My simera 50 works really well mounted on Fuji btw. Makes me wanna keep my Fuji camera bodies
I feel like the 21 does work for very environmental portraits, the lack of compression is acceptable mostly imo.
@Yogifi are you taking any pictures with the 55/1.8 Zeiss? Remember, old but gold plus the 55 will give some extra compression as opposed to a 50. Also check out the CV 58 for Nikon : might be too soft wide open for you, but maybe not. Adapt it to Sony and Fuji and you might have what ur looking for!
@Picture this! That’s why I’m not selling my Zeiss 55/1.8 - for that excellent contrast, color graduation and pop with autofocus and best IR performer - all time keeper!
Btw: simera 35 performs very poorly in IR (crazy flares and early hotspot)
Simera 28 performs okay in IR
Simera 50 performs (very) good in IR with mild hotspot starting at 5.6
On the adapters the 50 focuses way! Past infinity.
And the aperture clicks are so so soft, need to slowly:gently feel the clicks (otherwise looking up at the aperature ring stinks) the clicks on the 28 are the strongest, followed by the 35 for my copies
Happydan wrote:
@Nifty Fifty@@ jeder gibt sein Bestes! Und Philips Recherche und (Photo & Reise) Erfahrung ist erste Klasse.
In your opinion. In mine and in several others' opinions, no. For example, I find the "report" about the Indian road workers quite amateurish and uninspired. They don't tell us anything about the people, their living conditions, their work, and they don't convey any sense of connection. All of this wouldn't be so bad if it weren't in such extreme contrast to the fabricated narrative. But that's what happens when everyone's thoughts revolve around "cinematic look" and magic lenses, instead of asking what you actually want to show and how you could achieve that with artistic means.
Happydan wrote:
My simera 50 works really well mounted on Fuji btw. Makes me wanna keep my Fuji camera bodies
I feel like the 21 does work for very environmental portraits, the lack of compression is acceptable mostly imo.
@Yogifi@ are you taking any pictures with the 55/1.8 Zeiss? Remember, old but gold plus the 55 will give some extra compression as opposed to a 50. Also check out the CV 58 for Nikon : might be too soft wide open for you, but maybe not. Adapt it to Sony and Fuji and you might have what ur looking for!
@Picture this@! That’s why I’m not selling my Zeiss 55/1.8 - for that excellent contrast, color graduation and pop with autofocus and best IR performer - all time keeper!
Btw: simera 35 performs very poorly in IR (crazy flares and early hotspot)
Simera 28 performs okay in IR
Simera 50 performs (very) good in IR with mild hotspot starting at 5.6
On the adapters the 50 focuses way! Past infinity.
And the aperture clicks are so so soft, need to slowly:gently feel the clicks (otherwise looking up at the aperature ring stinks) the clicks on the 28 are the strongest, followed by the 35 for my copies ...Show more →
Thanks Dan, I am interested in the CV 58 for Nikon -- just got my first film camera recently.
Do you know if that lens can be set between f1.4 and f2 apertures?
Right now I have a bit of an obsession with smoothly gradual falloff (that is visible and not too slow) and trying to figure out the right apertures at the right distances while still keeping enough of the background.... but I'm with you on the 55mmf1.8, I like it for the same reasons you mentioned, it isn't going anywhere.
My 28 m-mount is also focussing way past infinity on the sony but I'm not having trouble with it (just before 10m with the voigt non-close II adaptor). And I do love the sound and feeling of those clicks on the 28mm, very smooth. Appreciate the info about the 35/50 clicks, good to know might not be quite as nice but not a deal-breaker.
Nov 13, 2025 at 12:27 PM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
Happydan wrote:
My simera 50 works really well mounted on Fuji btw. Makes me wanna keep my Fuji camera bodies
I feel like the 21 does work for very environmental portraits, the lack of compression is acceptable mostly imo.
@Yogifi@ are you taking any pictures with the 55/1.8 Zeiss? Remember, old but gold plus the 55 will give some extra compression as opposed to a 50. Also check out the CV 58 for Nikon : might be too soft wide open for you, but maybe not. Adapt it to Sony and Fuji and you might have what ur looking for!
@Picture this@! That’s why I’m not selling my Zeiss 55/1.8 - for that excellent contrast, color graduation and pop with autofocus and best IR performer - all time keeper!
Btw: simera 35 performs very poorly in IR (crazy flares and early hotspot)
Simera 28 performs okay in IR
Simera 50 performs (very) good in IR with mild hotspot starting at 5.6
On the adapters the 50 focuses way! Past infinity.
And the aperture clicks are so so soft, need to slowly:gently feel the clicks (otherwise looking up at the aperature ring stinks) the clicks on the 28 are the strongest, followed by the 35 for my copies ...Show more →
On Fuji, however, there is the excellent, small, and fairly cheap on the used market (I got mine for less than $400) Voigtlander 50 f/1.2 for Fuji X mount. That is pretty tough competition for the Simera 50 adapted to Fuji. The Simera is notably bigger with an adapter, has a slower aperture, and doesn't have built in electronics. Perhaps someone would prefer the rendering of the Simera enough to choose it, but I am a big fan of the classic Sonnar rendering of the Voigt.
Good point Steve!
I was just downsizing my Fuji gear (selling a 50/2.8 Zeiss Touit atm)
And just wanted to mention that it adapts well, without me buying another crop sensor lens.
Cheers
*edit* big plus for me on the simera is that it’s sharp at 1.4 - the FF nokton 40 (same for 50 probably) was sharp from f/2 onwards - giving me this “double lens” characteristic in rendering, which I didn’t really use - although other people made spectacular “dreamier” captures with the nokton at 1.2-2.0. I won’t get that double flair from the simera
Steve Spencer wrote:
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On Fuji, however, there is the excellent, small, and fairly cheap on the used market (I got mine for less than $400) Voigtlander 50 f/1.2 for Fuji X mount. That is pretty tough competition for the Simera 50 adapted to Fuji. The Simera is notably bigger with an adapter, has a slower aperture, and doesn't have built in electronics. Perhaps someone would prefer the rendering of the Simera enough to choose it, but I am a big fan of the classic Sonnar rendering of the Voigt.
I think I just figured out why these lenses are so popular.... At least to me, the 35 (especially the 35) has a very modern look. Not for me lol. I had been on the fence about the 28 in the past, but never saw one photo from any Simera that made me say "yes, I need one!"... This is why. Too modern, too clean.
Then you can just buy vintage lenses and adapt them.
The CNC production of the Simeras aspherical lens elements is top notch.
So you’re getting excellent sharpness even when cropping in on high res sensors
Chromatic abberations are also very very well controlled !
Pretty darn good performance at the asking retail price
If the pics from Russia on the 28 simera don’t affect you, then it’s obviously not for u
It's nice to have options. Nokton a bit more vintage in a way, simera a bit more modern, neither are clinical. I quite like them both but everyone has their own preferences.
I want to get 28-50 in m-mount just incase they update the e-mount later but that damn notch at 0.7m.
Maybe the leica users find it useful, but to me it's kind of crazy to add a spot that's sticky on the focus ring.
Feel like it gets in the way with the 28mm. I like these for people shots and you need to get close more often with the 28.
ISO1600 wrote:
I would simply rather have a lens designed for mirrorless that doesn't have the handicap of RF coupling.
Non m-mount simeras don’t have the nudge at 0,7m focus distance
Only my 50 simera does (m mount)
My 50 feels much better constructed than the e mount versions I have (in terms of barrel tolerance and material feel)
My e mount simeras have a little wiggle/play in the focus ring - which turns very easy/fast
The m mount 50 focus ring is much more dampened and the barrel feels more solid. But the aperature ring doesn’t really click very noticeable.
If anyone else has a 50 where the aperture ring barely clicks let me know please
One of the outcomes of flexibility is unpredictability. We have the first two - 35mm and 28mm, available in all four full-frame mounts (E-Z-M-RF), the 50mm is made for M and Z only, the 75mm and 21mm are only in M-mount, at present.
My sense of it is that Sony has somehow alienated itself from both Cosina and Thypoch, and that Nikon will get the best non-M service. Sony is way behind M-mount for CV lenses. Nikon deserves this status thanks to better focus aids, and some interest in MF lenses, at least. I expect the 75mm and 21mm to appear in Z-mount before the others. Nikon has history on its side for MF, and a still vibrant MF support
DZO/Thypoch are keen on repurposing M-mount lenses (both cine and stills), hence their new positive lock adapter being an M-mount lens to E-Z-RF-L and ARRI. So Thypoch has also disrupted the adapter market. Adapters are not cheap and it's another point of potential failure, so it would be best for them to make the stills Simeras in dedicated mounts, at least for Z and E, as well as M.
Sony's market position in light cine (FX3-FX9, Burano, up to Venice II - all in E-mount) is why the cine Simeras are in E-mount, plus M-mount.
What next? A 100mm will steal sales from the 75mm in mirrorless, but gives them a chance to strut their stuff, if they keep T1.5. I think they should go upmarket, and make new range of three lenses for $1000-1250. Really do the job, give people something to enthuse about!
Yogifi wrote:
I want to get 28-50 in m-mount just incase they update the e-mount later but that damn notch at 0.7m.
Maybe the leica users find it useful, but to me it's kind of crazy to add a spot that's sticky on the focus ring.
I've been reading a lot about the Simera lenses recently and I'm pretty sure I read that it's possible to remove the part that adds the 'bump' at 70cm. It requires a little bit of surgery via the lens mount side, IIRC. And I believe it may also disable the depth of field scale with the red dots, though I'm not sure how those two are connected. Unfortunately I don't remember where I ready it...
philip_pj wrote:
DZO/Thypoch are keen on repurposing M-mount lenses (both cine and stills), hence their new positive lock adapter being an M-mount lens to E-Z-RF-L and ARRI. So Thypoch has also disrupted the adapter market. Adapters are not cheap and it's another point of potential failure, so it would be best for them to make the stills Simeras in dedicated mounts, at least for Z and E, as well as M.
Their adapter is very interesting. I can see where someone doing video would want a rock-solid connection to eliminate all play. Many (or all?) of the Simera lenses are floating element designs, which additionally requires that adaptation to your system of choice is with an adapter that retains the exact flange distance requirement of the system in order to retain peak, as designed, optical performance. As many may know, quite often adapters are made slightly short to guaranteed infinity focus (and therefore focus slightly beyond infinity at the lens's hard-stop), but this can result in undesirable changes to a lens's optical performance.
plus the 55 will give some extra compression as opposed to a 50. Also check out the CV 58 for Nikon : might be too soft wide open for you, but maybe not. Adapt it to Sony and Fuji and you might have what ur looking for!
