What are the lenses you're dreaming of?

ForenSeil · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 2726 Location: Kiel, Germany.

Mine are the Schneider Kreuznach Makro-Symmar and the Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2

The Makro-Symmar is one of the sharpest macro lenses ever made. It's apochromatic, has perfect colors, no vignetting on FF, no visible distortion and it's as sharp as the diffraction allows it. It's available for Nikon, Canon, Linhof and some other mounts. Only drawback is that it's optimized only for 1:4 to 4:1 magnification.

The Voigtländer Nokton 35mm F1.2 is already very sharp wide open and has a lovely "Leica"-rendering.
One of best every-day lenses I can imagine.

But both will have to wait some years until I finished my acedemic studies and making a lot of money Smile

Both lenses cost around 1200-1300€ each Sad

What are the lenses you're dreaming of?

danfromm · Joined: 04 Sep 2011 Posts: 595

Interesting dreams. I don't have macro dreams, have adequate kit there.

At the long end I'd like one of: 1210/12.5 Apo-Nikkor, 1200/12.5 Apo Saphir, 1200/14, 1200/16 Apo Ronar. All are about equally good on 2x3, the Apo-Nikkor is probably the lightest.

All are relatively hard to find and usually priced out of range.

At the short end, a 45/4.5 Apo Grandagon or a 47/5.6 Super Angulon XL. Both are superb, the SA XL has more coverage.

Both are priced out of range and I'm not ready for either.

Before I can move from dreaming to active shopping for a 1200 I have to finish my Baby Bertha (2x3 long lens SLR based on a 2x3 Graflex RB Ser. B and a 2x3 Cambo SC). Baby is up and teething but at the moment the longest lens I can use on her near full aperture is a 480/9 Apo-Nikkor.

Mount adapters for my 610/9 Apo-Nikkor and 900 Apo-Saphir have to be reworked, my Compound #5 needs an overhaul and adapters to hold it in front of the 610 and 900 have to be built. I have mount adapters in hand, have mounted the lenses and looked through them, but the adapters embody bad analysis (mine) and could be much better.

In addition, Baby has stability problems that are only partially solved. The standard solution is two tripods. I recently saw a non-standard one http://www.cnngo.com/hong-kong/play/robert-polidori-257129 that's more appealing. There's no point sinking much money in lenses for her until she can be stabilized for them.

The two wide angle lenses are the shortest that will make infinity on a 4x5 Crown Graphic. I've been contemplating going 6x12 for years. A 4x5 Crown with, e.g., a DaYi roll holder is an inexpensive way to do that. The shortest lenses I have in hand that come close to covering 6x12 are an iffy 58/5.6 Grandagon (will cover, but has separations) and an exquisite 60/14 Perigraphe that won't quite cover because of the shutter it is front-mounted on. My 47/5.6 SA nearly covers but won't quite make infinity on a 4x5 Crown; a slightly recessed board might solve that ...

For those of you outside of the US, "Big Bertha" (poor translation of Dicke Berta, a reference to Berta Krupp Von Bohlen) refers to, among other things, long lens large format (usually 5x7, sometimes 4x5) SLRs based, usually, on Graflex SLRs.

Opticus · Joined: 16 Jan 2012 Posts: 73

Zeiss 1700mm f/4.
Anyone have a few grand laying around unused?

danfromm · Joined: 04 Sep 2011 Posts: 595

IAZA · Joined: 16 Apr 2010 Posts: 2587 Location: Indonesia

this topic, is like, speak loud: Raise my price
and keep in dream due more expensive.
I cannot tell you mine, I'm afraid it will drive the price Very Happy

, but actually I don't really have dream lens.
No offense though, thanks for give me your dream lenses ( maybe someday it become mine)

Lightshow · Joined: 04 Nov 2011 Posts: 3666 Location: Calgary

The lenses currently occupying my thoughts the most are:
FD S.S.C: 35/2 concave, 55/1.2 asph.
Rokkor: 35/1.8, 85/1.7
Contax G: 28, 45, 90
Canon RF 28, 35, 50, 85
Nikkor 5.5cm/1.4 RF

No particular lens, but want to try a few: Yashica, Topcor...

Ymmot · Joined: 24 Sep 2011 Posts: 168

In my immediate thoughts are these lenses I would like to try:
Tamron 01a 35-80mm, 55B(B) 500mm f/8 and 30A 80-200mm 2.8 (and some others as well Smile

).
Some Russian glas (Jupiter 37, 21 and 9).
Some of the very high end Zuikos like the 90mm macro, however I think this will remain a dream for a long, long time.
Also I would like to try some C/Y mount Zeiss lenses, however I fear I will be spoiled for ever after that Wink

.
Although a lot of these are quite affordable, still the challenge is finding them locally at a reasonable price and state, since I'm not an *bay person.
Also the list changes about once a week depending what you guys post on the forum Rolling Eyes

.

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

I'm not sure it's a dream, but I'd definitely like to try a Rokkor 58/1.2 Smile

Tervueren · Expire: 2014-11-08

Lightshow · Joined: 04 Nov 2011 Posts: 3666 Location: Calgary

bhargav · Expire: 2014-11-24

A Samyang 14/2.8 would be nice.

std · Joined: 09 Feb 2010 Posts: 1826 Location: Bulgaria

The 21mm Biogon and 16mm Hologon for Contax G Smile

Tedat · Joined: 08 Nov 2011 Posts: 800 Location: Berlin/Germany

the Konica 2.8/15 Fish-eye Hexanon AR UC

..and it's all Attilas fault! Laughing

hoanpham · Expire: 2015-01-18

My dream lenses? eh, i have all i need.
But still dreaming about some fast lenses in whatever mount and they must be cheap cheap cheap, prefer as gift.

Sure I am dreaming Cool

ManualFocus-G · Expire: 2014-11-24

Contax Carl Zeiss 35/1.4. Not going to happen though!

imperian · Joined: 17 Nov 2011 Posts: 60 Location: Malaysia

Willem · Joined: 08 Jun 2011 Posts: 280 Location: Netherlands

i dream of being able to use my current lenses to full effect. But if i have to choose one it would be a good 85mm takumar because it would fit nicely in my little takumar-family.

No dreams here of anything more expensive because wouldn't dare to take it out and i doubt it will give me that much better images.

Edit: i'd also like ONE good, compact AF zoom lens. Don't know wich one though.

LucisPictor · Expire: 2013-12-03

Dream that might be fulfilled soon:

SONY SEL 55-210 OSS (NEX)

Dreams, unlikely to be fulfilled:

Leica Summicron-M 2/28
Leica Summilux-M 1.4/35
Leica Summilux-M 1.4/50

Dream, impossible to fulfill:

Sony SEL 2.0/22
Sony SEL 1.8/30 OSS

(Those lenses don't exist!) Wink

FluffPuppy · Joined: 11 Dec 2011 Posts: 365

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

Topcon RE Auto Topcor 20mm
Topcon RE Auto Topcor 25mm
Topcon RE Auto Topcor 28mm
Topcon RE Auto Topcor 35mm
Topcon RE Auto Topcor 100mm

Konica UC Hexanon 15mm
Konica Hexanon 85mm

Jupiter-9 M39 Red P
Jupiter-11 M39 Red P
Jupiter-12 M39 Red P
Orion-15 M39 Red P

Samyang 1.4/35
Samyang 1.4/85

Will probably acquire all of those in the next couple of years, I don't want lenses to collect, I want em to use and now I have a clear vision of what I want to use.

Jethro Tull · Joined: 31 Dec 2010 Posts: 68 Location: SCOTLAND

I know its a dream but would love a Tair 500mm f3.5 (i'd even put up with a f5.6) shame they didn't make a longer version of the Tair 300mm as per Photosniper 8-( cracking lens but could do with bit more reach for birds
Oh well best keep dreaming unless you know better?
Brian Very Happy

iangreenhalgh1 · Expire: 2014-01-07

You could get a APO process lens and remount it, I have a 541mm Wollensak-Apochromatic Raptar lens I remounted in a long M42 tube, it's only f10 but very very sharp and no CA at all.

indianadinos · Expire: 2011-12-05

Mine are the "classic" Distagon 35/1.4, the P/K 28/2 and 50/1.2, and the Voigtlander APO Lanthar 125 ...
But my current budget allows only for their ... lens caps Evil or Very Mad

...

erkie · Joined: 08 Oct 2011 Posts: 308 Location: Missouri

I feel kind of guilty. My dream lens at the moment is the Kodak Ektar 47mm f2 attached to a Retina II of course. Not really expensive but a PITA to find at a good price. Just a little rare.

Attila · Expire: 2025-11-18