Chris_88 wrote:
Just curious, Fred, are you keeping the CV 75 1.5 and adding a 85/90mm prime or are you replacing the former with the latter?
I love the CV 75/1.5 but I only tested a review copy. I will definitely get one if it ever comes to the E-mount since the M does not perform optimally on the Sony sensor stack.
Hey, yeah thanks for pushing me over the edge on the M-Hex 90- no regrets whatsoever. I forsee it's going to in my possession for a long time (at least unless CV do a 90/2) and will see plenty of use.
It's true that they're very rare outside of Japan. It was just synchronicity that I happened to check and Popflash had one listed in great shape, so I jumped. The M-Hex 35/2 also looks amazing, but ya. At current prices, a Summicron isn't much more of a stretch. The 50/2 is also virtually nonexistent in the States, but even ordering one from Japan would be within the budget. Going to hold off on new lenses until the Spring, not much to shoot right now and my current collection is pretty solid.
Thanks for the comments, I always appreciate your input!
Juha Kannisto wrote:
Happy to hear you are loving the M-Hex 90/2.8. In Japan they are quite popular and there's pretty good availability in the 2nd hand market, but I also could find only very few reports about it in English.
In addition to 90/2.8 I used to have the collapsible Hexanon 50/2.4 LTM and also the 35/2 M-Hexanon, but I eventually sold them and just keep the 90/2.8.My 50/2.4 LTM was very sharp and relatively small & light and I liked the rendering but it was weak when shooting against strong light sources and the mechanics when collapsing/un-collapsing didn't feel so sturdy. I had several alternative 50mm lenses so I sold it when buying something new but I miss it sometimes. My 35/2 M-Hexanon was a bit weak a the edges/corners on Sony sensors although very sharp centrally. It's somewhat rare and often relatively expensive in good condition.
The 50/2 M-Hex should be good too, I've never tried it though but I believe it should work pretty well on Sony as well.
I once tried a friend's 28/2.8 M-Hex on my A7R (which was my main camera at that time) and it was showing some color shifts towards the corners so that one didn't seem optimal for Sony sensors. I've been curious about Konca's LTM 35/2 lenses too, especially the UC-Hexanon, but they are always quite expensive and probably not well optimized for Sony sensors... After I got the small Ultron 35/2 I haven't been too tempted by the small legacy 35/2 alternatives....Show more →
Fred Miranda wrote:
I love the CV 75/1.5 but I only tested a review copy. I will definitely get one if it ever comes to the E-mount since the M does not perform optimally on the Sony sensor stack.
Thanks, Fred. Spacing-wise, 40-75-110 makes a lot more sense than 40-85/90-110 or 135. Thinking about getting the 40 1.2 after all, but the gap between 40 and 85 is kinda big.
Fred Miranda wrote:
It's interesting that the first Voigtlander 65/2 APO-Lanthar prototype had similar blue/green/red lines compared to the previous APO-Lanthar versions:
When the prototype came out I remember on various forums a barrage of criticism for the stripes and how naff and tasteless they were. I don't mind them at all. Anyway Cosina must have heard, because they produces the muted mini striped for the production model!
I feel that way, the rings were a little OTT. Much prefer the subdued 50/2 look. And it's amazing how much people notice weird stuff when you are trying to photograph them. Not a problem with the typical subjects that find themselves in front of the 65/2 front element however.
Fred Miranda wrote:
At the moment, I don't think there is anything as good as the Loxia 85/2.4 in a somewhat compact design. We have the 110/2.5 APO macro but it's a large 1:1 macro lens.
Let's see if Voigtlander delivers a 90mm APO that competes with modern lenses.
Just in case it slipped under your radar - there is the Sigma 70mm macro as an option also...
Fred Miranda wrote:
I just just got a copy of the 85/4 ZM and will test it again the Voigt 90/3.5 APO LTM. maybe next week.
So, I tested the 85/4 ZM vs Voigtlander 90/3.5 APO at infinity and the former did much better even at small apertures. The CV 90/3.5 is a great lens but the Zeiss was capable of higher resolution and contrast, especially towards the edges.
Fred Miranda wrote:
So, I tested the 85/4 ZM vs Voigtlander 90/3.5 APO at infinity and the former did much better even at small apertures. The CV 90/3.5 is a great lens but the Zeiss was capable of higher resolution and contrast, especially towards the edges.
So what did you end up with at this focal length Fred? Maybe the Loxia is still the best reasonably compact landscape option for now. I had hoped the new Samyang 75 would be sharp across the frame, but apparently not.
rvh23 wrote:
So what did you end up with at this focal length Fred? Maybe the Loxia is still the best reasonably compact landscape option for now. I had hoped the new Samyang 75 would be sharp across the frame, but apparently not.
The CV 90/3.5 is a good lens but there are better options for this focal length.
I ended up with the Voigtlander 75/1.5 Nokton VM. It performs similarly on the Sony and Leica. (Link)
If you want 85-90mm, IMO, there is nothing better than Loxia 85/2.4 or Zeiss 85/4 ZM. After that Batis 85/1.8 and then Sony 85/1.8. The Leica 90/2 APO is also a great lens.
Fred Miranda wrote:
The CV 90/3.5 is a good lens but there are better options for this focal length.
I ended up with the Voigtlander 75/1.5 Nokton VM. It performs similarly on the Sony and Leica. (Link)
If you want 85-90mm, IMO, there is nothing better than Loxia 85/2.4 or Zeiss 85/4 ZM. After that Batis 85/1.8 and then Sony 85/1.8. The Leica 90/2 APO is also a great lens.
Cruel, Fred, cruel! The Loxia 85 is the last Loxia needed to complete my collection. It is a seldom-used focal length for me, and a primary reason I sold my lovely Canon 90 TSE lens. But the Sirens are calling as the used prices go down.
Fred Miranda wrote:
The CV 90/3.5 is a good lens but there are better options for this focal length.
I ended up with the Voigtlander 75/1.5 Nokton VM. It performs similarly on the Sony and Leica. (Link)
If you want 85-90mm, IMO, there is nothing better than Loxia 85/2.4 or Zeiss 85/4 ZM. After that Batis 85/1.8 and then Sony 85/1.8. The Leica 90/2 APO is also a great lens.
My experience matches Fred's. The 90/3.5 is no slouch, but not quite as sharp as the Lox or ZM. It is a very nice macro lens though and I happen to like the contrast that you can get out of it. Still have mine in ZF-2 mount, though haven't used it in a few years.
EDIT: I just looked at my test shots again of the 85/4 ZM vs. my 90/3.5 CV and it was much closer than I remember - very hard to tell the difference between the two unless you are at 100% (on my A7RIII). Center is slightly better on the ZM.
The 90/3.5 is very very sensitive to turns of the focus ring at infinity which can make it very hard to achieve critical focus.
Perhaps I have a particularly good copy of the 90/3.5 and a slightly sub-standard 85/4 ZM, though I never have thought my ZM lacked for sharpness even wide open.
I use the SL II EF version with MC-11 adapter. It does every variety of AE leaving me to focus with my left hand. A versatile semi macro and medium tele travel tens.
The Loxia 85 is the last Loxia needed to complete my collection. It is a seldom-used focal length for me, and a primary reason I sold my lovely Canon 90 TSE lens. But the Sirens are calling as the used prices go down. 