Charlie Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 Hey all, I read a very interesting long thread on here about vintage lenses. I currently have a Pentax SMC M 50mm f1.7 and would like a 28mm f2.8 to go with it. Obvioulsy I could get a 28mm Pentax, these are fairly cheap on Ebay (cheap for a reason?). However, many people say that the Zeiss Distagon 28mm f2.8 is a great lens. What do you think??....anyone used both??....can you mix the 50mm Pentax with the Zeiss or will they look noticeable different?? Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 I've never used the distagon but I am a proponent of keeping vintage lenses as a set. The Pentax-M lenses are great, they were the first set of lenses I purchased. And I went with the same two. Two questions: 1. What is your budget for lenses? 2. What camera are you using them with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 1 hour ago, mercer said: I've never used the distagon but I am a proponent of keeping vintage lenses as a set. The Pentax-M lenses are great, they were the first set of lenses I purchased. And I went with the same two. Two questions: 1. What is your budget for lenses? 2. What camera are you using them with? Hi Mercer, I dont have a fixed budget as such, probably around £500.00 per lens if I had to put a number on it. The Distagon costs around £250.00 on ebay, roughly. Ill be using them on the Panasonic G80. I want a fairly wide lens that I can still use for tight shots without distorting faces, and a short telephoto for close ups. Ive already got a Lens Turbo II which has a 0.726 magnification. Cheers!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 1 minute ago, Charlie said: Hi Mercer, I dont have a fixed budget as such, probably around £500.00 per lens if I had to put a number on it. The Distagon costs around £250.00 on ebay, roughly. Ill be using them on the Panasonic G80. I want a fairly wide lens that I can still use for tight shots without distorting faces, and a short telephoto for close ups. Ive already got a Lens Turbo II which has a 0.726 magnification. Cheers!! You have the EF Lens Turbo I assume? With that lens budget, I'm not sure I would bother with the Pentax. I would look into Nikkor ai/ai-s lenses. They have a similar warmth as the Pentax but a lot more options for focal lengths. They're also easily converted to cine lenses with the Duclos mod. Check out the 24mm f2, 35mm f2 or 1.4 as your budget allows it, and the 50mm 1.8. All great lenses. Also you cannot go wrong with the Contax Zeiss lenses either. I briefly owned the Planar 50mm 1.7 and it was one of the best 50mm lenses I ever used. I couldn't afford any of their faster wide angles like the 28mm f2 "Hollywood" so I decided to sell the 50mm and go a different route. I have heard the Distagon 28mm f2.8 is a fine lens though and some argue the difference in price between the f/2 and f/2.8 isn't worth it... but the f/2 has some of the coolest rendering I have ever seen in a vintage lens and from what I've seen shot with it, it is worth the moniker "The Hollywood." Also some of the Yashica ML lenses were supposedly made with Zeiss glass and they can be had pretty cheap. Also if you want that vintage look with that Pentax build quality, look no further than their earlier Takumar line. The SMC Takumar 50mm 1.4 is a gem and I really love both the 35mm f2 and the 35mm f/3.5. I never owned the 28mm f/3.5 but some say it's one of their best lenses. I did have the 20mm f/4.5 and the 24mm f/3.5 and they were both very nice lenses. And finally, Pentax made a 28mm f/2 lens that was supposedly designed by Zeiss and it is supposed to rival that of the Zeiss Distagon f/2. I think Andrew Reid wrote an article about it a while back. It's a rare lens but you may be able to find one within your budget. The Pentax forums has a really cool lens database that has tons of user reviews of lenses. It's mostly for Pentax cameras but since Pentax was such a popular camera back in the day, you can usually find reviews on a ton of 3rd Party lenses as well. Hope that helps. iamoui 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted January 15, 2017 Author Share Posted January 15, 2017 Thanks Mercer for the detailed response!! Just had a look at the Zeiss Planar and its very inexpensive so I could get that and the 28mm Distagon 2.8 for less than £500.00. Those two focal lengths will be enough for my needs. Yes I have the Canon Lens Turbo but it is unopened so I can send it back if the Nikon mount is more flexible??? Cheers! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DevonChris Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 1 hour ago, Charlie said: Thanks Mercer for the detailed response!! Just had a look at the Zeiss Planar and its very inexpensive so I could get that and the 28mm Distagon 2.8 for less than £500.00. Those two focal lengths will be enough for my needs. Yes I have the Canon Lens Turbo but it is unopened so I can send it back if the Nikon mount is more flexible??? Cheers! I'm selling a Contax Planar 50mm f/1.7 at the moment. I'm based in the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted January 15, 2017 Share Posted January 15, 2017 1 hour ago, Charlie said: Thanks Mercer for the detailed response!! Just had a look at the Zeiss Planar and its very inexpensive so I could get that and the 28mm Distagon 2.8 for less than £500.00. Those two focal lengths will be enough for my needs. Yes I have the Canon Lens Turbo but it is unopened so I can send it back if the Nikon mount is more flexible??? Cheers! Then you should be good to go with those two lenses. No the Nikon version is not more flexible, keep the Canon Lens Turbo and then buy some simple YC to EF adapters. I think they probably sell a YC Lens Turbo, but you'll get more distance with the Canon version in case you want to try some cheap M42 lenses et al... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 Got both Zeiss lenses and the CY adapter !!......thanks for your help! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mercer Posted January 16, 2017 Share Posted January 16, 2017 32 minutes ago, Charlie said: Got both Zeiss lenses and the CY adapter !!......thanks for your help! Hey Charlie, another little tip... get a YC to EF adapter for both lenses and leave them on the lens. There is a small lever mechanism on those adapters that can be a pain to take off frequently. Then just pick up two EF rear lens caps for the back of the lens. It will make your life easier when swapping out lenses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted January 16, 2017 Author Share Posted January 16, 2017 3 hours ago, mercer said: Hey Charlie, another little tip... get a YC to EF adapter for both lenses and leave them on the lens. There is a small lever mechanism on those adapters that can be a pain to take off frequently. Then just pick up two EF rear lens caps for the back of the lens. It will make your life easier when swapping out lenses. Mercer...........you da man! hehehe.....thanks so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Harrison Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 I would be really interested to see a comparison of the Zeiss and Pentax 50mm, both are really solid lenses, and I wonder how different they actually are in practice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 On 1/15/2017 at 0:29 PM, Charlie said: Yes I have the Canon Lens Turbo but it is unopened so I can send it back if the Nikon mount is more flexible??? Go for the Nikon mount on your lenses. You will always be able to adapt the lens with a Nikon mount onto anything with a Canon EF mount (given that the version of the same lens with an EF mount also fits). However, the opposite is not true -- a lens with a Canon EF mount will be incompatible with quite a few adapters and focal reducers, a few of which are only available with a Nikon mount. Furthermore, the Canon EF version of some focal reducers and adapters are significantly more expensive than those with most other mounts, because of the electronics required for Canon EF lenses. Go with the Nikon mount on your lenses. IronFilm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldolega Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Uh, no. He's asking which Lens Turbo to get, not which lenses. He should get Nikon lenses, and an EF Lens Turbo, if he wants maximum adaptability. Nikon lenses have one of the longest-flange mounts. Canon EF is the shortest-flange mount the Lens Turbo comes in, that has adapters available for longer mounts. FD is actually shorter but adapters to FD mount are pretty hard to find. None of the Lens Turbo II's have electronics, and are all the same price. Cinegain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 5 minutes ago, aldolega said: Uh, no. He's asking which Lens Turbo to get, not which lenses. He should get Nikon lenses, and an EF Lens Turbo, if he wants maximum adaptability. Uh, I understand that he was asking about his adapter/focal-reducer, but if I read correctly, he is not sure what mount to get with his lenses. As you subsequently concurred, I suggested that he get Nikon F mounts on his lenses. However, I also noted that many Canon EF adapters/focal-reducers are more expensive than their counterparts. So, he might be better off by getting such adapters with a different mount (that would allow Nikon F lenses to be adapted). IronFilm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted January 17, 2017 Author Share Posted January 17, 2017 6 hours ago, John_Harrison said: I would be really interested to see a comparison of the Zeiss and Pentax 50mm, both are really solid lenses, and I wonder how different they actually are in practice. I will test them both as soon as the Zeiss arrives and post my results if you want to see it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldolega Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 8 hours ago, tupp said: Uh, I understand that he was asking about his adapter/focal-reducer, but if I read correctly, he is not sure what mount to get with his lenses. As you subsequently concurred, I suggested that he get Nikon F mounts on his lenses. However, I also noted that many Canon EF adapters/focal-reducers are more expensive than their counterparts. So, he might be better off by getting such adapters with a different mount (that would allow Nikon F lenses to be adapted). I see you edited your post to specify that you were referring to the lens mount. Before that it read as if you were referring to the booster mount. He was asking what version of the Lens Turbo to get, and as I said, the EF Lens Turbo has no electronics and thus is the same price as the other available versions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stanley Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 On 1/15/2017 at 1:31 AM, Charlie said: Hey all, I read a very interesting long thread on here about vintage lenses. I currently have a Pentax SMC M 50mm f1.7 and would like a 28mm f2.8 to go with it. Obvioulsy I could get a 28mm Pentax, these are fairly cheap on Ebay (cheap for a reason?). However, many people say that the Zeiss Distagon 28mm f2.8 is a great lens. What do you think??....anyone used both??....can you mix the 50mm Pentax with the Zeiss or will they look noticeable different?? Cheers! Hi charlie, what's your opinion of Rokkor lenses on M43? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Harrison Posted January 17, 2017 Share Posted January 17, 2017 5 hours ago, Charlie said: I will test them both as soon as the Zeiss arrives and post my results if you want to see it! That would be great! Differences in sharpness, color, flares, and chromatic abberation would be cool to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie Posted January 20, 2017 Author Share Posted January 20, 2017 On 17/01/2017 at 4:25 PM, Stanley said: Hi charlie, what's your opinion of Rokkor lenses on M43? Hi Stanley, I've never used them though I hear great things! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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