'dog on hikes in Vermont but also enjoy street and travel photography' tends to suggest between 28mm and 50mm. We don't have an E 28mm. The first one to arrive was the 40/1.2 which remains the favourite of many. The 65/2 is great but 625 grams, a fair load for mobile activities and it's very conspicuous on the street.
The Apo-Lanthars capture everything and have better bokeh than is often acknowledged. The 35mm in particular resembles medium format. It has that deep rewarding WYSIWIG effect. People want character but there are many many uses for this level of performance. It has a settled look to its images, it's reassuring.
The 50/1.2 is a great lens, perhaps a little like a shorter 75/1.5, which is a real star but maybe not for a new-to-MF person. The 35mm f2 APO breathes a fair bit, making it shoot long at closer focus distances. The 35/1.2 gets little press, could be wonderful, worthy of a little research? You will have to accept that MF is a learning ciurve, don't be disheartened. The whole schtick means a lower hit rate, but greater satisfaction at the results and your involvement in making them. Good luck with the tough choice. Maybe look at what you use now and go from there. One from the 35/2 APO (f8):
All Voigtlanders give satisfying small aperture results, CV uses f22, even f32 on some lenses
philip_pj wrote:
'You will have to accept that MF is a learning ciurve, don't be disheartened. The whole schtick means a lower hit rate, but greater satisfaction at the results and your involvement in making them.
Part of my interest in Voigtlander comes from my formative years taking photos with a Canon FX (1960s SLR). It required being thoughtful and deliberate about photos, and I miss that. I’m looking forward to the learning curve!
First shot with the 50/2 APO. The lens itself is a piece of art and a pleasure to use. Many thanks to you all for the advice and to my tolerant doggo for being a good humored model.
Unfortunately for my pocket book, I suspect I'll be acquiring a few more of these lenses in the future.
They do it for the love of it. They will lavish attention on each lens, make two, three or four versions of it, release it to often lukewarm reception, only to discontinue one or more versions a few years later.
It's as though sales and profit don't matter to them. They are doing it for internal reasons of their own, for the love of doing it, essentially. Easy to respect that in a soulless landscape of consumer goods. They must have made hundreds of distinct and very different lenses in just this century.
philip_pj wrote:
They do it for the love of it. They will lavish attention on each lens, make two, three or four versions of it, release it to often lukewarm reception, only to discontinue one or more versions a few years later.
It's as though sales and profit don't matter to them. They are doing it for internal reasons of their own, for the love of doing it, essentially. Easy to respect that in a soulless landscape of consumer goods. They must have made hundreds of distinct and very different lenses in just this century.
There's something very Japanese about that. Doing something right because it's worth doing.
A few years ago, I put together a very nice collection of hand forged Japanese chef knives that I still use every day. With these knives, it's the same situation: They are handmade pieces of art that sell for next to nothing (compared with lenses) but bring joy with every use.
First shot with the 50/2 APO. The lens itself is a piece of art and a pleasure to use. Many thanks to you all for the advice and to my tolerant doggo for being a good humored model.
Unfortunately for my pocket book, I suspect I'll be acquiring a few more of these lenses in the future.
Even with restraint, like buying for specific purposes, you can max out fast on 50mm lenses.
If Cosina made 2-3 longer lenses (90mm-100mm) and 25mm and 28mm with the same enthusiasm as they have for 50mm and 35mm, they would do even better.
There are a lot of excellent 50mm lenses from other makers, but not many good small/light ones in those neglected focal lengths. It's forcing me to get a UT done for a 28/2 Ultron, for mixed use.
