Steve Spencer Online Upload & Sell: On
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naturephoto1 wrote:
Hi Steve,
Thanks for the input. After going back and reading again about the new Voigtlander 35mm f1.7 Ultron, that might also be a good option and possibly even a better performer from what I have read than even the ZM 35mm f1.4. That might particularly be the case on the A7rII. If I could get a copy of the Black 35mm Ultron for closer to $600 of $700, I would prefer that to the $980 list price through Cameraquest and all of the US sellers.
There are obvious advantages to only having 2 camera bodies including weight and volume. Cost is also another question. But, regardless, I suspect that my R 35mm f2 Summicron will be up for sale here on FM.
Rich...Show more →
Hi Rich,
Good luck with the sale of the R 35 f/2 Summicron. It is a great lens. I loved mine when I had it, but there are better fits for your type of photography. The primary weakness of the R 35 cron is that the corners and edges are quite weak even stopped down. For your primarily tripod based often stopped down work, there are better choices, but as a portrait lens the R 35 cron is great and especially good on a crop body.
I haven't had the new Voigtlander 35 f/1.7, but from Philip Reeve's excellent review I think the field curvature might not suit your style the best. The ZM 35 f/1.4 has a very flat field on a modified camera and I still think it would be great for your style, but of course you will be the best judge of that. As Jako has demonstrated, it is even quite good on a unmodified camera if stopped down to f/5.6 or narrower. So, that is an option too, but I think in your case with the WATE and the a ZM 35 f/1.4 (both of which perform just a little better with the modification) I would go for modifying one of the bodies. That would also let you substitute your R 28 Elmarit v. II for an M 28 cron ASPH. This would save significantly in size and weight and I think as good as the R 28 Elmarit v II is, the M 28 cron ASPH overall at least matches it for performance. And given prices these days, there is not much cost in the switch. You might consider an M 24 Elmar ASPH as well, which is a cracking lens with a very flat field and it is tiny. Personally, for stopped down shooting I think I prefer the 24 Elmar over even the 28 cron. For small high performance lenses at the wide end, it would be hard to beat the WATE, 24 Elmar ASPH, and the ZM 35 f/1.4, and on a modified camera you will get just that bit extra for all these lenses too. Add to these the R 50 cron v II, and the M 90 Summarit, and you have an extremely compact set of lenses from 16 through 90, that all are fantastic stopped down with great performance across the field.
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