Coogee, in fact, both 35 and 50 are my favorite focal lengths on rangefinders. You will not find many people who dislike 35s
I also have the 35/1.4 ZM and while it is probably the best 35 in the world, I am also not bonding with it due to size and weight issues.
For me, a nice 35 should be small and light. I would strongly recommend the cron 35 asph or the summarit 35, which is smaller and optically better.
I personally have recently bought the ZM 35/2.8 which is also very tiny with superb IQ. I'm sure you will find out that shooting with a small 35 on an M is very liberating
Thanks, I will see if I can get a closer look at a 35 Cron ASPH to see the size first hand, the theme seems to be my 35s are getting tinier and tinier, at some point I can no longer use size as my excuse! I will also endeavour to spend less time wondering and more time using the 35 I currently have. I need some kind of 35mm epiphany.
I should post some 35FLE shots since this is the picture thread.
To this day I still struggle whenever using a 35mm not because it's a bad focal length but often times it requires me to either get closer and or close down the aperture. With a 50mm you may be able to shoot in a more comfortable range and with the 28mm you can shoot much more freely without closing up the aperture both a comfort zone with the respective focal length. The 35 can do both if used correctly under the right circumstances, it just needs the user to work harder for it if they're going for a certain look. There are also moments that you can use a 35 for what it is but these are somewhat rarer moments imho (or maybe just not my style).
Framing with a 35mm is a breeze and its very rewarding when done correctly as it's IMHO an extremely versatile focal length that can be used to look like both a wide angle and a medium length. The hardest thing for me to battle when I use a 35mm is battling depth of field and as much as the lux is well known for its excellent bokeh, some shots are better when taken with a large depth of field.
Buying a cron might help you feel more comfortable with the weight and size but in the end you're still going to use the same focal length. My best advice is to shoot an event or a small holiday with solely the 35, if you still don't bond with it then you can be happy with the versatile 28/50 combo.
I included some samples hopefully to make some sense of what I wrote above. The first three might have look like its shot with 28 while the last two might look like its from a 50 but they're all from an uncropped 35.
coogee wrote:
Does anyone else struggle sticking on a 35mm lens?
I have and love 28 Cron/50 Lux and tend to think of them as a 'perfect pair' - they are my preference when I go for a wander.
But I always feel I should have a 35mm lens for close-in, 1-5m, environmental portrait sort of stuff. Out for lunch, trip to the museum, sort of thing. Just like your great shots of happy times above ^
I tend to think of 35 as a 'single lens solution' for that sort of occasion.
I once had the ZE35 Distagon - this was gigantic, a beast, far too big! I had the 35 Cron-R II - I liked this but it was just *too* crazy FC whenever the subject was not up close, plus I don't like 6-bladed apertures at all. I now have the 35 Lux FLE - the gold standard I guess - but I'm not bonding with it at all.
I am now considering either downsizing to a 35 Cron-M ASPH (or v4, v3), finding something alt but still M(9) mountable but cheaper (and small-size is a 'big' issue here), or perhaps just giving up on 35mm totally for the time being. I could make do with 28/50 I suppose.
I do find 35mm a bit of a 'boring' focal length, neither fish nor fowl. I'm sure that's my own shortcomings, not some amazing revelation in photography I am unveiling to you all(!) All in all I'm a bit lost, most likely I will do nothing and see if my feelings change with the FLE - it's just a lot of cash to have tied up in a tool I'm not using to good effect. I need to take a trip to 35mm boot camp, get my act together....Show more →
coogee wrote:
Does anyone else struggle sticking on a 35mm lens?
I have and love 28 Cron/50 Lux and tend to think of them as a 'perfect pair' - they are my preference when I go for a wander.
But I always feel I should have a 35mm lens for close-in, 1-5m, environmental portrait sort of stuff. Out for lunch, trip to the museum, sort of thing. Just like your great shots of happy times above ^
I tend to think of 35 as a 'single lens solution' for that sort of occasion.
I once had the ZE35 Distagon - this was gigantic, a beast, far too big! I had the 35 Cron-R II - I liked this but it was just *too* crazy FC whenever the subject was not up close, plus I don't like 6-bladed apertures at all. I now have the 35 Lux FLE - the gold standard I guess - but I'm not bonding with it at all.
I am now considering either downsizing to a 35 Cron-M ASPH (or v4, v3), finding something alt but still M(9) mountable but cheaper (and small-size is a 'big' issue here), or perhaps just giving up on 35mm totally for the time being. I could make do with 28/50 I suppose.
I do find 35mm a bit of a 'boring' focal length, neither fish nor fowl. I'm sure that's my own shortcomings, not some amazing revelation in photography I am unveiling to you all(!) All in all I'm a bit lost, most likely I will do nothing and see if my feelings change with the FLE - it's just a lot of cash to have tied up in a tool I'm not using to good effect. I need to take a trip to 35mm boot camp, get my act together....Show more →
cogee I tend to see at a 35mm F/L. It's the only F/L I use for my personal work. Ralph Gibson and Bresson favorite a more normal F/L and I think I read that Winogrand favored 28.
I have a 35 lux FLE that I love. It was getting near the end of the warranty and I sent it back to Leica because the front half of the lens had a slight bit of play. Picked up a 35 Biogon to tide me over and it is a wonderful lens to. Very small, light and only $860 new.
I originally planned on selling it when the lux came back but I think I will hang on to it.
airfrogusmc wrote:
cogee I tend to see at a 35mm F/L. It's the only F/L I use for my personal work. Ralph Gibson and Bresson favorite a more normal F/L and I think I read that Winogrand favored 28.
I have a 35 lux FLE that I love. It was getting near the end of the warranty and I sent it back to Leica because the front half of the lens had a slight bit of play. Picked up a 35 Biogon to tide me over and it is a wonderful lens to. Very small, light and only $860 new.
I originally planned on selling it when the lux came back but I think I will hang on to it. ...Show more →
Allen I bought mine new for 625 euros. Prices in Europe are quite attractive these days.
edwardkaraa wrote:
Wow! That must have been a very painful experience for the fish!
It was for a few minutes.... Using chopsticks was the tricky part. Thinking back, it was actually a pretty disgusting dinner but they consider it a luxury and I did not want to offend. And my decision making skills were likely hampered by the copious amounts of sake consumed....
Gary Clennan wrote:
It was for a few minutes.... Using chopsticks was the tricky part. Thinking back, it was actually a pretty disgusting dinner but they consider it a luxury and I did not want to offend. And my decision making skills were likely hampered by the copious amounts of sake consumed....
LoL yeah I have had a lot of those; seemed like a really good idea at the time decisions.
No worries about the live fish guys. That's not the worst thing that can ever happen. I can think about the poor lobsters being boiled alive. They taste really well though
coogee wrote:
Does anyone else struggle sticking on a 35mm lens?
I have and love 28 Cron/50 Lux and tend to think of them as a 'perfect pair' - they are my preference when I go for a wander.
But I always feel I should have a 35mm lens for close-in, 1-5m, environmental portrait sort of stuff. Out for lunch, trip to the museum, sort of thing. Just like your great shots of happy times above ^
I tend to think of 35 as a 'single lens solution' for that sort of occasion.
I once had the ZE35 Distagon - this was gigantic, a beast, far too big! I had the 35 Cron-R II - I liked this but it was just *too* crazy FC whenever the subject was not up close, plus I don't like 6-bladed apertures at all. I now have the 35 Lux FLE - the gold standard I guess - but I'm not bonding with it at all.
I am now considering either downsizing to a 35 Cron-M ASPH (or v4, v3), finding something alt but still M(9) mountable but cheaper (and small-size is a 'big' issue here), or perhaps just giving up on 35mm totally for the time being. I could make do with 28/50 I suppose.
I do find 35mm a bit of a 'boring' focal length, neither fish nor fowl. I'm sure that's my own shortcomings, not some amazing revelation in photography I am unveiling to you all(!) All in all I'm a bit lost, most likely I will do nothing and see if my feelings change with the FLE - it's just a lot of cash to have tied up in a tool I'm not using to good effect. I need to take a trip to 35mm boot camp, get my act together....Show more →
You can have a great high speed 35 for only about 800: the CV 35/1.2 which is simply the best low light lens for real world on the M9, because you have some DOF. But it's no walk around lens, however the stock A7r kinda likes it.
The A7r also like the CV 35/1.4 better than any RF 35 except the FLE and the big nokton. That's a fun lens for 400USD.
The cron asph is fantastic, as is the 600USD ZM 35/2 or the great ZM 35/2.8 C-biogon. These suck on stock A7 cameras, like the tiny CV 35/2.5 is pretty decent on the M9 for only 275USD.
Since you mention size I suggest the C-biogon, or CV 35/1.4 if you need the speed. Both are great and cheap. Oh there's also the CV 35/1.7, which has some serious fans.
I settled on the ZM35/2 for daylight and of course the 1.2 for night.
The only other 35 I would love to try out is the 35lux pre-asph. The ZM35/1.4 is a close to perfect as it gets for me - except for size as Edward mentioned. I still find it handles decent on the M240 so I will live with it. I'm "trying" to avoid buying additional lenses in the same FL for different purposes if at all possible.
Thanks everyone, I really appreciate your thoughts (and great pictures.) There's a lot to consider there.
I'll take a closer look at those f/2.0 options (ZM and Cron) when I'm next around a camera store. It might end up being a straight swop for one of those, or I may end up adding one of those much cheaper legacy options and seeing which wins out. I could live with a slower lens if it meant I get more from it.
I'm going to take my time as 35mm has just never come naturally for me.
The 35 FLE was something that came up at a great price when I picked up the 28 and I just couldn't pass it up. All in all, these are great 'problems' to have!
Here's a 28 Cron shot via Silver Efex Pro to keep the pictures flowing...
uhoh7 wrote:
...The A7r also like the CV 35/1.4 better than any RF 35 except the FLE and the big nokton. That's a fun lens for 400USD.
The cron asph is fantastic, as is the 600USD ZM 35/2 or the great ZM 35/2.8 C-biogon. These suck on stock A7 cameras, like the tiny CV 35/2.5 is pretty decent on the M9 for only 275USD.
...I settled on the ZM35/2 for daylight and of course the 1.2 for night.
of course, you could go old school cool and get either: 8 element, Summaron, or the first version of the Lux, each quite unique.
The lens I first bought for LM use was a 2nd-hand CV35/1.4 and I recently sold it, although I agree, it seems to work really well on the A7R. It was also great on my initial M8.
Sold the CV35 and bought the Hexanon-M 35/2. I'm very pleased with that so far (bought with pouch, hood, caps and unmarked for about US$1150). One of my problems is too many lenses and not enough time invested into understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each one
As I recently posted, I also just bought a CLA'd 8-element Cron. It jumped out at me from the pages of APUG! I can't see myself having 2 such lenses long term but I think I will hold onto the Cron as it is a classic, albeit one with some issues. It also plugs directly, with the goggles, onto my M3 and avoids me having to use a cheap 35mm finder.
'Sense' should have had me really looking at the ZM35/2.8 or the 35/2.
I bought a 3rd 35mm yesterday, a Jupiter-12! I bought it and a Jupiter-8 for A$105. The Jupiter-8 will pair with a FED2 that I want to sell and for some $50 the Jupiter-12 is worth having and will also fit onto my Canon P LTM rangefinder.
Coogee - somebody is selling a ZM35/2 on an Aus FB group for $800. Let me know if you need/want details of that.
8-element Cron35 on M9 (leaves being blown wildly in stormy conditions)
8-element Cron35 on M9
Konica Hexanon-M 35 on M9 (had trouble updating this attachment - if it looks weird)
