ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Share #1 Posted December 3, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) Ok, the title is a bit of a trick. But I hope it got your attention. Many of us enjoy rangefinder cameras for their small size compared to SLRs. The latter are getting smaller, to be sure, and the M8 is pretty heavy, so many of us have bought so-called "serious compacts" like the Ricoh GR Digital, Sigma DP1, or Leica D-Lux 3/4 (and its Panasonic siblings) as carry-around cameras. There are pros and cons to each of these. Here's an alternative that I've found really pleasing. Buy a CV 35/2.5 Color Skopar pancake. Either the PI or PII will do (the latter is M-mount and therefore hard to code, but it's also much more readily available). This lens is astoundingly good, quite fast, and impressively small, smaller in fact than the Elmar 50 collapsible when collapsed. The only thing you have to deal with is the stupid lens cap CV provides. Not only does it use the dumb inner tab design, but also it is fully 1/3 again the length of the lens! Screw in a slim filter and forget the cap, or get a thin plastic or metal cap instead for a few dollars on Ebay. And don't bother with the optional hood if you're interested in portability. It may be heavier than a D-Lux and not as thin as a GRD, but I find this solution maximizes quality and portability, and encourages me to take my M8 everywhere again. My current daily bag is a Tom Bihn Ristretto--an absolutly tiny bag--which holds a new model MacBook, my M8 with Color Skopar, my laptop power supply, a small notebook, and a couple books or stacks of papers. I can also fit the M8/Skopar pair in a blazer or jacket pocket. Oh, and remember to buy your CV stuff from Stephen Gandy at CameraQuest, yeah? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 3, 2008 Posted December 3, 2008 Hi ibogost, Take a look here $300 digital compact with M8 image quality. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
yanidel Posted December 3, 2008 Share #2 Posted December 3, 2008 You can even go further in portability by addin the 28mm Industar-69. I found it to be as sharp as the CV28mm Ultron and twice smaller than the CV35mm. Only trouble : ergonomics and not rangefinder coupled, but if you zone focus, you are fine. This at the price of a $20 digital compact ... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted December 3, 2008 Share #3 Posted December 3, 2008 That's one of my favorite lenses and the screw mount version: A) Can use an LT-M8 adapter for coding recesses Uses a slip-on cap Cheers, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share #4 Posted December 3, 2008 Sean, do you know how available, if at all, the screw mount version is? As far as I can tell it's impossible to find these days. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamriman Posted December 3, 2008 Share #5 Posted December 3, 2008 I also would recommend the 40 rokkor. Goes for around $270. Lots of bang for your buck. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share #6 Posted December 3, 2008 I also would recommend the 40 rokkor. Goes for around $270. Lots of bang for your buck. The Rokkor has a great reputation, but I'm pretty sure it's considerably larger than the CV 35P... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
trs Posted December 3, 2008 Share #7 Posted December 3, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) That is only if you don't already have one of the smaller leical lens, 28Elmarit Asph or 50 collapsable (I hear). I have 28Elmarit Asph and could not ask for any more. Without the hood, it is really tiny. Even with the hood, it is still tiny. But, definitly not a $300.00 solution though which I guess is the point you are trying to make. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinb Posted December 3, 2008 Share #8 Posted December 3, 2008 Sean, I've seen your reviews of the screw mount and it seems it's about as good as it gets, maybe apart from the f/2.5, but we can't have it all, can we? I have a question regarding the new 35mm f/2.5.. Does it have the same recess as the new 28mm ultron? also is there any focus shift problems with it? What I don't like is that focusing issues have started to show up in some newer CV m-mount lenses that weren't there with the screw mount lenses.. I'm considering the older screw mount 28mm Ultron because of this and not the new one.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share #9 Posted December 3, 2008 That is only if you don't already have one of the smaller leical lens, 28Elmarit Asph or 50 collapsable (I hear). I have 28Elmarit Asph and could not ask for any more. Without the hood, it is really tiny. Even with the hood, it is still tiny. But, definitly not a $300.00 solution though which I guess is the point you are trying to make. Yeah, for $300, it's hard to ask for more. But really, the 35 Color Skopar P is SO tiny, it's almost 1/2" shorter than the 28 Elmarit Asph without the hood. The 50 collapsible is just a bit longer, but then you have to extend it, and besides the EFOV of the 50mm is less useful as a walkaround compared to the 35 (IMHO). Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
vanhulsenbeek Posted December 3, 2008 Share #10 Posted December 3, 2008 Yeah, for $300, it's hard to ask for more. But really, the 35 Color Skopar P is SO tiny, it's almost 1/2" shorter than the 28 Elmarit Asph without the hood. ................ Great little lens! Here is a link to a pano I made with it in July: South Africa and Namibia Panorama's Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share #11 Posted December 3, 2008 That's one of my favorite lenses and the screw mount version: A) Can use an LT-M8 adapter for coding recesses Uses a slip-on cap Cheers, Sean (A) is true. ( is sort of true. A slip-on CV cap will fit great on the M-mount version, it just doesn't come with the lens. You have to scrounge it separately. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted December 3, 2008 Share #12 Posted December 3, 2008 What camera do you stick this CV lens on? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share #13 Posted December 3, 2008 What camera do you stick this CV lens on? Well, that was sort of the joke: it turns the M8 into a digital compact. Sorta. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted December 3, 2008 Share #14 Posted December 3, 2008 Well, that was sort of the joke: it turns the M8 into a digital compact. Sorta. ........like being sorta dead Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibogost Posted December 3, 2008 Author Share #15 Posted December 3, 2008 ........like being sorta dead Well, I wasn't really kidding... for my money, this is the closest thing to a digital compact I've been happy with Reducing footprint makes a huge difference. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted December 3, 2008 Share #16 Posted December 3, 2008 If you stick a pin throught the body cap you don't even need a lens at all AKA pinhole photography: clicky here Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stnami Posted December 3, 2008 Share #17 Posted December 3, 2008 blink and remember Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted December 3, 2008 Share #18 Posted December 3, 2008 Sean, do you know how available, if at all, the screw mount version is? As far as I can tell it's impossible to find these days. I think Cameraquest has them. If they are getting rare, I'd suggest people snap them up. Cheers, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted December 3, 2008 Share #19 Posted December 3, 2008 Sean,I've seen your reviews of the screw mount and it seems it's about as good as it gets, maybe apart from the f/2.5, but we can't have it all, can we? I have a question regarding the new 35mm f/2.5.. Does it have the same recess as the new 28mm ultron? also is there any focus shift problems with it? What I don't like is that focusing issues have started to show up in some newer CV m-mount lenses that weren't there with the screw mount lenses.. I'm considering the older screw mount 28mm Ultron because of this and not the new one.. The M mount 35/2.5 is supposed to be optically identical to the LTM version. I've used both and didn't notice any difference. I don't know if the M-mount 35/2.5 has the recess yet. That would be a good question for Stephen Gandy. The two new lenses showing focus shift are just new designs (as opposed to new M mounts on old designs). The slower CVs and the aspherical CVs that I've tested so far have not had a focus shift problem. Cheers, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted December 3, 2008 Share #20 Posted December 3, 2008 (A) is true. ( is sort of true. A slip-on CV cap will fit great on the M-mount version, it just doesn't come with the lens. You have to scrounge it separately. Cool, which cap fits? Cheers, Sean Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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