Most of my suggestions have been taken. I would add the vivitar/tokina 90 f2.5 macro, the vivitar 135 f2.8 close focus (not the regular one) to the list. Both have 1:2 magnification. The not-so-pretty part of the 135 f2.8 is the CA.
THe mamiya/sekor 55 f1.4 for m42 mount is also really funky. It is sharp and has a bokeh that it is very temperamental.
siriusdogstar wrote:
both S-M-C and SMC 50/1.4 hit mine, just barely, only at infinity focus stop; it catches only going down, not flipping up, no bad exposures yet ; my lens/adapter combo can focus just beyond infinity, if infinity is in-focus, the mirror doesn't catch.
You don't "want" to, it just happens to be that way due to luck of draw on adapter thickness. However, given alternative between being able to focus past, and not, the former is preferable. That just means you can't rely on the dist markings on the lens, and also for some wides, the CRC (close range correction) can get thrown off.
There have been some excellent suggestions so far.
I particularly like the CZ 28/2.8 Distagon when stopped down to f/8.
Extraordinary resolution and vivid contrast.
The Nikon 28/2.8 Ai-S is also very good, and beats the CZ at wide apertures.
The CZ has severe vignetting at f/2.8, so if you are looking for a single wide prime that
is very good over all apertures, the Nikon is probably the better choice, but the CZ is
astonishing at its best apertures. My comparision is here: http://www.pbase.com/tswen/nk28cz28
But the one I saw only brief mention of that you really should seek out is the
CZ 85/2.8 Sonnar. Extraordinary resolution with very nice colors and fine bokeh.
Very sharp from f/2.8 and knife blade sharp stopped down. I think it's sharper than
my 135L, and that's saying something. Small, lightweight, beautifully constructed,
a joy to use with the 5D. If you like manual focus, this is your lens.
The biggest drawback of the CZ 85/2.8 is the minimum focus distance, which is
rather too great. Still, this lens gives some of the most pleasing images of any glass
in my stable, and it's around $250. Send me an E-mail if you'd like a RAW file from it.
cdnguyen wrote:
I would look at Nikon prime wides AI/non AI lenses. Canon doesn't make anything wide that's good.
Are you fing serious? The 16-35II is good as is the 14L and 14L2...
; my lens/adapter combo can focus just beyond infinity, if infinity is in-focus, the mirror doesn't catch.