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Biogon T 2/35mm M mount lens
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A nice lens, by all accounts.
Haven’t seen too many used copies come up for sale, but you might have some luck over at the classified forums at the rangefinderforum ( http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost-classifieds/ ),
Damien
Thanks Damien, I’m new to rangefinders, got myself brand new Zeiss Ikon body, hopefully I’ll buy some lens and start to shoot soon!!
That’s a great camera by all accounts.
Was in a similar position not so long ago, where I had picked up my first rangefinder, a Leica M6, where it sat taunting me til I got a lens for it :)
You should have a great time with it – the rangefinder shooting experience really does make taking pictures enjoyable. Are you planning to shoot colour or black and white, by the way ?
Damien
B&W most of the time, have a darkroom ready and lots of paper and developer,will shoot on Ilford XP2 probably for the good beginning
Cool, same as myself. XP2 is supposed to be a lovely film alright. I’m mainly shooting HP5 at the moment, which I develop myself.
Zeiss 35mm f2 is supposed to be a great lens. If you’re mainly shooting black and white, the rendering of some of the older 35mm lenses in M-Mount are supposed to be fantastic. Kinda jumped the gun, and bought a recent vintage 50mm summicron, and in hindsight would probably go for an older version of the lens, for example from the 50’s or so.
A lot of the lenses from the 50’s/ 60’s had a beautiful way of rendering images in black and white. Back in those days black and white was the only game in town, and lenses generally had a slightly lower contrast, which can really show off the tonality of black and white film. These days, most lenses are designed mainly with colour in mind and thus have a higher contrast, in addition to having a lot of the flaws or ‘character’ designed out of the lens. Kinda like the clean crisp rendering of a digital camera, in comparison to the not so clean and crisp rendering of a film image of the same scene. All a matter of taste, so your mileage may vary.
If you need other options for 35mm, I believe the zeiss 35mm f2.8 is supposed to be a nice lens for black and white also, as well as the voigtlander 35mm f1.4 which is supposed to render images with a lot of character, if you need any other options.
Anywho, rangefinderforum can be a good place to pick up what you’re looking for, with generally decent prices, and honest, real people from what I can see. Stuff tends to move quickly, so keep your eyes peeled if you’re looking there.
Damien
Already found one biogon 35/2 there Damien, but after reading your post I got doubts ;) maybe I should buy sth else ?
I like old feeling and kind of soft misty images of old B&W pictures, and found that XP2 gives me that (plus I’m not that good in developing films in tank myself),
this voigtlander 35mm f1.4 sounds tempting, I’ll check the prices and read more about itIf I only had few grand to spend!!!!
Yes, a few grand improves most things :) Not as many cheap 35mm lenses out there as 50mm’s, so research definitely pays off.
Rangefinderforum and Flickr can be a great way to learn more of a lens. I’ve found Flickr particularly useful in seeing sample images a lens tends to produce.
The Voigtander seems to be a good option, and am sure there are other options out there also. In my own case, I picked up a Canon 35mm f2 which is generally considered to be the equal (performance-wise) of earlier versions of the Leica 35mm f2. This lens is a Leica screwmount lens, so needs an adapter to be mounted on an M-Mount camera, but for €240 it was a nice way for me to supplement my 50mm and dabble with a 35mm without breaking the bank.
In any case, good luck and happy shooting!
Damien
Thanks very much!! One more question if I may;)
If in ideal world price wouldn’t matter would you rather buy Voigtlander 35/1.4, Voigtlander 35/1.2, or Biogon 35/2 as “all-round street landscape pretty much everything” lens???
or maybe sth else???
For B&W multi coat versions are better, aren’t they?Lol, no worries.
I think it’s a matter of personal preference really, and to be honest do not feel there is a one lens does everything lens. Checking out images from these lenses is something I recommend, so you see what you like. I’ve found Flickr handy for this, as often there are entire groups dedicated to one lens, and is a good way of seeing the character a lens renders with. I feel this is much more important than lens sharpness, or corner sharpness.
I don’t think I would be accused of stereotyping the lens you mentioned, if I said the CV 1.4 seems to be a lens with a lot of character and a way of rendering images in the vein of the 35mm Pre-asph summilux. The 1.2 is supposed to be very nice wide open, but is a big lens, with a portion of the lens blocking the viewfinder is that is something that matters to you. The Biogon f2 seems to be the most clinical of the bunch, with a very modern style of rendering an image that is quite typical of modern Zeiss lenses.
Re: coatings, multi-coat CV lenses are more contrasty lenses, and designed with colour or higher contrast black and white. The single coat lenses tend to be a little lower contrast, with black and white in mind, but more susceptible to a little flareon occasion. To give an idea of the contribution of lens coatings, if you imagine old style b&w images with a deal of softness, and often glowing, these images were often shot with lenses with no coatings. Some of the effect had no doubt to do with older, less ambitious optics, but the lack of a lens coating, and often scratches on the lens, played a decent role too.
I’m not sure if this will help you, but I will throw a further spanner in the works. I am considering selling my Canon screwmount 35mm f2, if that is something that would interest you. It’s proving an unnecessary distraction to my one camera, one lens, one film goal for the next year or so, and thus it must go,
Damien
Then my choice would be single coat I think.
Well, that is my goal for the near future too, one lightweight kit (zeiss ikon + 1 type lens) and off i go, I have to much stuff I don’t really use anyway and want to sell. I’d like to keep it simple this time. Since yesterday I’ve seen loads of “lens groups” on flicr, and have to say CV 35 1.4 would be my choice for now…. don’t want to use adaptorsA good choice, but don’t be overly hasty in ruling out adaptors. The leica screwmount was one adopted by a lot of camera manufacturers back in the day, with a lot of very nice designs out there..
If you just want to dip your toe in, and try out the 35mm focal length, you could do a lot worse than some of the Russian screwmount lenses. All looted designs from Leica and Zeiss, the designs are second to none (for lenses of that generation)
Only caveat is the manufacturing quality, as tolerances were nowhere near what they had been produced under in Germany, but this can be nullified effectively by buying through one of the few sellers that actually CLA’s these lenses before sale. Either that or factor in the cost of a CLA by a camera repair person after purchase. In all, not a bad way to go, and one way you could net yourself some top-notch glass for €100- €150.
Adaptors are cheap by the way, about €12 shipped from China. Anywho, just a thought,
Damien
Biogon 35mm f2 on rangefinderforum at the moment, if you’re still looking – http://www.rangefinderforum.com/photopost-classifieds/showproduct.php/product/19155/limit/recent
Damien
Thnx Damien, two quick questions:
Will I see them in the viewfinder obstructing the view?
Do you have to pay custom tax when you buy secondhand from US? don’t have any experience in this matter…
cheers,
MarcinNot sure, that was definitely my concern when looking at the biogon in the past, but to be honest didn’t research it much further. I’m sure you can find the answer on the web
I’ll let others advise you on customs tax, as that should be your personal call.
If you go for the biogon, let me know how you find it. I’m using a 50mm solely at the moment, to focus on one lens, but can see myself in the market for an M-Mount fast 35mm in the future,
Damien
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