All time favourite lens ?

[Uncle Bill]

I am echoing the choice of the Takumar 55 f1.8 and F2. I have versions from the semi auto for my Asahi Pentax Model K all the way to a SMC Takuamar for my Spotmatic F. Pop a yellow or orange filter and magic happens.

Bill

 

[Bill Mitchell]

Best: SMC Pentax f:1.4. Second best: DR Summicron. Most usable: Canon 28-105.

 

[Mark Layne]

Zeiss Planar 85 f1.4

 

[T42]

My favorite, generally speaking, is a fast fifty. I rank mine in this order: f2 Summicron, f1.4 Nikkor, f2 Jupiter 8, f2.8 Tessar. They are all quite good. I like the Summicron's OOF backgrounds better. The Jupiter 8 is a stunning perfomer for the small price paid.

Henry in Atlanta

 

[tony lockerbie]

Radioactive lens elements ? These can yellow over time, as per early Zuiko 55mmf/1.2 (?)

Peter should I keep them in a separate lead-lined room?

 

[pauldc]

Another vote for the 50mm 1.8 Super Takumar - incredible with everything, black and white, slide film and makes Reala sing. I use it on my spotmatic but also with an adapter on my T90 which is a nice combo. As well as being a great lens it is so well made and smooth it is just a nice tactile lens to use. I love the sound of the clicks on the aperature ring!

I also love the canon nFD 50mm 3.5 macro which works great close up and also at normal focus distances and lives on my FTb.

 

[David Lingham]

Favourite lens? It would be a close thing between my 24 and 105 manual Nikkors. If pressed it would be the 24. The 50mm 1.8 isn't bad either.

DaveL

 

[Peter Jones]

Peter should I keep them in a separate lead-lined room?

I'd like to think that question's tongue-in-cheek

If not , then no - it's less radioactive than glow-in-the-dark watch hands from the same era.

 

[epatsellis]

Tough choice,
for me, depends on what I'm shooting,

for general use, it'd be a toss up between an older Nikkor-O 35mm f2 or a nikkor-SC 55 1.2 (critics be damned, this lens is wonderful)

for portraits/pics of the grandkids, toss up between a nikkor 180 2.8 or a 135 f2.

for landscape type shooting either a 18mm, 20mm or 24mm (though my wife has 'tentatively' given me permission to buy a 15mm, and I think that will end up near the top of the list)

then there's the Canon 50 f.95 I had that was horrid, though I wish I had it now, after seeing what they've been fetching on the 'bay


erie

 

[roteague]

Interesting ... I seem to be the only one who likes a zoom lens.

 

[Sportera]

Tuff question indeed.

I would have to say for portraits my 80-200 F2.8 Nikkor AF

For 35mm documentary work, the CV 21mm f4.0 or Nikkor 18-35

For 4x5, the 90mm Fujinon F5.6, that has to best lens I own.

Hard to narrow down becuase each lens has a specific use.

 

[roteague]

I would have to say for portraits my 80-200 F2.8 Nikkor AF

For 35mm documentary work, the CV 21mm f4.0 or Nikkor 18-35

Ahh, I don't feel so alone now...

 

[Sportera]

Glad I could help Robert

 

[edz]

Interesting ... I seem to be the only one who likes a zoom lens.

Zooms are fine for special use in cine but I've never taken much a liking to them over my primes. I have no still zooms or variofocals save on a Rollei P&S .
Nearly all so-called "zooms" in still photography are not even "zooms" but variofocals. They don't hold focus and light transmission changes (even aperture) over their range. A real "zoom" holds both effectively constant.
These variofocals are, on the whole, much tied into auto-focus, TTL aperture closed loop SLR systems. Frankly I don't even care much for miniature mirror reflex cameras (don't use nor even own one) and prefer the handling and pace of zone focusing (with or without assist of coupled or uncoupled rangefinders) and this is, by nature, limited to primes.

 

[Tony Egan]

Tuff question indeed.
Hard to narrow down becuase each lens has a specific use.

Exactly. I'll put in a vote for a couple of 35mm zooms. Zuiko 75-150 f4. Beautiful colour, contrast and bokeh from this manual lens. Nikon 80-200 f2.8 AF is also a favourite of mine for available light live music shots. Sharp as and also very nice contrast - but weighs a ton...

 

[mcgrattan]

On 35mm cameras:

Industar 61 L/D 52mm f2.8

There's just something beautiful about the way this lens renders images. I have a bunch of Japanese and German 50mm prime lenses -- nothing outstanding, just standard mid-range ones from Chinon, Ricoh/Rikkenon, CZJ, etc. -- and this lens outdoes all of them. Easily.

On medium format:

The 60mm Fujinon lens on my Fuji GS645S. No question, the sharpest lens I've ever seen or used. Perhaps a little harsh on the out of focus areas, but nothing is sharper.

 

[FrankB]

Another little help for Robert - Nikkor 28-105mm

Enough range to be versatile, enough weight to be balanced, 1:2 semi-macro, short-throw for fast AF, more than enough quality for great-looking shots...

An excellent lens, and for the money it's a no-brainer!

 

[Philippe-Georges]

The old 7 elements Summicron-HM 50 mm (and for medium format the Planar 80mm TA*). The 'standard' focal leinght is still the favorite.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

The old 7 elements Summicron-HM 50 mm (and for medium format the Planar 80mm TA*). The 'standard' focal leinght is still the favorite.

I do not know what has happened but the spellchecker added an H and an A in the lens names, is this an omen?

 

[Russ - SVP]

Vivitar Series 1 28-90

 

[ineffablething]

Noctilux in 35, Pentax 75mm f2.8 for the 67 system and Zeiss 110 f2 for medium format. For larger format, Fujinon 250mm f6.7, Cooke 165mm f2.5, and the Versar line from Wollensak.

W

 

[snegron]

Manual Focus Nikon 35mm 2.0 AIS. Great construction quality, perfect weight, very sharp pictures, great price.

Second favorite lens would be the Nikon 180mm 2.8. This has to be the sharpest lens I have ever used.

 

[circumstance]

SMC PENTAX-A 1:1.4 50mm

I've never used that auto-aperture feature of the lens though..

 

[Hamster]

SMC Pentax-M 1:1.4 50mm

Mine's completely abused, get paint speck floating between the elements, and the aperture rings worn down to the metal. But with a lens hood on it produces stunning results every time.

 

[Jeff Kubach]

85 1.2L FD lens just can't beat it.

Jeff