Budget Glass Hall of Fame

[paulfish4570]

zuiko 50/1.8. it would be neat to have one rangefinder coupled to my r2m ...

[Classique]

Originally Posted by NickTrop

Damn! You got a better deal than me on my Nikon mount... and I've been after this lens for a while! I haven't had this particular lens that long but do check out the comparisons posted on page one from that German article. It was rated the best performer and by comparison it's hands down the best performer wide open - including Leica, Nikon, Canon, Oly - etc.

I had this lens in Pentax K mount in its Sigma variation. Excellent. But I never realized just how good it is... I think you'll find it makes an excellent "35mm prime" on APS-C.

All thanks to you for bringing up the lens! I have been searching for a small prime wide to replace by ultra wide zoom for D700 (full frame) since I rarely used it for it's size and slow aperture (although quite nice during daytime). I am very excited to receive the lens and try it.

By the way, how does it perform on full frame/film? I've read some reviews that the corners are a bit soft, still better than most 24mm primes, but sharpens nicely by f/5.6.

[PatrickONeill]

Originally Posted by ferider

[...]
And finally there is the 50/1.4 Takumar that I got as a gift, that cost me only an adapter, and - once RF coupled - is better than my pre-asph Summilux in all respects but size (close focus, bokeh, barrel distortion, etc)





Cheers,

Roland.

What adapter did it take to make the screwmount version of the lens work on an M body?

[ferider]

It's Pentax mounted, Patrick, see here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...d.php?t=113676.

[CameraQuest]

To all posters,

please stay on topic
and don't try to hijack the thread to entertain
your Fuji XPro "humor"

off topic posts deleted.

Stephen

[NickTrop]

Ohhh... here's another one I've had for a while. How can I forget? Devoted a Pentax K body to it. Want a decent ultra wide for not a lot of dough? How about the Vivitar 19mm f3.8. I've taken some nice pics with this one... unfortunately none scanned. Forget what I paid for it - probably around $50. Had it for years but haven't used it in a while... Really nice build quality on this one...

[alistair.o]

This was taken using a Jupiter 11a M42 mount (135mm F4). I bought it for a few quid - if I remember rightly £10 or less?

It is industrial in all ways and has 'made in the USSR' stamped on the body and a lens hood which screws on 'reversed' into the filter thread. A bonus is the a gentle scent of machine oil coming from within the barrel of the lens.

[PatrickONeill]

Originally Posted by ferider

It's Pentax mounted, Patrick, see here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/foru...d.php?t=113676.

amazing effort!

[KoNickon]

Yes, I have this lens, in Nikon mount and under the Spiratone brand. Very impressive. Would be interesting to know who made it; I bet it was the same maker regardless of the badge.

"Budget" seems to be stretched some here, based on some of the replies. I know you can get certain M39 Leica lenses for cheap now, but when they were new they certainly weren't budget lenses. And I sure wouldn't call the M-Hexanons "budget" just because they're a lot cheaper than their Leica counterparts! But I'll concede that nowadays there are a lot of terrific bargains on lenses that cost a lot when new.

I suppose the true measure is a lens that for some reason is inexpensive now, and wasn't very expensive when new. Rangefinder lenses don't really seem to fit into that category at all, other than the FSU lenses. The exception might be lenses that just so happen to be permanently attached to camera bodies -- think of the Yashinon 45/1.7 on the Yashica Electro models, or basically any Novar attached to an inexpensive Zeiss Ikon folder.

In the SLR lens world, I'd nominate the Konica Hexanon 40/1.8, or the Series E Nikon 28/2.8 and 100/2.8.

Originally Posted by NickTrop

Ohhh... here's another one I've had for a while. How can I forget? Devoted a Pentax K body to it. Want a decent ultra wide for not a lot of dough? How about the Vivitar 19mm f3.8. I've taken some nice pics with this one... unfortunately none scanned. Forget what I paid for it - probably around $50. Had it for years but haven't used it in a while... Really nice build quality on this one...

[Harry Lime]

Originally Posted by Brian Legge

Harry, the 2/50 seems to be going for $200+ and the 1.4 for even more. I think there are a lot of excellent LTM lenses in that range.

In SLR or RF mount? I paid between $50-80 for the Nikkor-H.C 2/50 and about $90 for the Nikkor-S.C 1.4/50 in F mount. Both of these are the original ones with the chrome and black metal barrels. But it's been about 5 years and digital cinema cameras and HDSLR have driven up the prices on pretty much all manual focus lenses...

[kokoshawnuff]

Unfortunately I haven't taken it out to shoot much, but a few shots around the house have been promising.


Canon 135 LTM (black), portra 400, $65

[rxmd]

I'll be restricting myself to lenses for which I've paid less than $100.


Helios-40 85/f1.5
Second version in aluminum body with rotating tripod collar in M39 SLR mount
With an M39-M42 and M42-Nikon adapter on a F2AS
$70 in 2008
EDIT: Seems to have undergone a ridiculous price hike and now sells for $500ish! Forget about this being a budget lens.


Jupiter-12 35/f2.8
Kiev/Contax mount on a 1949 Kiev
Flares like hell but gives beautiful rendition when it doesn't
$25


Jupiter-3 50/f1.5, early KMZ version, in LTM mount
On a Leica M5
$60
Would now probably not qualify as a budget lens any more
My standard "50" on the Leica

[kokoshawnuff]

Originally Posted by rxmd

I'll be restricting myself to lenses for which I've paid less than $100.


Helios-40 85/f1.5
Second version in aluminum body with rotating tripod collar in M39 SLR mount
With an M39-M42 and M42-Nikon adapter on a F2AS
$70

Very nice. A quick look on eBay shows chrome versions from the early 60s going in the $400-$600 range

[Brian Legge]

A bunch of us who got into these cameras late really miss the days some of these lenses were deals.

[rxmd]

Originally Posted by kokoshawnuff

Very nice. A quick look on eBay shows chrome versions from the early 60s going in the $400-$600 range

I bought mine on a flea market three years ago, together with the leather case, M39-M42 adapter and everything. I haven't looked at the prices for them in a while but those seem absolutely crazy - moreover since people actually seem to be buying them at that price!! I guess I should remove it from this "budget glass" thread.

[kokoshawnuff]

Originally Posted by rxmd

I bought mine on a flea market three years ago, together with the leather case, M39-M42 adapter and everything. I haven't looked at the prices for them in a while but those seem absolutely crazy - moreover since people actually seem to be buying them at that price!! I guess I should remove it from this "budget glass" thread.

If you got it for the price you did I'm sure there are others to be found well below the inflated eBay prices...we just have to look harder and be patient

[shadowfox]

My current favorite underdog is the Mamiya Sekor CS 200/3.5.

I am blown away with anything this lens produces so far:

[-doomed-]

On my DSLR's I love my AF Nikon 70-210 F4 that I snagged for $120.00. It's a fairly compact zoom that produces fantastic results throughout the F-stop and zoom range.

Here it is at 110mm @ F5.6

[sparrow6224]

The Zuiko 42mm f/1.7 attached to my Olympus 35 SP. Fantastic. I paid $30 for it.

One of the sharpest lenses I own -- I think it's THE sharpest among my SLR lenses -- is the MD Rokkor X 24mm f/2.8. I paid about $90 for it but they go for a bit more now. You'll notice that this lens, the Nikon, and the above-discussed Sigma were all basically super close on the photodo comparison. Everyone else was noticeably behind. I was very very surprised at the Nikon because I've had two versions and both were dull. Might have had some haze or something....

The Nikon AI 50mm f/2. Same optics as the non-Ai one mentioned above. $49. To my eye it is sharper than the f/1.8 and is the sharpest 50 Nikon has made for the SLRs -- there is also just a richness and depth to it that can't be described.

I second -- I eighth -- everyone on the SMC Takumar 50/1.4 -- astounding. They're going for over $100 now because people like us keep talking about them. HOW do you couple a Pentax-M lens to a Leica rangefinder??????

Canon FD SSC 50/1.4 -- very rich and very sharp and I got it for $75.

But sticking to the 50s is unfair -- as someone said, most mfr's have a very good one.

How about zooms? The Minolta MD 70-210 f/4 and the Nikon Ai 80-200 f/4.5 -- both incredible, both can be had well under $100. Both companies also make Solingen-sharp and rich color-ed 200mm f/4's that can had for a song.

Finally the Jupiter 9 (?) -- the 35/2.8 Biogon knock off with the perilous looking rear end -- is amazing. And one more 50 for the RF that was availble for about $100 a few years ago: the LTM Canon 50mm f/1.8. It's tiny. It's incredibly good.

[sparrow6224]

Perhaps that 35/2.8 Jupiter is called the Jupiter 12? I can't remember.

[rxmd]

Originally Posted by sparrow6224

Perhaps that 35/2.8 Jupiter is called the Jupiter 12? I can't remember.

That's what it is (see my post above) - the Jupiter-9 is a 85/f2 Sonnar clone

[kanzlr]

correct, the late Minolta MD 200/4 is an astonishing lens that can be had sub 100.
it is sharp wide open, has great colors and contrast and doubles as a 300ish lens on my GXR

[David Hughes]

Originally Posted by Keith

Using Leica as a yardstick is a little dangerous IMO ... we need to stay connected to reality here!

Hmmmm, but think of it as cost per year and per film and Leicas become a bargain. When I bought my CL there were just three new ones on sale in London and one second-hand (at Fox Talbot in TCRd). I bought the SH one and put the savings towards the 90mm f/4. It took a couple of week's spending my lunch time hunting for them but it paid off.

Regards, David

[sparrow6224]

It has emerged as a general consensus that the lenses we are most interested in are those that cost $~100 or less. We can leave aside the old arguments about Leica pricing/Leica value versus this that or the other. We're talking CHEAP. Budget is the nice word.

[Greyscale]

This is my newest budget find


MC Rokkor - PG 50/1.4 by Greyscale3, on Flickr

$15, and it came with five cameras and a Minolta AF 35-70 3.5/4.5 lens.


Now, all that I need is a body to hang it on.

I've heard that Rokkor glass is a bargain, but this is ridiculous.