CV 50 1.1 or ZM 50 1.5 ??

[Speedsun]

i m in a lost....i can only get one...which one u guys suggest?

 

[dankwan]

i m in a lost....i can only get one...which one u guys suggest?

Oh gosh, they are completely different animals....what are you looking for? What sort of performance? What's your shooting style? Etc etc.... It's tough to help when your question is shot from the hip....

 

[Speedsun]

well...i was thinking of the CV 50 1.1 ....cause its a fast lens..nice to use in low light places...poor man noctilux??.....but there is something special bout the sonnar 50 1.5 which i quite like especially the colors and pop effect...street and portrait most of the time....

 

[dankwan]

well...i was thinking of the CV 50 1.1 ....cause its a fast lens..nice to use in low light places...poor man noctilux??.....but there is something special bout the sonnar 50 1.5 which i quite like especially the colors and pop effect...street and portrait most of the time....

If you're primarily a street shooter, consider a 35mm or wider lens instead, 50 focal length is difficult to capture the street pictorials and isn't also the best for portraits. For portraits, a 75mm is best. If you need speed push your film.

However in an attempt to answer your question: the vc 1.1 is as capable as the zm1.5, one is a modern lens and the other is a modern reissue of a classic lens formula. The Zm is not without it's issues and has quite serious focus shift wide open unless you get a corrected one or send in for optimization. Bokeh is completely different as well. The vc is tack sharp wide open but is a very heavy beast. Not exactly stealth

 

[wongsan]

I don't have the VC 50f1.1 but I've the Zeiss Sonnar.
I love the Zeiss Sonnar...even more than any of the Leica 50mm...for now.

It is a classic lens in a modern body.
It is very well-built and compact for a 50mm.

Mine is optimised for wide open at F1.5.

 

[Speedsun]

If you're primarily a street shooter, consider a 35mm or wider lens instead, 50 focal length is difficult to capture the street pictorials and isn't also the best for portraits. For portraits, a 75mm is best. If you need speed push your film.

However in an attempt to answer your question: the vc 1.1 is as capable as the zm1.5, one is a modern lens and the other is a modern reissue of a classic lens formula. The Zm is not without it's issues and has quite serious focus shift wide open unless you get a corrected one or send in for optimization. Bokeh is completely different as well. The vc is tack sharp wide open but is a very heavy beast. Not exactly stealth

thanks my fren....your ans make me have other tots....heliar classic 75 1.8 and a nokton 35 1.2?? money no enuff for 2 lens.....i always tot 50mm is a good lens for street / portrait mixture....the zm 35/2 and zm85/2 out of budget.....alamak confuse confuse :dunno:

 

[Speedsun]

I don't have the VC 50f1.1 but I've the Zeiss Sonnar.
I love the Zeiss Sonnar...even more than any of the Leica 50mm...for now.

It is a classic lens in a modern body.
It is very well-built and compact for a 50mm.

Mine is optimised for wide open at F1.5.

wongsan shifu u mean still have to specially optimised the sonnar to use on m body?

 

[Royale With Cheese]

I shoot quite a bit of street, 35mm is a good choice.

Best value for money lens that is modern & fast in F stops is the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm F1.4, think of it as the poor man's 35mm lux.

50mm for street is seriously damn tight especially when you are close up. Even taking a few steps back on 50mm to capture doesnt have the same effect as 35mm up close imho

 

[dankwan]

thanks my fren....your ans make me have other tots....heliar classic 75 1.8 and a nokton 35 1.2?? money no enuff for 2 lens.....i always tot 50mm is a good lens for street / portrait mixture....the zm 35/2 and zm85/2 out of budget.....alamak confuse confuse :dunno:

Search cs, there are plenty of threads to help "confuse" you more....lots of 35mm choices that are very reasonable in price eg canon 35/2, canon 35/1.5, speedy lenses too. The vc 75/1.8 is also lovely (there's even a dedicated thread here), get what you can comfortably afford, after all we are hobbyists and not pros ....

 

[Speedsun]

Search cs, there are plenty of threads to help "confuse" you more....lots of 35mm choices that are very reasonable in price eg canon 35/2, canon 35/1.5, speedy lenses too. The vc 75/1.8 is also lovely (there's even a dedicated thread here), get what you can comfortably afford, after all we are hobbyists and not pros ....

lol....the options just got bigger....aiyoyo....ok i having a 40/1.4 and a 15/4.5 ....which one/2 lens should i add to more or less satisfy my shooting style ??

i was happily using my contax G with 28/45/90 (i use 45 most of the time) than now want to shoot more with my M ....if only i can use the G lens on the M

 

[wongsan]

wongsan shifu u mean still have to specially optimised the sonnar to use on m body?

The Zeiss Sonnar has this focus shift issue.
It can be optimised for F1.5 or F2.8. Most are optimised for F2.8.

The shift is quite apparent for digital M but less so for film.
I like to shoot wide-open. Hence, I sent in my copy to Zeiss-Japan to optimise for F1.5.

Although I like to use 35mm for street now, I do use 50mm for street as well.

 

[virtualme78]

Hey there Dank...

wonder if optimisation is only done for a specific aperture size? Also, if I buy a CZ lens from HK, can i get it optimise in SG?

If you're primarily a street shooter, consider a 35mm or wider lens instead, 50 focal length is difficult to capture the street pictorials and isn't also the best for portraits. For portraits, a 75mm is best. If you need speed push your film.

However in an attempt to answer your question: the vc 1.1 is as capable as the zm1.5, one is a modern lens and the other is a modern reissue of a classic lens formula. The Zm is not without it's issues and has quite serious focus shift wide open unless you get a corrected one or send in for optimization. Bokeh is completely different as well. The vc is tack sharp wide open but is a very heavy beast. Not exactly stealth

 

[dankwan]

lol....the options just got bigger....aiyoyo....ok i having a 40/1.4 and a 15/4.5 ....which one/2 lens should i add to more or less satisfy my shooting style ??

i was happily using my contax G with 28/45/90 (i use 45 most of the time) than now want to shoot more with my M ....if only i can use the G lens on the M

Yes you can...I have the g 90 sonnar custom adapted for m. A company in japan does the conversions. That's actually an idea if you like Contax lenses, I personally love them. The g45 planar is plain spectacular

 

[ZoomP]

thanks my fren....your ans make me have other tots....heliar classic 75 1.8 and a nokton 35 1.2?? money no enuff for 2 lens.....i always tot 50mm is a good lens for street / portrait mixture....the zm 35/2 and zm85/2 out of budget.....alamak confuse confuse :dunno:

I love both!!!

 

[dankwan]

Hey there Dank...

wonder if optimisation is only done for a specific aperture size? Also, if I buy a CZ lens from HK, can i get it optimise in SG?

Need to send back to Zeiss engineers in japan......You can buy it in hk as it's cheaper but singapore will send it for you, they won't do it here, at least to my knowledge

 

[wongsan]

Need to send back to Zeiss engineers in japan......You can buy it in hk as it's cheaper but singapore will send it for you, they won't do it here, at least to my knowledge

Yep...must go back to Zeiss-Japan.
It is FOC if you have the warranty card...just have to pay for shipping from here to Tokyo.

 

[virtualme78]

I see... and Zeiss Japan can optimise the lens at any aperture? I'm asking this because i've read people had their lens optimised at different apertures.

edit: I got the answer... just a few post before this... sorry.

 

[Speedsun]

Yes you can...I have the g 90 sonnar custom adapted for m. A company in japan does the conversions. That's actually an idea if you like Contax lenses, I personally love them. The g45 planar is plain spectacular

its quite costly rite for the conversion right??

 

[blacvios]

A in between lens of the 2, nokton 50f1.5 great affordable lens that is sadly discontinued

 

[dankwan]

its quite costly rite for the conversion right??

Cheaper than buying all 3 lenses of equivalent focal lengths....