I need a couple midrange primes. Suggestions?

seanothon

seanothon

Active member
I am looking for a couple of fast lenses at 35mm and 50mm equivalent (or thereabouts). Ideally I would want something like a voigtlander 25mm but I don't really have that much to spend. I am thinking some nice legacy lenses or maybe some less expensive newer ones. Any ideas?
 
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You can get Leica R 35/2 and 50/2 for about the same together as a Nokton. You could scarcely do better glass wise.

Alternately the Nikon 35 and 50 in 1.4 to 2 are fairly easy to find and a bit less pricey.
 
mcbob said:
You can get Leica R 35/2 and 50/2 for about the same together as a Nokton. You could scarcely do better glass wise.

Alternately the Nikon 35 and 50 in 1.4 to 2 are fairly easy to find and a bit less pricey.
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Whoops. I forgot to mention I am wanting it at 35 and 50 after conversion, so I am thinking 18mm and 25mm.
 
18mm and 25mm!? Sir, I think you need to take a look at the math behind your conversions? Are you thinking about 35 and 50mm equivalents to full-frame sensors?
 
Don't do conversions. It will mess everyone else up. Know them in your head and ask for the focal length you want.

IE: Know what an 18mm looks like on an AF100 and if that is the camera format of desire, then simply say "Hey, what's a good 18mm for AF100?"... if you want wider, simply ask for a wider lens suggestion. Then people can simply suggest a good 18mm because there is no confusion.

That would be like me asking for a discussion about Zeiss versus Nikon versus Canon versus Leica, but oh yeah, for the sake of this conversation please call Zeiss 'who', Canon 'what', Nikon 'I Don't Know', and Leica 'Why'.

So who's the best?
Exactly!
Ahhhhh! What's the best?
No!
No what?
Exactly.
Who's the best.
That's what I'm asking!.....

:)
ACBaseball.jpg
 
Ha!. Sorry, I figured if we were talking legacy lenses from 35mm still cameras we would be thinking 2x conversion. I am asking for lenses around 18mm and 25mm
 
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One of my favorite lenses is the Nikon 20mm f/2.8. It is well made, has nice contrast, and little distortion. The extra coverage vs. the standard 25mm really comes in handy. When I need to go wider I resort to the Tokina 12-24mm f/4.0. It's slow and the DoF is deep, but in daylight it does the job.
 
If you want a really nice portrait lense for a reasonable price you absolutely have to look at the Olympus 45mm 1.8 lens. Its sharp, nice shallow depth of field, native m43 lens so no adaptor needed, and it communicates with the af 100 so you control the iris with the camera. It's a plastic lens but it really delivers.
 
Probably not the money you want to spend but look at Cooke Speed Panchro Series III 18mm & 25mm lenses, and you will likely complete the set with the rest of the Series II lenses. They are a different kind of look than the newer glass suggested earlier, but I really like footage shot through these lenses.
 
David W. Jones said:
Probably not the money you want to spend but look at Cooke Speed Panchro Series III 18mm & 25mm lenses, and you will likely complete the set with the rest of the Series II lenses. They are a different kind of look than the newer glass suggested earlier, but I really like footage shot through these lenses.
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Those are really nice but, yeah, a little out of my budget at the moment.
 
I can get a nice Tamron 17-50mm f2.8 for a great price, right now. I am thinking of getting that and taking a little time finding these primes. It seems to have really nice review for what it is and it will cover me for the time being (wedding seasons starting, after all)
 
seanothon said:
Whoops. I forgot to mention I am wanting it at 35 and 50 after conversion, so I am thinking 18mm and 25mm.
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A 50mm lens is a 50mm lens is a 50mm lens - don't try and 'convert' you'll end up tied in knots.

I really like the Canon FD 24mm f1.4 but the 17mm is only f4 which is way too slow for me, the 50mm is also great.
Samyang do a really good (& cheap) 35mm f1.4 that is available new in either Nikon or Canon EOS mount (their 85mm wasn't so good)
 
The Lumix 14mm and 20mm pancakes are super sharp and not very expensive. Great for the GH2 as well. I have both. They do look ridicules on the AF-100.
 
Sean,
If a $1200 lens is within your budget, many AF100 users swear by the Nokton 25mm. And Cosina says they will soon be offering a 17.5mm Nokton, probably for around $1500.
Ken

What's the best 25mm lens?
Yes, that's right.
Huh?
No, that's a good 50mm.
Oh, I don't know what you're talking about.
That's an excellent 18mm.
Wait! You say What's a 25, Huh is a 50, and I Don't Know is an 18?
That's correct.
Well, frankly, I don't give a @#$%^&!!!
Ah, now we're talking zoom lenses!
 
I am currently looking at a nice Panasonic 25mm 1.4 for a good price. From what I've seen it is much sharper than the nokton at 1.4 and whats the point of the extra stops if you can't use them?
 
It's made by Panasonic under Leica's supervision, and consistently gets good reviews- but always seems to be out of stock. I waited 3 weeks for mine to ship.
 
Just bought a Panasonic 25mm 1.4 from EVS. Great deal with DVX discount. Now I just need to settle on lower mm prime of the zoom i've been looking at.
 
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