Steve Spencer
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
|
 p.13 #16 · Voigtlander 28mm f/2 APO-Lanthar Review | |
jhonzatko wrote:
Today is my third day using the APO 28, and I'm still amazed at what a great lens it is. My first impressions are very positive. But now comes the hardest part: deciding whether to keep the new APO 28 as a great addition to my existing APO 50, or to keep my current Nokton 28/1.5. Has anyone else faced a similar dilemma? How did you decide?
I have put together a few kits over the years and here is what I did and my current plan.
When I first had a Leica M10 my kit was a 16-21 f/4 WATE, 28 lux, 50 cron APO, and 90 cron APO. This was a lovely kit in many ways. I liked having the WATE especially for architecture, but I never was fully satisfied with its performance. I loved having the 28 lux and I liked its character a lot, but it was pretty big and I found the finder blockage a problem. The 50 cron APO was great for a lot of my shooting, but I never really liked it that much for portraits and that was a problem for a 50 and especially a problem paired with the 90 cron APO which was ok for portraits, but never exactly what I wanted either.
This kit was stolen, so it took me a few years to get a Leica M10 again. When I did I switched it up and got the 21 SEM, the 28 cron v1, the 50 lux Asph, and the 90 Elmarit. This too was a great kit but it had a different set of strengths and weaknesses. I loved the performance of the 21 SEM, but I wished at times I had a wider lens. I generally liked the 28 cron v1, but I didn't use it as much as I expected to use it. It was adequate but the character didn't speak to me in the way the 28 lux did. The 50 lux Asph, was a favorite of mine especially for portraits and it did alright at everything else, but it too annoyed me at times especially its propensity to flaw when used shooting into the sun and sometimes the ninja star out of focus highlights when stopped down. I felt much the same about the 90 Elmarit as I did about the 28 cron v1, it was adequate and inoffensive, but it never inspired me to use it.
Fast forward to today and I am building my kit again. I got divorced a couple of years ago and ended up selling my Leica kit to help cover the substantial cost of that. Now I am shooting mirrorless again (never really stopped actually) with the Sony A7r V, with which I am very happy. I like the larger body, like Ron argued earlier, and I like the wonderful EVF and especially for shooting wider than 28 and longer than 50mm (I still prefer the rangefinder for shooting between 28 and 50). The kit I am building will have the Sony 16 f/1.8 G, the CV 28 f/1.5, the CV 50 f/2 APO, and the CV 75 f/1.5. I also have the CV 21 f/1.4 that I can swap in to replace the 16 and 28 when I don't think I will need the ultra wide and when I want wide people shots. In time I will also add the Zeiss Otus 50 f/1.4 ML and swap that in instead of the CV 50 APO and 75 f/1.5. And I will likely add the CV 28 f/2 APO if they make it in Sony E mount and the CV 90 f/2 APO (even if they don't make it in E mount).
My thoughts are the Sony 16 and CV 28 f/1.5 will give me much of what I liked in my original Leica kit and when I swap them out for the CV 21 f/1.4 I will get much of what I liked in my second Leica kit. The CV 28 f/2 APO would give me a different look and based on this review one I think I would really like. I think for me I would take that lens if I wanted to focus on architecture and landscapes, but wasn't going to be shooting people. From Fred's tests it would be fine for that, but I am pretty sure I would prefer the CV 28 f/1.5 and its character for people shots. Across the board I generally prefer highly corrected lenses like the Leica 50 cron APO, 90 cron APO, and the CV 50 f/2 APO, and I am pretty sure this 28 f/2 APO for architecture, landscape and nature, but I like lenses with a bit more character for people shots.
I know I like the CV 50 f/2 APO as I have used it on both Leica M and Sony E mount, for years, but it isn't my favorite for portraits. That is why I am pairing it with the CV 75 f/1.5, which I have also used on both Leica M and Sony E mount and know I like for portraits. It has just enough character that it is one of my favorite portrait lenses. When I get the Otus, however, I expect there will be times I will swap out both the CV 50 f/2 APO and the CV 75 f/1.5 for the Otus, and doing so even as heavy as the Otus is, will save me a bit of weight. I think the Otus will be one of the few lenses that I will like for architecture, landscape, and nature, *and* for portraits. I'm not getting this lens for a couple of years, because I expect it to take that long to drop to the price I am willing to pay for it, but we will see when I do how that affects my kit. Maybe I won't like it as much as I expect and won't keep it. Maybe I will like it so much that I will sell the CV 50 f/2 APO and the CV 75 f/1.5. We'll see.
I do think I want a 90 for times when I want that extra telephoto reach. I am skeptical that Cosina will ever make a 90mm Sony E mount lens but from Fred's review I think I would be happy with the CV 90 f/2 APO adapted to Sony E mount even though the corners suffer a bit when it is adapted. Corner sharpness is not ever one of my main concerns, but I am pushing this decision down the road as I would rarely use this lens with the CV 50 f/2 APO (see some of my frustrations with my first Leica kit) and even though this lens intrigues me I might want a different 90mm. In my plans I think the CV 90 f/2 APO would go best with the Otus 50 ML, but that would make a kit that may be a bit too big and too much weight for what I would like.
So that is my balancing act. I might scrap all those plans and get a Leica M again too, although I don't think my lens plans would be that different. I do like rangefinders especially for shooting 28 to 50, but I appreciate the excellent EVF of the A7r V and especially for shooting wider and longer, and one thing holding me back from a rangefinder kit is that I am not impressed by any of the ultra wide options available for rangefinders. I think I will like the Sony 16 f/1.8 G better than anything for Leica M, but maybe as I use that lens I will feel differently.
|
