[pixee]

[quote name='Klaus' timestamp='1282996909' post='2272']

Oh, and there's of course the Zeiss Makro-Planar-S 60mm f/2.8 in C/Y mount. This one is also pretty affordable in the bay.

[/quote]

This is the lens I loved to use in my 5D-days. I had to shave it a little to get work properly but with good af-confirmed adapter it was THE lens I liked a lot. Another a little more exotic one among the best ones was Olympus

Om 55mm f1.2, which worked even wide open.

I still own contax 60mm macro, but now I use mostly Zeiss planar ze 50mm f2 Macro and am absolutely content with it, but the difference to Zeiss contax -s-planar macro is little, sometimes insignificant. Older 60mm version is also "real" 1:1 macro.

[popo]

Thanks all for the new suggestions. That's a lot of choice there to go through!



Even looking up the earlier ones made me go blind... after a while I couldn't see the differences any more. Maybe bokeh blindness will replace pixel peeping? I worry I'm looking too deep at one detail...

[Guest]

Hi Popo,



I've just got back from a holiday in the mountains (carrying a bunch of primes - it was a back-breaker) and overall the Zeiss 50/2 was the most useful lens in my kit. Great for landscapes, and for rough-and-ready close ups it's a very good performer. The image quality is almost flawless, and by F2.8 it's totally sharp across the frame. Still, I'd been interested to know about other 'exotic' lenses in this range such as the Leicas.



Here's a dragonfly I managed to creep up on, and a 100% crop. Shot at ISO 200, F 7.1.



The 100% crop is in the next post. <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[Guest]

Hi Popo



If you don't want to spend a lot of money and keep it lightweight. I would suggest the good old Tamron 17-50 2,8 without the VC. It is my walk around lens on my K10 and KX. It is v. sharp at every aperture and the macro function gives you good results, much better then some of the Sigma macros I had and certainly the best zoom I `ve ever used. An another idea would be the Tamron 28-70 2,8 with an equally good reputation, but I ve never used it myself.



Kind Regards

[Guest]

[quote name='Bjoern' timestamp='1283073686' post='2293']

Hi Popo



If you don't want to spend a lot of money and keep it lightweight. I would suggest the good old Tamron 17-50 2,8 without the VC. It is my walk around lens on my K10 and KX. It is v. sharp at every aperture and the macro function gives you good results, much better then some of the Sigma macros I had and certainly the best zoom I `ve ever used. An another idea would be the Tamron 28-70 2,8 with an equally good reputation, but I ve never used it myself.



Kind Regards

[/quote]





ups, sorry that was for an another v. similar topic... brilliant start for a newbie.

[popo]

Wow... is this thread so old already? Thought I'd update as I finally bought my 50mm-ish lens. I went for the Canon FD 50mm f/1.2 (non-L). It's cheap enough to be a gamble even if it doesn't work as hoped. The few samples I've found so far suggest it responds well to stopping down to f/2-f/2.8 target region plus I get the benefit of playing with f/1.2 on occasion. I still want that Zeiss macro, but I just can't justify the price tag to myself.



I'm aware of the "extension tube" effect of mechanical FD adapters to EOS mount, and need to crunch the numbers later to see exactly how bad it is, but I don't need infinity focus so I'm not too concerned. Long term if I really like it I might try a mount conversion.



The lens should arrive tomorrow but the adapter might take quite a bit longer to get to me from China... might have to improvise before then.

[genotypewriter]

[quote name='popo' timestamp='1286989239' post='3615']

I went for the Canon FD 50mm f/1.2 (non-L).[/quote]

Tells us how the LoCA is when you get to use it...



GTW

[popo]

[quote name='genotypewriter' timestamp='1287575306' post='3707']

Tells us how the LoCA is when you get to use it...



GTW

[/quote]

I haven't done any controlled tests with it yet, but it seems promising for LoCA wide open. It does have a big dose of "glow" though, but I'd expect that to clear up stopped down a bit.



I also need to modify it so the aperture ring works since it is not directly connected. If nothing else I'm learning how FD mount works <img src='http://forum.photozone.de/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/biggrin.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='B)' /> I know what to do, just haven't done it yet.



My initial test involved taping the lens to a cheap extension ring mount so I can connect it to a camera. This is quite some mm of extension so my maximum focus distance was 40-50cm or so. I'm not sure how messy it will be to modify the distance to obtain infinity focus as I think it will require cutting into the lens body. My alternate plan is recycling the mount of another broken lens which will have in total some 3mm extension getting me out to about 1m maximum focus distance, which should be ok for my application.



I was never good at mechanical modifications though...

[popo]

The end is in sight! On the weekend I dismantled the lens further. If I remove the last section of the outer body, I gain more than enough space to correctly fit an EOS mount for infinity focus. That body section will be replaced with two aluminium plates I'm in the process of getting cut, and I can fine adjust the distance as the donor mount had some thin spacing rings I can add to find tune in fractions of a mm. It will get a bit messy dealing with the various screw placements and also joining all the layers securely.



The aperture ring coupling I'm still not decided on. The outer aperture ring I can force couple to the inner ring. I need a new metal part made to couple that inner ring to the part that actually operates the aperture, which isn't present any more as it is part of the FD mount mechanism I've removed. I think that can be cut by hand in thin steel.



I'm getting near the point where I think I should have said stuff the credit card and just get the Zeiss in the first place...







The rear section and aperture ring is removed here. The two prongs on the left are the main control for the aperture.