Favorite wide open lenses.

[Mark Layne]

Zeiss 85 f1.4 Sonnar
35 f2 Summicron
Mark

 

[unohuu]

Minolta AF 85mm f/1.4
Minolta MC 85mm f/1.7
Minolta MC 50mm f/1.4 and 1.7
Minolta MD 135mm f/2.8
Tamron adaptall 135mm f/2.8 (manual focus)
Kiron for Minolta 28mm f/2.0

and the jury is still out on the Minolta 100mm f/2.5

 

[titrisol]

takumar 50/1.4

also the 200/4 was nice for portraits

 

[Ara Ghajanian]

Nikkor 50mm f1.4 (if you can get past the fall off in the corners)
Nikon 50mm f1.8 E series (some people don't like the bokeh, I personally do)
Nikkor 105mm f2.5

A lot of people are recommending the 180mm f2.8, can you tell me more about it, I may grab one soon.
Ara

 

[MattCarey]

Super Takumar 50mm f1.4
Nikon 100mm f2.8 Series E
Nikkor 55mm f3.5 Micro-P.C

I'll second the 100mm Series E lens.

In the "cheap lens" bunch, add the 75-150 Series E zoom. However, I find the 100mm is the most useful.

The 80-200mm f2.8 by Nikon is excellent, but big and doesn't focus closer than 6'.

Matt

 

[eric]

Minolta AF 85mm f/1.4
Minolta MC 85mm f/1.7
Minolta MC 50mm f/1.4 and 1.7
and the jury is still out on the Minolta 100mm f/2.5

Yep:
MC 85 1.7
MC 50 1.4
and the lowly cheapo 50mm 1.7
I have the 100 3.5 QE lens, barely shot with it, so don't know yet
Also, my old Konica 135mm 3.2 lens
Ohhh, one more, my Hassy 80mm CF and the 150mm cf, okay, that's 2.

 

[Colden]

I've been using the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-s. I like it. Does anyone have both that and the f/1.4 version, and if so, how do they compare at both wide and stopped down aperture?

 

[HerrBremerhaven]

I've been using the Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 AI-s. I like it. Does anyone have both that and the f/1.4 version, and if so, how do they compare at both wide and stopped down aperture?

I use to have the 50mm f1.2 AIS, along with the f1.4 AIS. Actually, I have gone through four of the f1.4 versions prior to finding a good version, so some quality control issues might affect results. What I found out was the the f1.2 was much softer in the corners, and had more light falloff towards the edges than the f1.4 version. I did try out another friends f1.2, so I make this judgement based on two clean f1.2 versions, and four f1.4 versions.

I did not feel the half stop made much difference, since the edges were worse. Almost like using a vignetter, or that it could have used a centre filter. The better f1.2 is the 55mm, while the best is the Noct Nikkor 58mm f1.2 (rare and expensive).

I sold my f1.2, but kept a good f1.4. A couple years ago I added an f2.0 long barrel AI 50mm, which performs better at f2.0 than the f1.4 can do. It really helps to have the proper lens hoods for all these, which is another factor to consider. Anyway, hopefully a few more people will chime in with experiences, so you get a good overview of these.

Ciao!

Gordon

 

[TheFlyingCamera]

Another vote for the Contax mount 85 f1.4 . BEAUTIFUL bokeh and creamy skintones, while still tack-sharp in the in-focus areas.

 

[Lee Shively]

Canon EF 70-200/2.8L and 400/5.6L. I haven't used either lens in over a year but they are sweet wide open.

 

[Mongo]

My two favorite Nikkor lenses wide-open are the 105/2.5 Ai-s and the 105/2.5 Pre-Ai (the silver nose version). The two lenses are very different optical formulas. The newer lens is sharper, but the older lens has (to my eye...this kind of stuff is all about opinions) much better bokeh and just the right amount of sharpness for portraits. I use both, but tend to gravitate toward the older lens more often.

(The older lenses are available for a song on eBay, and it takes about 15 minutes with a Dremel tool to convert one over to work with cameras that require Ai lenses.)

 

[waynecrider]

What only 1 picture? Kidding.. Now I need to buy me a Nikon manual focus body so I can try out the Ai lenses since my N80 won't meter with them.

Also, would sure would love to add a Minolta body; maybe the X700.

Btw, isn't there a site around here about bokeh? I'll be testing my lenses and posting my results in two weeks.

 

[vet173]

Nikon 58 Noct

 

[edz]

My 1:0,95/25mm cine 16mm.. If I'm not going to shoot low light all the way open or 1 stop or so then I'd grab for another.. its there just for candlelighting
The same is almost true with my still Xenons.. If I'm going to need to stop down then I might want to grab instead for a Xenar.. Planars, Xenons and friends are faster than the Xenars, Tessars, Yashinons and their friends but not always my favorite stopped down.
In medium format if I compare a Rolleiflex 2,8 Xenotar or Planar to the 3,5 Xenar or 3,5 Yashinon when both are stopped down to f/8 then its a toss with just maybe the Yashinon winning by a hair..

 

[erikg]

Zuiko 55mm 1.2
Jupiter 3 50mm 1.5 (LTM)

Whatever that lens is on the Lubitel TLR is very interesting wide open.

 

[Roger Krueger]

A couple of 6x9 Mamiya press lenses

Mamiya 100/2.8 (Planar clone)
Very sharp and yet very creamy feel.

Mamiya 50/6.3 (Biogon clone)
Good for night shooting--you can get that wide-open no-spikes-on-light-sources look and yet still have decent DOF because it's so slow.

 

[Roger Hicks]

21 inch (533mm) f/7.7 Ross for Hollywood-style portraits on 8x10 inch!

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[JohnArs]

f2, 135 mm DC Nikkor!

 

[Tom Hoskinson]

50mm F2 Zeiss ZM Planar

 

[TomWB]

Canon FD 85 1.8
Canon EF 200 2.8 II

 

[Roger Hicks]

Duh -- I posted the 21 inch late last night, without realizing I was on a 35mm forum. It was late and I was tired...

With 35mm:

Dreamagon 90/4: www.dreamagon.com.

But I use it on digital (sorry) more than I do on film.

If I could afford it (I borrowed one from a friend for a year):

90/2.2 Thambar on Leica.

For portraits:

135/1.8 Porst/Soligor/generic (I've had the Soligor, sold it, then bought the Porst because I missed the Soligor).

And of course the 58/1.4 Nikkor I wish I'd never sold...

Cheers,

Roger (www.rogerandfrances.com)

 

[tony lockerbie]

Any Leica Summilux, Voigtlander Nokton and if you want soft, any old 2.8 Tessar.

 

[Russ - SVP]

Nikon 105mm f/2.5

Kiron Kid

 

[mfahrur]

Zuiko 28/3.5
Zuiko 50/1.8

 

[GraemeMitchell]

Nikkor 28mm 1.4 af-d