Canon 28mm f/2.8 LTM

[hydet]

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Does anyone have experience with the Canon 28mm f/2.8 screw-mount on an M10 or M240?  This is the "Winogrand lens" (though he used other lenses too), and I've seen plenty of examples in b&w, but am wondering how it renders color.  Thanks.

tim

[pixelman]

I have a used a few copies of this lens. Performance is pretty similar across the 3 production variations. It isn’t great wide open, but gets very nice at f4-f8.  It is very compact.  It has a nice classic color rendition on a digital M.  The corners aren’t a strong point, but for street shooting it is a fun small lens that is pretty inexpensive.  

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[oldwino]

I prefer the Color Skopar 28/3.5, if you can find one at a decent price.

The Canon is certainly small, and I found the ergonomics of such a small lens problematic. Too many pictures of my knuckles.

[A miller]

 it's a second rate lens.  Don't waste you  money.    I guess that Winogrand must have been low on money at the time.

Edited November 4, 2018 by A miller

[pico]

40 minutes ago, A miller said:

 it's a second rate lens.  Don't waste you  money.    I guess that Winogrand must have been low on money at the time.

Yes, don't waste your money, however like Winogrand it is better to be there and make the pictures rather than wait to afford better.
(With great respect to A Miller.)

[pixelman]

4 hours ago, A miller said:

 it's a second rate lens.  Don't waste you  money.    I guess that Winogrand must have been low on money at the time.

Mr Miller, have you ever used one of these lenses?  It doesn't perform like a 28 lux, but it is a pretty fun little lens that was at the top of its game from intro ~1956 until end of sale in 1970.  If your street shooting style is to set at f8 and zone focused it will compete well with lenses that cost much more and are much larger.  Compared to what Leitz offered at the time I this focal length, it was a rock star.

[farnz]

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I recall reading a review of this lens by the respected reviewer Sean Reid some years ago in which he rated the lens highly although mentioned that wide open it was a little soft and vignetted significantly (although the same is true of many Canon lenses).  Overall he rated the lens as worthwhile.  I imagine the review is still on his ReidReviews website although it's a subscription site (I allowed mine to lapse some time ago).

Pete.

[Ecar]

It's a beautiful little lens. I like very much the way it renders in B&W, including the pronounced vignetting and veiling flare in some conditions. Colors are somewhat muted - do not expect vibrancy or 'pop'. Bear in mind that a maximum aperture of f/2.8 for a 28mm lens in the late 50's-early 60's was a stretch...

If you want sharper and more modern in a very small small/light package, the CV 28/3.5 is indeed a better option.

One word of caution with old lenses: sample variation (including the effect of time, storage conditions, previous usage, etc.) could significantly affect one's perception of their performance. For example: I own two copies (both clean and CLA'd not too long ago) of the Canon 28/2.8 and one of them is noticeably "better" than the other.

[asiafish]

I love this lens.  I also own the modern Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron and used to have the Leica 28/2 Summicron ASPH and 28/2.8 Elmarit v2, so I've used a lot of RF 28s.

The Canon at f/8 is as sharp as any of them, while opened up it stays sharp enough to f/4 and even wide-open in the center.  It is a lens with a lot of character (meaning flaws) at wide apertures, but that is part of the charm.

I often decide between vintage and modern when going out to shoot for the day and when shooting vintage, this Canon is my favorite 28.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

On 11/4/2018 at 2:19 PM, A miller said:

 it's a second rate lens.  Don't waste you  money.    I guess that Winogrand must have been low on money at the time.

I have seen his prints with this lens. He used it for sometime. Flaws are visible, likely content has prevalence. 

He used "I'm surviving" often.   

[boojum]

 1

Edited October 31, 2021 by boojum
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