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Archive 2011 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations

  
 
AhamB
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p.2 #1 · p.2 #1 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


You use one adapter on multiple lenses? Bad idea, IMO.


Dec 14, 2011 at 10:05 AM
Smiert Spionam
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p.2 #2 · p.2 #2 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


RustyBug wrote:
That was it, shot chrome, life was simple (i.e. ignorance is bliss).

Today ... thanks to the wonderful members of FM ... ignorance has been obliterated, but I'm still yearning for that (elusive) bag.


At the risk of mapping a developmental model onto this, I wonder if some of us are like middle-aged guys trying to recapture that childhood sense of perfect plenitude that comes from having a wondrous thing in a world of scarcity: the perfect bike/fort/jacket/pocket knife that somehow made life perfect.

;- )

In any case, I feel your pain.

On the main topic:

For me, the focal length range you're talking about is best filled by a 35/85 pair, and not a single 60mm-ish lens (they complement an excellent 24mm nicely, too). 60mm is, for me, drifting too far back into no-man's-land, while an 85 gets me to a nice loose short tele. On a full frame DSLR, I do this without going very alt -- I use a Nikon 35/2 and a Sigma 85/1.4 on a D700. On my NEX, I'm still working on dialing in my perfect setup.



Dec 14, 2011 at 11:03 AM
Smiert Spionam
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p.2 #3 · p.2 #3 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


AhamB wrote:
You use one adapter on multiple lenses? Bad idea, IMO.


Why?

For compact mounts (LTM, M, Olympus Pen), an adapter for each lens is very handy. But with larger SLR adapters, I'd much prefer to carry just one if possible.



Dec 14, 2011 at 11:04 AM
Tariq Gibran
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p.2 #4 · p.2 #4 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


I guess FL all depends on what situation your typically going to find yourself in and the range between say 58-100 can be tricky. For interior, environmental portraits where space can be limited, I actually sometimes prefer the 58/60 to say an 85 and the 58/60 being just that bit longer can give more compression than say a 50. On the other hand, when shooting typical macro/ copy stuff, a longer lens such as a 90/100 seems to almost always work out better for me. Thus, I could see a nice kit consisting of a 35/40, 58/60 and say a 90/100 Macro (85 might also work there), all on FF, to cover this range. Obviously, everyones requirements are different so it is a very personal choice.


Dec 14, 2011 at 11:18 AM
RustyBug
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p.2 #5 · p.2 #5 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


Not so much that I'm trying to recapture the "perfect" youth thing ... just realizing that I've over encumbered myself with my "lens-a-holic" love of alt's and it has had a somewhat debilitating effect on my approach. The "backward look" is more of a pragmatic reflection to a time that I did not have such an encumbrance ... looking for clues.

I'm not quite of the ... all I need is a "trinity" ... but, I would like to move from an "excessive" (relative, I know) position to a more "finite" position. I seem to have a pretty good perspective on my long, short & portrait ... it's that middle ground that I haven't found comfort in just yet.

Conversely, I'm thinking maybe I flip the 35-70 into a 35 with a bit more speed and the lineup then transitions like ...

24 Tilt
35 Lanscape/Normal
80 Macro
90 Portrait

... and the focus shifts from the 60-75 range to the 35 range as the bridge between 24 & 80.

Edited on Dec 14, 2011 at 11:44 AM · View previous versions



Dec 14, 2011 at 11:34 AM
Smiert Spionam
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p.2 #6 · p.2 #6 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


The clear answer, of course, is that the way to build the perfect streamlined kit is to buy them all.

;- )

I'm in no position to judge. I'm comfortable with the 35/85 combo as my starting point, but I've got a number of other 28mm to 105mm primes that I'd be really reluctant to give up. An 85/1.8K that is great for travel, the old standby 105/2.5 that I love, the Olympus 100/3.5, the macros....

I think the substantive issue for me is that even with a 58/60mm, I'd miss having something on the loose side of normal, in the 35-40 range, if my next widest lens was a 24mm.



Dec 14, 2011 at 11:35 AM
alexandre
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p.2 #7 · p.2 #7 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


Kent, I'd buy both Rokkor 58/1.2 and Leica R 60/2.8 Macro, keep the most used and sell the other (with the lenses you don't use). I might sell my Rokkor in the near future provided I bought a Zuiko 50/1.2, so stay tuned.


Dec 14, 2011 at 11:42 AM
RustyBug
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p.2 #8 · p.2 #8 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


buy them all
If I were shooting studio ... that would work fine and I've got a good start ... but I'm mobility oriented and my collection has been an extended trial period that really needs to be put in check ... that's my goal for 2012. My mobility kit complete ... plus a FEW extra's as "one trick ponies".

Keep me posted on the Rokkor ... it might make some sense as a replacement to my 50's (3 of which came as a byproduct of bundled purchases).

24
35-70 (or 35)
58/1.2
80/Macro



Dec 14, 2011 at 11:51 AM
j.liam
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p.2 #9 · p.2 #9 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


You're all forgetting the recently-announced but not-yet-released chipped Voigtländer SLII 1,8/75. I believe it possesses the same optical formula as the M-version. Price hasn't been announced yet but the RF version goes for US$700+.


Dec 14, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Smiert Spionam
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p.2 #10 · p.2 #10 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


I find it hard to find a lot of room in my heart for a $700+ 75/1.8 SLII. At least on a rangefinder or mirrorless, it fills a niche not really met by anything else. But on SLRs with so many good 85/1.8 options, I just don't get it. For half that price, you can have an exquisite 85/1.8 Nikkor; for half that again, you can have a good user.


Dec 14, 2011 at 12:42 PM
RustyBug
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p.2 #11 · p.2 #11 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


Part of my "ready" kit isn't just about covering FL ... but also @ having drawing styles to choose from for application diversity. Something along this lines maybe


FF (5D/SLRc)

Oly 18/3.5 (UWA)
EF 24/3.5 TS-E (WA/Specialty)
C/Y 35-70/3.4 (Normal)
Rokkor 58/1.2 (Speed)
Sigma 70/2.8 (Macro)
Leica 90/2.8 (Portrait)
M645 110/2.8 N (Product)



1D MK II N

EF 100/2
Sigma 100-300/4 (w/ 1.4X)
Vivitar 120-600/5.6-8.0

So, if I headed toward something like this (working from my current) ... what in my profile might I reconsider before going into "sell" mode ??



Dec 14, 2011 at 12:46 PM
Gunzorro
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p.2 #12 · p.2 #12 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


Another vote for the Leica R 60 macro.

I can't tell if you are still using Nikon bodies or not (or if that was just your old kit you listed here), but the Nikon 60 D Macro is pretty nice too.

If you had Canon crop, their 60 macro is simply awesome -- one of my favorite lenses, and AF! Sadly, I sold that lens as I moved further away from crop sensors. I can alway use the Leica on crop, if I want, and use it on all other formats too.



Dec 14, 2011 at 01:37 PM
RustyBug
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p.2 #13 · p.2 #13 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


I'm shooting FF Canon Mount

I keep the D70s around for family snapshot stuff only or when one of the kids wants to borrow a camera ... which is virtually never, go figure.

Yes, the Canon crop 60 Macro caught my attention ... but I'm FF.



Dec 14, 2011 at 02:20 PM
trumpet_guy
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p.2 #14 · p.2 #14 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


telyt wrote:
One obvious choice - but certainly not the only one - is the Leica 60mm Macro-Elmarit-R.


Ditto.

A nice lens at a resonable price. I also hear good things about the C/Y Zeiss 60mm Makro Planar C, but
I've never used it.
https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/996349




Dec 15, 2011 at 12:54 AM
kosmoskatten
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p.2 #15 · p.2 #15 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


I had both lenses over a long period of time, both 60's complemented each other well so it was hard choosing between them.

The Zeiss lens has more pop at close range and is phenomenal for details and works really well for portraits as well, OOF rendering of point light sources is not so nice though so I avoided them in the background. It is a fine landscape lens stopped down to at least f5.6.

The Leica lens does a fine job at all distances and right from wide open. It is sleeker than the CZ60AE but is more flare prone than the Zeiss lens.

A Zeiss 60 portrait:



and another:



Photob*cket does not do the images justice but there you have it.
I'll see if there is a Leica 60 shot in there as well...




Dec 15, 2011 at 08:52 AM
kosmoskatten
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p.2 #16 · p.2 #16 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


The Zeiss lenses usually develop slight play in the barrel over time, I haven't seen one without it yet, and I have seen a few of them... The Zeiss S-Planar 60AE extends quite far when going beyond 1:2 and I think it is part of the reason it develops play.

The Leica 60 is running as smooth as it was back in '74, at least the copy I had. That is very impressive.



Dec 15, 2011 at 09:02 AM
HerbChong
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p.2 #17 · p.2 #17 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


the current Sigma 70/2.8 Macro is superbly sharp but as others have pointed out, pretty lousy feel when manually focusing and dead slow too. also, it has the normal Sigma attribute of being slightly warm and needs camera calibration for completely neutral color.

Herb...



Dec 15, 2011 at 10:39 AM
AhamB
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p.2 #18 · p.2 #18 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


kosmoskatten wrote:
Photob*cket does not do the images justice but there you have it.


You can upload to Photobucket without any recompression, as long as you stay under the 1MB file limit. You have to set it in the advanced options somewhere. Same with Picasa, except it's tricky to get a direct link to the full size pics with Picasa, but they are not recompressed -- file size is identical to the byte.

Have you encountered the play in the barrel with the Makro-Planar C 60/2.8 too? That one doesn't have such a long focusing helicoid.



Dec 15, 2011 at 11:37 AM
Michael Gordon
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p.2 #19 · p.2 #19 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


75mm always struck me as a strange FL for SLR. I almost sniped a CV 75/2.5 in OM mount but it is not a true Heliar but a double gauss despite hte name and the rendition is very close to the Zuiko 85 F2. The newer SL11 mentioned here is 75/1.8 and is a true Heliar design---lower microcontrast but good resolution. The images posted here make it clear it is a niche lens with the CA and stopping down required to sharpen up the corners. Should be good for some portraits. I still think about it though.


Dec 15, 2011 at 01:19 PM
Steve Spencer
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p.2 #20 · p.2 #20 · 60mm-75mm lens recommendations


Hi Kent,

I think for the 35 range and a landscape normal lens, the ZE 35 f/2 would be a good option. Also just outside of the 60-75 range you might consider the Pentax 77mm f/1.8 FA limited, which is a very nice lens for portraits and it performs well in the close up range too having an MFD of .7 meters and a floating element. A set that looked like

Canon 24 TSE MKII
Zeiss ZE 35 f/2
Pentax 77 f/1.8
Olympus OM 90mm f/2 Macro

would be a pretty stellar kit and just flips your macro and portrait lenses.

Another good option, however, that in my view is a better spread of lenses and goes just outside the 60-75mm in the other direction is

Canon 24 TSE MKII
Zeiss ZE 35 f/2
Rokkor 58 f/1.2
Olympus OM 90mm f/2 Macro

Maybe you need 1 to 1 instead of 1 to 2 on the macro, but I thought I would offer a suggestion.



Dec 16, 2011 at 03:52 PM
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