Category Archives: Vintage

Review: Leica APO-Elmarit-R 2.8/180

Phillip was kind enough to ask me to write a review of one of my favorite lenses: The Leica R Apo-Elmarit 180mm/F2.8 E67.

I love this lens because it is optically excellent from wide open,  lacks field curvature, has pleasing rendering, is well corrected, is small enough to comfortably hand hold, and is bright enough at F2.8 to use even in less than optimal light.  I use this lens on Sony because there is no comparable native lens available.

It has been called the world’s best medium telephoto lens. While I cannot confirm or deny this claim, it is indeed a very fine optic in my experience. As will be seen below, it has many virtues and few weaknesses.

Sample Images

Images shown in this review can be found here in higher resolution.

F2.8
F2.8 or 4
F4

Continue reading Review: Leica APO-Elmarit-R 2.8/180

REVIEW: Carl ZEISS 28mm f/2.8 Biogon T* + 1.5m pcx filter

The Contax G 28mm Biogon was considered one of the best 28mm available on film, but suffers serious issues on digital due to sensor cover glass. Can a simple filter make the lens a competitive performer on Sony cameras? Find out below.

I have shot this lens for years on the Sony A7 and more recently with a PCX filter and then on a Kolari UT modded A7. Unless otherwise noted, all of the tests in this review were performed on a Sony A7RII with a reversed 1.5m PCX filter on the lens (Thanks again to Nehemiah for lending me the A7RII). Check captions on sample pictures to see what camera was used. Bonus: The Contax G 28mm Biogon is both Phillip and my favorite lens on aps-c cameras, so I will also add a second installment later reviewing the lens for aps-c provocatively titled How the A6000 + Contax G 28/2.8 is better than an RX1.

Sample Images

Sony A7 | Carl Zeiss Contax G 28mm f/2.8 Biogon | f/2.8
Sony A7 | Carl Zeiss Contax G 28mm f/2.8 Biogon | f/8
Sony A7 | Carl Zeiss Contax G 28mm f/2.8 Biogon | f/11
Sony A7 | Carl Zeiss Contax G 28mm f/2.8 Biogon | f/11

Continue reading REVIEW: Carl ZEISS 28mm f/2.8 Biogon T* + 1.5m pcx filter

Review: Minolta MD 28mm 1:2

Released in 1981 the Minolta MD 28mm 1:2 is Minoltas joungest manual 28 mm lens. In this review I test it on the a7II to see how relevant it is today.

Specifications

Diameter 64 mm
Length 50 mm
Filter Thread 49 mm
Weight 265 g
Max. Magnification 1:8
Close Focusing Distance from the sensor 0.3 m
Number of aperture blades 6
Elements/ Groups 9/9
The Minolta MD 28mm 1:2 usually sells for around $200 used at ebay.com or around 200 at ebay.de (affiliate links). 

Image Samples

You can find most of the images in this review and more in full resolution in this Minolta MD 2/28 flickr set.

Continue reading Review: Minolta MD 28mm 1:2