Would you get a 28mm or a 35mm for a G1? Why?

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benkap

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I recently purchased a Contax G1 (green label) and had my first two rolls yesterday from the shop. Really positively surprised with the outcome! Right now I own the 45mm and the 90mm lenses.

I have the opportunity to buy either the 28mm lens or the 35mm lens for the same price, roughly $350. I can't afford both at the moment but I can't be sure that the other lens is there for my taking if I don't purchase it now.
It seems the 35mm goes for more than 28mm on eBay so maybe it would be smart to buy the 35mm and look for a 28mm later on.

What would you do?
Also, which lens is the better one of the two?
Any advice is much appreciated.
 
I have both. I use the 35 all the time and the 28 almost never given I much prefer the FOV of a 35 over a 28.

Both are excellent optically, although some anal retentive folks don't like the 35 as much as the 28 because its MTF scores are somewhat lower. In practical terms, however, its a great lens.
 
35 is too close to 45 -- get the 28 now and grab the 35 later. Both are fine lenses, but I think 28-45-90 really covers the range well.
 
the 28 has less distortion, has a bit higher peak sharpness and considerably more predictable field curvature (this is an important consideration for non-direct view focusing). I also think the overall image gestalt of the biogon is stronger.

I'd get the 28 and then the 21 unless you like 35mm as a focal length enough to use a weaker lens.
 
We really can't tell you what to do because only you know what you shoot and how you shoot. However, the 35 does seem a bit close to the 45. A sports car or a pickup truck? You decide.
 
They intended 28-45-90 Biogon-Planar-Sonnar as the kit for good reasons. The 35 & 21 are later additions, and of course the green label lets one select some or all. I shoot with the original kit, and bring a Hexar with 35/2 if I want that in the mix.
 
I had the same combo with both lens. Sold it, that was dumb. I miss the G1 with the 28mm. One of the best values on a combo you could buy. Some of my best photos were shot with that kit.
 
Hi, i´ve had both lenses...the 28 is great. just as good as my biogon 28 zm lens.

The 35 planar is also very good and don´t know why in some places it´s said the lens doesn´t perfom like the other line of g lenses.
It´uite up to the standard high quality of the entire line.

I guess to prefer 28 or 35 depends on your kind of shooting.

I hardly use 35mm length so my gear has a 50 and 28.

:)
 
I had the 28mm but sold it as I almost never used it. As mentioned, it has field curvature, mostly noticeable at infinity wide open.
The 35mm wide open is as good (or as bad) as the revered 45mm wide open. Their MTF figures are close at f2. The difference is the 45mm goes to great at 2.8, while the 35mm is always trailing it when stopped down.
Also, the 45mm is actually 47mm, so it is a 35 to 47 jump in FOV. :)
 
Thanks so much for all your replies!
I don't mean to sound rude but advice like "buying the one I'd use more" is not very useful to me since I have zero experience with anything similar.
The widest lens I have for my NEX-7 is a 30mm Sigma which is equivalent to a 45mm so no real help there either.
Hence my question "Would you get etc."

I don't necessarily need the extra stop but I've used the 45mm on the NEX a while before I got the G1 body, and I do like the 45mm wide open.
The majority here seems to recommend the 28mm so as to have a more varied selection of lenses, though. I will probably follow that advice and hope that the 35mm is still there should I decide to get it later.
Thanks again for all your comments.
 
I can only respond in the context of my own use.

I never really took to the 28mm FoV on 24x36mm format in the past. So I always had lens setups like 21-50-90 or 35-50-90. Lately, tho, I'm finding with the M9 that when I want something a bit wide to pair with the 50, I often want the 28mm. I often carry just the 28 and 50, and use them both about half the time.

I had the Contax G2 once upon a time. While I wasn't all that thrilled with the body, the lenses were great. And the 28-45-90 was a very comfortable trio on that camera—the shorter 45 vs the 50 made a 28 a nicer wide. I'd intended to get the 35mm too, but never got to that before I sold off the system and bought another Leica M.

G
 
well Ben you may just find that the 45 is all you need or want.

I own 6 short (50-60mm) macro lenses and each one gets used more than the lenses I have which are the only ones in their focal length.

I see the 28 biogon is 365 dollars on KEH. they will let you return the lens, no questions asked as long as it's in the same condition. They are very good, in fact once I bought a camera from them and it had an actual issue and they paid return shipping for me to send it back. you could buy it, try it out. if you like it, keep it. if not, send it back.

unfortunately for me whenever I say that to myself I end up keeping stuff -_-
 
redisburning, thanks for pointing me to KEH. Seems like a great place to get poor! Unfortunately, I think shipping + import taxes will be a substantial amount - I'm located in Norway.
I've been in situations where I wished for a wider lens so I don't think I would want to return it.
I hope that the 28-45-90 will suit me well. I love the 45 and the 90, the 45 being the most used so far.
 
I have not used the 35 but i own the 28 and it draws images in a beautiful way. It is by far my favorite 28. i use 28 45 90 also.
 
Get the 28, there's plenty of them and they are cheap. It's a great lens, as many have stated, and I appreciate the design G1/G2 VF when I use it, becasue on .72 M bodies, I find the 28 frame lines too hard to see (other than that, the G VF is a disaster).

I've become a 35 guy after picking up RFs, but with the G, the 28 feels very natural --it also helps that I like to get in close and that the lens shows minimal distortion.
 
It's great to see so many people passionate about their Carl Zeiss lenses. I do have both. For my landscape work I use 28 more often. But 35 is a beaut, and I like it, too.
 
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The 28mm is so good you cant afford to NOT have it.
The 35mm planar by comparison is the worst 35mm lens I have ever used. Shot wide open it is soft and weird.
 
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