New CV 25mm RF coupled lens: advice?

[larry_kincaid1]

As a novice to 21-25mm lenses, I would appreciate anyone who would like to

share one of their best photograph examples from a wide angle lens, with

comments about how you like to use a wide angle lens and why you think the one

you've shared works for you. This seems like the fastest way for me to figure

out how to use my new 25mm lens.

 

Gandy has just received some of CV's new range-finder coupled versions of the

25mm P f4.0 lens. I purchased one to use with my M8. I felt like I needed

something wider than the M8 cropped 35mm lens. I have unpleasant memories of

trying to photograph Amsterdam's Dam Square with a 50mm lens, backing up until

I was completely out of the square. I'm basically a 50mm perspective

photographer who gradually got used to 35mm on the M6. The perspective of a

25mm wide angle lens is still a problem for me. The lens, by the way, seems

to work quite well on the M8. Focuses well, but I've quickly discovered that

you don't need to focus it very well in many situations. I'm attaching a test

I just did with the lens in a local park. I set the lens for either 7 or 10

feet. Kept it at waste level, then still walking clicked the shutter when the

walkers got within range. Would it be blurred, poorly framed, out of focus?

No. I tried this all the way around the lake and the technique seemed to work

well enough. Now back to the streets. Now what else can I do with 25mm?<div></div>

[astral]

I'd say that probably the most important thing to do with a 24/25mm lens (and indeed any superwide) is to pick an interesting viewpoint. This will emphasise perspective and separate the foreground from the background, often in a dramatic manner. 25mm is great for wide vistas and cramming in the detail - and easier than walking backwards into the next street to get a view - but for me, the real benefit is in juxtaposing elements of a scene in a stimulating way, or in picking unusual viewpoint around everyday scenes. For example, you could have had the doggie real close (shot from low down) and still have the folks in the picture. In short: be bold, be unconventional. Good luck. AC

[andrew robertson]

It looks both slightly motion blurred and slightly out of focus.

[dan flanders]

Perhaps the answer is to refrain from thinking of lenses in regard to their acceptance angle relative to the 2:3 format. Better, learn to identify the lens in relation to the so-called 'crop-factor' of the receiving sensor! A 25 designed for the standard format is not a 25 when the crop factor of the sensor is recognized. It is easy enough to compute the diagonal of the recording format and compare it to the actual focal length of the lens to determine its acceptance angle relative to THAT FORMAT!

[astral]

Yes, Dan has made the point that I missed (being mostly a film user) that the 'crop factor' renders the 25mm on an M8 as just a moderate wide angle. My comments are much more relevant in the film context, so would apply better to 21mm lens (or wider) on the M8. Nevertheless, with any wideangle (indeed any lens) the use of interesting viewpoints can give images that extra impact; and the wider the lens is, the more important choice of viewpoint can become - well for me at least. AC

[harvey_edelstein1]

I agree with Alan that to compensate for the cropping factor go for the additional view of the 21mm which is after cropping a 28mm effective view. while you are at it maybe an f2.8 max aperture for indoor shots would also be a better idea than a fairly slow F4.0 max aperture.

[35mmdelux]

my 25mmVC pre-couple model.<div></div>

[35mmdelux]

the windmills were shot on kodachrome 64 @f/8. Chromes maginify the vignet as you know. Had I to do it over I'd use my fibre gitzo and spot down to f/11.

 

I was also shooting w/ 35mm Cron that day and I didn't notice a big difference between it and my 25mmVC. I do notice a substantive diff with my 21mmVC however - see next shot. Nothing short of the 21mmVC could have pulled this off.<div></div>