zm 21/4.5 ordered...

my plan is to use the 21 and the 25 on the r4a and the 35/50 on the zi.

the 25 intrudes quite a bit on the r4a finder but i think i can live with it and if not it works great on the zi and the 21 can have the r4a to itself.

joe
 
Joe, you will like the 21f4.5 - it is the best damned 21 i have ever used. It is usually stuck on the R4, except for the last couple of days when the 28 Ulton f2 occupied it. It is now back where it belongs, on the R4.
"Grok" - read your Heinlein and you will find out what it means! I had the same problem with the 24 and 21. Never liked the 24f2.8 Asph Elmarit - too big and bulky and did not fit my hand (same problem with the 21f2.8 Asph - got rid of both). The 25f2.8 Biogon for some reason fits my hand better!
Starting to figure out what to take to Europe in September. The 21f4.5 is a given, probably the 28f2.0 Ultron, the 35f1.4 Nokton and either the Planar 50 or the Summilux 50 Asph (dont want to depress my friends at Leica too much). M2,MP and R4 and 60 rolls of either Neopan 400 or Tri X.
 
TomA - any point in owning both the VC21/4 and the ZM21/4.5 - are they significantly different enough to justify both for someone who is not a collector?
 
As one who has both of these lenses I am probably the worst person to ask! I tend to use the 21f4.5 with the R4, but if I am just out wandering around for no particular reason, usually with a 40f1.4 on a M2, the 21f4 goes into my pocket "just in case". The VC 21 is very good, but there is something about the 21f4.5 that is immideately more "serious" shooting.
Not much help from me in this choice - and I would not get rid of either of my 21f4's either (one is a LTM mount, the other a P-mount). Just like keeping them around (as I do with all the rest of the 21's).
 
The jury is still out for me. Perhaps one day I'll get one, especially for travelling. Right now I am concentrating on my 35mm 'Lux ASPH and the 28mm/2.8 ASPH...love these two lenses.

Congrats on your acquisition. great choice.

Paul
 
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A fast mover I see.

The CV 21 is very nice, shot some with it this weekend, need to do some more in the coming weeks. I still fear getting my fingers in the frame no matter how closely I hold them to the body.
 
i don't think i need the 2 so i just sold my cv 21. the cv lens did show me how much i like the very wide.

tom, i have visions of the zm 21 living on the r4a.
 
i owned an enjoyed the CV21 but found the distortion a bit too much.. love the compact size and ergonomics though... since moved on to the VC28/3.5 which I absolutely love... same ergonomics and size but very little vignetting and much much less distortion...

how does the ZM 21/4.5 perform in the distortion, curvature area ???
 
The distortion on the 21 C Biogon is reportedly lowest.

Enjoy, Joe! My 21/4.5 lives on the R4A. I think you'll love it, too! The C series of ZM lenses makes a very compact travel kit that also works well on the ZI with an external 21 finder.
 
how does the ZM 21/4.5 perform in the distortion, curvature area ???[/QUOTE]

It is supposedly the most distorsion free 21 ever made for 35mm! According to Mr Kobayashi, the old 21 Biogon (which was the previous champ in this field for 50+ years) the new one has even less distorsion.
I have not tested this out scientifically, as i have neither the inclination nor the equipment to do so. Sufficient to say, nothing I have shot that I have rejected has been the fault of the lens!
 
Tom A said:
how does the ZM 21/4.5 perform in the distortion, curvature area ???

It is supposedly the most distorsion free 21 ever made for 35mm! According to Mr Kobayashi, the old 21 Biogon (which was the previous champ in this field for 50+ years) the new one has even less distorsion.
I have not tested this out scientifically, as i have neither the inclination nor the equipment to do so. Sufficient to say, nothing I have shot that I have rejected has been the fault of the lens!
Click to expand...

I am not very sure about it but I as I remember the most distortion free 21mm lens in m-mount was the 21/3.4 Super-Angulon-M (retro-focus design). Judging from photos, the ZM has more distortion.
 
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I have the 21f3.4 and it has more distorsion than the 21f4.5 Biogon. It always had a bit of curvature to it - not enough to be bothersome.
In the 60's we often carried a 21f3.4 AND a 21f4.5, the latter on a dedicated Contax or Nikon body for distorsion free shots. The S-A is a great lens, even today, but the Biogon 21f4.5 is in a class of its own, be it the old one (i have one of these too) or the new one.
I simply like 21's, always have and probably always will!
At the moment there are several 21's in my lens cabinet or on cameras:
Super Angulon 21f3.4 (one of the last 100 - made in 1979)
Zeiss Biogon 21f4.5 (1957)
Zeiss Biogon 21f4.5 (2007)
Zeiss Biogon 21/2,8 (2006)
VC LTM 21/4
VC P-mount 21/4
Ricoh GR 21/3.5 LTM and black
Nikkor 21/4 F-mount with SC adapter
VC SCmoubt 21/4
I also used to have the Kobalux 21f2.8, Elmarit 21/2.8, Elmarit 21f2.8 Asph and probably more, but I can remember the rest.
Of all of these, I like the new 21f4.5 Biogon the best!
 
I had my hand up for a VC 21/4 with finder for my travel kit, but with the accolades flowing for the ZM 21/4.5, I may have to reconsider...

I wish there a more accessible marketplace for the Zeiss goods, even Leica gear is easier to acquire than Zeiss. Who is the Zeiss equivalent of CameraQuest?
 
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