p.4 #1 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
I had 35mm Summicron ASPH (v1), briefly had 50summilux ASPH (v1), 28 Summicron V1, I would say my copy of Thypoch 28 just so slightly more resistant than the 35cron (which you can nudge the focus tab with the slightest effort) and less resistant than the 50lux. In fact I never noticed the resistance of the focus ring until I read this, which means the focus ring is buttery smooth and never gets in the way.
Tariq Gibran wrote:
Question for all that own this lens or have used it - either the version I or II...how loose (as in the amount of effort required to turn the focus ring) and smooth (non-binding) do you find the focusing with this lens? If you could compare it to either the Simera 50 1.4 or the Voigtlander 28 2.0 II, do you find it tighter or similar?
The copy I received of the Type II Simera 28 1.4 requires much more effort to turn the focus ring than either of the above two lenses for me. I was expecting the looseness/ silkiness of the Simera 50 1.4 focus ring but my copy of the Simera 28 1.4 is much tighter and requires too much effort to turn imo....Show more →
p.4 #2 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
jeffersoncasey wrote:
I had 35mm Summicron ASPH (v1), briefly had 50summilux ASPH (v1), 28 Summicron V1, I would say my copy of Thypoch 28 just so slightly more resistant than the 35cron (which you can nudge the focus tab with the slightest effort) and less resistant than the 50lux. In fact I never noticed the resistance of the focus ring until I read this, which means the focus ring is buttery smooth and never gets in the way.
Thanks. I believe that is helpful. With my copy of the Voigtlander 28 2.0 VII, my experience is probably similar to what you describe with the 35cron and my Simera 50 1.4 similar to your Thypoch 28. With the Voigtlander 28, the slightest effort will nudge the focus ring and it requires very little effort to continue to move the ring. It's silky smooth in this respect. My Thypoch 50 1.4 requires ever so slightly more effort.
The copy of the Simera 28 Type II I have requires noticeably more effort to nudge the focus ring AND it will not continue to move without more effort (I would not describe it as "silky" in it's movement compared to the above). Thus, it takes quite some adjustment getting used to when switching lenses. It very well could just be the specific copy I received of this lens. Optically, the lens is amazing but this use issue may mean I return it.
p.4 #3 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
28mm @ 1.4 is such a wonderful combination, having used Q2 for a while, the Thypoch 28 offer so much more for just half a stop faster aperture, and it makes the subject pop easily yet still very gentle on rendering. More often than not the Q2 rendering just felt like it's slicing my eyeballs...
p.4 #6 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
Maybe as a result of zone street photography or slow apertures and long MFDs in traditional 28mm optics, many people appear to use 28mm lenses for what I call 'stand off' imagery: photos shot at focal distances of 5 metres or more. But after reviewing hundreds of my images shot with this Simera 28mm, around 70% were taken at 1.5-2.5 metres distant.
IMO, the lens does its best work this way, bearing in mind it is really a cine portrait lens in disguise. And the presence of the FLE system, short MFD, strong focal plane and 'designer softness' seem to support this notion. And in 'shooting short', you can maximize the bokeh, the lens's leading feature, helped along by the 14 blade aperture.
At the very least, it adds an extra use case to your wide angle photography, as I have found to my surprise (it's great for travel). Below, I talked the subject into letting me shoot an MFD image of him, crop also added. I've noticed that facial appearance is well-managed (to my vision) for subjects placed off-centre, let's say in the middle 2/3 of the frame.
p.4 #7 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
On second thought, that last one was at the extreme end of things obviously, so here is another to show what I was referring to re the Simera 28/1.4 and near distance people photography:
p.4 #8 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
I've been looking for a manual focus 28mm fast lens for A7RV. I was once inclined towards the Voigtlander f1.5 Nokton but was turned away by it purple fringing at wide open. Read that this Thypoch has better control over purple fringing with nice out of focus rendering. However, the lack of electronic contacts lets me hesitating. Other than the need to manually set the focus length in the camera to enable proper IBIS, does the lens automatically trigger the magnifying and peaking focus assist functions?
p.4 #11 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
philip_pj wrote:
Dusk in Sao Tome, Goa. (ISO 5000 and 3200).
The rendering is almost too perfect for my taste, but I mean that as a compliment. Smooth transitions and clean bokeh are exactly what modern designs aim for.
p.4 #12 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
Fred; Where did yo get the shims for your 28 Simera? Mine is also back focusing. I contacted Thypoch in China, and thy said that it would be too expensive to ship them from there so best to contact my dealer in North America. I contacted B&H photo, and they didn't know anything about shims, even though they sell them included in a kit of Simera C lenses. I really like this lens and want to make it perfect.
p.4 #13 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
Doug Ball wrote:
Fred; Where did yo get the shims for your 28 Simera? Mine is also back focusing. I contacted Thypoch in China, and thy said that it would be too expensive to ship them from there so best to contact my dealer in North America. I contacted B&H photo, and they didn't know anything about shims, even though they sell them included in a kit of Simera C lenses. I really like this lens and want to make it perfect.
The easiest way is to make your own using aluminum foil. Just remove the mount, trace its shape, and cut it carefully.
For reference, regular foil is about 16 microns thick and extra heavy-duty foil is around 24 microns. Depending on how much back focus you.re seeing, you might need to stack or combine both types.
This takes a bit of trial and error and lots of patience.
p.4 #15 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
Doug Ball wrote:
Thank you very much for your quick response Fred. Will try the foil solution.
You're welcome. With a bit of patience, you'll be able to get the lens perfectly dialed in to match your rangefinder. Backfocusing is definitely easier to correct than front-focusing. That said, Thypoch lenses do include shims, and in some cases, removing the very thin ones can help fix front-focusing issues too.
p.4 #16 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
Fred Miranda wrote:
The rendering is almost too perfect for my taste, but I mean that as a compliment. Smooth transitions and clean bokeh are exactly what modern designs aim for.
It's weird that in my case (M9) I see more structured bokeh towards the edges and corners while smooth in the center, pretty much on par with my ex-35mm Summicron ASPH V1, which instantly feels like home as I love the balanced rendering of the 35cron. Probably something to do with the A7r sensor (thin sensor glass)?
p.4 #20 · Thypoch Simera 28mm f/1.4 ASPH. Type II Review
So the humble but very useful focus tab makes it to the M Simera 28/1.4, and the infinity lock is locked out (forever I suspect). Dave here gives some feedback on how receptive DZO/Thypoch is to user feedback. Like many, he is discovering the great value and utility of the 28mm focal length. (My E-mount version accounted for 60-70% of recent outings, so it's easy to agree.)
But the interesting snippet is at around 6:20 where he mentions Thypoch sent him an unidentified lens for prototype evaluation and feedback. What could it be? It's 'pretty freaking awesome and surprising'. We'll see, they are full of surprises.
..
