I recently bought a Voigtlander Bessa R, I have 50mm and 35mm lenses for it but I am looking to get something wider for it. I don't have too much money to spend so I was looking at the Industar 69 28mm 2.8 lens, but it was made for a half frame camera, so I assume it wouldn't work on a regular 35mm rangefinder. Do you know of any cheap alternatives in the 28mm range for an M39 camera? Any advice is appreciated, thanks!

21mm Avenon? Love mine! More info here:

http://www.filmwas...ex.php?topic=772.0

or, you can try a Wai Wai 17mm:



Neko.

I recently went through the same thing looking for lenses for my R-D1 (think Bessa R2 body with the viewfinder from the R3M and the same 6MP Sony CCD as the Nikon D70). I ended up watching Ebay, KEH, Adorama and Igor's for nearly a month until I paid $320 for a lovely little (tiny even) Canon 28mm f/3.5 from Adorama. The lens seems to perform quite well given it's age, but these don't seem to pop up very often unfortunately. Rangefinder lenses are just not inexpensive in the least.

I've heard of people using the Industar-69 on the R-D1 (whose APS-C sensor is roughly half-frame) but I do not believe it would cover the full 35mm frame. Additionally, while the lens is in M39 mount, the register distance is significantly shorter than the standard 28.8mm so will require modification to focus at all and will not offer rangefinder coupling.

Really, the only 28mm lens in M39 that consistently sells for under ~600-800$ is the Soviet Orion-15 which shows up on Ebay somewhat regularly for usually under 300$. The speed is only f/6 but the lens formula is a simple and classic symmetrical Topogon-derivative which ought to provide quite good image quality even wide-open and no distortion to speak of.

Another option is to scrounge the internet for phone numbers of small camera stores and dealers and ask around. Sometimes smaller stores (like The Camera Trader) will have unique equipment for well-below market price. The Denver Photographic Society's swapmeet on May 6 at Jeffco Fairgrounds may yield something as well!

Posted by Quarantine I recently went through the same thing looking for lenses for my R-D1 (think Bessa R2 body with the viewfinder from the R3M and the same 6MP Sony CCD as the Nikon D70). I ended up watching Ebay, KEH, Adorama and Igor's for nearly a month until I paid $320 for a lovely little (tiny even) Canon 28mm f/3.5 from Adorama. The lens seems to perform quite well given it's age, but these don't seem to pop up very often unfortunately. Rangefinder lenses are just not inexpensive in the least. I've heard of people using the Industar-69 on the R-D1 (whose APS-C sensor is roughly half-frame) but I do not believe it would cover the full 35mm frame. Additionally, while the lens is in M39 mount, the register distance is significantly shorter than the standard 28.8mm so will require modification to focus at all and will not offer rangefinder coupling. Really, the only 28mm lens in M39 that consistently sells for under ~600-800$ is the Soviet Orion-15 which shows up on Ebay somewhat regularly for usually under 300$. The speed is only f/6 but the lens formula is a simple and classic symmetrical Topogon-derivative which ought to provide quite good image quality even wide-open and no distortion to speak of. Another option is to scrounge the internet for phone numbers of small camera stores and dealers and ask around. Sometimes smaller stores (like The Camera Trader) will have unique equipment for well-below market price. The Denver Photographic Society's swapmeet on May 6 at Jeffco Fairgrounds may yield something as well!

Thanks man! I've had my eye out for a cheap Orion 15 to pop up on Craigslist or more likely Ebay. By the way, I know this is the film photography board, but how do you like the Epson R-D1?

The R-D1 is perfect for me. I wish it had a bit more resolution and dynamic range, but that's story of every digital camera I've used. I might get something else for "serious" work (or just keep using my Fuji 6x9 Rangefinder) but the Epsosn is a joy to have around! Small enough to toss in a small backpack/purse/jacket pocket(!) so I always have a decent camera when I leave the house, and the image quality (particularly the color), in good lighting conditions, is fantastic.

Interesting, I am contemplating between the R-d1 and the Fuji X100

Depends on what you're looking for... Price-wise, Fuji X-E1 is more in league with the R-D1. If you don't want/need interchangeable lenses I'd go with the X-100.