Home

Please support mflenses.com if you need any graphic related work order it from us, click on above banner to order!
SearchSearch MemberlistMemberlist RegisterRegister ProfileProfile Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages Log inLog in

The sharpest lenses
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
View previous topic :: View next topic  


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:33 pm    Post subject: The sharpest lenses Reply with quote
Hi, I am new to manual lenses. I ordered some of them on eBay (lydith 30mm, pentacon 29mm, zuiko 50/1.Cool for my Olympus e420. I will surely post some pictures in the time to come.

I would like to know which are the small-budget sharpest lenses. If I have to choose between sharpness, colors, distorsion, etc. I surely want sharpness first. What are the <60$ on eBay manual lenses that you find the sharpest. Regards.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
SMC takumar 55mm f2 is about the best bang you will get for your buck
Very sharp, well built and cheap


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 8:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Or the Nikkor AI 2.0/50.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
isn't the Takumar 50mm f4 Macro one of the best, sharpness-wise? At least the samples I've seen are really sharp


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
It is very sharp, yes, especially around 1:10 magnification, but it is rather around the $100 than around max $60...


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 9:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
How do the SMC PENTAX 1:2 55mm found on P30's compare to the Taks & Super Taks on this thread?


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
i can recommend you Industar 61 L/Z 50mm 2.8 in M42 mount, it's sharp little lens


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Well you don't say what the sharp lens is for? If you are going to take shots, then sharpen up with Photoshop and then post on a computer screen, then I can name plenty of cheap lenses that would be good enough...starting with a Centon 50mm f1.7 for peanuts.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:40 pm    Post subject: Re: The sharpest lenses Reply with quote
baruchel wrote:
What are the <60$ on eBay manual lenses that you find the sharpest. Regards.


Post #4, great way to start your membership. Why bother searching when you can have it all served, right? Well, you deserve at least some kind of an answer.

For $60 or less Super Takumar 50/1.8 will give you good results. Sharpness is subjective though, prepare for this topic to reach 17 pages.


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
For under $60. Minolta 45 f2 pancake, and Minolta 50 1.4 MD version, and I mean both lenses together under $60. That is if your a careful shopper. Smile


PostPosted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 11:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
N wrote:
isn't the Takumar 50mm f4 Macro one of the best, sharpness-wise? At least the samples I've seen are really sharp

I just got one for US$55 total, but I was lucky and it was beat-up although still perfectly functional. I've seen a 50/4M go for nearly US$200 lately. It's a great lens, now in my bag constantly, replacing the Industar-50 on tubes. I should note that most macro primes (NOT 'macro' zooms) are regarded as being quite sharp. Another class of cheap sharp glass are enlarger lenses, which need bellows or tubes and/or a heliod to use on a camera.

Rusty wrote:
SMC takumar 55mm f2 is about the best bang you will get for your buck
Very sharp, well built and cheap

Quite. I've seen them sell on the bay lately for UNDER US$10 !!!!! Thus making the much-vaunted Helios-44 58/2 and Industar-50/3.5 seem overpriced. I have both a Takumar 55/1.8 and Super-Takumar 55/2 and I prefer the 55/1.8, but the 55/2 just isn't worth selling.

Some Takumars (either M42 or PK mount) that are great and still pretty cheap include any 28/2.8, 35/3.5, 55/2, and the razor-sharp Tele-Takumar 200/5.6. Some great underrated Meyers are the Oreston 50/1.8 and Primotar 50/3.5, the Trioplan 100/2.8, and the 180/5.5 Telemegor. Fantastic Russians include the Mir-1 35/2.8, the Helios-44 and Industar-50 that I mentioned above, the Jupiter-9 85/2, Jupiter-11 135/4, and Jupiter-21 200/4 (which is a beast).

But don't ignore off-brands and no-names. Some say it's might hard to find a BAD manual lens in 24 or 28 or 35 or 50-55 or 135 or 200mm. The optics were worked out long ago and lousy lenses just didn't survive in the marketplace. Admittedly, Vivitar and Porst and Hanimex have mixed records -- some, especially early Vivitar Series I glass, are classics, and some are mediocre. Shoppers should read user reviews carefully.

Note: Faster glass usually faces stronger demand and thus costs more, so almost any 50/2 or 55/2 costs much less than a similar f/1.7 or f/1.4 lens. But f/2 is NOT slow, except when compared to a f/1.2 monster. Slower glass, f/3.5 and up, is often quite cheap, but also tends to be quite sharp and well-corrected. So, what to buy? A 50/1.2 for US$500 (and it's really sharp only at f/4 and up), or a 50/3.5 for US$10 that's sharp all the way? One of my favorites now is an M42 Lentar (Tokina) 25/3.5 -- the aperture iris is stuck wide open, but at focus is deadly sharp (and it cost me US$8).


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 1:35 am    Post subject: Re: The sharpest lenses Reply with quote
i think carl zeiss jena pancolar 50 f1.8 is sharp lens.it's common lens in bay. if you fortunate sometimes it will <$60


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 4:30 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
RioRico wrote:
Fantastic Russians include the Mir-1 35/2.8, the Helios-44 and Industar-50 that I mentioned above, the Jupiter-9 85/2, Jupiter-11 135/4, and Jupiter-21 200/4 (which is a beast).


Ouch, ouch! Some of these Russian lenses are considered among the worst ever even by unscrupulous Russian users Smile The Mir-1B is definitely not worth the money, however small; I found my copy soft and extremely prone to flare (most versions are single-coated). In 30-something mm, MC Mir-24M and MC Mir-24H (35/2) are way better, and the price premium is rather small. I bought mine for $80 shipped, so it can still fit the OP's budget.

Helios-44 is a mixed bag; QC variation was huge among those. They certainly have character and a special rendering, but sharp? Only when well stopped down; otherwise, the corners are way soft, and that's by design. Center can range from unacceptable to decent depending on the copy.

In 50-mm, I'd rather get a Yashica ML lens. All of them are good or great; get the fastest one that fits the budget. YML 50/2 and 50/1.9 are *always* on eBay for some $10-15; they have the same "character" rendering as the Helios, but WAY better sharpness, contrast, and colors.

Jupiter-9 is a nice special effect lens, well worth owning if you can accept its limitations and use its character in your favor. Extremely prone to flare in all incarnations, including MC; soft effect and harsh bokeh wide open due to undercorrected spherical aberration; very smooth rendering, nice and sharp from f/2.8 (just don't put it against the light). In ~60 US 85mm lenses, there's really no alternative to J-9.

Jupiter-11 is quite old; MC Jupiter-37AM that replaced it is a decent lens, very nice from wide open. That said, the Nikkor 135/3.5 is better in every way except fot the count of aperture blades. MC J-37 can be usually bought for some $50.

Jupiter-200 is a beast of a lens Smile Quite sharp wide open; a pity it's only been made single-coated. I prefer S-M-C Takumar 200/4 to it; and AI/AIS Nikkor 200/4 beats both by quite a margin (mine was $60). J-21M is prone to aperture failure.

Industar-50: I recommend getting MC Industar-61 L/Z instead; it's a way better lens, faster, sharper, and with better ergonomics. Still similar Tessar design, only enhanced by Lanthanium glass. Can be had quite cheap (mine was $45).[/i]


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:57 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Carl Zeiss Sonnar 2.8/85 ... but you have to be _extremely lucky_ to get one below $100 ... maybe with not so well outer condition ...


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just curious... What is so cool about the sharpness?


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:43 am    Post subject: Re: The sharpest lenses Reply with quote
Esox lucius wrote:

Post #4, great way to start your membership. Why bother searching when you can have it all served, right? Well, you deserve at least some kind of an answer


"sharpest lens" produces 436 matches.
"sharp lens" produces 3212 matches.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 10:55 am    Post subject: Re: The sharpest lenses Reply with quote
kansalliskala wrote:
Esox lucius wrote:

Post #4, great way to start your membership. Why bother searching when you can have it all served, right? Well, you deserve at least some kind of an answer


"sharpest lens" produces 436 matches.
"sharp lens" produces 3212 matches.


... and "sharpest lens" in titles only gives 3 matches, one of which is this very useful result:
http://forum.mflenses.com/what-are-the-two-sharpest-lens-you-own-t6173.html

Wink


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:39 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
RioRico wrote:
But don't ignore off-brands and no-names. Some say it's might hard to find a BAD manual lens in 24 or 28 or 35 or 50-55 or 135 or 200mm. The optics were worked out long ago and lousy lenses just didn't survive in the marketplace. Admittedly, Vivitar and Porst and Hanimex have mixed records -- some, especially early Vivitar Series I glass, are classics, and some are mediocre. Shoppers should read user reviews carefully.


Sorry, I don't agree with the first bit. Some off brand lenses can be superb, but I have found the marjority of off-brand wideangle 28mm and 35mm lenses to be extremely soft, only providing semi acceptable results at f11.

Some Vivitars are good performers (Komine made ones for example) and the Tamron Adaptall 2 lenses are very good too. But there are millions of cheaper brand lenses out there (which have survived) that are far, far worse than the kit lenses provided with today's DSLRs, IMO.

Part of the fun is the trying though, so if it's cheap and looks interesting, give it a go!


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 11:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Now I remembered when stopped down my Pentacon 50/1.8 is not bad considering the price


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 12:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sharp, cheapish lenses for M42 (IMO!)

Wide:

Tamron Adaptall 2 24/2.5
Tamron Adaptall 2 28/2.8
Vivitar 28/2.8 (Komine)

Normal:

Super/Auto/S-M-C/SMC Takumer 55/2 or 55/1.8
Pentacon 50/1.8 (stopped down a couple of notches)
Helios 44M/44M-4 (stopped down a couple of notches)

135mm telephoto:

Jupiter 11 / 11A
Pentacon 135/2.8 electric / auto
Auto Chinon 135/2.8


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Helios 44M-7(58mm f2.) and Zenitar M2s(50mm f2) is cheap and sharp.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 2:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I vote SMC Tak 50/1.4. Sharp and fast. Mike


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 2:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
every good lens in sharp at f8-f13 but if you want obsidian sharpness, I was shooting with canon 100 macro last week


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 5:01 pm    Post subject: Re: The sharpest lenses Reply with quote
Esox lucius wrote:
baruchel wrote:
What are the <60$ on eBay manual lenses that you find the sharpest. Regards.


Post #4, great way to start your membership. Why bother searching when you can have it all served, right? Well, you deserve at least some kind of an answer.


I am sorry if I did something wrong. I wanted to share experiences. Of course I searched a lot on the web during the last weeks and I also want to have my own experiments with some lenses I already bought, but I was more interested in discussing with people in a more living way when starting this thread. I apologize if it was not the right place. I thank you in the same time for your answer.


PostPosted: Wed Jun 23, 2010 6:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
ManualFocus-G wrote:
Tamron Adaptall 2 24/2.5


This sounds interesting because I want to use it with a 4/3 adapter; it will then become a 48mm as far as I can understand. Furthermore I enjoy large-aperture lenses. How good is this lens at f2.5? Regards.
Post new topic   Reply to topic
Home   Manual Focus Lenses
Goto page 1, 2  Next
Page 1 of 2