Best Distagon for Contax (25/28/35mm) ?

[emmanuel_b1]

<p>Hi there,<br>

Only based on quality , what is the best lens betwen Distagon 2.8 25mm 28mm 35mm ?<br>

I really hesitate between the 28 and the 35mm , amazingly the 28 is cheaper than the 35mm.<br>

To use on a Contax AX.</p>

[chuck_foreman1]

<p>Assuming they are all MM and all Distagon's? The 35mm focal length is a good all around lens. It's a favorite focal length for the "If I only could have one len" scenario. The Distagons are all retro focus and the one I tried was quite large. Given the all purpose duties you might not get the tightness you want or look with 35 so if you want a wide-angle than get one! I seem to remember there was a Distagon PC 35mm this was a shift lens (PC=perspective control) is this maybe why the 35 is so much more expensive? IF it's one or the other and you want wide than go for the 28..costs less anyway!</p>

 

[Mike Gammill]

<p>Yeah, if you want just one lens, the 35mm is not too wide and not too long for most situations. You can even do people photos if you're careful not to get too close. But, if you really want wide, I think you'd be happier with the 28mm. 25mm is a somewhat uncommon wide angle focal length, but is still very useful.</p>

[sumo_kun]

<p>These are completely different lenses for different purposes although they share the same "Distagon" name. The real question is if you want a wide or not so wide lens.<br>

You have a 50mm already I assume from your other posts so a 35mm will not be such a good choice as your only wide lens. I love the 35mm length but Contax only provide a f2.8 or f1.4. The f1.4 is desirable but expensive but the only other option is a slow f2.8. This is the biggest hole in the Contax lens line up for me. I really want a 35mm f2.<br>

A 28mm is a standard wide lens. Its wide but not too wide. I find it a bit plain and boring. I went for the 25mm. I like 24mm over 28mm as my wide and the 25mm is a real nice lens. Its noticeably wide and it has a very nice look wide open.<br>

There is quite a bit of sample variation with all these lenses (actually all Contax lenses) though so its best to test if you can. I have a shop which specialises in Contax stuff only and they let me test every lens on a their Canon 5DII before I buy. Its actually quite shocking sometimes when you see the difference between 2 or more lenses. I picked a lower contrast 25mm with a smoother look, but there were some that were quite high in contrast.</p>