kully.

I tend to use the 50mm Planar, 35mm Nokton 1.2 or 35mm Summicron which all give me the results I like. If there was a 28mm version of the Nokton 1.2 I'd be a very happy chap
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Hah, funny. I'm just rebuilding my lens lineup to a 28/2.8 Biogon and 50/2 Planar, with a 35/1.2 Nokton to join them sometime in the future. I also used a 28/1.9 Ultron before. :D
 
kully said:
Hey Simon,

What other lenses do you have / what is a good lens for you?

I have the ZM 28/2.8 and apart being away now for a service (it loosened up and needs relubing too), it's been really nice.

Unfortunately, I've only used the two 1.9/2.0 Cosina/Voigtlander 28's in comparison so cannot compare with the Hexanon/Leica lenses.

If you're still looking a couple weeks when it is back or at the meet, you're welcome to give it a try.
Click to expand...

Kully, what was your reason to switch from the Ultron(s) to the Zeiss? I'm about to do the same as I just LOVE the Zeiss look (had a 35/2 Biogon once), but I'm afraid I might miss the Ultron's speed ...
 
Hey Simon. If can do it, the new 28/2.8 Elmarit Aspherical for the M8, or any other Elmarit Version ll on up, or the Zeiss 28. I have not been happy with the results of various CV lenses for digital. Some are fantastic - the Nokton 50/1.5, some are close to marginal at best - the 21/4. Though I am sure others mileage may vary. (Please everyone, these are my findings for color images, not black and white, so please don't post b&w examples.)
 
aldobonnard said:
If you can find one (they are rare), the Canon LTM 28mm f/2.8 has plenty of character.
Wide open it is sharp in the centre, enough, and get soft in the field. Stopped down, it is very sharp. its low contrast is perfect for digital sensors too. It renders black and white tones like no other 28mm lens.
for top quality, I would take the recent Leica or Zeiss, they are awesome lenses. The VC are perhaps very good too, but both the f/1.9 and F/2 are too large lenses for my taste. Moreover, they would show the same lack of character that you complain about the hexanon.
Click to expand...


Could you post some examples from the Canon 28/2.8?
All photos I could find so far onlinr from this lens didnt impress me at all.

OP: As far as 28 Hex - maybe you had a bad copy - I had 3 in the past and all were superb. Only reason I sold them (I kept last one for a long time) - I wanted a faster lens, so I got CV 28/1.9, which I think is very good. Built quality of mine seems to be fine - no problems so far. But than again - 28mm is my least used FL.
So, for a punchier results - I'm afraid you would have to go with a very pricey Summicron ASPH. - I never used one, but pics I have seen from it are great! If I used 28mm a lot - I'd save up for it.
 
Simon,
I had a Ultron 1.9, and a Hex.
As soon as I tested one against the other, I sold the Ultron.
It simply couldn't match the Hexanon for IQ, build and handling.
Now, I am well aware that I may have had a lemon.
My impression from my very short experience and the reading over the web is that Hexanons are outstanding, so It seems you had a bad sample (too..)
(I am only using film)
Maybe it will return better than before?
Did you check focus? (you know, the ruler test)
 
I have the Elmarit 2.8. Fine lens and quite small. There are times when I'd like the faster Cron, but I haven't seriously pondered the switch.
 
I don't have an M8, but I have used three 28mm lenses on film cameras.
1. Canon 28/3.5 : sharp and lower contrast. Very tiny.
2. Kobalux 28/3.5: very sharp.
3. Rokkor-M 28/2.8: white spots, but no effect seen. sharp.
 
I too have the cv 28mm ultron. Some test showed it be the near equal of the Leica lenses, but at a fraction of the price. The build quality is nice, but I must confess that I'm not crazy about the results. Sometimes i get pleasing results, but many times its just...average. But then again, it's probably my shooting style and not the fault of the lens!
 
I have been using the biogon 2.8/28 for some two years, both on the R-D1 and 35mm bodies and I am very happy with it: quality construction; relatively small; affordable; sharp and clean images and little distortion. The 'silver' edition looks like a million dollars. I bought it from popflash.com in the USA.
 
The M-Rokkor 28/2.8 is great on my R-D1: Sharp, flare resistant, modern contrast without being too harsh, very small. On the M-8, though, you'd need to have the mount modified to bring up the right framelines, at which point you might as well have it milled for 6-bit coding too. And you may need to have the white spots remediated. Once you've had all that work done, you're looking at about $750 total outlay. That gets you a really great lens somewhat smaller than the Elmarit-M Aspherical, a step or two behind in resolution and contrast (I guess, haven't used the Leica), for half the used price.

Ari
 
I sold my Elmarit 28mm because I like the Zeiss 25mm much better for its contrast and sharpness. Let alone the price...
 
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