G
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What is your experience with the Schneider 50mm f/2.8 for landscape work and/or indoor events? Thanks.
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ethanrollei
New Member
I am having a lot of trouble figuring which wide angle lens to buy, the Schneider 50 f/2.8 or the 40 f/3.5. The 40 has such a stellar reputation; indeed i've heard nothing but praise for this sharp, light/short, clear lens. But i have a bit of hesitancy, cost/benefit speaking, going that wide (think it would be great but useful only on occasion) and am drawn to the 50mm perspective intuitively. but the praise is so strong for the 40, and so...relatively silent for the 50, I feel like I would be passing up such a great opportunity if I spent the money on the 50.
As I can't possibly do both, I would really appreciate some people weighing in on this, especially the (minority?) 50 F/2.8 users. Thank you!
As I can't possibly do both, I would really appreciate some people weighing in on this, especially the (minority?) 50 F/2.8 users. Thank you!
Dear Ethan:
I use the 50mm 2.8 Schneider and the 40mm 4.0 Distagon FLE lenses. The 50mm 2.8 Schneider is more versatile for more situations due to its faster 2.8 speed, and the more traditional wide angle perspective. The 40mm lens perspective provides a bit more depth of field, but requires more care when focusing and framing your shot due to the distortion factor of the 40mm perspective. I would not recommend the 40mm for architecture, but it is nice for landscapes. If I could only choose one lens, I would recommend the 50mm 2.8 Schneider as I find this speed of lens as well as the 50mm perspective more versatile for a variety of situations. I find that the 40mm perspective is more of a specialty type lens that I don't use that often. Yes, the 40mm 3.5 Schneider lens is a dandy of a lens, but with the high cost of this jewel, you want to feel confident that the 40mm perspective is best suited to handle what you need to shoot. If you do end up selecting the 40mm 3.5 Schneider, let me know as I may know of one that you might be interested in.
Regards,
Dale
I use the 50mm 2.8 Schneider and the 40mm 4.0 Distagon FLE lenses. The 50mm 2.8 Schneider is more versatile for more situations due to its faster 2.8 speed, and the more traditional wide angle perspective. The 40mm lens perspective provides a bit more depth of field, but requires more care when focusing and framing your shot due to the distortion factor of the 40mm perspective. I would not recommend the 40mm for architecture, but it is nice for landscapes. If I could only choose one lens, I would recommend the 50mm 2.8 Schneider as I find this speed of lens as well as the 50mm perspective more versatile for a variety of situations. I find that the 40mm perspective is more of a specialty type lens that I don't use that often. Yes, the 40mm 3.5 Schneider lens is a dandy of a lens, but with the high cost of this jewel, you want to feel confident that the 40mm perspective is best suited to handle what you need to shoot. If you do end up selecting the 40mm 3.5 Schneider, let me know as I may know of one that you might be interested in.
Regards,
Dale
ethanrollei
New Member
thanks dale,
you confirm what i kinda feel instinctively. still, i have a 60mm and am struggling with dropping the 50/2.8 $ for just 10mm of width, so to speak. still worth it, you think?
my interest is peaked. please let me know about the 40/3.5.
e
you confirm what i kinda feel instinctively. still, i have a 60mm and am struggling with dropping the 50/2.8 $ for just 10mm of width, so to speak. still worth it, you think?
my interest is peaked. please let me know about the 40/3.5.
e
Ethan, I have the 50 and it is a very nice lens: good colour, balance with the 6008i is good and I like the bright f2.8 image in the finder. I use it for group shots for ex&le at weddings and find little distortion at the edges so I can use most of the frame. But I am just about to get a used Imacon 96c digital back for the Rollei and now wonder if the 40 might be a better option for digital. You might want to consider this if digital is in your future BR Darrill
ethanrollei
New Member
thanks Darrill, appreciate your feedback. are you suggesting with digital use a 40 because of the smaller chip-size/image area (like making the 6x6 more like 645)?
and by the way, how well does the 6008i transition to a digital back? pretty seamlessly?
and by the way, how well does the 6008i transition to a digital back? pretty seamlessly?
Exactly. I think the digital factor is 1.4 with the 16mb Imacon 96c. This makes the 40 a 56 and the 50 a 70mm (sorry I bet you can count as well as I can). Not really so wide. The effect would be less with a 22mb back and if you are not planning to buy too soon bigger chips might be available at lower cost.
I do not have the back yet but should have it in the next 2 days. The guy I brought it from used it initially with a 6008AF and though he said the AF was slow, he said it was overall a good combination. I look forward to having a good play.
I do not have the back yet but should have it in the next 2 days. The guy I brought it from used it initially with a 6008AF and though he said the AF was slow, he said it was overall a good combination. I look forward to having a good play.
ivanonline
New Member
I agree the Schneider 50 is a pleasure to use. I recently sold the one I had and regret it. I have access to a 40, but I am still shooting film and am not too thrilled with the distortion. I does make sense to use the 40 for digital since you are dealing with the image ratio factor that is inherent with digital in any format.
C
Cwoodhou
I have the Schneider 40mm and it is just stunning as well as being compact. I do quite a few interior shots with it and there is no image fall off to speak of and little distortion. I would buy more, just that I cannot find more used schneiders for sale, like the 80, 90 or 180
Last year I had a chance to handle the 50 f2.8 at a dealer. Aside from 2.8, I didn't like it, heavy & bulky, a fish-eye type front element that requires extra care from accidental damage (of course, use a hood also). Only reason to buy this lens I can figure, is you need the speed. See if you can try before you buy, it's one of the heavy Schneider's.