Sharp 35mm f/2 for Sony A7

MMouse · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 58

Hello,

I'm looking for a sharp 35mm f/2 with decent bokeh for my Sony A7.
I have about 250$ as a budget.
I would prefer something not too difficult to find in good conditions.

- Minolta: Rokkor 35mm f/1,8 seems a great lens but my Minolta 50mm has low contrast wide open, don't know about this one.
- Nikon: Nikkor 35mm f/2 but which version ? AI, AI-S, AF-D... ?
- Canon: Is the Canon FD 35mm f/2 so good ? I don't know much about FD's.
- Konica 35mm f/2 seems excellent but almost impossible to find for reasonable price.
- Pentax: is there an affordable and good 35mm f/2 ?
- m42: Don't want CJZ Flektogon, too difficult to find in good conditions. I don't know about others except Mir24 which is nice but not what I'm looking for.

Thank you for your help !

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

Vivitar (Komine) 35mm f1.9 - a superb lens. It should have been labeled as one of their Series 1 lenses!

I don't have any experience with it on full frame, only APS-C.

MMouse · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 58

Thank you. I have the 28mm f/2 and it's very sharp, but I don't like it's bokeh. The 35mm f/1,9 seems to have special bokeh too.

newst · Joined: 21 Oct 2014 Posts: 617 Location: Troy, MI USA

Check out the 7Artisans 2.0/35. A new lens with modern glass and coatings, using CAD/CAM production for a well machined, good performing full frame 35mm lens in Sony E mount. Priced under $180.00 US.

It is based on a Biogon design, essentially a wide-angle Sonnar. Like any sonnar, center sharpness is excellent where edges/corners fall off. More of a portraiture, reportage, street lens than a landscape or architecture lens.

quidam · Joined: 28 Sep 2012 Posts: 223 Location: Belgium

Go for a SMC Pentax-K 35mm 3.5, you won't be disappointed.

Abbazz · Joined: 23 Jun 2007 Posts: 1098 Location: Jakarta

The Pentax FA 35/2 is also very good on Sony A7. The lens delivers superb image quality, with lots of local contrast thanks to its modern coatings. The only problem is the price, as the lens goes for about $600 new. But you should be able to find a nice used FA 35/2 within your budget with a little shopping around.

Cheers!

Abbazz

Oldhand · Posted: Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:46 pm Post subject:

I have used the Nikkor AI 2/35 and the Canon FD 2/35 SSC (concave) and they are both excellent lenses.
It is hard to recommend one over the other, so whichever one you can find for the best price.
The Canon seems to sell for more than the Nikkor, but that is likely because of its collectable value rather than its ability.
As I said - both are good and can be found within your budget
Tom

invisible · Joined: 06 Jun 2013 Posts: 344

MMouse · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 58

Thank you for your help.

7artisans has two 35mm f/2.
I read that the one for mirrorless is ok, but the one for Leica M far better... ?

I want f/2 or brighter, and usable wide open.

I'll look for Pentax FA 35mm if I can find one for a decent price, or I may try the Nikkor.

RTI · Joined: 15 Jul 2011 Posts: 282 Location: Moldova, Chisinau

One of the sharpest and with a nice rendering is the FD 35/2 (concave front element).

rybolt · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2018 1:35 pm Post subject:

I use an early 35mm f2 Nikon F mount lens on the A7II and have been very happy with the results. In fact, I use the 20mm f3.5, 24mm f2 and 35mm f2 all in F mount and they all work very well with the Sony sensor.

MMouse · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 58

Concave element FD 35mm f/2 is radioactive... Don't know if I mind.

Have a few Nikkors and love them, so why not the 35mm f/2.

I was about to purchase the 7artisans 35mm f/2 for Leica M which seems promising, but it has minimum focus distance of 70cm. I cannot do with that and good helicoid adapters go for about 150$, a lot of money for a quite cheap lens.

stevemark · Joined: 29 Apr 2011 Posts: 4088 Location: Switzerland

sergun · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2018 9:44 am Post subject:

I recently sold (or rather exchanged) nFD 35/2 because the corners even at closed apertures showed dark corners. But in the center of the on open diaphragm which he showed quite a sharp image of the.

dickb · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 821

Two more 35/2.0 options: the Olympus OM and the Contax G Planar. The Contax may be hard to find in your price range though. When looking at Canon FD lenses, there are several versions. The concave version tends to sell for more than the later models.

Antoine · Joined: 08 Jan 2016 Posts: 298 Location: London

My Minolta 35 mm 1.8 works fine for me. You can always correct contrast at full open in processing. They can live for ever.
Canon lenses are very good optically (often the best in legacy lenses) but nFD lenses mechanical quality is bad as they used plastic in focusing ring that degrades (they become wobbly) so I got rid of mine and focus on Minolta MC MD.

dickb · Joined: 04 Apr 2008 Posts: 821

Antoine, is your Minolta 35mm f/1.8 the MC or an MD version? They have different strengths and weaknesses, so if you recommend one it is useful to know which..

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I own a pre-AI Nikon 35/2 OC that was AI'd by Nikon. It is a very nice lens. But I must agree with DigiChromEd -- the Vivitar 35/1.9 is incredibly sharp. It has become kinda pricey now that it's been discovered by the great unwashed masses. Even so, it fits within your budget. I have one in Canon FD mount that I use with my Sony NEX 7 and I have gotten very impressive results with it.

aidaho · Joined: 29 Apr 2018 Posts: 456 Location: Ukraine

Canon FDn 35/2 is sharp and certainly can be used wide open.
Here is a couple of my shots with this glass, adapted through Lens Turbo II:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/curry-hexagon/albums/72157697530840635

I think these forum threads can be of interest to you:
http://forum.mflenses.com/viewtopic,t,75831.html
http://forum.mflenses.com/minolta-md-35-1-8-vs-canon-fdn-35-2-8-vs-samyang-fe-35-2-8-t78299.html

MMouse · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 58

Thanks everybody for your help.
I'll wait until a good opportunity will help me decide between them.

Lucio · Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 64 Location: Italy

A way to get the Vivitar/1.9 for cheaper is to look for the Panagor 35/2. Exact same lens (made by Komine) sharp and contrasty from 2.8, good build quality, long focus throw, peculiar OOF rendition WO, weak flare resistance.
I paid mine 70 â‚¬.

Another beautiful MF 35/2 is the Nikon 35/2 Pre-AI (the O.C. version is multicoated). Unfortunately it's harder to find it in good mechanical shape, there's always some "wiggle" in the frame when focusing. But that's not a big deal if you don't shoot video and it's optically way better, IMO.
I paid mine 120 â‚¬.

The Pentax K 35/2 is definitely a good lens, it beats the Nikon build-quality wise and it should be more or less in the same price-range.
I sold mine in like-new conditions with the original hood for 150 â‚¬.

http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20189/10585_2_1.jpg
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20189/10585_1_1.jpg
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20189/10585_2_2.jpg
http://forum.mflenses.com/userpix/20189/10585_3_2.jpg

sergtum · Joined: 14 Nov 2016 Posts: 735

MMouse · Joined: 18 Apr 2018 Posts: 58

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Lucio · Joined: 28 Jan 2018 Posts: 64 Location: Italy

The Soligor 35/2 is Tokina made, it's a different lens but it's definitely in the same quality league of the Komine, except maybe for the build quality: 3 out of the 4 copies of the Soligor I tested had a little play between the helicoids, while none of the Komine 35/2 had mechanical problems.

The two MF Pentax 35/2 are very different lenses, as far as optical designs are concerned. Some people prefer the K, some people prefer the M... either way, you can't go wrong. They're both way more corrected against aberrations than the Komine and the Tokina, WO.