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legacy 28 - 50/70mm zoom
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PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:23 pm    Post subject: legacy 28 - 50/70mm zoom Reply with quote
Im looking for some kind of standard zoom, my requirements are that its pretty small, decently sharp wide open, faster than 5.6, good MF and around 50-150$.
The ones i've been looking at are nikon 28-70 AF-D, Tamron Adaptall 28-50 and Sigma 28-70 F2.8-4.
Anyone got any recommendations?


PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I'll suggest you avoid these for a start - Kiron 28/70 - 3.5/4.5 I might have a bad copy? but if by any chance it's a good copy - it's rubbish. Sigma Aspherical 24/70 - 3.5/4.6 This is so average it's not worth the effort.

On the plus side, there are some good Vivitar Series 1 lenses.There's the excellent 28/90 - 2.8/3.5 This is such a good walkabout lens. Then there's the more obscure 24/48 - 3.8 which is a lens that I've had for many years and had so many really good pictures from. It's a big heavy 'old school' lens, but worth the effort of carrying. I'd be hard pushed to choose between them......maybe the 24/48 would be my choice.

Last edited by Lloydy on Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:49 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:45 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
hello
I would say the Tamron SP 35-80 or 28-135.
They are very good, especially the 35-80,


PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 10:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Tamron....go up to 35/135 - 3.5/4.2 and enjoy the BBAR 22A Macro, which is a lens I bought recently and find myself using more and more. The 17A Tamron 35/70 - 3.5 isn't bad either, and dirt cheap.

Another Tamron I have had for a very long time is the auto focus Aspherical 24/70 - 3.4/5.6 which I used on my Canon EOS 600 film camera for years, it's a great lens, and there might be an older manual version?


PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
I'll suggest you avoid these for a start - Kiron 28/70 - 3.5/4.5 I might have a bad copy? but if by any chance it's a good copy - it's rubbish. Sigma Aspherical 24/70 - 3.5/4.6 This is so average it's not worth the effort.

On the plus side, there are some good Vivitar Series 1 lenses.There's the excellent 28/90 - 2.8/3.5 This is such a good walkabout lens. Then there's the more obscure 24/48 - 3.8 which is a lens that I've had for many years and had so many really good pictures from. It's a big heavy 'old school' lens, but worth the effort of carrying. I'd be hard pushed to choose between them......maybe the 24/48 would be my choice.

Lloydy wrote:
Tamron....go up to 35/135 - 3.5/4.2 and enjoy the BBAR 22A Macro, which is a lens I bought recently and find myself using more and more. The 17A Tamron 35/70 - 3.5 isn't bad either, and dirt cheap.

Another Tamron I have had for a very long time is the auto focus Aspherical 24/70 - 3.4/5.6 which I used on my Canon EOS 600 film camera for years, it's a great lens, and there might be an older manual version?

Thanks for the suggestion, i've been looking for the 24-48 but can't find one anywhere, the others look great but are a little bit to big for my liking.


PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
The 24-48 is a great lens, it can suffer from a stiff focus ring, but I just keep it warm and it's OK. It has no real bad traits and is a very sharp lens. The 28-90 is probably the easier lens to use, although the one touch zoom + focus does suffer from lens creep, but that's problem really.
The 24-48 is shorter and fatter and heavier than the 28-90, but neither lens is oversized or too heavy. The 24-48 is remarkably good at 24, but it's not a huge difference to 28.
To be honest, it's a difficult choice between these two very different Vivitar's.





PostPosted: Wed Dec 21, 2016 11:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Lloydy wrote:
The 24-48 is a great lens, it can suffer from a stiff focus ring, but I just keep it warm and it's OK. It has no real bad traits and is a very sharp lens. The 28-90 is probably the easier lens to use, although the one touch zoom + focus does suffer from lens creep, but that's problem really.
The 24-48 is shorter and fatter and heavier than the 28-90, but neither lens is oversized or too heavy. The 24-48 is remarkably good at 24, but it's not a huge difference to 28.
To be honest, it's a difficult choice between these two very different Vivitar's.




the 24-48 seems like a really interesting lens, although I'm interested to know how the adapted 28-50mm is, is such a compact little zoom


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:04 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sigma 2.8-4? Wasnt that the one you had to stop down to F4 to see anything? Nice 2.8 labeling in nice font though.

MAF 35-80 II (plastic) Very small. But, need MAF camera to stop down. Also, wide open? Not sure.

Sigma/Exakta 28-70 3.5-4.5 UC. Dont go for the Leica version :) Pretty compact but heavy.
IQ Okay but never went for its limits wide open. Budget option 1-10 bucks, you probably want something better. Many mounts.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 7:05 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
The Yashica ML 42-75 is small and fairly sharp.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 9:06 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I've been pretty happy with an AF (earlier non-D version) Nikkor 28-70 mm f/3.5-4.5 I got for less than 50 EUR. It's a bit plasticky, but small, light, usable for MF and I think it beats my FE 28-70 in image quality.

It gets a favourable rating here as well: http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_zoom_02.html#AF28-70


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 9:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi, what system are you working with, FF, Crop Sensor, 4/3rds, etc, and are you looking for actual or effective focal length?


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 10:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Mr G wrote:
Hi, what system are you working with, FF, Crop Sensor, 4/3rds, etc, and are you looking for actual or effective focal length?

Im shooting Sony A7 Full Frame and am looking for a lens with the 28mm wide angle to normal/semi-telephoto


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 10:10 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
MartinV wrote:
I've been pretty happy with an AF (earlier non-D version) Nikkor 28-70 mm f/3.5-4.5 I got for less than 50 EUR. It's a bit plasticky, but small, light, usable for MF and I think it beats my FE 28-70 in image quality.

It gets a favourable rating here as well: http://www.naturfotograf.com/lens_zoom_02.html#AF28-70

The only thing holding me back from that lens is the build quality, I will be using it for video and from what i've seen there is a lot of noise when turning the focus ring, is that true?


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:38 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
Hi again, I presume if your doing video work it would be helpful to have a shortish focus throw and a constant aperture. Maybe the answer is 2 lenses, I have no knowledge of these 2 but I'm sure other members will have, both would come in on or under your budget.

MD 24-35mm f3.5
MD 35-70 f3.5


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 11:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
I also picked up a few 28-50/35-70 zoom lenses of various brands, and the smallest among them is a Pentax 35-70mm F3.5-4.5 macro. It is much smaller than the OM Zuiko 35-70/4 and another Pentax SMC 28-50/3.5-4.5. I like these compact legacy zoom lenses.


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 1:36 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Up to 150 USD,small and decent on the Sony A7?

1.Minolta MD Macro 35-70/3.5
2.Olympus OM Zuiko 35-70/3.6
3.Canon nFD 35-70/4 and much bigger,but better 35-70/2.8-3.5
4.Nikkor AF 35-105/3.5-4.5 push-pull
5.Canon EF USM 28-105/3.5-4.5 and 24-85/3.5-4.5 (through adapter with aperture/AF control)


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 3:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
I just recently acquired the adaptall 28-50mm, and posted some example images here. My impression so far is of a pretty par adaptall lens, but not one, so far, to rave over. I still need to process some specific 28mm images - they looked quite good, suggesting this might be one of the better adaptall zooms at 28mm. Between this and the very similar in size, shape, features, and with constant aperture, 35-70mm 17A I would point to the 17A. That's a wee gem actually, when I use it to take lens pics instead of my pentax SMC-A 50m 1.7 I see next to no loss of detail, and it holds its own in almost all respects against its big brother the SP 01A 35-80mm. How important is 28mm for you?
The larger in range and size 22A has already been mentioned, the SP 28-135mm is no doubt superior but not nearly as easy to find and several times the price. Compromise: the later 40A 35-135mm. I can add that for me the 22A is certainly the weakest at 35mm, and close focus (see my reviews here).
Most of these, and some others , can be compared on my test page, castle image (ie at 70mm).

http://www.tremyfoel.co.uk/photography/TamronVSvivitar/70-210mm.html

Last edited by marcusBMG on Fri Dec 23, 2016 7:32 pm; edited 1 time in total


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:43 pm    Post subject: Re: legacy 28 - 50/70mm zoom Reply with quote
bror_svensson wrote:
Im looking for some kind of standard zoom, my requirements are that its pretty small, decently sharp wide open, faster than 5.6, good MF and around 50-150$.
The ones i've been looking at are nikon 28-70 AF-D, Tamron Adaptall 28-50 and Sigma 28-70 F2.8-4.
Anyone got any recommendations?


Also consider the very good Sigma 28/70 2.8 available both in mf & Af (50$/100$)


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 5:56 pm    Post subject: Re: legacy 28 - 50/70mm zoom Reply with quote
bror_svensson wrote:
Im looking for some kind of standard zoom, my requirements are that its pretty small, decently sharp wide open, faster than 5.6, good MF and around 50-150$.
The ones i've been looking at are nikon 28-70 AF-D, Tamron Adaptall 28-50 and Sigma 28-70 F2.8-4.
Anyone got any recommendations?


Very good (apart from strong vignetting wide open at 28mm) is the Minolta AF 3.5-4.5/28-85mm. It is distinctively better than e. g. the Yashica ML 28-85mm, and in its AF version (everything made from metal!) it is ridiculously cheap. It has aspherical lenses, and if you insist in MF: You can get the same optical core as Minolta MD 3.5-4.5/28-85mm.

At 28mm f5.6, on 24MP FF, the lens is as good as the Sony Zeiss 2.8/24-70mm:
http://www.artaphot.ch/minolta-sony-af/objektiv-vergleiche/228-28mm-morcote-2009

Stephan


PostPosted: Thu Dec 22, 2016 7:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
bror_svensson wrote:
MartinV wrote:
Nikkor 28-70 mm f/3.5-4.5

The only thing holding me back from that lens is the build quality, I will be using it for video and from what i've seen there is a lot of noise when turning the focus ring, is that true?

Yes, for video this would be a concern - just tried it a little bit and there is some plastic-on-plastic friction going on and also some gearlike noise (particularly when pulling focus fast). The internal mic picks it up clearly in a quiet environment. Don't have any other 28-xx zooms to compare to, but older, metal, fully MF lenses might be a better option - for example the nFD 35-105 3.5 and the MD 35-70 3.5 Macro seem virtually noiseless when focusing.


PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 5:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
MartinV wrote:
bror_svensson wrote:
MartinV wrote:
Nikkor 28-70 mm f/3.5-4.5

The only thing holding me back from that lens is the build quality, I will be using it for video and from what i've seen there is a lot of noise when turning the focus ring, is that true?

Yes, for video this would be a concern - just tried it a little bit and there is some plastic-on-plastic friction going on and also some gearlike noise (particularly when pulling focus fast). The internal mic picks it up clearly in a quiet environment. Don't have any other 28-xx zooms to compare to, but older, metal, fully MF lenses might be a better option - for example the nFD 35-105 3.5 and the MD 35-70 3.5 Macro seem virtually noiseless when focusing.

oh bummer, thanks for checking though Martin!
Im still to learn more about the adapted 28-50mm before making my decision


PostPosted: Fri Dec 23, 2016 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
marcusBMG wrote:
I just recently acquired the adaptall 28-50mm, and posted some example images here. My impression so far is of a pretty par adaptall lens, but not one, so far, to rave over. I still need to process some specific 28mm images - they looked quite good, suggesting this might be one of the better adaptall zooms at 28mm. Between this and the very similar in size, shape, features, and with constant aperture, 35-70mm 17A I would point to the 17A. That's a wee gem actually, when I use it to take lens pics instead of my pentax SMC-A 50m 1.7 I see next to no loss of detail, and it holds its own in almost all respects against its big brother the SP 01A 35-80mm. How important is 28mm for you?
The larger in range and size 22A has already been mentioned, the SP 28-135mm is no doubt superior but not nearly as easy to find and several times the price. Compromise: the later 40A 35-135mm. I can add that for me the 22A is certainly the weakest at 35mm, and close focus (see my reviews here).
Most of these, and some others , can be compared on my test page, castle image (ie at 70mm).

http://www.tremyfoel.co.uk/photography/TamronVSvivitar/70-210mm.html


Missed this post earlier, thanks for the info!


PostPosted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 1:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you look, you should be able to find a Nikkor 28-50mm f3.5 AIS in your price range. It is very small (not much bigger than a 50mm f1.4) and precise. It is a push pull design, which may make it unsuitable for video. But it is pretty sharp. Here's a shot I took with it a year ago of the Rev. Jesse Jackson. My daughter has now nabbed it for use on her FE and FM.

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