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Flektogon 35 2.4 vs XF 27 2.8?

wujetz

By wujetz
in Adapting lenses to Fuji X

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wujetz Rookie

wujetz

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Hello, 

 

 

I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. I have recently bought an X-T1 and as I would like to get more into street photography, I am looking for a suitable 35mm equivalent lens.

 

I already have the Lens Turbo Mk.II focal reducer, so one of the options I am considering is the Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm 2.4. From what I can read online it's supposed to be a great old lens, but I am having second thoughts, as it can get relatively expensive for an older manual lens, so much so that it is possible to get a used XF 27mm for almost the same money. 

 

I was wondering if anyone had any experience with using the Flektogon on a lens turbo adapter? My worry is that the distance / f-stop scale on the lens will not be the right one anymore, as is usually the case with a focal reducer. As I plan to use this lens mostly for street photography and zone focus, which might be much harder if this is the case, so perhaps a pre-focused XF 27 might actually be easier to use, plus its small size and portability is definitely a big plus? On the other hand, it would be a bit narrower, but I am not sure if that would be noticable at all (40mm vs approx 38mm). 

 

I'd be glad to hear any experiences with a similar choice or with those specific lenses, or any other advice in regards to their usefulness to help with my decision.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

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milandro Grand Master

milandro

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I second the recommendation to look into the possibility to buy the 23mm rather than buying the 27mm.

 

Unless one has some particular reason to want to use the 27mm pancake design lens, I cannot possibly imagine that there would be any advantage to prefer the 27mm over the 23mm.

 

Price-wise they will probably differ very little.

 

As for any of these two lenses compared to an adapted lens.

 

There is no doubt that a native Fuji lens will outperform any lens adapted to the Fuji system. The only reason to adapt ( I have several adapters, including the lens turbo II)  is the use of a specific lens for a specific effect , in which case the lack of camera corrections and the less than spectacular results in terms of image quality are an acceptable trade-off.

 

But you want a lens for quick action and possibly great optical results. No contest.

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wujetz Rookie

wujetz

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Thanks for your replies - I was looking into the 23mm f2, but it is unfortunately a bit over my budget.

 

In Europe the prices for the 23mm f2 are around the € 500 mark, whilst used 27mm can be found for half that price - € 250. Flektogons go for anything between € 100 - 250. 

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Alex Cremers Contributor

Alex Cremers

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Optically, the Jena Flektagon 35mm 2.4 is a very good lens, whether it's used with a normal adapter or with a speed booster. Surprisingly good sharpness for a vintage 35mm lens and it has the ability to get really close to the subject.  However, its weakness is that it can have sticky aperture blades. Many Flektagons suffer from it, including mine. An alternative would be the Pentacon 29mm 2.8, which is much cheaper, certainly when you live in Europe.

 

25157849731_bd1c1b8a54_h.jpg

 

X-T1/Pentacon 29mm 2.8/and probably Lens Turbo II

 

21721614142_8afc0dfb0d_b.jpg

 

X-T1/Flektogon 35mm 2.4/normal adapter

Edited by Alex Cremers
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milandro Grand Master

milandro

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certainly the examples above are very nice but the money the market is asking for this lens is making this not so much a fun lens anymore as when it was cheap ( just few years ago before anyone else got into adaptive photography, one could buy it for pennies!).

 

At prices between €100 to €150 one has to ask oneself what is the added value of a lens like this as opposed to a modern cheap lens such as Meike, for example.

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Alex Cremers Contributor

Alex Cremers

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certainly the examples above are very nice but the money the market is asking for this lens is making this not so much a fun lens anymore as when it was cheap ( just few years ago before anyone else got into adaptive photography, one could buy it for pennies!).

 

At prices between €100 to €150 one has to ask oneself what is the added value of a lens like this as opposed to a modern cheap lens such as Meike, for example.

 

Hence my Pentacon 29mm 2.8 recommandation! You can easily find one for 20 Euro. The Flektagon is indeed a little bit pricey but does the Meike (I'm waiting for the Meike 35mm 1.7 as we speak but customs got a hold of it) do macro?

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milandro Grand Master

milandro

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The pentacon 29 was my first wideangle when I was a teenager. I liked it then.

 

The concept of macro is a very wide one, many old German lenses are “ close” focus ( my Myer 50mm f1.8 for example has a 33cm ) but Meike only focuses to 30cm while the Flektogon 35 f2.4 does 19cm, but I would call this a “ close focus lens”. Anything can happen but all the lenses for sale in the NL are generally above the price that you mention.

Edited by milandro
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lleo Community Regular

lleo

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Great buy, Wujetz. Comparing old and new lens is a nonsense. If somebody wants to go for an old lens, it's because a certain reason. It's useless to compare an old lens to a new one. And yes, when you comes to price differences, you better think about the reason you're looking that particular lens. It's certainly not because you need it.

About prices in Europe, yep I've noticed in Netherland they're much more expensive than other places. I've got my Spotmatic some years ago from Belgium and it was a nice deal.

Last but not least, the problems that can afflict old lenses, sticky blades, dusts, and so on, can be solved by a good artisan. I do that, lately I fixed a couple Meyer-Optik. The only problem is that the cost for fixing a lens often is higher than the lens value itself.

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Dikkker Newbie

Dikkker

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I have used a good copy of the Flektogon with a normal adapter (Kiwi) on an X-Pro1 and I was quite happy with it. However, I now have switched all my gear to AF lenses. I'm a bokeh whore and in lots of situations you need to focus quickly to get the shot. AF is the way for me.

 

So if money is an issue the 27/2.8 (which should be an ecellent lens, I do not own it however) my advice would be: Go for it. Or any other Fuji lens which are all superios quality wise. They are excellent. And the AF of the newer camera models is as well. 

 

Here are some examples of vintages lenses (inclusing the 35 Flektogon) on my X-Pro1: https://www.flickr.com/photos/punkfurt/albums/72157652911947803

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