Zeiss Biogon 35 f2 or CV Nokton 35 f1.2 or Leica Summaron 35 f3.5

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PrisonersDilema

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I only have the CV 15mm f4.5 on my RD1s. I am looking for a lens in the range 35 to 40mm.

I am considering a new Zeiss Biogon 35 f2, or a CV Nokton 35 f1.2 or a used Leica 35f2 summaron.

I need your advice and experiences and even better, share your experiences with the pictures you have taken with the RD1s on how the lens focusses and whether you see a 3D sort of effect.

So far, I have yet to see the 3D effect of my shots using the Rd1s with the CV 15mm f4.5 compared with pictures from my EOS 5D or 1dmk2.

Example of a 1dMK2:
128027289_7189b93d31_b.jpg
 
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Cool pictures!

I don't quite understand what you mean when you say that a 15mm lens is not giving you the 3-D look of a 50mm or 70-200mm lens. Of course not. There is almost infinite depth of field with a 15mm lens.

As for 35mm lenses, your best bet is to do a search. I can think of two threads where this was discussed (specifically the Biogon vs Nokton).
 
"3d" sorta effect". That is pure Dpreview-Canon techy talk that I find extremely silly.

Talent consitutes an image. No stupid "3d effect", I'm sorry.
 
Think about it for a minute. What the hell is "3d sorta effect"? An experienced or knowledgeable user will talk about Contrast, depth of field, focal length, composition, choice of PP and the subject itself. But splotching the "3d seffect" term is downright silly. It means nothing at all and it's not a function of Canon equipment.
 
Not sure what you mean by 3d effect.

On the RD1, using available framelines, there are only two lenses
with which you might be able to achieve the limited DOF and modern
rendition of the first two pictures: Noctilux and 35/1.2.

Roland.
 
"3D effect"

the only way you get a selective focus on your RD-1, is by getting a 1.9, 1.4, 1.2 lens and opeing up the aperture to the fullest. Your 15mm has extreme depth of field, even shooting wide open, you get plenty in focus. Thats why there's no focus coupling with the lens, there's no need, it's all hyperfocal. The Biogon, obviously the best choice, but want economical, stick to the CV lenses, they are great! I have a nokton 40mm 1.4, which on the R-D1 works great, IMO. I have a 28mm ultron 1.9 coming to me as well, and maybe one day I'll opt for a 35mm 1.2 as well... but with the current set up, I'm having fun! Sorry for the big images guys 😀

458817402_86c2fcaebd_b.jpg


458832593_ca580c0cae_b.jpg


503001698_8e9faa876c_b.jpg


857821096_cb63907262_b.jpg
 
Zeiss Biogon 35 f2.

Zeiss Biogon 35 f2.

Thanks everyone. Pardon me for not phrasing my question correctly. It is a fact that using a shallow DOF, using a longer focal length and focussing at the closest distance possible, and aperture wide open, one will be able to produce the best bokeh for that lens.

What I meant was that even when everything is in focus, certain lenses give that kind of look where everything seems to 'pop'.

I see this in the Zeiss Biogon 35 f2, bearing in mind it is also very expensive.

Leicas are out of my reach and too expensive.

Ivan - Which lenses were used for the pictures you posted?
 
Currently, my only wide aperture lens on my R-D1 is the 40mm 1.4 nokton classic multicoated. I found I can achieve that kind of look you want with this lens. Keep your eyes peeled for one, there is a single coat version as well, but either works for what you want. they go for about $350 USD used... m mount.

I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for in these big eye'd lenses 😉
 
35mmdelux said:
The Biogon is the leader here. Hands down. The others good performers, but the Biogon has the edge.
Click to expand...

Thanks Paul.

Am leaning towards the Biogon and burning a hole in my pocket. Problem is B&H Photo seems about the only place that the Biogon is reasonably priced at US$835 but shipping it to Singapore will cost plus the goods and services (GST) tax of 7% entering Singapore.
 
northernlights

I am currently using the 35/1.2 Nokton as my 35mm (and planning to get the Biogon somewhere later... 🙂

The advanteges of Nokton, are obviously in the wide aperture (which coupled with a certain mass makes it a nice low light choice, esp. with the ZI and its bright VF). flare resistance, nice OOF and , important for who wants to use the shallow DOF for portraiture or similar, it has no focus shift whatsoever. I cannot comment on the sharpness relative to Biogon, but from f2.8 on I do not believe the difference will be huge, based on Reid reviews results.

However, the Biogon will trump it on compactness. top resolution, will surely be even more flare resistant, and I believe will have a stronger 3D effect, because this is a VERY CONSISTENT CHARACTERISTICS OF ZEISS LENSES.

For those of you that want to dig deeper into this question, here's a link where it has been discussed at length:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/530337

Also, from recent strongly "3D" examples shown on this forum, I like very much the rendition of the 40/2.8 Sonnar - an example by jsuominen:

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=838211903&context=set-72157600352744981&size=l

This lens is not terribly sharp in the corners,(you don't need that on a cropped sensor anyway) but could be a very interesting short portrait lens on RDs1.
 
mfogiel said:
northernlights

I am currently using the 35/1.2 Nokton as my 35mm (and planning to get the Biogon somewhere later... 🙂

The advanteges of Nokton, are obviously in the wide aperture (which coupled with a certain mass makes it a nice low light choice, esp. with the ZI and its bright VF). flare resistance, nice OOF and , important for who wants to use the shallow DOF for portraiture or similar, it has no focus shift whatsoever. I cannot comment on the sharpness relative to Biogon, but from f2.8 on I do not believe the difference will be huge, based on Reid reviews results.

However, the Biogon will trump it on compactness. top resolution, will surely be even more flare resistant, and I believe will have a stronger 3D effect, because this is a VERY CONSISTENT CHARACTERISTICS OF ZEISS LENSES.

For those of you that want to dig deeper into this question, here's a link where it has been discussed at length:
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/530337

Also, from recent strongly "3D" examples shown on this forum, I like very much the rendition of the 40/2.8 Sonnar - an example by jsuominen:

http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=838211903&context=set-72157600352744981&size=l

This lens is not terribly sharp in the corners,(you don't need that on a cropped sensor anyway) but could be a very interesting short portrait lens on RDs1.
Click to expand...

Like your B&W series with the Zeiss 50 f2 Planar at the cemetery. 🙂 Thanks. I am actually contemplating between the 50 f2 and 35 f2 but also bearing in mind mine is a 1.5x crop sensor that will give me a 53mm FOV on a 35 f2 but a 75mm FOV with a 50 f2.

I cannot view the 40/2.8 example by Jsuominen.
 
The Summaron (I have owned two 35/3.5 examples) is widely held to give what may be called a 3-D effect, often expressed as "roundedness" and "plasticity". But that is on 35 mm film cameras: how it might behave on an R-D1 I cannot say. It is of course a good deal slower than the other two lenses named here.
 
Hullo Payasam Jee

Hullo Payasam Jee

🙂 Hullo

Your nick's very interesting. Named after one of the most popular desserts after every meal...I like it too Payasam. I like rice payasam, vermecelli payasam...🙂

In Singapore, we are multi-cultural, so it's often the case that ethnic chinese Singaporeans also eat Indian (Northern Punjabi and Southern Hyderabradi), Malay food etc.
 
In Singapore there are many people of Tamil origin, so you would know payasam. In most of the rest of India the same sort of stuff is known as kheer.

Summarons are a bit dicey, being prone to fogging and not so quick handling.
 
Hello!

I bought the R-D1s + ZM Biogon 35mm 2 months ago. I love the lens so much! However, I might not be able to produce any pics with the 3D or "pop-up" effects as mentioned.

Here're my humble pics and I just started to use digital rangefinder (a newbie). Please forgive me if the pics aren't fantastic at all.

If you wish to scan through all the pics taken with Biogon 35mm, please visit my flickr gallery and search for biogon under TAGS section at www.flickr.com/photos/wchuan
 

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If you haven't read this already: http://luminous-landscape.com/reviews/lenses/fastlensreview.shtml is a good overview.

If you really need f1.2 the Nokton is the only choice. But I would consider this one different to all other lenses due to its size and its own rendering. I have the Biogon and I recommend it. f2 is still fast enough for my purposes and I like it for being really sharp to the corners. It is still my most used lens. If I need more aperture I love my 50mm Nokton, but it is a different beast, not as versatile as the Biogon.
 
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