Candidates to replace Lady Queen FA 31mm f/1.8 limited

vindrum · 12-22-2008, 04:41 PM

carl zeiss distagon 25mm, 28 mm or 35mm

hinman · 12-22-2008, 05:20 PM

Originally posted by Gooshin

My vote is for the Sigma 28 F1.8

with the exception of size, its the closest out of all of them in terms of focal length and speed, and is AF ( sharing likewise optical formula compromises)

plus i have one, that i paid next to tnothing for, so i would like to know how it holds up to the FA31 and if i should bother getting one.

Gooshin,

I actually want to ask how Sigma 24mm f/1.8 compares to Sigma 28mm f/1.8 if both are similar in pricing. I know that the Sigma 24mm is a wider in view from 31mm but I like wider view in street shooting. And it will compete with my DA 21mm f/3.2 limited in usage but I can use one for night time and one for daytime. If you know about the Sigma 24mm f/1.8, please share your thoughts as I always like 24mm in street shooting.

Thanks,
Hin

hinman · 12-22-2008, 05:23 PM

Originally posted by vindrum

carl zeiss distagon 25mm, 28 mm or 35mm

I look into distagon and all seem to be very pricey similar and more than the 31mm limited. Compared with Distagon like the 25mm, I would have picked 31mm instead. It may be my mistakes as I do not look close enough. The Carl Zeiss glass can open up a can of worms for LBA and I am glad that they are expensive.

Hin

Gooshin · 12-22-2008, 08:22 PM

Originally posted by hinman

Gooshin,

I actually want to ask how Sigma 24mm f/1.8 compares to Sigma 28mm f/1.8 if both are similar in pricing. I know that the Sigma 24mm is a wider in view from 31mm but I like wider view in street shooting. And it will compete with my DA 21mm f/3.2 limited in usage but I can use one for night time and one for daytime. If you know about the Sigma 24mm f/1.8, please share your thoughts as I always like 24mm in street shooting.

Thanks,
Hin

unfortunely i dont have a 24 but its definetly on my to try lenses.

the 28 is a superb lens, even at wide open. The only thing going against it are size, hood options, and its extreamly short focus through.

however it is FF compatable (i switched to the MZ-S for the time being) and it cost me 175 USD back when the CAD dollar was 1:1!! (so by todays standards i paid around 140 USD for it

)

one thing i can comment on though, is the DA21, i dont know if you remember but i tested it against my Sigma 10-20 @ 20 and in all honesty could not find any differences on a K20D, that is why i sold the DA21, which at this point only had a size advantage (and a stop or so.. but at that speed it hardly matters)

i would not be surpsied at all if (aside from weight and size issues) you will never use your DA21 after trying the Sigma 24 1.8, that is my prediction.

Alfisti · 12-22-2008, 08:28 PM

It's the 28/1.8 or the 35/2 IMHO.

I am a sucker for small lenses though so for me i tis the 35/2 hands down. I mark lenses hard (I rate the 77 an 8 out of 10) and the 35/2 just annihilates the FA50 wid eopen, it's a super, super bit of kit. It's crazy small for a FF lens and super sharp at f/2. Manual focus is silky smooth.

RT1 · 12-22-2008, 10:03 PM

I recently acquired a Sigma 30mm f1.4, and I can tell you that this thing is razor sharp.
Granted, I've never had the honor to shoot with the 31mm Limited...but this 1.4 aperture is frickin sweet!

My wife so loves it when I snap pictures of her...

100% Crop...

Groucho · 12-23-2008, 05:12 PM

Originally posted by hinman

I love the Carl Zeiss on its close up and the MF is one of the best that I have used. The lens is not small, but quite compact, an absolute joy to use in close up. It has beautiful color and contrast is quite outstanding. The only gripe that I have is in the hexagon bokeh in ringed light. Overall, it is an awesome lens to consider in the focal length of 35mm. It is very odd that this M42 lens can be used in Av mode and metering is very accurate with shutter changes across the aperture changes in each f-stop

Why odd? I use Av with all my M42 lenses.

Anyway, I'm hanging on to my 31mm.

But always on the lookout for other very fast primes.

hinman · 12-23-2008, 05:25 PM

Originally posted by Groucho

Why odd? I use Av with all my M42 lenses.

Anyway, I'm hanging on to my 31mm.

But always on the lookout for other very fast primes.

Perhaps, I am wrong about it but my impressions has always been that not all of my M42 lens can meter in Av mode, I believe some will just meter wide open for you and I have run into some cases that I have to add the odd Ev adjustment as much as + or - over one to two full stops to get close to correct exposure. Hence, I always default to M mode with green button on manual lens. Perhaps, I need to recheck on Av mode on all of my M42 lens.

hinman · 12-23-2008, 05:29 PM

Originally posted by RT1

I recently acquired a Sigma 30mm f1.4, and I can tell you that this thing is razor sharp.
Granted, I've never had the honor to shoot with the 31mm Limited...but this 1.4 aperture is frickin sweet!

My wife so loves it when I snap pictures of her...

Thanks for the sample of Sigma 30mm f/1.4. Beautiful picture! I know that it is another closest candidate to 31 limited. I have the odd logic to ignore this close candidate so that I can have the reason to get the queen back when I am ready. I am the sickest with LBA, please check on my 2008 year nomination in PF in Forum news.

Hin

hinman · 12-23-2008, 05:34 PM

Originally posted by Alfisti

It's the 28/1.8 or the 35/2 IMHO.

I am a sucker for small lenses though so for me i tis the 35/2 hands down. I mark lenses hard (I rate the 77 an 8 out of 10) and the 35/2 just annihilates the FA50 wid eopen, it's a super, super bit of kit. It's crazy small for a FF lens and super sharp at f/2. Manual focus is silky smooth.

Thanks for the suggestion, I would agree to the two noted choices but I would rate my 77mm a 9 out of 10 when used in K20D. Too late, I have ordered the DA 35mm f/2.8 limited already. And I will add the 3rd choice for the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 and cut both the 21mm and 31mm with one single lens. Or do something along the mapping to save on money. But the caveats happens on the weight on the Sigma 24mm or 28mm, they are over 1 lb, I think.

instead of DA 21mm f/3.2 limited ----> get Sigma 24mm f/1.8

instead of FA 31mm f/1.8 limited ----> get FA 35mm f/2.0 or DA 35mm f/2.8

or instead of 21, 31 ---> get Sigma 28mm f/1.8 and a zoom as in 10-20, 12-24, 10-24 etc.

The odd idea is to cash the saving and go buy the wide zoom as in Sigma 10-20, DA 12-24 or Tamron 10-24. I am the sickest in thinking of trying many of combination.

Hin

hinman · 12-23-2008, 05:36 PM

Originally posted by Gooshin

unfortunely i dont have a 24 but its definetly on my to try lenses.

the 28 is a superb lens, even at wide open. The only thing going against it are size, hood options, and its extreamly short focus through.

however it is FF compatable (i switched to the MZ-S for the time being) and it cost me 175 USD back when the CAD dollar was 1:1!! (so by todays standards i paid around 140 USD for it

)

one thing i can comment on though, is the DA21, i dont know if you remember but i tested it against my Sigma 10-20 @ 20 and in all honesty could not find any differences on a K20D, that is why i sold the DA21, which at this point only had a size advantage (and a stop or so.. but at that speed it hardly matters)

i would not be surpsied at all if (aside from weight and size issues) you will never use your DA21 after trying the Sigma 24 1.8, that is my prediction.

Your idea hit me very hard. For a moment, I thought about selling the 21mm and think of replacing both the 21/31 with a 24/28 combination or 24/35 combination and get the saving to buy a wide zoom to cover the needs as in 10-24, 10-20, 12-24 etc.

Thanks for the suggestions,
Hin

Groucho · 12-23-2008, 09:18 PM

Originally posted by hinman

Perhaps, I am wrong about it but my impressions has always been that not all of my M42 lens can meter in Av mode, I believe some will just meter wide open for you and I have run into some cases that I have to add the odd Ev adjustment as much as + or - over one to two full stops to get close to correct exposure. Hence, I always default to M mode with green button on manual lens. Perhaps, I need to recheck on Av mode on all of my M42 lens.

Hmm, I haven't had a problem. The only issue is if you have an M42 with an auto/manual switch and you leave it in Auto, then of course you won't be able to stop down at all. FWIW, my Zeiss 135 behaves just like my Taks in Av mode. (Though I just noticed the other day that oily blades on the Zeiss keep it from going smaller than F11 or so.

)

Normally though (from my limited experience), with the switch in Manual or on ones w/o an auto/manual switch, the aperture adjustment is done "live" (whether preset or not) so the exposure adjusts dynamically in Av mode. But there's so many M42 lenses that it wouldn't surprise me if there are exceptions!

m8o · 12-26-2008, 07:33 PM

hinman, my vote would be for the:
# Sigma 24mm f/1.8
# Sigma 28mm f/1.8
for purely selfish reasons... I'm thinking about them, primarily the former to take those once in every few years Milkyway photos, and I'd like you to tell me whether they're good wide open to the edges and worth the $ or not!

lbam · 01-06-2009, 04:13 PM

I just won a Kiron 28mm F2 on ebay

Did it come from anybody on here?

**rparmar** · 01-06-2009, 04:44 PM

Originally posted by lbam

I just won a Kiron 28mm F2 on ebay

Did it come from anybody on here?

Nice one. No-one here would be foolish enough to sell one.

12-23-2008, 05:29 PM	#39
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by RT1 I recently acquired a Sigma 30mm f1.4, and I can tell you that this thing is razor sharp. Granted, I've never had the honor to shoot with the 31mm Limited...but this 1.4 aperture is frickin sweet! My wife so loves it when I snap pictures of her... Thanks for the sample of Sigma 30mm f/1.4. Beautiful picture! I know that it is another closest candidate to 31 limited. I have the odd logic to ignore this close candidate so that I can have the reason to get the queen back when I am ready. I am the sickest with LBA, please check on my 2008 year nomination in PF in Forum news. Hin Last edited by hinman; 12-23-2008 at 05:43 PM.

12-23-2008, 05:34 PM	#40
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by Alfisti It's the 28/1.8 or the 35/2 IMHO. I am a sucker for small lenses though so for me i tis the 35/2 hands down. I mark lenses hard (I rate the 77 an 8 out of 10) and the 35/2 just annihilates the FA50 wid eopen, it's a super, super bit of kit. It's crazy small for a FF lens and super sharp at f/2. Manual focus is silky smooth. Thanks for the suggestion, I would agree to the two noted choices but I would rate my 77mm a 9 out of 10 when used in K20D. Too late, I have ordered the DA 35mm f/2.8 limited already. And I will add the 3rd choice for the Sigma 24mm f/1.8 and cut both the 21mm and 31mm with one single lens. Or do something along the mapping to save on money. But the caveats happens on the weight on the Sigma 24mm or 28mm, they are over 1 lb, I think. instead of DA 21mm f/3.2 limited ----> get Sigma 24mm f/1.8 instead of FA 31mm f/1.8 limited ----> get FA 35mm f/2.0 or DA 35mm f/2.8 or instead of 21, 31 ---> get Sigma 28mm f/1.8 and a zoom as in 10-20, 12-24, 10-24 etc. The odd idea is to cash the saving and go buy the wide zoom as in Sigma 10-20, DA 12-24 or Tamron 10-24. I am the sickest in thinking of trying many of combination. Hin Last edited by hinman; 12-23-2008 at 05:49 PM.

12-23-2008, 05:36 PM	#41
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by Gooshin unfortunely i dont have a 24 but its definetly on my to try lenses. the 28 is a superb lens, even at wide open. The only thing going against it are size, hood options, and its extreamly short focus through. however it is FF compatable (i switched to the MZ-S for the time being) and it cost me 175 USD back when the CAD dollar was 1:1!! (so by todays standards i paid around 140 USD for it ) one thing i can comment on though, is the DA21, i dont know if you remember but i tested it against my Sigma 10-20 @ 20 and in all honesty could not find any differences on a K20D, that is why i sold the DA21, which at this point only had a size advantage (and a stop or so.. but at that speed it hardly matters) i would not be surpsied at all if (aside from weight and size issues) you will never use your DA21 after trying the Sigma 24 1.8, that is my prediction. Your idea hit me very hard. For a moment, I thought about selling the 21mm and think of replacing both the 21/31 with a 24/28 combination or 24/35 combination and get the saving to buy a wide zoom to cover the needs as in 10-24, 10-20, 12-24 etc. Thanks for the suggestions, Hin Last edited by hinman; 12-23-2008 at 05:42 PM.

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12-22-2008, 04:41 PM	#31
vindrum New Member Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: moscow Photos: Gallery Posts: 15	carl zeiss distagon 25mm, 28 mm or 35mm

12-22-2008, 05:20 PM	#32
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by Gooshin My vote is for the Sigma 28 F1.8 with the exception of size, its the closest out of all of them in terms of focal length and speed, and is AF ( sharing likewise optical formula compromises) plus i have one, that i paid next to tnothing for, so i would like to know how it holds up to the FA31 and if i should bother getting one. Gooshin, I actually want to ask how Sigma 24mm f/1.8 compares to Sigma 28mm f/1.8 if both are similar in pricing. I know that the Sigma 24mm is a wider in view from 31mm but I like wider view in street shooting. And it will compete with my DA 21mm f/3.2 limited in usage but I can use one for night time and one for daytime. If you know about the Sigma 24mm f/1.8, please share your thoughts as I always like 24mm in street shooting. Thanks, Hin

12-22-2008, 05:23 PM	#33
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by vindrum carl zeiss distagon 25mm, 28 mm or 35mm I look into distagon and all seem to be very pricey similar and more than the 31mm limited. Compared with Distagon like the 25mm, I would have picked 31mm instead. It may be my mistakes as I do not look close enough. The Carl Zeiss glass can open up a can of worms for LBA and I am glad that they are expensive. Hin

12-22-2008, 08:22 PM	#34
Gooshin Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Toronto, the one in Canada. Posts: 5,610	Originally posted by hinman Gooshin, I actually want to ask how Sigma 24mm f/1.8 compares to Sigma 28mm f/1.8 if both are similar in pricing. I know that the Sigma 24mm is a wider in view from 31mm but I like wider view in street shooting. And it will compete with my DA 21mm f/3.2 limited in usage but I can use one for night time and one for daytime. If you know about the Sigma 24mm f/1.8, please share your thoughts as I always like 24mm in street shooting. Thanks, Hin unfortunely i dont have a 24 but its definetly on my to try lenses. the 28 is a superb lens, even at wide open. The only thing going against it are size, hood options, and its extreamly short focus through. however it is FF compatable (i switched to the MZ-S for the time being) and it cost me 175 USD back when the CAD dollar was 1:1!! (so by todays standards i paid around 140 USD for it ) one thing i can comment on though, is the DA21, i dont know if you remember but i tested it against my Sigma 10-20 @ 20 and in all honesty could not find any differences on a K20D, that is why i sold the DA21, which at this point only had a size advantage (and a stop or so.. but at that speed it hardly matters) i would not be surpsied at all if (aside from weight and size issues) you will never use your DA21 after trying the Sigma 24 1.8, that is my prediction.

12-22-2008, 08:28 PM	#35
Alfisti Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Toronto (for now) Posts: 1,748	It's the 28/1.8 or the 35/2 IMHO. I am a sucker for small lenses though so for me i tis the 35/2 hands down. I mark lenses hard (I rate the 77 an 8 out of 10) and the 35/2 just annihilates the FA50 wid eopen, it's a super, super bit of kit. It's crazy small for a FF lens and super sharp at f/2. Manual focus is silky smooth.

12-22-2008, 10:03 PM	#36
RT1 Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Kansas City Photos: Gallery Posts: 85	I recently acquired a Sigma 30mm f1.4, and I can tell you that this thing is razor sharp. Granted, I've never had the honor to shoot with the 31mm Limited...but this 1.4 aperture is frickin sweet! My wife so loves it when I snap pictures of her... 100% Crop...

12-23-2008, 05:12 PM	#37
Groucho Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 416	Originally posted by hinman I love the Carl Zeiss on its close up and the MF is one of the best that I have used. The lens is not small, but quite compact, an absolute joy to use in close up. It has beautiful color and contrast is quite outstanding. The only gripe that I have is in the hexagon bokeh in ringed light. Overall, it is an awesome lens to consider in the focal length of 35mm. *It is very odd that this M42 lens can be used in Av mode* and metering is very accurate with shutter changes across the aperture changes in each f-stop Why odd? I use Av with all my M42 lenses. Anyway, I'm hanging on to my 31mm. But always on the lookout for other very fast primes.

12-23-2008, 05:25 PM	#38
hinman Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fremont, CA Photos: Albums Posts: 3,473 Original Poster	Originally posted by Groucho Why odd? I use Av with all my M42 lenses. Anyway, I'm hanging on to my 31mm. But always on the lookout for other very fast primes. Perhaps, I am wrong about it but my impressions has always been that not all of my M42 lens can meter in Av mode, I believe some will just meter wide open for you and I have run into some cases that I have to add the odd Ev adjustment as much as + or - over one to two full stops to get close to correct exposure. Hence, I always default to M mode with green button on manual lens. Perhaps, I need to recheck on Av mode on all of my M42 lens.

12-23-2008, 09:18 PM	#42
Groucho Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Rochester, NY Posts: 416	Originally posted by hinman Perhaps, I am wrong about it but my impressions has always been that not all of my M42 lens can meter in Av mode, I believe some will just meter wide open for you and I have run into some cases that I have to add the odd Ev adjustment as much as + or - over one to two full stops to get close to correct exposure. Hence, I always default to M mode with green button on manual lens. Perhaps, I need to recheck on Av mode on all of my M42 lens. Hmm, I haven't had a problem. The only issue is if you have an M42 with an auto/manual switch and you leave it in Auto, then of course you won't be able to stop down at all. FWIW, my Zeiss 135 behaves just like my Taks in Av mode. (Though I just noticed the other day that oily blades on the Zeiss keep it from going smaller than F11 or so. ) Normally though (from my limited experience), with the switch in Manual or on ones w/o an auto/manual switch, the aperture adjustment is done "live" (whether preset or not) so the exposure adjusts dynamically in Av mode. But there's so many M42 lenses that it wouldn't surprise me if there are exceptions!

12-26-2008, 07:33 PM	#43
m8o Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: 40°-55'-44" N / 73°-24'-07" W [on LI] Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,092	hinman, my vote would be for the: # Sigma 24mm f/1.8 # Sigma 28mm f/1.8 for purely selfish reasons... I'm thinking about them, primarily the former to take those once in every few years Milkyway photos, and I'd like you to tell me whether they're good wide open to the edges and worth the $ or not!

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01-06-2009, 04:13 PM	#44
lbam Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 442	I just won a Kiron 28mm F2 on ebay Did it come from anybody on here?

01-06-2009, 04:44 PM	#45
rparmar Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2008 Photos: Gallery Posts: 8,819	Originally posted by lbam I just won a Kiron 28mm F2 on ebay Did it come from anybody on here? Nice one. No-one here would be foolish enough to sell one.