I came across a Canon 25/3.5 LTM lens that looks in excellent condition and a seemingly decent price. However, I have no experience with the lens nor have I seen too much written except that it's 'decent' (whatever that really means) but flares due to its single coating.
Anyone here have any experience with this lens they can share? I would use this on both digital and film.
rji2goleez wrote:
Anyone here have any experience with this lens they can share? I would use this on both digital and film.
If you don't get any responses here, if you're on Facebook there's an LTM Lenses group, run by Marc l'Esperance and you could ask there. If you're not on Facebook let me know and I'll ask for you!
bjhurley wrote:
If you don't get any responses here, if you're on Facebook there's an LTM Lenses group, run by Marc l'Esperance and you could ask there. If you're not on Facebook let me know and I'll ask for you!
Thanks Brad! I will find the LTM Lenses group and ask there as well.
A super wide angle lens with a diagonal angle of view 82°, developed based on Topogon (manufactured by Carl Zeiss, Germany. Angle of view: 100°. f/6.3). This lens has a unique optical system: a spherical lens element with a very high refraction index is used as the first lens element and a special optical glass lens element with the infinite radius of curvature is used as the rearmost lens element. This lens was the fastest lens in the world as a 25mm lens at the time.
Focus on this lens is a bit stiff. Images are glowy even after stopped down to f/8. I guess I can consider this a character lens. Didn't buy it just yet.
rji2goleez wrote:
Focus on this lens is a bit stiff. Images are glowy even after stopped down to f/8. I guess I can consider this a character lens. Didn't buy it just yet.
I'm going to bet that the glowiness is haze. Some of those old Canons have haze in the elements; I hunted a long time to find a haze-free copy of the 100/3.5 LTM (which is a fabulous lens, by the way, the smallest 100mm lens I've ever seen and it has a beautiful rendering). If you end up buying it, a CLA should take care of the stiff focus and the haze.
bjhurley wrote:
I'm going to bet that the glowiness is haze. Some of those old Canons have haze in the elements; I hunted a long time to find a haze-free copy of the 100/3.5 LTM (which is a fabulous lens, by the way, the smallest 100mm lens I've ever seen and it has a beautiful rendering). If you end up buying it, a CLA should take care of the stiff focus and the haze.
Yeah, you're probably right. If it is haze, it's the internal elements as the front and back glass look pretty good even shining a flashlight onto them. Who knows what's lurking inside.
Not sure I'm up for a CLA. I already have a Zeiss Biogon 25/2.5 so it's not like I need the focal length. Might just let this one go.
rji2goleez wrote:
Yeah, you're probably right. If it is haze, it's the internal elements as the front and back glass look pretty good even shining a flashlight onto them. Who knows what's lurking inside.
Not sure I'm up for a CLA. I already have a Zeiss Biogon 25/2.5 so it's not like I need the focal length. Might just let this one go.
The way those neon lights look in the top photo really makes me think of haze. I got a dual-range Summicron a few years ago as part of a package that included a Leica M2-R, and the Summicron was very hazy; the images looked a bit like yours but worse. I got it CLA'd by Yuxin Yee and it's great now; it wasn't very expensive.
But yeah, it might not be worth it especially since you already have a good lens in this focal length, and faster to boot.
Doesn't look like anything would be cemented, so likely a CLA would take care of it. But I also don't really see anything special about it to make the effort worthwhile.
I have one of these. It's a fun lens if you know about all the flaws and don't mind them. I also get flares pretty easily with this one, which can be neat or not.
On the M9, I never set a lens profile so there's color fringing and vignetting. Probably fixable with the right lens profile.
The photos above definitely are hazed compared to mine.
