prime vintage lenses for portraits/street photo

[efem]

Hello,

 

Using an A7ii  and a6000 combo for few weeks now with 10-18, 24-240 and canon fd 50/1.4 and all these lenses doing a great job.

However just came back from Malaysia and realised I would need a slightly longer and shorter prime fix for wonders in the evening, and not to generate too much attention ( 24-240 is too long/big and slow )

I was reviewing many different 35mm and 85mm lenses, however trust real life personal experience more over to stats and corner sharpness pictures. 

Looking for these each with F1.4 max F2 and no more than £200ish per lens purely for personal use ( I can handle some CA and corner softness ) with similar out of focus characteristic as the picture below

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[addicted2light]

For out of focus areas quality at a cheap price nothing beats, IMHO, the Jupiter-9 85mm f/2. It is buttery smooth, and quite sharp as well. The problem is that with Russian glass there is sample variation, so you best try before you buy or at least see if you can return it.

 

Not the focal length you asked, but the Jupiter-3 50mm f/1.5, once you stop it down to f/2 and especially on APS-C, is another winner in my book. The sharp area at open apertures is a relatively small circle in the middle, but it renders the images buttery smooth (is a straight copy of the Sonnar 50/1.5 design).

 

Both these lenses are available in m39 screw mount, the 85mm in m42 screw mount as well. 

 

For a 35/2 in your budget you may look for a Nikon Nikkor-O. It is a pre-Ai design "body", so it doesn't mount on many digital Nikon and thus it can be had for 60/80€ generally. But the lens itself has the same optical design of the Ai and Ais version, it is sharp, focuses close and the bokeh is quite nice.

 

Alternatively, an excellent 35mm f/1.8 is the old Minolta MC one. Sharp even at full aperture and with super smooth bokeh. You will have to pay more though for this one both in size/weight and price (170/200€).

 

A few examples:

 

Jupiter-3 50/1.5 @ f/1.5

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Jupiter-9 85/2 @ f/2

 

Minolta MC 35/1.8

 

Nikon Nikkor-O 35/2 @ f/2

[nomad]

Well, 35 and 85 with 1,4 or even 2.0 may be more expensive than you want them to be and a bit heavier and bulkier than might be good for street.

 

If 2,8 would be good enough for you in the case of 85mm, I'd suggest the Zeiss Contax 85mm 2,8, really small and good bokeh.

 

For 35mm, the Pentax Takumar comes to my mind or the small Olympus, but a 2.8 will not show a lot of OOF blur in 35mm. I doubt you'll get a faster 35mm for that money. Maybe the Minolta Rokkor 35mm 1.8 with some patience. If you want something with similar colors, go for the Minolta 85mm 1.7. But both are quite large and heavy.

[brettfrey]

I agree with all that addicted2light has suggested. Also, any f1.4 option is not likely to be inconspicuous. My all time favorite walk around "poor man's Leica" is Sony NEX-7 with CV 40mm 1.4 Nokton. It was a lens i never thought I wanted, but got it cheap and now it's my goto WFO night lens.

 

[pfogle]

I'm very satisfied with my Nikon 85mm f2 Ais - very small and light, excellent build and optics.

[Golem]

I'm very satisfied with my Nikon 85mm f2 Ais -

very small and light, excellent build and optics.

+1 on that 85, a remarkable lens and reasonably

sized. Also the35/2.0 Nikkor mentioned earlier.

My absolute fave for ... well, I don't wanna say

"image quality" cuz thaz the same as "IQ", which

is a nerdy, technical, "lab test" jargon. What I

dig about the 35/2 is the "qualities [plural] of

the images". The lens has both great "IQ" in the

nerdy sense, and also great "rendering". I don't

know any sure way to define "rendering", but one

aspect of great rendering is that images don't

hafta be perfect IQ-wise to still make an extra

cool visual impression.

 

Full disclosure: I really dig these 2 lenses but

I don't buy into the bokeh mythology. So if you

bow down to bokeh, don't take my advice :-)

IIRC they both have rather few iris blades .....

[activatedfx]

Can anyone post a photo of the Nikon 85/2 mounted on an A7, and maybe a few photos taken with that combo? I have the Rokinon 85/1.4 e-mount, and it is very sharp and great bokeh, but it's a pretty large and heavy lens. I love the 85mm FOV, and would like a smaller option for walking around NYC. I'm considering a Contax Zeiss Sonnar 85/2.8 C/Y (I already have a 28/2.8 and 50/1.4), but that Nikon 85/2 looks like a small, sharp option as well. Thoughts?

[nomad]

If you are already on Contax, stay with them.

 

Nikons focussing direction will drive you mad once your body memory is trained, and the Sonnar is a wonderful small lens and still much cheaper than the faster version.

 

BTW, if you are into Zeiss, the 90mm Contax G would give you autofocus with a Techarte adapter. Just saying.

 

But Nikons are great glass, no doubt.

[activatedfx]

I was all set to head up to B&H today to pick up a mint Nikkor 85/2 AIS, but a quick look on eBay revealed a newly listed Contax Sonnar 85/2.8 MMJ in mint condition and located in the USA!. The price was similar to the same lens from Japan, so I jumped on it. Contax 85/2.8's seem to be very rare in the US, and I have been looking for a long time, so I figured this was "fate". I think that lens will be my regular NYC walk around lens on the A7ii. I love the 85mm FF FOV. Further research on the Nikkor 85/2 made me feel like I made an even better choice, since it seems that the 85/2 is not the best of the Nikon 85's. The 85/1.4 AIS is apparently the one to get.

 

I will report and post images once I get the Contax!

[pfogle]

I was all set to head up to B&H today to pick up a mint Nikkor 85/2 AIS, but a quick look on eBay revealed a newly listed Contax Sonnar 85/2.8 MMJ in mint condition and located in the USA!. The price was similar to the same lens from Japan, so I jumped on it. Contax 85/2.8's seem to be very rare in the US, and I have been looking for a long time, so I figured this was "fate". I think that lens will be my regular NYC walk around lens on the A7ii. I love the 85mm FF FOV. Further research on the Nikkor 85/2 made me feel like I made an even better choice, since it seems that the 85/2 is not the best of the Nikon 85's. The 85/1.4 AIS is apparently the one to get.

 

I will report and post images once I get the Contax!

i think you made the right choice, cos of the reverse control direction of the Nikon. Better stick with Contax. But don't believe the stuff about the 85/2 being inferior to other Nikkors - mine is excellent. As good as the 105 IMO (I use both). I'm sure the Contax is as good, and you'll have consistent color.

[activatedfx]

Yep. The other factor was that I only need to carry one C/Y-Nex adaptor and one set of 55mm filters for ALL my C/Y lenses!

[JimmyD]

The Zeiss Contax 85mm f/2.8 is as good as it gets, period; I really regret selling the one I had in my Canon days before discovering and switching to the magic of the A7 series. Sharp, rich colors, and nice bokeh. You will not be disappointed. Please show us some sample images after you have tested it out!

[Golem]

....... The 85/1.4 AIS is apparently the one to get.

 

.........

Any 85/1.4 is enormous. You will be much happier

with your very tidy compact 85/2.8.

 

Just a comment about focusing rotation/direction:

 

It depends on the nature of your lens collection.

 

Yes, conflicting directions of rotation can be very

distracting. I find it true, thus I never pack a bag

that includes that conflict.

 

But ... having a large lens collection, I find that

it doesn't matter matter, on any given day which

direction is in use. Muscle memory is not all that

much cast in stone. Muscle memory easily adapts

on a day to day basis. But I do find that a mixed

bag of lenses, focus direction-wise, will slow you

down quite a bit, so don't pack such a bag for an

active or hurried style of shooting !

 

Acoarst, if you keep your lens collection lean and

minimal, then all lenses should agree with each

other unless ALL your photography is always slow

and unhurried. Or, you might allow just one lens

that "disagrees" if it's only practical use would be

quite unhurried work, for instance a 90mm macro

if you already have an 85/2.8 for quicker use. It

should not matter which way the macro focuses,

if slow, careful macro work is its ONLY purpose.

[nomad]

True for photography. But these days more and more of us are filming too from time to time. And for that it's a major PITA, since you need to reshoot if you started a focus shift in the wrong direction.

[activatedfx]

The Zeiss Contax 85mm f/2.8 is as good as it gets, period; I really regret selling the one I had in my Canon days before discovering and switching to the magic of the A7 series. Sharp, rich colors, and nice bokeh. You will not be disappointed. Please show us some sample images after you have tested it out!

 

I certainly will!! It is arriving today, and there is snow predicted for NYC later this week, so....

 

Golem - I actually had a Contax 85/1.4 MMJ for about a week. I didn't mind the size and weight. What I DID mind was the soft, glowy photos from wide open to about f/4. I don't know if I had a bad copy or what, but my Rokinon 85/1.4 was sharper and more contrasty at f/1.4 than the Contax at f/4!! The 85/2.8 will be tested against the Rokinon, and I hope it holds up. I love the Rok - it's sharp from wide open, and has beautiful out of focus areas, but it's a big, heavy piece of glass. I like shooting 85mm on the A7ii, and I'm hoping the Contax 85/2.8 will be my everyday lens.

[Trad]

+1 on the CY Sonnar, enjoy, its a great lens, in a small, light, package. I particularly like the contrast and colour and it's plenty sharp, pretty hard to beat. It's what hangs off my A7ii most of the time. Look forward to hearing how you go with it.

[activatedfx]

My Contax 85/2.8 finally arrived. Holy cow. First, it is absolutely MINT. Looks un-used. Second, it is an MMG, not an MMJ as I thought (I think the seller didn't know what he had.). Third, it came with a Contax branded UV filter AND the original Contax leather pouch, which also looks brand new. (That wasn't even in the listing!) Fourth, I mounted it and briefly took a few photos out my Brooklyn window, and it is SHARP, SHARP, SHARP. Wow. I'm completely psyched. Photos to follow (in a different thread) later this week.

[nomad]

Congrats! Actually, the difference between MMG or MMJ is a myth, it would have been as good (and I'm writing this as a German).

But it's wonderful you've got such a great sample. BTW, if your 85mm f1.4 was that soft even at f4, it might have had some not very visible dirt inside.

[Trad]

Another very similar lens in terms of excellent handling and performance is the Contax Sonnar 135 f2.8, like your 28 and 50 it shares the 55 mm filter. the 135 is relatively cheap, I think my mint mmj copy cost me around $260 on eBay from Japan, and sharpness aside, the colour and contrast never crease to amaze me. Contax Zeiss is very special glass indeed.

[activatedfx]

Yeah, something was up with the 85/1.4. It looked absolutely mint and clean inside and out, but the performance was not as good as it should have been.

 

The Sonnar 135/2.8 would be my next logical choice, but I picked up a YUS (Yashica US) 135/2.8 on an impulse last month, and it is amazing! Sharp, great contrast and nice bokeh, and it is smaller  than the Sonnar. I believe it's the exact same lens as the Yashica ML 135/2.8, and I've seen those in mint condition on eBay for @$20!

[nomad]

You'll get slightly different colors and flare. Optics are the same, but coating is not – Zeiss never allowed their T* coating on Yashica brand lenses.

[baskianandan]

Hi activatedfx, I also have Rokinon 85mm f1.4. It is an amazing lens but too heavy for my a6000. Now I'm looking for 24mm MF prime lens, Can anyone suggest which one to go for?. I'm looking for f2.8 and more wide open considering the cost not more than $150

[addicted2light]

Hi activatedfx, I also have Rokinon 85mm f1.4. It is an amazing lens but too heavy for my a6000. Now I'm looking for 24mm MF prime lens, Can anyone suggest which one to go for?. I'm looking for f2.8 and more wide open considering the cost not more than $150

 

 

Hi, 

 

I would suggest, in no particular order:

 

- Olympus OM 24/2 (if you're lucky you might snap one with your budget; not that sharp at f/2)

 

- Olympus OM 24/2.8 (around 80€; fairly small but the adapter for Olympus OM lenses will be bigger, cancelling the advantage)

 

- Contax Zeiss 25/2.8 (probably around 100€/150€ tops, but try to go for the MM variant, with the last aperture value in green lettering, because it should be a better performer than the former AE version)

 

- Nikon 24/2.8 K, Ai or Ai-s

 

- Minolta MC or MD 24/2.8 with 52mm filter ring (not the version with the 49mm filter ring, that's using a different optical scheme)

 

Basically if I were you I'd choose one of these based on the mount for the lenses you already have, in order to be able to carry just one adapter. If you're starting from scratch, instead, I'd go for the Contax. It is not the best lens in their lineup, but it sports great colors and it may wet your appetite and make you buy, in the future, more Contax glass.

[WeaselX100]

Hi activatedfx, I also have Rokinon 85mm f1.4. It is an amazing lens but too heavy for my a6000. Now I'm looking for 24mm MF prime lens, Can anyone suggest which one to go for?. I'm looking for f2.8 and more wide open considering the cost not more than $150

 

 Canon nFD 24/2.8 is ok and should be quite cheap. See some testshots, the last winter shots made on Alpha 7R.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83635770@N02/albums/72157661431882313

 

If you can allow F/4, there are more options. You may try the Revue 24/4 (former Ennalyt 24/4), which has more "character" (to say it nicely... it has heavy field curvature), and which should be even less expensive, but maybe difficult to find. Revue is sometimes considered as "crap", build quality is not so good, coating was very bad, but I think the image quality is not so bad. Closest distance is 19cm, almost good for macro). 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83635770@N02/24609676465/in/datetaken-public/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/83635770@N02/24238510059/in/datetaken-public/

 

Flektogon 25/4.0 is also very nice, but more expensive and heavy.

 

(And maybe I learn some day how to inlcude the pictures and not the links here )

[nomad]

I'd second the Olympus 24 f2.8 or the Canon nFD if you're on a budget.

 

As mentioned the 25mm Contax is the weakest in that line and it's more like 26mm – all the others are great, but not cheap any more.

 

The better Minolta has a 55m filter thread, not 52.