Ready to Invest in Some Primes

[jonpais]

And the money you save buying Nikon/Yashica or whatever other legacy lenses you choose, you can put towards those lights or anything else that you might need.

Most people go down the "Buying Brand New" lenses route & then realise that there are so many other options out there (I did).

The lens I use the most cost me a huge £10 (Helios 44-2), I've since had to upgrade to a Nikon 24mm f2.8 (set me back £70) because of the BM Pocket.

The most expensive lens i own (the first one I bought) has been sitting in its nice brand new little box for over a year now!

I guess now we don't need to start a "what's the cheapest prime you find yourself shooting with all the time" thread!

[maxotics]

Interesting - my copy of the 14mm/2.5 doesn't have OIS. Where and when did you get your's?

 

Ummm, I painted it on ;)  You're right, sorry, the 14mm does not have OIS.  I don't believe any of the pancakes do.

[itimjim]

If you want bang for buck the Canon FD is hard to beat, and they have a very nice Canon look to them without being sterile like their modern EF counterparts.

 

I have 20/2.8, 24/2.8, 28/2.0, 35/2.0, 50/1.4, 50/3.5 Macro, 85/1.8 and 135/2.8 all on a mFT > FD Speedbooster (0.71x). Fantastic collection, which I think I would struggle to ever part with.

[maxotics]

I just did a quick test between the Panasonic 14-45 and Nikon 24mm 2.8D, both at 5.6 at 400 ASA.  Shot RAW.

 

http://www.flickr.com/groups/bmpcc/

 

The images look pretty similar to me; however, the Panny, shows barrel distortion.  As noted by others above, one less thing to deal with, with primes.

[Oliver Daniel]

Think of picking up a bunch of Zeiss Contax lenses myself..... the 45mm, 60mm, 85mm, 24-70mm... any experience with those? I've used a 50mm before and it was the creamiest lens I've ever used. 

 

Another prime getting a lot of hype pre-release is the Sigma 50mm ART lens. Looks like it could be a powerhouse prime!

[andy lee]

yes the Zeiss Contax Lenses are superb amazing primes (although in my opinion the Yashicas are exactly the same - I cant tell any differance optically)  - and greeat vario sonar zooms

 

the 24-70mm is a Sony Minolta Alpha mount , Fly By Wire lens.

I do recomend the 28-70mm f3.5 fully manual as it is small light and insanely sharp

[Oliver Daniel]

I'm sure I've seen the 24-70mm in a Contax mount, although it may of possibly been modded? 

 

I have a bunch of nice FDs, but I do much prefer the Zeiss. Not used the Yashicas yet. 

[Oliver Daniel]

I'm sure I've seen the 24-70mm in a Contax mount, although it may of possibly been modded? 

 

I have a bunch of nice FDs, but I do much prefer the Zeiss. Not used the Yashicas yet. 

 

 

Found a 24-70mm CY mount here:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ext-Contax-Carl-Zeiss-Vario-Sonnar-28-70mm-F-3-5-4-5-T-MMJ-MF-Lens-C-Y-Yashika-/271417767169

[andy lee]

thats the 28-70mm in C/Y Mount , the 24-70mm is only Sony Alpha mount its a much bigger heavier lens

 

the 28-70 is a great lens I use it alot , its small and light , 2 aspheric elements to it

[Oliver Daniel]

thats the 28-70mm in C/Y Mount , the 24-70mm is only Sony Alpha mount its a much bigger heavier lens

 

the 28-70 is a great lens I use it alot , its small and light , 2 aspheric elements to it

 

Oh crap yeah! I get mixed up. 

 

Would you recommend the 28-70mm?

 

Also for a cheap macro lens which is absolutely stunning, I picked up a Canon Fd mount Vivitar 55mm. Unbelievable lens for about £70!

[andy lee]

yes get a 28-70mm vario sonar its a stunning lens

[Mozim]

This is a great topic and very informative! It would be great to have a Subforum on here dedicated to gear or lenses, otherwise all this information might get lost in a few months from now... 

 

Anyways, I'm also ready to invest in some primes, mainly because the lenses I've been using so far (that were designed for shooting stills) don't really work for shooting video and vice-versa. 

 

Do you guys think that there will be issues using these old manual primes on a 4K camera such as the GH4? 

 

What's the Aperture ring like on these Yashica and Canon FD lenses? I have some old manual lenses and the aperture ring goes straight from 1.8 to 2.8 so I can't use anything inbetween. Is this different with bigger manual lenses such as a Canon 50mm f/1.4 FD? 

 

What's the focus orientation on the Yashica lenses? Is focusing "reversed" or is it the same direction as Canon lenses? 

 

Is there a difference between the Walimex / Samyang / Rokinon Nikon-mount and Canon-mount lenses other than the mount itself? Does the focus ring rotate in the same direction? And can I adapt a Nikon-mount Walimex lens on a Canon APS-C camera without any issues? 

 

Right now I'm steering towards picking up a few Walimex lenses in the near future, mainly because I find it really hard to find any wide-angle lenses for MFT sensors. As much as I'd love to give these Yashicas a try, they simple aren't wide enough. Are there any good wide-angle manual lens solutions for MFT other than using whatever old manual lens with a Speedbooster? 

 

Thanks a ton in advance!

-Moritz

[andy lee]

Have a read of this

 

http://cargocollective.com/yashica/About-Yashica-ML-Prime-Lenses

 

 

they do make 15mm, 21mm , 24mm all wide

 

Yashica  lenses focus the same direction as Canon lenses - its Nikons that turn the 'wrong' way

Apertures are clicked with no in between settings

[Ned Kelly]

Just received minolta  rokkor 50mm @1.7, and a 28mm @2.8, wow fantastic combo!! 

[midloch]

What do you think about Vivitar 135mm f/2.5 TX for Canon FD? Does it worth for 75USD?

[andy lee]

go for the Carl Zeiss 135mm f2.8 , or the f3.5 version in Praktica PB mount - these are steller lenses and cheap on ebay

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CARL-ZEISS-JENA-PRAKTICA-B-135MM-F2-8-SLR-DSLR-LENS-V-GOOD-CONDITION-/251462684878?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item3a8c5810ce

 

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Carl-Zeiss-Jena-MC-f3-5-135mm-lens-m42-for-Pentax-Canon-Nikon-Sony-Olympus-/301121432220?pt=UK_Photography_VintagePhotography_VintagePhotoAccessories&hash=item461c3c6a9c

 

or the KING OF 135MM lenses is the Russian Tair 135mm f2.8 this lens is tak sharp beats all my other 135mm hands down including the Canon L series 135mm

 

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/TAIR-11A-2-8-135-M42-Lens-Creamy-Bokeh-/331149337186?pt=UK_Lenses_Filters_Lenses&hash=item4d1a09e262

[midloch]

Thanx Andy!

[andy lee]

the carl zeiss 135mm f3.5 is a sonar lens - that lens formula grouping ....so very very good ....and very cheap too in Praktica PB mount

[Oliver Daniel]

Wide angle on The Panasonic GH4..... its an MFT mount and costs quite a bit more, but the SLR Magic 12mm. It's quite unique because it has this weird macro ability, making 'close-ups' with this lens very interesting. Awesome for a riff shot on a guitar! (I do many music vids.)

 

I picked one up for 350GBP on eBay. 

 

Thanks to this topic, I'm now going for a bunch of Carl Zeiss vintage primes and zooms. Always wanted them before, so why not? 

[richg101]

re. zeiss glass...

 

I tend to find the nicest variety for film making are the early Rollei types.  made in West Germany by zeiss themselves in the peak of human/hands on manufacturing, where skilled German engineers were assembling for the premium photographic market the Rollei Zeisses were targeted at.  The key with these lenses is that there are HFT versions (multi coated) and single coated versions.  The HFT's perform in the same way as Zeisses own T* coatings as found on the Contax's.  The single coated ones (without HFT on them) have the same sharpness, but their contrast is slightly less meaning they're smoother and don't impact as punchy look to the image, while still maintaining the sharpness.

 

attributes like this really help in smoothing out the slightly ragged, clinical and harsh digital look we're used to seeing from anything less than an Alexa.  A zingy contrasty lens like the contax zeiss is lush in photographic terms but to me is often a little too clinical and doesnt help matters if a non digital look is desired