| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | |
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1 | All Pancake Primes and Zooms; Lightest Fast Lenses; Lightest Full Frame Cameras | © Christian Schnalzger, 2026 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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3 | Contents of this table: Full Frame Pancake Lenses for... ...Rangefinder Primes ...SLR Primes ...Evil (mirrorless) Primes ...Zooms of all systems Full Frame Lightest Fast Lenses + Most Compact Setups Smaller Formats Pancake Lenses (Primes and Zooms) Full Frame and Larger Lightest Cameras | Pancake Lenses turn a standard camera into a compact travel setup that fits a messenger bag or jacket pocket, whilst (ideally) retaining good image resolution and detail, high ISO performance and full manual control of your familiar camera - to extents that are still unmatched by most smartphones. The smaller the lens, the more compact and thus practical the resulting setup. The cutoff for this list is 3o mm from bayonet. This means actual protrusion from the camera body; not the physical lenght of the lens overall with its bayonet or a hood. 3o mm is arbitrary, yet already lenient. Some early rangefinder lenses are collapsible, i.e. their barrel could be sunk into the camera for compact transportation. That makes the setup very compact for travel, but might be clumsy for actual photography: setting up takes a moment, and there is a potential of improperly de-collapsing the lens when in haste, yielding defocussed pictures. Both can be mitigated by collapsing the lens only for transport, not between pictures, and uncollapsing it in a calm place before going out, not just when immediately needed. | ||||||||||||||||||||
4 | Pinholes: Lensless pinholes or zone-plates have a very unique rendition. They also require a different photographic approach due to their extremely slow aperture. Thus, they are not considered here, but are a very compact option if the resulting look and handling fits your project. On top of that, you can easily build them yourself in any desired focal length, with nothing much but a camera body cap. | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | Evaluation: My comments on performance originated in my own subjective research as a photographer, and were originally not intended for publication. Use them as a start for your own research: look at high-resolution image samples on flickr etc. and make your own impressions. I have only used a fraction of these lenses myself. Comments in quotation marks are by other users; all others are mine, often based on samples pictures. Note that comments should not directly be compared between lenses. You may read critique on a Leica lens, and praise of a Russian lens. That is not directly comparable. It starts from assumptions like all Leica lenses were impeccable, which they are not (Hello Peter Karbe!), or that all Sovyet lenses were rubbish, which they are not. Then there is the consideration of price. I might not be alone in expecting a higher level of perfection from a lens commanding many thousands of pounds/euros/dollars, whilst being more lenient with an alternative that sells for a tenner. | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | Average prices: Second hand prices outdate fast, so check your own sources. In the post-Brexit dystopia we live, all prices are in EUR = USD = GBP. A turquoise shade in the 'Averg. Price' column suggests a second-hand price around or below 1oo quid. Not all lenses have been researched, though! | |||||||||||||||||||||
7 | Value for money: the collector pays for rarity, the photographer for quality. In practical use, most of the following lenses are irrelevant; they are interesting only as testaments to bygone times (see all the Leica Elmar 5o/3.5 copies) or as status symbols (see all current Leica M lenses). Any comments pertaining to value for money come from the perspective of an actual photographer, and still remain subjective. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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9 | Adapting: When adapting vintage lenses to modern cameras, mind possible rear elements protruding into the camera body! The Russar 2o/5.6 for example extends only 18mm in front of the camera, but its rear element protrudes another 17mm into the camera. Carefully check that your camera, its mechanical shutter, and the image chip can handle that, and if so, mount the lens very carefully each time so as not to scratch the image chip's filter or bend shutter petals. | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | Do not modify lenses! Your camera will be obsolete in two years, your camera mount system in ten years. A lens will still be around in two generations! Think VERY hard whether you really need to butcher a (possibly even historic) lens just to fit it onto some fad camera! Modify your camera instead. If you don't want to modify your CURRENT camera, buy a cheap second hand one off ebay. And IF you feel you really MUST modify a lens, then at least DO NOT MODIFY THE OPTICS! At all!! Please! I saw a rare Nikon 35 mm f/o.9 for sale where someone felt they had to remove the back lens! Not only did they destroy a then-5kUSD collector's item (and did an abysmal job at it). The lens is now no longer an f/o.9: they removed what appears to be a focal reduction/light collection rear element. To speak to your reasonable side: this Nikon lens may have been buyable a decade ago for 4o USD (documented case) - now though, they sell for several hundred times that - IF in pristine condition. The same will be true for today's cheap lenses. Leave lenses alone :) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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12 | How to measure a lens from a picture (two methods): 1) To estimate the length of a lens from a product photo showing the lens in an undistorted side view, its engraved numbers can help! Focus-scale numbers on lenses from about 197o are typically about 2 mm high, slightly less on earlier lenses. Note that the height of other numbers, such as aperture scales, varies more between manufacturers. Measure your physical screen: how tall are these numbers in the picture on your screen? Then measure how tall the entire lens is in the same picture. Do a simple rule of three calculation to get the correct lens height: number's height in picture: 4 mm. number's height in reality (assumed): 2 mm. lens height in picture: 44 mm. therefore lens in reality... 4mm : 2mm = 2. 44mm : 2 = 22 -> lens in reality = about 22 mm 1a) If you already own a lens of the same series, measure the focus scale numbers' height on that actual lens for much more accuracy. Then, same calculation: number's height in picture: 4 mm. number's height in reality (measured): 2 mm. height of lens in picture: 44 mm. therefore height of that lens in reality... 4mm : 2mm = 2. 44mm : 2 = 22 -> lens in reality = 22 mm 2) Another approach is researching the physical outer diameter of the mount: if you know it to be, say, 39mm wide, because it's M39, you can take a ruler to the bayonet on your screen. Divide the measured bayonet width by the known real bayonet width to get the factor of enlargement of the photo. Measure the height of the lens in the photo. Apply the enlargement factor. This gives you the actual height. 2a) If you already own a lens of the same mount: open the photo of the new lens in a software that allows stepless zoom. Enlarge it to the exact same size of the mount of your own lens in front of the screen. Then simply measure the lens on the screen to obtain its height. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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14 | 1) Pancake Lenses Covering Full Frame | |||||||||||||||||||||
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16 | a) Rangefinder Lenses (Fixed Focal Lengths, Full Frame) | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | Thread mounts such as M39 (aka L39, LTM Leica thread mount, LSM Leica screw mount) or M42 are not strictly standardised and have been used with various specifications across the decades and manufacturers: The Braun Paxette SLR for instance uses M39, but has a flange distance (between the thread and the film) of 44 mm; Leica rangefinder cameras use the same M39 thread, but with a flange distance of 28 mm! As a result, Paxette lenses can be used on Leica cameras only with a) an adapter (extension tube) to compensate the different flange distances, and b) only with live view or distance scale focus, since they are not rangefinder coupled. Without an extension tube, the lens would focus way beyond infinity, i.e. not at all. Leica M39 lenses can be used on Paxette SLRs, but will focus only in the extreme macro range. Enlarger lenses also use the M39 thread and have even longer flange distances - most of which are nonstandard altogether, i.e. different for every single lens model (the upside being that, with spacer rings, enlarger lenses even fit SLRs, where they usually perform sublimely in terms of sharpness). If adapting old lenses, make sure they are what you expect them to be. Even if they are sold as "for Leica", make sure they fit and are rangefinder coupled if you require this! Adapting M39 rangefinder lenses to Leica M mount will add 1mm of thicknes for the required adapter; infinity focus is preserved. Lenses quoted in more than one mount below mean that the optically same lens was offered in different mounts (and sometimes different barrel versions). Each individual sample only had one of the quoted mounts, without any ability to change mounts (apart from using external adapters). Only the Experimental Optics 35 mm f/2.7 combines an M39 and M mount, and the Som Berthiot Angulor is reported to combine M39 and Contax/Nikon. | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | Some APS lenses cover the full frame format inofficially. For those, see in the APS section below. | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | One-off conversions by craftspeople, such as high-end compact camera lenses to Leica rangefinder mounts, are often not sufficiently documented and thus not usually listed here. The prices for such conversions tend to make them collectors' items. Also, not every conversion makes sense: why pay lots of money to convert a slow 35/3.5, when you can have something faster off the shelf that is no larger, and much cheaper? Or why convert a Nikonos 35/2.5 lens, as undertaken by some British company recently, which is optimised for chromatic aberrations UNDER WATER?! | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | Design Column: The technical definition of a telephoto lens is one with a focal length longer than the physical lens (i.e. a 9omm focal length lens with a physical length of only 7omm). By that definition, most pancake lenses, even wideangles, are telephotos! | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | Sorted by focal length, then speed, then alphabetically by manufacturer. Carl Zeiss resides under Zeiss; Oude and Old Delft under De Oude Delft. Old names reside under their current/last names: Chiyoko under Minlta; Nippon Kogaku under Nikon; MS Optical and MS-Mode under MS-Optics. Whilst the Germany before and after 1945 are formally different countries, I took the liberty to combine them since they were inhabited by the very same people and companies. I did however separate the former GDR since it was heavily USSR-controlled. Note that Contax G is, idiotically, not compatible to Contax/Nikon mount. Note that any absence of entries or details may mean absence of information, NOT of qualification! Not every lens without a turquoise tag is expensive - there may just not be reliable price information. No mention of SAs for a lens may mean that they are not remarkable - or that no information was available. A complete lack of a lens in this database may means that it's not a pancake - or that I could not find dimensions. | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | Grey Values are suggested by AI and should not be relied on without verification. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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24 | Focal Length mm | Aperture f/ | Manufacturer | Lens Name | Weight (g) | Length (mm) | System (Rangefinder, SLR, Evil) | Native Mount/s | Coupled Rangefinder? | Year | Design | Country | Diffraction Limit MPix on FF ca. | Averg. Price 2o25 Eur/Gbp/Usd | Technical Details | Evaluation | ||||||
25 | 8 | 8 | Weapons Research Establishment (WRE) | 210° Fisheye | 200 | 10 | RF | Custom | uncoupled | 1956 | AUS | 50 | 3/3 circular fisheye lens with ca 25mm image diameter, developed for WRETAR camera in 1956, where it would cover 186°, and also used in WREROC Mk II Camera in 1957. the lens then had a front-mounted 2mm wide 'aperture' slit, yielding an effective f/8. *speed without slit unknown. designed by R. Dixon for the now-defunct Weapons Research Establishment of Salisbury, South Australia (1955-78), and a close replica of the original Beck Hill Sky Lens, the historic world first fisheye lens by R. Hill from 1923, then designed to capture the entire sky in one image for weather observation. the WRE is a 3/3 design like the original; a specimen is depicted at oldlens.com/beck%20hill%20sky%20lens.html, along with sample images. the engraving is "W.R.E. I MK. 2 B.F.D. 0.651 Ser. No. 799", where "BFD o.651" is "back focus distance o.651 inches", i.e. 16.5mm (there were two versions of the lens, with different back focus distances, see camera-wiki.org/wiki/WRETAR). "o.651" is NOT the focal length in inches (16.5mm would equate to about twice the focal length of other circular full frame fisheyes. novacon.com.br/odditycameras/hillscloud.htm knows of two original Beck Hill lens variants with larger image diameter; in both cases, the focal length is about 1/3 of the image diameter - that would put our specimen *around 8mm and thus exactly in line with other circular full frame fisheyes) | image detail resolution still very high even without slit, yet absolutely destroyed across the entire field by the worst CA imaginable, regardless of subject or lighting. even black and white pictures are an atrocity. extreme flare proneness makes things worse. over this and the lens' rarity today, it is most likely just a collector's item, but a very interesting one. pictures of the WREROC camera can be seen here flickr.com/photos/heritagefutures/albums/72157628314214303/with/6484303641 (note how both known specimen's SN end in x99 | ||||||||
26 | 10 | 8 | Astrhori Rockstar | Full Frame Wide Angle Fisheye | 36 | RF | M | uncoupled | 2025 | C | 75 | Cheap fixed-focus, fixed-aperture body cap lens with severe fisheye distortion | Does not cover full frame despite being marketed for full frame! | |||||||||
27 | 15 | 5 | Laowa | Cookie | 105 | 28 | RF | M | coupled | 2024 | C | 13/9, aperture dial turns the wrong way! also available in evil mounts, but much larger and heavier | centre sharpness quite nice, but massive distortion; field and edges show very low sharpness at any aperture | |||||||||
28 | 15 | 8 | Leica (Leitz Wetzlar) | Zeiss Hologon | 110 | 12-15 | RF | M | uncoupled | 1972 | telephoto | D | 50 | 9000 | 3-lens triplet. originally the lens of the Zeiss Hologon fixed-lens camera, 11o° AOV, focus lever, part of a set including a finder with bubble level and center graduated neutral density filter; 225-1ooo copies made (not that more were needed), reportedly to sell off old stock as Zeiss neared bankruptcy. Collector's item, around 9k€ | "The recording of the finer details in the field is on the soft side and its potential for high quality images is limited". Absolutely unusable colour cast, irrelevant even in black and white due to terrible square vignette; obsolete since the much cheaper, faster and better Voigtländer 15 mm came along | ||||||
29 | 15 | 8 | Light Lens Lab | Hologon | 110 | 12 | RF | M | coupled | 2023 | C | 50 | Chinese limited-edition copy of Zeiss Hologon, 225 copies | largely identical optical limitations than the original and thus just as obsolete today; see tahusa.co/lens-review/light-lens-lab-hologon-15mm-f8-prototype/ | ||||||||
30 | 15 | 8 | Zeiss | Hologon | 110 | 12 | RF | M | uncoupled | 1966 | D | 50 | 3-lens triplet by Glatzel. originally the lens of the Zeiss Ikon Contarex Hologon fixed-lens camera from 1969, 11o° AOV, and later independently converted to Leica M - not to be confused with the original M bayonet lens made by Zeiss for Leica, see above, albeit optically identical. "Approximately 1,400 Contarex Hologon cameras were made; production continued through 1975 in small batches. In 1971, the list price for the Hologon was US$825 (equivalent to $6,207 in 2023), the wholesale cost was US$550 (equivalent to $4,138 in 2023)" | "The recording of the finer details in the field is on the soft side and its potential for high quality images is limited". Absolutely unusable colour cast, irrelevant even in black and white due to terrible square vignette; obsolete since the much cheaper, faster and better Voigtländer 15 mm came along | ||||||||
31 | 15 | 22 | Lux Technologies France | Panomigon | 130 | 7 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 1999 | telephoto | F | 6 | 287 | fixed focus from o.3 or o.5 m to infinity, 49 mm filter, almost total absence of linear distortion. See lux.technologies.free.fr/tarifs.htm, 287 € without viewfinder. | |||||||
32 | 16 | 8 | Zeiss | Hologon | 125 | 11 | RF | Contax G | 1994 | telephoto | D | 50 | 1000 | 5/3 successor to the 15 mm above. Fixed aperture. Third-party modifications for this Hologon to Leica M exist, and DIY M modification kits. ~25 mm protrusion behind the bayonet, focus with o.3 m close-up, fixed aperture, 2 stops vignette, to be compensated with supplied centre filter | The 16mm is way less bad than the 15mm! But it still vignettes like hell, except on select cameras like a Leica M11, and shows strong colour casts towards the edges. It is also inferior to even the first, not all that good, version of the Voigtländer 15 mm: "Voigtländer is a bit sharper in the corners and also shows less (but still very high) vignetting". Pretty much obsolete since the Voigtländer 15 mm came along, although that is 31 mm long. review & samples: phillipreeve.net/blog/review-contax-g-16mm-8-0-hologon/ | |||||||
33 | 17 | 4.5 | MS-Optics | Perar | 60 | 10 | RF | M | coupled | 2017 | telephoto | J | 500 | 1oo degree coverage, 4/4, all lenses multi-coated, focus coupling from o.85 m to infinity, o.3 m close-up, 8okYen | Strong vignette. Strong colour cast on older sensors | |||||||
34 | 17 | 11 | Konica | Mini Wai Wai Wide | 85 | 5 | RF | M | uncoupled | 2003 | telephoto | J | 24 | fixed aperture plastic lens out of the eponymous disposable point-and-shoot camera; independently adapted onto an M body cap | See chan-nds-hk.translate.goog/blog/?p=11239&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_sch=http | |||||||
35 | 17 | 16 | Gizmon | Wtulens | 46 | 15 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 2020s | telephoto | J | 18 | 40 | double aspherical lens, i.e. using a pair of Fujifilm QuickSnap plastic lenses back-to-back, fixed f/16 aperture, fixed focus from o.5 m to infinity, closer focus by partly unscrewing the lens from the M39 adapter or camera used. Also available in C mount. | Aside from the obvious diffraction at f/16, which in itself makes one wonder why a manufacturer would choose this specification to begin with, the image quality is significantly below any smartphone. Insane vignette and colour cast on APS and FF, even on modern sensors; everything outside the image centre is smeared, even on M4/3. That might be quite artsy, though, and it is a very cute item. Centre sharpness very high! | ||||||
36 | 17 | 16 | Konica | Hexagon (sic) | 10 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 2000s | telephoto | J | 18 | 200 | fixed focus 1 m to infinity, fixed aperture. Taken off an f/11 Konica WaiWai disposable camera, converted to f/16 and M39, and sold in Japan for around 2oo €. "Nicknamed the 'Bologon' as it shares characteristics of the Biogon and Hologon lenses by Zeiss. | "Not as crisp in the corners as the Zeiss lenses, but definitely usable" "vignettes like crazy on an Epson RD-1 [APS!]" Samples on Leica M8 actually look acceptable, but show severest diffraction softness, making it a pure toy lens - and a hideously expensive one at that | |||||||
37 | 18 | 8 | Funleader | - | 40 | 8 | RF | M | uncoupled | 2020 | telephoto | C | 50 | 140 | field of view 1oo°. all versions multi-coated, brass body wit chrome plating, M bayonet version of below evil lens, but now has a focus lever and o.45 m close-up. 6/4, fixed aperture, no rangefinder coupling, silver or black, 14o quid new; myfunleader.com/collections/shop-all/products/funleader-caplens-18mm-f-8-for-m-mount) | significant vignette and flare as well as slight colour cast towards the edges, but produces reasonable image quality | ||||||
38 | 19 | 2.8 | MS-Optics | Hipolion 8-16/19 | 27 | 3 | RF | M | 2020 | telephoto | J | 50 | 850 | 2/2, as thin as a body cap, 3o cm close-up, "very soft" at f/2.8 (manufacturer statement!) until f/8 and "designed to be shot mainly at f/8-16"; design based on the Goerz Hypergon large format lens series released in 19oo, which was known to be insanely wide (7-12 mm full frame equivalent depending on format), but not all that sharp even then | Given the moderate wide-angle of this 19 mm, and given the progress of other ultrawide offerings, the price of 85o quid is hard to justify. Even within the MS range, the 17 mm is the more versatile choice | |||||||
39 | 20 | 5.6 | KMZ | РУССАР МР-2 (Russar MR-2) | 95 | 18 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 1957 | USSR | 599 | 6/4, total length including rear protrusion 46 mm; resolution 35/20 lines/mm center/edge; reportedly free of distortion. Came with ВИ-20 viewfinder. Several barrel versions, see sovietcams.com/index.php?3994356630. Lomography made a replica 2o18 for 599 USD | about the same idea as the above Canon 19mm... | ||||||||
40 | 21 | 3.5 | Ricoh | GR | 200 | 23 | RF | M39 | 1999 | J | Same lens as the Ricoh GR-21 point-and-shoot camera; limited edition: 1ooo in chrome and 7oo in black | |||||||||||
41 | 21 | 3.5 | Thypoch | Ksana | 130 | 27 | RF | M | 2026 | C | 500 | 8 elements, no character, outstandingly ugly engraving font, and hideously overpriced | The world really did not need YET ANOTHER slow yet not-that-compact 21mm! | |||||||||
42 | 21 | 3.5 | Voigtländer | Color Skopar asph | 180 | 30 | RF | M | 2018 | J | 9/8 | |||||||||||
43 | 21 | 3.5 | Voigtländer | Color Skopar asph II | 220 | 30 | RF | M | 2022 | J | Same as version I, but 40 g heavier! | |||||||||||
44 | 21 | 4 | Leica (Leitz Wetzlar) | Super-Angulon | 251 | 27 | RF | M | coupled | 1958 | D | |||||||||||
45 | 21 | 4 | Nikon (Nippon Kogaku) | W-Nikkor C | 128 | 26 | RF | Contax/Nikon | 1959 | J | engraved "Nippon Kogaku W-Nikkor C 1:4 f = 2.1 cm", 53.5 mm length overall, i.e. severe rear protrusion. 1959-6o only, in reportedly only 3oo copies, making it the rarest Nikon rangefinder lens. The same optics continued to be used in the Nikon F mount version for SLRs, see below | |||||||||||
46 | 21 | 4 | Voigtländer | Color Skopar MC and SC | 109 | 29 | RF | M39 | 2007 | J | 8/6; MC = multi coated, SC = single coated, the latter always denoted as such on the lens front | The most boring lens I ever owned | ||||||||||
47 | 21 | 4 | Voigtländer | Color Skopar MC and SC | 140 | 26 | RF | Contax/Nikon | 2001 | J | same as above, in different mount | |||||||||||
48 | 21 | 4 | Voigtländer | Color Skopar P II | 136 | 25 | RF | M | 2001 | J | same as above, in different mount again. All versions are optically identical (apart from the SC/MC choice, see above). This is the most compact version; the earlier M39 version is lighter, though | |||||||||||
49 | 21 | 4.5 | MS-Optics | Perar MC Super Wide Triplet | 42 | 5.2 | RF | M | coupled | telephoto | J | 700 | For comments on optical performance, see other MS lenses: this one is no different: Boring rendition (lack of sharpness and plasticity; strong vignette and colour cast towards the edges. Which is really sad, because it is a beautifully crafted item | |||||||||
50 | 21 | 4.5 | Zeiss | Biogon | 265 | 15 | RF | Contax/Nikon | 1954 | telephoto | D | 8/5, widest full frame lens then, sold with hotshoe finder (67g) | ||||||||||
51 | 24 | 2 | MS-Optics | Apora/Aporia | 45 | 5.8 | RF | M | coupled | 2020 | telephoto | J | 550 | o.5 m close-up | 3.9 EV vignette in the corners at full aperture - more than a Noctilux! Acceptable centre sharpness from f/2.8 on, across the field the least-worst aperture is f/11 but performance never really convinces; high coma down to f/8, slight colour cast even on modern sensors, and moderate but noticeable distortion. Lovely bokeh but very limited plasticity: images look very two-dimensional without much depth. Noticeable SA wide-open | |||||||
52 | 24 | 4 | MS-Optics | Perar MC | 40 | 5.2 | RF | M | coupled | 2014 | telephoto | J | 5o g with hood, 19 mm filter, o.8 m close-up on Leica M, on mirrorless cameras o.5-o.6 m; silver, gold, or black | Very strong vignette on full frame that can hardly be removed completely (see thephoblographer.com/2014/08/19/reviewthe-ms-optical-perar-24mm-f4-super-wide/#.VrSXZHm-Mn4). "The outer ring is for focusing. The next ring is aperture control which is moved carefully by your finger. It’s not hard to use at all" | ||||||||
53 | 24 | 6.3 | AstrHori Rockstar | Wide-Angle Full Frame Manual Focus Lens | 120 | 22 | RF | M | coupled | 2022 | telephoto | C | 70 | 160 | fixed aperture, double aspherical 5/5, o.25 m close-up; 35.5 mm filter, silver and black versions; price dropped from 28o to 16o quid in 2025 | There are NO samples and NO reviews online, even years after publication of the lens, and with the lens readily available on ebay etc. | ||||||
54 | 24 | 11 | Chroma | Double Glass | 16 | 5 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 2022 | telephoto | GB | 24 | 120 | fixed focus with 1.5 m close-up! | Insane vignette, colour cast, and edge smear, even on modern cameras. imho just not worth it | ||||||
55 | 25 | 3.5 | Canon | - | 145 | 15 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1956 | telephoto | J | 600 | based on the Zeiss Topogon according to Canon, which in turn is based on Goerz Hypergon; sold with finder | Worlds better than the 19mm MS reinterpretation of the Hypergon. Yet today surpassed: "accurate with all my Leica Ms. The CV25 is a great alternative, undoubtedly better optically. The 25 Canons and Nikkors M39 are amazingly small lenses. But both are rare collector's items and both are blown away on performance by the new 24/2.8 ASPH. The new 25/4 Voigtlander Skopar is a very viable alternative" | |||||||
56 | 25 | 4 | Nikon (Nippon Kogaku) | W-Nikkor C | 70 | ~10 | RF | Contax/Nikon | coupled | 1953 | telephoto | J | 4/4, engraved "Nippon Kogaku W-Nikkor C 1:4 f = 2.5 cm"; 5oo copies made in black, 1ooo in chrome (125 g!), and a few hundred in M39, all of which in chrome, overall 28oo copies | "not a great performer by today's standards, it still produces good images" | ||||||||
57 | 25 | 4 | Nikon (Nippon Kogaku) | W-Nikkor C | 75 | 10 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1953 | telephoto | J | 1700 | same as above, in different mount | see 35mmc.com/11/10/2021/nikon-nippon-kogaku-w-nikkor-c-2-5cm-f-4-ltm-nikons-tiny-gems-pt-3-by-agata-urbaniak/ | |||||||
58 | 25 | 4 | Voigtländer | Color Skopar | 144 | 30 | RF | M | coupled | 2007 | J | 280 | 7/5, o.5 m close up, 39 mm filter, update of the following lens with probably identical optics | |||||||||
59 | 25 | 4 | Voigtländer | Snapshot Skopar | 95 | 28 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 2001 | J | 350 | 7/5, o.7 m close-up, 39 mm filter | |||||||||
60 | 25 | 4 | Voigtländer | SC Skopar | 140 | 28 | RF | Contax/Nikon | uncoupled | 2001 | J | 250 | 7/5, same optics | |||||||||
61 | 25 | 4 | Zeiss Jena | Topogon | 90 | 20+ | RF | M39, Contax/Nikon | uncoupled | 1951 | telephoto | GDR | 3000 | 4/4 Hypergon derivative, very rare: 2-3oo copies? There was an even rarer Topogon 2.5cm f:4.5 in 1936 with only 5o copies made | Strong vignette and flare, not very characterful - pure collector's item | |||||||
62 | 25 | 11 | Fujicolor | Quicksnap Panorama | 40 | 5 | RF | M | uncoupled | 1990s | telephoto | J | 24 | fixed aperture plastic lens off a 1992 full frame disposable point-and-shoot camera; can be adapted onto a Leica M bayonet cap, or bought pre-adapted | See chan-nds-hk.translate.goog/blog/?p=11239&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_sch=http - of the three f/11 lenses 17, 25 and 32 mm, this one is rated optically the best, especially the edges | |||||||
63 | 26 | 6 | Omnar | CN26-6 | 100 | 11 | RF | M | 2021 | telephoto | GB | 70 | 940 | fixed aperture, o.3 m close-up, physically crude look. | Terrible colour casts even on modern Leica M digital cameras. Ridiculously overpriced IMHO. Such a slow aperture will leave no creative freedom | |||||||
64 | 28 | 1.7 | MS-Optics | Apoqualia | 60 | 10 | RF | M | coupled | 2023 | telephoto | J | 1000 | 6/4, 28.8 mm f/1.73 | according to direct comparisons from youtube.com/watch?v=2yNCiEm4FfE, this version is significantly inferior to the earlier f2 version. terrible SA wide-open with extremely soft edges extending far into the image; compared to the old f/2 version, wide-open sharpness is lower, but performance at f/4 is quite a bit better | |||||||
65 | 28 | 2 | MS-Optics | Apoqualia-G and II | 70 | 10 | RF | M | coupled | 2017 | telephoto | J | 600 | 6/4 Gauss type, 28 mm filter, 28.8 mm f/2.o8; version I: close-up o.6 m, coupled from o.9 m on; II: same coupling, but o.35 m minimum focus - no optical differences | according to direct comparisons from youtube.com/watch?v=2yNCiEm4FfE, this f2 is better at f2 than the f1.7 version open or at f2, and shows much more characterful bokeh. Centre sharpness decent even wide-open, but significantly falling off towards the edges, and no plasticity. Glow/spherical aberrations. Extreme edges smeared like through vaseline, even on Leica M cameras, and not remedied by stopping down. A Leica 35/2 IV, not known for corner-to-corner sharpness, is sharper wide-open than this MS is at ANY aperture! Great lens for APS and casual photography thus, but still low separation compared to a Leica or CV 28/2. This is aggravated by horrible field curvature. Bokeh nice to horrible depending on subject | |||||||
66 | 28 | 2.8 | Artralab | 200 | 13 | RF | M | coupled | 2025 | telephoto | C | 550 | ||||||||||
67 | 28 | 2.8 | Brightin Star | Funleader | 113 | 10 | RF | M | coupled | 2023 | telephoto | C | 330 | centre sharpness only acceptable; extreme edges are an atrocity: smeared at ALL apertures, which is just plain inacceptable for 1) the price, 2) the presentation and 3) 2o23. no 3D at all; at best moderate separation; nice transition into out-of-focus; bokeh very smooth. slight cyan colour cast in corners - again, inacceptable in 2o23. front paintwork full of irrelevant text. | ||||||||
68 | 28 | 2.8 | Canon | - | 150 | 20 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1956 | telephoto | J | 400 | 6/4 | one of Gary Winogrand's favourite. indeed rather high detail sharpness in the centre; only full zoom will reveal it to be below a modern lens. still, visibly higher details in the image centre than for example with the highly disappointing brightinstar. corner detail low, but still infinitely higher than with the brightinstar, because the Canon's corners ARE actually sharp. in fact, their sharpness is decidedly closer to a modern slr lens than to any cheap chinese crap. bokeh is astonishingly characterful for the focal length, and separation equally astonishingly high. on the flip side, you may encounter SA, esp. up closer, and quite a bit of field curvature to infinity | |||||||
69 | 28 | 2.8 | Lee Works | 95 | 20 | RF | M | coupled | 2025 | telephoto | C | performance looks average on first impression. corners soft, but unclear if as uselessly soft as the Brightin Star. bokeh is boring (the Canon, for example, is much nicer) | ||||||||||
70 | 28 | 2.8 | Leica (Leitz Wetzlar) | Elmarit-M ASPH | 173 | 30 | RF | M | coupled | 2006 | D | 1500 | actual focal length 28.5 mm. The previous, non-aspheric versions are significantly larger | |||||||||
71 | 28 | 2.8 | Ricoh | GR | 180 | 21 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1997 | telephoto | J | 700 | 7/4, same lens as the Ricoh GR-1 point-and-shoot camera. limited edition: 2ooo in chrome and 1ooo in black | ||||||||
72 | 28 | 2.8 | Thypoch | Eureka | 130 | 20 | RF | M | coupled | 2025 | telephoto | C | 400 | |||||||||
73 | 28 | 2.8 | Voigtländer | Color-Skopar | 143 | 24 | RF | M39 | coupled | 2023 | telephoto | J | 300 | Successor of f/3.5 version | ||||||||
74 | 28 | 2.8 | Voigtländer | Color-Skopar | 110 | 24 | RF | M | coupled | 2023 | telephoto | J | 300 | same as above, in different mount. you can also have a stupid pseudo retro look body with 143 g | ||||||||
75 | 28 | 3.3 | Som Berthiot | Angulor | 143-174 | 16 | RF | M39, Contax/Nikon, ... | uncoupled | 1949 | telephoto | F | 3000 | 6/4 double gauss; "available in various mounts: M39 (174g), Nikon/Contax CX (143g), Alpa short mounts, and, rarely, a hybrid of Leica screw mounts and RF Contax CX mounts. The barrel is completely different", see syarakuse.sakura.ne.jp/SOMBERTHIOT/angulor28.html | Pure collectors' item: low contrast, boring bokeh, strong flare, low 3D, average sharpness | |||||||
76 | 28 | 3.5 | Avenon = Adorama = Bower = Kobalux = Pasoptik | 113 | 18 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1994 | telephoto | J | 250 | "chrome and black. The small Japanese company Y.K. Optical from Yokohama made two wide angle lenses in Leica mount. They were sold under the names Kobalux, Avenon, Pasoptik, Bower or Adorama. With hood and convenient focusing lever, filter size 43.5. Apparently production ended in early 2oo2; not up to Leica quality, yet it gives reasonably good performance for a budget price". The other lens was a 21mm, which is larger than a pancake, but f/2.8 | |||||||||
77 | 28 | 3.5 | Canon | Serenar (up to 1953, later just Canon) Mk I | 145 | 19 | RF | M39, Contax/Nikon | coupled | 1951 | telephoto | J | 300 | 6/4, 1 m close-up, 6 aperture petals, originally 27kYen. The only lens of which Canon also made a Contax bayonet version (in 1954). | ||||||||
78 | 28 | 3.5 | Canon | Mk II | 120 | 25 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1957 | telephoto | J | 300 | then 25 3oo Yen | ||||||||
79 | 28 | 3.5 | Minolta | G-Rokkor | 115 | 20 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1999 | telephoto | J | 900 | 5/5 with 2 or 3 aspherics; note that their earlier 28/3.5 for the Leica CLE is much longer; 2ooo copies made | ||||||||
80 | 28 | 3.5 | MS-Optics | Nikon Lite Touch 600 AF | 85 | 19 | RF | M | coupled | 2010 | telephoto | J | 750 | Conversion of Nikon 600AF point-and-shoot camera lens; some report claims only 9 such modifications were made | ||||||||
81 | 28 | 3.5 | Nikon (Nippon Kogaku) | W-Nikkor C f = 2.8 cm | 110-150 | 21 | RF | M39, Contax/Nikon | coupled | 1952 | telephoto | J | 250 | 6/4 design | "poor. just nowhere near as sharp as either the Zeiss-for-Contax or a Leica asph" - yes, but not THAT bad, see 35mmc.com/04/10/2021/nikon-nippon-kogaku-w-nikkor-c-2-8cm-f-3-5-ltm-nikons-tiny-gems-pt-2-by-agata-urbaniak/ | |||||||
82 | 28 | 3.5 | Omnar | UW-Nikkor Calypso | 120 | 20 | RF | M | coupled | 2023 | GB | this is a rangefinder coupled rehousing of a lens designed for UNDERWATER use! Butchering rare old Nikonos underwarter cameras should be avoided at all cost!! Paying 12oo GBP for the conversion on top appears rather tasteless to me. More factually, air and water require VERY different optical corrections, so just like no "land" lens will ever excel underwater, no underwater lens will perform great on land or in air. Imho, this is a stupid idea to burn money. The image is heavily smeared and blurred. If you want a compact 28/3.5, there are many, many cheaper options - specifically for land use! | ||||||||||
83 | 28 | 3.5 | Sankyo Kohki | W-Komura | 170 | 27 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1965 | J | 400 | 7 elements; MSRP 1965 81 USD, dealer purchase price 48.6o USD. rare today. Aka Sankyo Koki | the company has a very mixed reputation, with lovers and haters and few in-between | ||||||||
84 | 28 | 3.5 | Staeble | Underwater ultra wide angle | 140 | 23 | RF | M39 | coupled | 1950 | D | optically corrected for underwater use! | ||||||||||
85 | 28 | 3.5 | Voigtländer | Color-Skopar | 163 | 26 | RF | M39 | coupled | 2002 | telephoto | J | 500 | 39 mm filter, o.7 m close-up. Originally could be had around 3oo €, 2o2o collector's item and not worth it | ||||||||
86 | 28 | 3.5 | Voigtländer | SC Skopar | 138 | 28 | RF | Contax/Nikon | coupled | 2003 | telephoto | J | 500 | same optics as above | ||||||||
87 | 28 | 4 | MS-Optics | Perar Super Triplet | 45 | 5.5 | RF | M | coupled | 2012 | telephoto | J | 500 | o.8 m close-up, Tessar type, 55kYen new | For its size, both sharpness and bokeh (to the extent there is any) are remarkable. If size does not matter to you to this extreme extent, a Leica 28/2.8 asph will deliver more image quality. The handling of these small MS lenses has been described as quirky by some and indeed is less fast and ergonomic than a Leica, but very doable unless you're outrageously clumsy, and is arguably an experience in its own right. | |||||||
88 | 28 | 4.5 | FED | FED-35 | 150 | 24 | RF | M39 | uncoupled | 1938 | USSR | 400 | 6/4, uncoated, 6 aperture petals, 1m close-up; very compact and rather rare russian rangefinder lens; at the time faster and more complex than anything from Germany! | Pair spectacular engineering for its time with typical haphazard soviet manufacturing tolerances, and you might get a very good or a terrible copy. 1oo years of storage and use do not improve that: many copies are in bad condition, which affects image quality, particularly through strong glow. The low distortion has been noted, but also the need to calibrate the lens to the specific intended camera, another result of the lax manufacturing tolerances. And there is strong vignette at all apertures, strong flare, and SA: pierretizien-photos.blogspot.com/2016/02/fed-35-28mm45.html and chan.nds.hk/blog/?p=14118 | ||||||||
89 | 28 | 4.5 | Foca | Oplar 2.8cm | RF | Foca Universel bayonet | coupled | F | Foca was a camera brand name of Optique et Précision de Levallois (OPL) | |||||||||||||
90 | 28 | 4.5 | Som Berthiot | Angulor | RF | Contax/Nikon | F | 1800 | ||||||||||||||
91 | 28 | 5.6 | Leica (Leitz Wetzlar) | Summaron f=2.8cm | 150 | 16 | RF | M39, M | 1956 | telephoto | D | 100 | 900 | 6/4, silver and much rarer black barrel | At full aperture we have high overall contrast and a crisp rendition of very fine detail over a large part of the picture area. In the outer zones performance drops rapidly. From 5.6 to 8 this lens delivers excellent image quality. Vignetting is 2.5 stops and distortion non existent. Flare is also well suppressed, but the lens is not immune to its effects. -Puts | |||||||
92 | 28 | 5.6 | Leica | Summaron-M 28mm | 165 | 18 | RF | M | coupled | 2016 | telephoto | D | 100 | 1200 | For fans of rip-offs, Leica makes an optically identical replica, now only in M mount, sold for 24oo € | |||||||
93 | 28 | 5.6 | TTartisan | - | 151 | 19 | RF | M39, M | 2021 | telephoto | C | 100 | 150 | 7/4, outer appearance of a copy of old Leica Summarons, but optically different; 1 m close-up | I fail to see why a manufacturer would impose such dismal speeds on us in this age. The lens does perform slightly better than the Leica, with less vignette and, what little there is, smoother bokeh and minutely more separation. But the Leica is a nearly 1oo-year old relic, so big deal improving on it - in a body that is still exactly the same size! | |||||||
94 | 28 | 6 | KMZ | Orion-15 | 61 | 30 | RF | M39 | 1959 | USSR | 70 | 200 | symmetrical optical design (from 1944), meaning totally free from distortion; 1 m close-up | |||||||||
95 | 28 | 6.3 | Foca | Oplar | 90 | RF | M36 (sic) | 1949 | F | 6/2 double Anastigmat (Dagor) design, estimated 3oo copies in M36 (sic) screw mount and 5oo in Foca bayonet mount | ||||||||||||
96 | 28 | 6.3 | Leica (Leitz Wetzlar) | Hektor | 100 | 13 | RF | M39 | 1935 | telephoto | D | 70 | 800 | 1 m close-up | ||||||||
97 | 28 | 8 | Zeiss | Tessar | 15 | RF | Contax/Nikon | uncoupled | 1932 | telephoto | D | 70 | 540 | 4/3 released along with the very first Contax camera | ||||||||
98 | 28 | 64 | Lens Punk | LPK-M | 50 | 10 | RF | M | uncoupled | 2023 | telephoto | GB | 70 | values estimated; 1/1, focus free, fixed aperture snapshot lens, hand assembled in a plastic body cap: made by Dominic Silverthorn until at least 2022) | strong corner smear, but lovely centre sharpness. I'd rate image quality and pleasantness above the below 32mm f/1o cap lenses | |||||||
99 | 30 | 6.8 | Meopta | Largor | RF | Opema | uncoupled | 195os | CZ | 70 | with matching viewfinder, o.6 m close-up, rare but unsold for 6oo €. Opema is a 24x32mm camera with M38 thread mount, NOT compatible with Leica M39 | |||||||||||
100 | 30 | 10 | Kodak | - | 50 | 2 | RF | M39, M, evil | uncoupled | 2020s | telephoto | US | 24 | 20 | Chinese modification using a disposable point-and-shoot camera's lens and gluing it into a body cap for cameras with M39, Leica M, Sony E, Fuji X, or m43 mount. In 2o24, an update appeared, mimicking the body shape of an oreo cookie, but with identical optics. Sells for 2o USD 2o24. No aperture; fixed focus 2 m to infinity | Cute, but sharpness terrible outside the centre. See chan-nds-hk.translate.goog/blog/?p=11239&_x_tr_sl=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=de&_x_tr_sch=http | ||||||