My first day out testing vivitar 28mm f2.8. I didn't have my loupe so most of the shots are overexposed. It was very windy late afternoon on florida beach. There is some weird dark flickering going on. I'm not sure why is it happening.

I'm looking for an old lens under 20mm. Any particular ones to look out for?

Not many in the ultra wide range and none of them are particularily cheap. Still there are a few. There's the Mir 47 (20mm 2.5) or the Mir 20 (20mm 3.5) Both will run you about $200. You can also get a Zenitar 16mm 2.8 for $200. It's a fisheye but alot of the distortion is cropped out on a 1.6 crop sensor camera like the Canon 550D. They are easy to find on Ebay and some even come in the Canon EOS mount already so no need for adapters. I don't have any personal experience with any of these lenses but I hear good things about them.

Nice clip. Cute kid :). It might be that aperture problem that's supposed to have been fixed with the new firmware update from Canon. I don't know how that could happen with a fully manual lens though. Weird. As far as exposure goes, try using the light meter on the camera. Outside, it'll look underexposed but that's just because of the glare. The exposure meter is right on most of the time. Looking forward to seeing more of your stuff!

I have the Zenitar-K 16mm f/2.8. It comes out to be about 25mm. I like it, especially at less than $200 compared to $600 plus for other wide lenses.

We did a Same Day Edit last weekend I have some shots with the Zenitar-K. We are going to polish it up and make a full blown Highlight out of the edit and once we get it online, I'll post the link.

Here's a link for one that has the EOS mount.
FishEye Zenitar-K f/2.8/16 Canon EOS New. - eBay (item 350313664309 end time Aug-04-10 12:01:00 PDT)

You're probably better off to get the EF-S 18-55/IS which gives you IS as well for an affordable wide.

There aren't many good wider than 20mm lens out there that are affordable. There are the Tokina and Tamron 17/3.5's, a a few 19/3.8 or similar models by Vivitar, Spiratone, and a few other off-brands.

Other than that, most of the rest like the Nikon, Zeiss and Leica fast wide primes are more expensive than a Sigma 20/1.8 .

Yeah the EF-S 18-55 gives you IS, but it doesn't have constant aperture and isn't good in low light.

The Tokina 11-16mm and Sigma 20mm 1.8 are good suggestions, as they will be great in low light, as woudl be the Canon EF 28mm 1.8.

But as pointed out the Zenitar-K 16mm f/2.8 might be a good option as well.

Personally speaking I'm leaning myself towards the Canon EF28mm or the 24mm 1.8 SIGMA EX DG, both are similar but of course the Sigma is a little cheaper in price.

None of these have IS, but really most of these wide angle primes don't need IS as they are fixed lenses and being wide angle don't show nearly as much vibration as zoomed lenses do. Hense the IS necessity on the ES-S 18-55 which is zoomable.

I don't own the Canon 28mm f/1.8, but my second shooter does. I shot with that lens Saturday night at the reception. In addition to the Zenitar 16mm, I have a Nikon 24mm f/2.8, but since I had his Canon 28mm f/1.8 I used it instead for a lot of the party dancing.

It's a good lens, but at $450 it should be. I realize $450 is not much compared to many lenses, but it is a lot compared to what I have paid for all of my vintage lenses.

Thanks again Chris for saving me a boatload of money and introducing me to some great vintage glass.

Not a problem! You've helped me out over the years so I'm glad to give back. Can't wait to see your SDE shot with the Zenitar 16mm 2.8. I wish I had more time to play with it in Tulsa but from the little I shot with it, it seems like a pretty decent wide angle lens. And I know what you mean by how inflated the prices seem for AF lenses after collecting vintage glass for a while. I get the same kind of sticker shock.

Hi Robin,

There's a need for a fast super wide - something in the 14-15mm range and f1.4, but it doesn't exist. There must be something about lens physics that doesn't allow that to be designed. The fastest wide angle I've come across is the Sigma 20mm f1.8 which doesn't get good marks for sharpness and is rarely under $300-400 used. I'm currently using a Vivitar 24mm f2.0 when I need a semi-wide angle that is faster than the 11-16 f2.8 Tokina.

The Canon 5D mark II with a 24mm f1.4L II lens combo will give an equivalent 15mm f1.4 focal length on a T2i. That's the expensive alternative, but it does exist.

It might be possible to build a 14-15mm lens at f1.4 but the front element would be the size of a dinner plate.

Just think of the EF-S 18-55 as a cheap 18/3.5, and it's just as good of a deal as any of the old 17-19mm's out there.

I have the Zenitar 16/2.8 (you don't want the K, you want the M), and on a 1.6x crop body, it's not very fishy, but at $200-, it's not quite the bargain it used to be. The Zenitar is very compact, and handles flare well too.

Hi Kin,

Now you tell me. ;-) What is the difference between the K and the M? Thanks for your help.

I'm not Kin but I think he's referring to the Zenitar that takes the M42 mount. Don't know if there's optical differences between the two or if it's just the mount and maybe better build quality.

Chris W

Hi Ian,

Very good point. Full frame vs. crop frame has to be considered.

I can picture that. My current obsession is the manual focus Nikon 200mm f2.0 which does have a big front element. I've set a low-ball price threshold for myself so when one comes along I'll jump on it. And currently en route from an ebay seller in Greece is a Porst 135mm f1.8 which is even more so shaped like a bullhorn.

Kin true the 18-55 is a good cheap lens. But you're pretty limited to good lighting only, as the variable aperture will close down to quickly for my taste when zoomed in. Outdoors and in good light it is a very good value.

Personally I prefer glass with a constant aperture, as my lens won;t stop down when zoomed in. And fast primes are great, especially with fast apertures. the only drawback to prime lenses, is that you don't get IS capability on them. As it seems that IS only is built into zoom lenses. Which of course leads to variable apertures in many of them.

The ones that have constant apertures are expensive, but they hold their value very well.

Yep the M takes the EOS mount, which in many cases comes with an auto confirm M42 to EOS adapter for it. This is convenient as the EOS mount doesn't have AF confirm.

Besides the flickering issue I have read with AF adapter chips, I also read where some people who bought the Zenitar lens with EOS AF adapter complained that the adapter was too close to their mirror in the camera. I don't know if this was a full frame or cropped sensor camera, as the camera used wasn't mentioned.

I'm seriously considering picking up a Zenitar 16mm, but wondering if I should just settle for the non-AF confirm EOS mount.

BTW, Mark is this fisheye enough for your taste on a cropped sensor?
I liek the fact that it doesn't look extreme fisheye at all, but rather a subtle fisheye effect. Mor of a wide angle effect.

I am mainly shooting DSLRs for corporate work right now. And use it for some prep, establishing shots, and detail shots. So I was thinking that the Zenitar on a slider would make a nice detail style shot lens.

What do yo think?

Hey Joel,

Long time, no see. Didn't know you were into classic glass. What lenses do you have so far? I think since going manual focus, I've been considering the 5D for later down the road especially when it comes to wide angle shooting. There just aren't many affordable options when you get below the 28mm range. Do you find the 135 and above primes pretty useful on a crop sensor camera for weddings?

My point is just that if anyone is looking for a cheap/affordable wide (this is a thread on old/cheaper lenses), the 18-55 is a good choice.

The K stands for Pentax K-mount, M is M42.

There's a pretty good chance that the K-mount is just an adapter, and it's a M-mount under all that, but no guarantees.

Hi Joel,

Make sure you update the Classic Lens feature on your website when the Porst arrives. I want to see it. :-)

Hi Chris!

I wasn't until my first reception with the T2i's in May at which my f4 and even f2.8 zooms couldn't cut it. At that shoot I ended up using a 50mm f1.4 nikon almost exclusively that I'd had from a 35mm lens adapter. It just takes a bunch of grainy images to make you realize where to put your money.

See my signature, although that picture is a little of date. I'm selling my 70-200 f4L IS because I picked up a Tokina 80-200 f2.8 with Nikon mount and I have the Porst 135 f1.8 I mentioned. That has replaced the Pentax 135 f2.5 which I'll also be selling.

Agreed.

The mid-range telephoto primes are what I set up for the toasts. For example Saturday night the head table was in the middle of the large hall and the mic was wireless, so I couldn't get any of my off-camera lighting on the people speaking without being too noticeable. I was really wishing I had the 135mm already. I was at 1600 iso with the Nikon 180mm f2.8 but only 400 iso with the 85mm 1.4 with a wider shot. The difference in noise is noticeable to me. (Probably not to the client though.)

The Zenitar 16mm is just wide enough. With the crop factor it comes out to about 25mm. My HMC150 is about 28mm, so the Zenitar gets me close to what I like for a wide shot. You do see some fisheye effect but it's not too bad.

The Zenitar 16 is great for establishing shots as well as wide shots of general dancing, but at f/2.8, it's not a low light champ. The plus side is that it's much easier to keep things in focus.

Here's some sample footage from last weekends wedding.

Thanks for the info Kin.

[QUOTE=Chris Watson;1548289]... Can't wait to see your SDE shot with the Zenitar 16mm 2.8. I wish I had more time to play with it in Tulsa but from the little I shot with it, it seems like a pretty decent wide angle lens... QUOTE]

Hi Chris,

We dressed up the SDE and made it into a Highlight. All of the Prep and Ceremony shots are with the HMC150s. The reception is a mix of HMC150 and T2is.

Lenses used:
Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 (Thanks for the recommendation. I love this lens.)
Nikon 50mm f/1.4
Canon 28mm f/1.8
Zenitar-K 16mm f/2.8

As I remember the Zenitar shots are, the cake shot, the shot of the band (you can see the curve in the mic stand) and the shot of the Bride and Grandpa on the dance floor (which follows the low angle wide shot of the First Dance. You can see the shot is a little dark due to the f/2.8 limitations.)

I actually shot the reception decorartions with two T2i's, which was nice. One had the Zenitar and the other had the Nikon 50mm f/1.4. It was so much faster than constantly changing out lenses.

Mark ,as usual great edit.
One question on the fisheye shots.

Did you use a fisheye on the HNC150, and the Zenitar on the T2i?

I ask because some fisheye shots looked much more distorted than some others.

BTW, I like the look of the Zenitar on a cropped sensor, as the cake shots and low angle first dance shots had a nice subtle look to them.

Really peaking my interest.

BTW, just got my Rokinon 85mm today, and liking what I am seeing.
But man that focus ring is really dampened. =)

Hey Mark,

Great clip! Were those close up first dance shots from the Rokinon? They are really stunning. I like the Zenitar alot as well. It looks like it can be used in general shooting situations other than just architectural type shots. If I didn't have the Tamron 17-50, I'd snap up this lens in a heartbeat. Glad I could turn you on to the Rokinon. It's by far one of the best values in the 85mm range.

Hi Michael,

Thanks. I had a fisheye on the HMC150 for the first two shots of the highlight and the interior church shots. At the reception I had a fisheye on the HMC150 for the follow shot as the couple entered the reception as well as the Glidecam shot during the first dance. The low angle during the first dance was the HMC150 with the stock lens.

If you see a distorted fisheye shot, it's the Century Optics on the HMC150. The Zenitar is very subtle, but then again, it's only 25mm with the crop factor. It shows up the most when you see a verticle line towards the edge of the shot, like in the band shot with the mic stand.

You are going to love the Rokinon for dark receptions. At $250, it's the most expensive lens I own.

Hi Chris,

Thanks. Yes, the closeup first dance shot is the Rokinon. They were all over the dance floor and with the shallow DoF at f/1.4, it was a challenge. I shot some really sweet mix and mingling shots with the Rokinon, just like you said, it practically makes light, but that's what happens when you have a lens in the f/1.2-1.4 range.

I know what you mean about the Rokinon being one of the best values in the 85mm range ($250). I had sticker shock when I saw other 85mm f/1.4s selling for $500-2000.

Hi Mark!

Will do. Was also just reading that Samyang (Rokinon, Falcon, Polar, Bower, Vivitar) will be announcing a 35mm f1.4 or even f1.2 for Canon in the 2nd half of 2010. They'll sell a lot of them if its true.

Mark I hear ya on keeping focus with such a narrow aperture, as it's razor thin.
What are you using to focus when shooting at 1.4?

Are you using LCD, loupe, or external monitor?

My setup is compact as I use Hoodman loupe and a compact no-rails follow focus on my camera, which is then mounted on DV Multi Rig. But I don't know if the multi rig will suffice with the 85mm and no IS onboard, and I am usually shooting with the 17-50mm VC Tamron for all purpose. And with no onboard IS there might be micro vibrations being passed onto the lens.

I just found MAMIYA SEKOR CS 50mm f1.7 (pentax mount)
Mamiya 50mm CS Lens f/1.7
Have you ever try it?

Rokinon 85mm 1.4
 

BTW for anyone who might be interested, I just posted a low light test of the Rokinon 85mm 1.4 manual lens with my 550D. I did the test with the shutter speed at 60 and not 30, as I normally don't like to shoot video below 60 fps.

Thanks for sharing that. It's amazing how sensitive that lens really is and at only $250 it's a real steal.

Many months ago, I read a few reviews, looked at a few videos, and resolved to buy the first one of these I could find on eBay.

It seems that once people get them, they don't sell them that often, because they are one of rarest lenses out there, which is telling. I wonder how many of them get snapped up by the DSLR video crowd. They are such a good match for DSLRs.

Looks like I might have to give in and buy a new one. Have to sell a couple of lenses first then.

James, are you referring to the Rokinon 85mm 1.4?

Yes, AKA the Samyang (and about 5 other names!). Sorry I didn't make that clear. I'm very keen to see how it stacks up against my Takumar 85mm f/1.9, which I love.

The Rokinon/Falcon/Vivitar/Samyang 85 1.4 is an excellent lens. For the money, it's a real no brainer. My guess is Samyang saved some money making the lens all manual and passed the cost along to us. Smart move on their part and hopefully a sign of things to come now that videographers are snapping up DSLRs. There's definitely a market for good manual focus lenses.

Hi Joel,

It's good to hear from you. Have you heard what the street price will be?

Hi Michael,

I was just using the LCD. I saw the Zacuto loupes at Expo last year, but I didn't have a DSLR then. I am wondering how I would like a loupe since I wear glasses. I heard through the grapevine that we will be seeing some new alternatives to loupes just around the corner. We'll see.

I have played around with a 7 inch monitor, but it was too big for handheld use. There is supposed to be a good 5 inch montior coming out soon.

I use the Multirig with both the Rokinon 85 and a Vivitar Series 1 70-210 with good results.