Hello! Hey, I have to say that I really enjoy the alternative forums! Great advice all around!
Here is my question:
As a Canon shooter (5D2) what are the most "fun" alternative lenses?
I ask because I recently bought the Contax 35-70, 85 1.4 and 28 2.8 and LOVE them! I also have an Oly 50 1.5 and a Contax 50 1.7 coming in the mail (fedex and weather permitting!).
Just now, I bought a cheap Nikkor 50 1.8 pancake and adapter on Ebay!
Oh, and I have an old Leica 50 cron that I use as well.
So, are there any lenses out there (that I do not own or will own) that give a unique "look". I mean, that is why we all crave the alt lenses, right? The different "looks" that they deliver to our pics!
I am trying to keep the budgeting to a dull roar -- the most expensive lens I purchased was the Contax 85 1.4 and the results are just spectacular. I know that the Contax 21 is a very sought after lens -- but for that $$, I would be better served with the new Nikkor wide zoom, which has been getting rave reviews, I think.
when it comes to that "unique look" there is what you see on the web and go OMG!!!!! and those that are more subtle and that you make prints from and after looking at for a while think quietly, "wow." For the former you want something super fast, super long or super wide, for the latter, maybe look at the Summicron-R 90 or Elmarit-R 135 (what do you think of your Summicron 50?).
Rob Chisholm wrote:
As a Canon shooter (5D2) what are the most "fun" alternative lenses?
I ask because I recently bought the Contax 35-70, 85 1.4 and 28 2.8 and LOVE them!
Nice lenses! The D28, in particular, has a lovely rendition and qualifies as an all-time great. However, the fun lies elsewhere. For myself, the choice is a lens that tilts, and my specimen happens to be a CZ S-Planar 100/4 with its dedicated bellows. The tired cliché is a landscape reduced to "toy" dimensions. The technically-correct application is a flat subject where tilting preserves DOF while you select an off-axis perspective. Aperture was wide open, so the thicker chips are out-of-focus on top!
The Rokkor 58/1.2 has a cult following here, and it's not hard to see why.
That would be my first recommendation for a "fun" lens. Someday maybe I'll
have one. In the mean time, the Sigma 50/1.4 is not a bad alternative.
Your Contax/Zeiss 35-70/3.4 and 28/2.8 should give plenty of fun too.
Mine are excellent.
I do think you are going to like the Contax/Zeiss 50/1.7, which has very nice
microcontrast.
Boy, "unique look?" Seems like so many choices out there. Isn't that what makes Alt. interesting? Angenieux, Cooke, Kinoptik, etc. etc. Just got a 83mm Wray but haven't had a chance to use it yet.
Tamron 17mm f3.5 --> Possibly the best wide angle alternative for the $$$'s
CY Zeiss 25mm f2.8 --> ungodly sharpness in a small package
OM 40mm f2.0 --> compact powerhouse at f2.0
OM 50mm f1.8 --> probably the cheapest and sharpest alternative lens that works on the 5D
Rokkor 58mm f1.2 --> Sharp wide open and creamy bookeh
OM 90mm f2.0 --> Wicked bleeding sharpness with macro capability
Nikon 105mm f1.8 --> Bookeh, bookeh, and more bookeh for around $275
Zeiss Jena 135mm f3.5 --> Nice cheap alternative which can be used for macro work as well
OM 250mm f2.0 --> Fastest 250mm lens there is
Tamron 300mm f2.8 --> Sharp tele for the $$$'s
Tamron 500mm f8.0 --> 500mm in 5 inches and the doughnuts are included for free
And the really fun stuff
OM 21mm f3.5 macro with bellows - 13x magnification - just be sure you have stands for macro work or are in a semi-comatozed condition so you avoid motion blur due to breathing on the camera/lens combo while shooting
My most used alternatives are the Rokkor 58/1.2 (I have two...), the Oly 38/2.8 macro and the Vivitar 90/2.5 macro. I also love the Zeiss 85/2.8. I tend to use my 85L more though.
The minolta auto bellows III with tilt and shift is another great alternative piece of gear.
Well, I have a shoot a bunch of different alternative lenses. If you like macro and bokeh let me suggest the Vivitar Series One 90/2.5 macro. The bokeh is out of this world.
Now if only my 5D Mark II would ship so I had something to use it on 
