Your best 28..and how you got there :)

bruzzo · Joined: 05 Jul 2012 Posts: 153

I've only had three 28mm primes so far, so by no means I'm claiming them one of the best out of all 28mms.

I think best out of the three:

1. Minolta MC W-Rokkor-SI 28mm F2.5
Just great performance overall from close up to portraits to sceneries and landscapes. Down side is Minolta SR mount so only usable on mirrorless or you have to modify / use adapter with optics to achieve infinity focus for DSLRs.

2. Vivitar 28mm F2 Close Focus
It's tough to choose between this and the Minolta cause lens is so much fun with it's close focus capability and small size! It's also come with different mounts from Nikon to Pentax, not sure if it has M42, if so you can basically use it on most DSLRs on the market nowadays given you find one. Close Focus is superb, landscape and scenery however is imo not in the level of the Minolta but still very usable.

3. Makinon 28mm F2.8
I think I saw somewhere saying this is one of the worst 28mms. QC is quite abysmal I think and flare control is not very good either. But I mostly use it for reverse macro and I find it not bad at all given it's cheap price. In the end, I don't think there's actually a bad 28mm given you've given them all a purpose Smile

.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

Aanything · Expire: 2014-05-30

The best 28 among the ones I have/have had is quite easily my Contax Distagon 2.8/28.
It is simply the best I tried under every aspect: great sharpness, incredible contrast and flare resistance. I hear corners of my AEG version aren't as good as in the later MM, but I can't see any degradation on aps-c.
Second place is for the Minolta MC 2.5/28, which, apart from coatings not up to recent lenses standards, is simply great.

sceptic · Joined: 01 Jun 2013 Posts: 255

My best 28 is/was as above; the C/Y Zeiss 28/2.8. I was dumb enough to sell it a few years ago, and now they�re hard to find at reasonable prices. My current favourite is the Konica Hexanon 28/3.5, 7-element version. Good sharpness and contrast, although I rarely shoot 28 mm anymore. My favourite in terms of "character" is my Tamron Adaptamatic 28/2.8. Found it dirty and in poor condition at a thrift shop and paid about 7 USD for it. Big and heavy (takes 62 mm filters) and focuses down to about 0.2 meters. The coatings aren�t exactly up to current standards, but sharpness is quite satisfactory. Here it is next to my Konica:

Auto Tamron 28/2.8 by scepticswe, on Flickr

rafa1981 · Joined: 15 Jul 2010 Posts: 142

Nikkor 28 f2 Ai or Ai-S for portability and bang for the buck. Sharp to the corners at f8 on FF at 24MP. Flare resistant. Can work either as a landscape lens or as a close-up one. At wide apertures performs better at close distances than near infinity (as it should).

Zuiko OM 28 f3.5. More bang for the buck than the lens above. Outstanding resolution at f8 but flares more easily than the Nikkor. Amazing form factor. The lens to have for closed down work at a budget.

http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/815364/0?keyword=zuiko

SMC-M 28 f2.8. So so optics, not as sharp in the corners but the form factor, color rendition and contrast is very appealing.

I�m not so picky with WA lenses at first apertures, I don't tend to use them either, so I can't comment so much about it.

A lens with the form factor and resolution of the Zuiko (or Nikkor), the contrast and colors of the Pentax and the flare resistance of the Nikkor would be the perfect 28. I guess that this is what Leica is about (excluding the form factor).

bychance · Joined: 24 Apr 2013 Posts: 345 Location: Kent, England

I have read most of this thread and it occurs to me that there is no discussion as to how a particular lens functions on any given system, let alone which specific camera the thing was assessed on. Surely, each lens/camera combination will give differing results and distort any generalisaton of the lenses merits.

Excalibur · Expire: 2014-04-21

zelda_n64 · Joined: 26 Aug 2011 Posts: 163 Location: UK

Hi all,

I have posted about my Welmy 2.8 28mm lens before, but I will again.

This is one of the best lenses I own, albeit from an unknown manufacturer. It was acquired at a carboot sale here in the UK for �5.

I really like the softness, bokeh and sharpness of this lens. Wide open maybe not to everyone's taste - but it is a gem.

wide open 1/1250s

The Welmy on the left - comparison in size to the M42 Cosinon auto MC 28mm f2.8 (right)

Welmy at ISO 200, 1/320 sec, f8

Crop of the above

The Welmy 28mm 2.5 using a lens reversing ring at ISO 200, 1/80 sec

F8, ISO 400, 1/200 sec

And I do really like the dreamy effect it creates wide open

I may be biased but this 28mm lens knocks the socks off of the others that I have and apart from the Cosinon, I forget which ones I have.

tromboads · Expire: 2015-10-01

yeah that's a bit much for my delicate young eyes. But hey, different strokes for different folks Wink

bernhardas · Expire: 2017-05-23

edited

zelda_n64 · Joined: 26 Aug 2011 Posts: 163 Location: UK

woodrim · Joined: 14 Jan 2010 Posts: 4060 Location: Charleston

Much earlier in this thread I reported on my Vivitar 2.8/28 Close Focus. More recently I had the opportunity to acquire a near mint copy of the f/2 version. I find the f/2 superior at wide open and superior at close distances, but maybe not quite as good at distance. I will have to test more before being certain about the distance comment.

At wide open f/2:

f/5.6 or 8

Pancolart · Expire: 2013-11-18

Beautiful samples Woodrim!

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

That Welmy 28 is probably made by Sun. I had it as a Soligor, didn't rate it, soft and glowy until f5.6.

TijmenDal · Joined: 22 Sep 2011 Posts: 206

One of my favorite 28mm's is the Olympus 28mm f/3.5, though I don't use the focal length a whole lot. I like the flaring and the colors are nice and warm. And it's tiny, which I really, really like. Size is a huge factor for me.

Lightshow · Joined: 04 Nov 2011 Posts: 3669 Location: Calgary

I was never too excited with 28's, I prefered longer or shorter FL's (24 & 50).
The first one that cought my eye was the early Super-Tak 28/3.5(M42), it had a nice rendering but what really cought my eye was it's ability to produce nice flare.
So I started to buy more 28's, the newer SMC-T, SMC M, A, all were good or average, the next to catch my eye is my Elmarit M 28 V2, it's small, very sharp, and has great bokeh when wide open, I love it on my NEX-7 as a normal, shooting my nieces is great fun, and they look great.
Next up is my Rokkor 28/2.5, it has a great rendering when wide open, and super sharp stopped down, has 3D when shooting at close distances and infinity is sharp.

I also recently bought a Topcor RE 28/2.8 but haven't had time or weather to shoot it or many others properly.
I'll be fixing that soon.... I hope.

proteus791 · Joined: 03 Sep 2013 Posts: 1 Location: United States

DigiChromeEd · Joined: 29 Dec 2009 Posts: 3462 Location: Northern Ireland

Hi proteus791

Welcome to the forum! You can't post links or images in your first message - an anti-spam measure. You'll be ok from now on.

As for the lens, I think it's the same one.

peterqd · Expire: 2014-01-04

My first 28 was an M42 mount Vivitar 28/2.8 WA way back in the 1970s. The man in the local camera shop recommended it for the
price I could pay, and what a bargain it's been. OK, it glows a bit and loses definition wide open, but stopped down to 5.6 or 8 it
becomes as sharp as anything else I've used, and the contrast and colours are superb. So, to anyone looking for good results from a
cheap 28 I'd recommend any of the the Vivitar 2.8s (see woodrim's pictures earlier in the thread).

Up till last year I was very happily using a Minolta MD 28/3.5, but then I started collecting Pentax K lenses to use on my K2 and
bought the Pentax SMC 28/3.5 on recommendation from forum members, and now it lives on the NEX-7. I'm never going to touch
another 28 again. Wink

(Click for full size and sharpness)

ravivme · Joined: 15 Aug 2015 Posts: 1

The Yashica ML 28mm F2.8 was my main lens for 2 years on my NEX7.
It is sharp, has warm colors, and very nice handling. I got it practically new from EBAY.
Then I bought the Nikon AI-S 28mm F2.8 for the close focusing. I never really liked it.
Yes, it is sharp and contrasty, and there is no distortion. BUT the pictures look gray and dull. Sold.
The industar 69 is probably the worst lens you can buy, and that is why I bought it. I used it a few times, no more.
The best I have by now is the Voigtlander 28mm F2.8, which is a fantastic pancake lens.
It is sharp wide open, has nice bokeh, it's not prone to flare, and has superb mechanics.
Just for fun I ordered a Hexanon 28/3.5 with 7 elements. I hope it will be as good as everybody say.

tb_a · Expire: 2019-08-28

sceptic · Joined: 01 Jun 2013 Posts: 255

Current favorite is this chunk o' metal:

Vivitar Series 1 28 mm f/1.9 by scepticswe, on Flickr
Built like a tank ( by Tokina, from the era when Series 1 actually meant something) and performs very well. As expected, wide open performance leaves a little to be desired (heavy vignetting and rather soft), but stopped down it has nothing to be ashamed of. Some examples from an A7R:

Sunny foreground by scepticswe, on Flickr

Seen better days II by scepticswe, on Flickr

aoleg · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 1389 Location: Berlin, DE

My best 28mm lenses are these:

SMC Pentax 28/3.5 (the older 'K' version) - possibly the sharpest 28mm lens wide open. Beats Distagon 28/2.8 in wide-open sharpness. Contrast and colors are great.
Zeiss Distagon 28/2.8 (C/Y) - superb micro-contrast and '3D' images. While not the sharpest wide-open, produces excellent images stopped down.
Olympus Zuiko 28/2 - a truly excellent, all-rounded wide-angle. Great for every purpose. The slower 28/2.8 version is not much behind yet it's much smaller and lighter.
Nikkor AiS 28/2 - a super-fast wide-angle lens with a character. Perfect for shooting sunsets. The 28/2.8 AiS version is not so great at infinity though, so I sold my copy.
Vivitar 28/2.5 - a surprisingly solid performer for the little money it sells for. Same for Tamron Adaptall-2 28/2.5.

FotoPete · Joined: 20 Nov 2012 Posts: 126

Wow this thread takes me wayyy back. I've not done any real testing so take these impressions with a grain of salt. Some I still have, some i don't for one reason or another. YMMV

RMC Tokina II 28mm f2.8 - Stiff focus, didn't use much. Decent, well crafted.
Cosmicar MC 28mm f2.8 - Pentax-A 28mm clone with non SMC coating?, decent, well crafted, noticeable PF
SMC Pentax-M 28mm f2.8 - typical M series mainstay, didn't have for long, wasn't bad but overshadowed by the colours on the SMC Pentax-M 28/3.5
XR Rikenon 28mm f3.5 - M28/3.5 in Ricoh uniform. Sharp, contrasty, splendid construction
Vivitar MC 28mm f2 - Kiron variant, oil got on the blades, had to go in for a CLA. decently sharp, some coma/glow at f2.
Tamron 28mm f2.5 - decent at closer distances, haven't extensively tested but the 0.25m MFD is a bonus.
Sigma 28mm f1.8 Asp - I forgot about this one, good performer, nothing overly noteworthy, the short focus throw less ideal.
Nikon 28mm f2.0 AIS - solid entry, sharp, good contrast, some coma, PF, good mfd at 0.25m as well!
Vivitar s1 28mm f1.9 - sharp, some coma, less PF than the Nikon 28mm but a little more 'glowy' wide open . something about the vivitar that I usually grab over the 28/2 AIS.

Nikon 28mm f4 PC - different beast altogether, noticeable distortion but shift ability invaluable when you need it. pretty sharp and contrasty

hexi · Expire: 2011-11-18

Hi folks

Recently changed my mind and gave those wide lenses another try. So after a 35mm, i bought a 28MM Distagon in C/Y mount. This proved to be quite efficient, here shot on a Contax RX with Portra 400 film