My new toy arrived today

I can recommend the 2/35 Zeiss Biogon if you're looking in that range. I can't find anything such a lens is supposed to do that it doesn't do extremely well.

Reviews and formal tests suggest that it gives even the Summilux Asph 35/1.4 some tough competition in any dimension except speed and maybe centre sharpness. I can't validate such comparisons because I don't own any other 35s, but they seem very plausible to me based on my own experiences with the Biogon so far.

I'll probably put up a few samples at the weekend, but here's the Biogon Flickr pool with a mix of examples. http://www.flickr.com/groups/zeissikon35mm/pool/
 
raathistle said:
a 28mm Ultron, 50mm Nokton and 75mm Color Heliar

Saving up for a Leica 35mm, probably a Summarit
Click to expand...

Nice set of CVs - I own the 50 Nokton and it's lovely. You'll find the Summarit a very different beast after the CVs though, and it won't be as sharp as any of them, but will have a definite "signature" that you either love or hate!

Might be worth looking at something really wide after that. The Heliar 15 is enormous fun and incredible value. The 12mm is getting a bit extreme and is much more expensive...
 
Druid said:
I can recommend the 2/35 Zeiss Biogon if you're looking in that range. I can't find anything such a lens is supposed to do that it doesn't do extremely well.

Reviews and formal tests suggest that it gives even the Summilux Asph 35/1.4 some tough competition in any dimension except speed and maybe centre sharpness. I can't validate such comparisons because I don't own any other 35s, but they seem very plausible to me based on my own experiences with the Biogon so far.

I'll probably put up a few samples at the weekend, but here's the Biogon Flickr pool with a mix of examples. http://www.flickr.com/groups/zeissikon35mm/pool/
Click to expand...

I'm also thinking of the 2.8 biogon C, a nice compact lens to carry about instead of the others which are all quite big

I was looking at the super wides as well but I'm not sure Id use it enough to warrent the spend. Maybe if one comes along super cheap:thinking:
 
::Lovely PS anyone got a spare bib im drooling on my keyboard.
Guid Healthbeer
 
CT said:
Cosina Voigtländer. Voigtlander branded products manufactured by Cosina are sometimes referred to as CV products.
Click to expand...

As an ignorant reader, I assumed the C was for Cheap. But doubtless there is no such thing? Or it's all relative, etc!
 
My god, you must be sinking some dosh in to that kit.
I dunno what it is, lately credit crunch or not high end film gear seems to be getting more and more expensive if fleabay is anything to go by..:shrug:
I just watched a 6 and 75 (out of interest) bust a grand, that's 20-25% up on 6 months ago.
Is it just rangefinder stuff, I'm not really up on zeiss/leica gear..
 
There does seem to be a certain resurgence in RF cameras.

Maybe people have worked out that it's a lot more subtle with something tiny from the 70's than shoving a d3x with a monolithic lens in somebodies face.

Or maybe the 'Digital is better' theory is starting to wear off as people grow sick of the ever increasing Megapixel/noise battle and the fact that you have to renew your camera every 6 months or you just wont be as good a photographer?
 
:LOL:

I love rangefinders myself...

I dunno, its all good, anything that enthuses somebody to shoot a bit of film gets my vote.
There is no right or wrong medium for taking photographs, but reading the bulk of non specific photo forums these days, you'd be forgiven for thinking digital is the only thing worthy of attention.
Film scares people though, after digital...effort/expense....mostly effort....:LOL:
 
stop good-mouthing RF!

its making me jelous. if I could spell it correctly:LOL:

and this price increase is even more annoying!

Strange though, photography is effectivley an anti-recession-proof industry (ie, add budgets get cut therfore the need for togs goes down etc), BUT! the trade in new/used equipment goes up?

perhaps its just used, people dont think its wise to get something new, go for something 2nd hand (because its cheaper-they think!) and then the need for 2nd hand gear goes up, and therefore finally, its price goes up.

-phew!-

anyway, I WANT A RF:( :LOL:
 
thats a scary price for a 6, glad I got mine already.

It's costing a fair whack of cash but I'm selling mostly everything else I own tog wise to pay for it so I go from having loads of cameras I use a bit to a few I use all the time :D
 
woo!

just won a contax g1 for £130 off fleabay (possibly in an alcohol-induced "oh what the heck" bidding craze....!)

its in pristine condition (apparently) seller has 100% positive feedback!

If it is in great condition, I dunno what to do! get some expensive but amazing glass, OR.... sell the camera on for a profit (but thats mean!:razz:) - I quite like the idea of selling it on, as I still had my heart set on a voigtlander or even saving up for a leica! but now i dunno!

any advice? :)
 
That's a very good price for a G1 - I assume it's body only? You should be able to pick up a used 45mm lens for it for under the ton, so if you can run to that I'd highly recommend using it for a while before you sell it on. I had a G2 for a while, but actually traded down to the G1 as I prefer the smaller size. Why not give it a chance and run some film through it?
 
I'm with Snowy - use it for a while at least. If you can pick up a 45mm f2 Planar, it's one of the crispest lenses ever made.
 
Cheers!

i will keep it for a bit first (haven't got it sent yet:() but I dunno what lens's are good (other than the 45mm planar) and i don't have too much left over to get something super snazzy. I will though when the stuff I am trying to sell gets sold *cough-hint-cough*:D
 
They're all good lenses -you can't go wrong. The other ones to look for are the 28mm Biogon and the 90mm Sonnar.

I don't think you can use the 16mm, 21mm or the zoom unless the camera has been modified. Some of the later G1s were modified before sale, others had to be returned for modification, and I think they carry a sticker of some sort in the film chamber but I'm not sure - you'll need to do some research.
 
CT said:
They're all good lenses -you can't go wrong. The other ones to look for are the 28mm Biogon and the 90mm Sonnar.

I don't think you can use the 16mm, 21mm or the zoom unless the camera has been modified. Some of the later G1s were modified before sale, others had to be returned for modification, and I think they carry a sticker of some sort in the film chamber but I'm not sure - you'll need to do some research.
Click to expand...

The 16mm lens is usable on all G1's, although it's horrendously expensive :p
The 21 and 35 are usable on green-label G1's which are the ones that were either modified by Contax after these lenses were made introduced, or the G1's themselves were made after the lenses. Mine's a green label so can use all the lenses except the 35-70 zoom which requires the viewfinder mechanics of the G2.
 
snowy said:
The 16mm lens is usable on all G1's, although it's horrendously expensive :p
Click to expand...

I know. Ffordes had one in for £899 and on the phone offered to sell for £799 but they wouldn't play any lower than that. :D I see it's sold now.

The 21 and 35 are usable on green-label G1's which are the ones that were either modified by Contax after these lenses were made introduced, or the G1's themselves were made after the lenses. Mine's a green label so can use all the lenses except the 35-70 zoom which requires the viewfinder mechanics of the G2.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the clarification. I forget things now - probably an age thing. :puke:
 
CT said:
I know. Ffordes had one in for £899 and on the phone offered to sell for £799 but they wouldn't play any lower than that. :D I see it's sold now.
Click to expand...

£799*ouch*!!!

I might end up having to sell it because I can't afford the lens! A wide-Angle is something I would think of later on if I decide to keep it, so its an all-rounder I want for now (35mm to 65mm???? kind of size). Anyone had/uses a 90mm? if so whats it like? How close can I go with it (I do quite a range of photography from street to architecture and landscape, so I need something that can *just* about cope with all 3)
 
The 16mm is a pretty extreme lens and that's cheap! ;)

I'd say get the 45mm, it's a belter and it's the 'kit' lens for want of a better description so there are plenty about for very reasonable dosh.
 
AleksanderLoesch said:
£799*ouch*!!!

I might end up having to sell it because I can't afford the lens! A wide-Angle is something I would think of later on if I decide to keep it, so its an all-rounder I want for now (35mm to 65mm???? kind of size). Anyone had/uses a 90mm? if so whats it like? How close can I go with it (I do quite a range of photography from street to architecture and landscape, so I need something that can *just* about cope with all 3)
Click to expand...

The 28 and 45 focus down to 0.5m and the 90 down to 1m. All three are reasonably common so shouldn't be too expensive, although there's a resurgence of interest in rangefinder cameras at the moment, so prices seem to be going up! All the Contax G lenses are excellent - they're Zeiss lenses which are about the best there is (along with Leica), and the lack of a mirror in the cameras means the rear elements of the wide angles can be very close to the film plane. This makes them easier to design for optimum performance.

The 28 seems to sell for around £200 used, while the 21 is more like £350. The 45 and 90 are both around the £100 to £150 mark, although I've seen then for under £100 occasionally.
 
snowy said:
All the Contax G lenses are excellent - they're Zeiss lenses which are about the best there is (along with Leica), and the lack of a mirror in the cameras means the rear elements of the wide angles can be very close to the film plane. This makes them easier to design for optimum performance.
Click to expand...

That's exactly right, and the rear lens element sits so close to the film that with wide angle lenses you get virtually zero distortion - in fact a lot less than 1% measured anywhere on the image, and with lenses like the 21mm and 16mm it's quite incredible compared to the distortion you get with a DSLR. or SLR.
 
i do like the sound of one of those wide angles on teh contax, but budget means its a 45 or a 90!

i know the 45 planar T* is supposed to be 2nd sharpest? but is that the only reason I should go for it? cant decide!

cheers for the advice, very helpful:)
 
Well 45mm is just right for standard lens FOV so it's a good general purpose lens. Apart from that, the razor sharpess, contrast, and colour saturation, it hasn't got much going for it. :D
 
hmm. I think your right.

what use is all that sharpness? i dunno, I will just use a soft-filter:LOL:

although me not so worried about color saturation, I usually (almost always) only use B+W
 
You might change your mind if you run a bit of Provia or Velvia through it. I do like a bit of mono mind you.
 
haha, goodluck! ive shot provia before (have a roll of velvia around somewhere) but i didn't like the results!

ended up printing them in B+W afterwards in the darkroom at school.

but that was with an inferior camera. im sure that something like this will be rather different!
 
AleksanderLoesch said:
haha, goodluck! ive shot provia before (have a roll of velvia around somewhere) but i didn't like the results!
Click to expand...

Provia and Velvia are at different ends of the Fuji spectrum: Provia has a neutral colour response and normal saturation, while Velvia is a high saturation, boosted colour film, so if you didn't like Provia, you might like Velvia.

Then again, there's nothing wrong with B&W :D I really liked the Agfa Scala B&W slide film, but I don't think they make it any more :(
 
If only they Foma made it in 120 :(
 
apparently they do, but its not available outside of the czech republic! meanies!
 
This is probably my favourite 35mm camera. :)
Congratulations!

I had the Classic and the TTL. I think the classic it's a better deal, because they are cheaper.

Here's my ex. M6 classic, together with my ex. M3. :)

3312061737_911b71a60a.jpg
 
jimlizard said:
This is probably my favourite 35mm camera. :)
Congratulations!

I had the Classic and the TTL. I think the classic it's a better deal, because they are cheaper.

Here's my ex. M6 classic, together with my ex. M3. :)

3312061737_911b71a60a.jpg
Click to expand...

:eek::eek:*faints like a girl in a jane-austin novel*:eek::eek:

your one lucky guy:LOL:
 
jimlizard said:
This is probably my favourite 35mm camera. :)
Congratulations!

I had the Classic and the TTL. I think the classic it's a better deal, because they are cheaper.

Here's my ex. M6 classic, together with my ex. M3. :)

3312061737_911b71a60a.jpg
Click to expand...

:eek::eek:*faints like a girl in a jane-austin novel*:eek::eek:

your one lucky guy:LOL:

[edit] -Just noticed, "ex." does that mean you no longer have them? if so, your one unlucky guy. My sympathies go out to you....
 
AleksanderLoesch said:
[edit] -Just noticed, "ex." does that mean you no longer have them? if so, your one unlucky guy. My sympathies go out to you....
Click to expand...

Yes i know, shame on me. :crying:
I use to sell a lot of analogue cameras, especially classic models, so it's impossible for me to keep them all.
It really hurts to see some of them go (like these two), but i always try to keep a rangefinder film camera at home.
At the time i just have the cheapest possible with interchangeable lenses, the Bessa L. :D
 
jimlizard said:
Yes i know, shame on me. :crying:
I use to sell a lot of analogue cameras, especially classic models, so it's impossible for me to keep them all.
It really hurts to see some of them go (like these two), but i always try to keep a rangefinder film camera at home.
At the time i just have the cheapest possible with interchangeable lenses, the Bessa L. :D
Click to expand...

never mind! one day im sure you will have another!

not to nit-pick, but unless you have a rf coupled onto the hotshoe, isn't the bessa L not a rf:D still a nice camera though, had a go with one when looking for a bessa R.
 
AleksanderLoesch said:
never mind! one day im sure you will have another!

not to nit-pick, but unless you have a rf coupled onto the hotshoe, isn't the bessa L not a rf:D still a nice camera though, had a go with one when looking for a bessa R.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely right! Of course the Bessa L isn't a rangefinder camera, but better described as a scale focus one.
Thank you for doing the correction. ;)

It's also not the cheapest with LTM mount, since there are Kiev's, Zorki's and others, but still very cheap.
Using it with the Heliar 15mm you can live without the rangefinder system so, it still a bargain for street photography.
I bought it to keep the Heliar, but I found it to be so nice, that I still don't know if I should sell it or not. Mine looks like a brand new one and the case is really beautiful. I think my girlfriend would pay the money just to keep the case. :D
 
jimlizard said:
You are absolutely right! Of course the Bessa L isn't a rangefinder camera, but better described as a scale focus one.
Thank you for doing the correction. ;)

It's also not the cheapest with LTM mount, since there are Kiev's, Zorki's and others, but still very cheap.
Using it with the Heliar 15mm you can live without the rangefinder system so, it still a bargain for street photography.
I bought it to keep the Heliar, but I found it to be so nice, that I still don't know if I should sell it or not. Mine looks like a brand new one and the case is really beautiful. I think my girlfriend would pay the money just to keep the case. :D
Click to expand...

tehehe, me being an annoying know-it-all:p

I guess its the cheapest LTM that can work reliably. I bought a zorki-4k (for the 50mm jupiter on it) and only the shutter speeds from 125 to 1000th/s work:LOL: I do like how the RF is twin colored though (orange and blue) even though it doesn't give a realistic view, its great for focusing.
 
-oh and I know what you mean about the cases too! I love my black one, with the pressed "V" in the front of it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top