This is the Canon 28mm f2.8 Leica Threadmount Lens that I purchased a few weeks ago. I was looking for a lens to replace a 28mm f1.4 from 7Artisans that I purchased during it’s initial release last year. I prioritize condition(if used), size, and price, in that order, when I am shopping for a lens.
Aperture ring is placed at 2.8, blades are not fully opened
I will review the 7Artisans lens in a different post. For now, I’ll discuss this tiny Canon lens. The box was neatly taped and well wrapped upon its arrival from Japan. The particular copy I received was in OK condition. It had two large specs of dust inside the front element and another in the rear element. The front coating was starting to peel so I was not expecting great things.
Cosmetic issues aside, this lens made me think I had forgotten to mount it onto my camera as soon as I walked out the door. I kept looking down to confirm it was still there. This lens is extremely light. So much so, that the weight of my Leica M240 kept rotating the camera backwards so it would hang upside down on its strap.
I placed the 28mm next to my Canon 50mm f1.4 as a size comparison. Let’s get to the meat and potatoes and show some photos taken with the lens.
Great American Debut, January 2020
Haze? Sure, Why Not, January 2020
This lens feels “OK” in the hands. The thing I love about it the most is the same thing that frustrated me every time I picked it up, it’s size. I found myself lost when looking for the focusing tab, only to look down at the lens and see that I was turning the aperture ring the whole time. I wouldn’t say I have giant fingers by any means, but I do wear a size 10 wedding band. You might have better luck if you have slender fingers. I also noticed how aware I had to be of my hand placement on the barrel of the lens during each shot I took.
Haze, still present. Low contrast. Not sure what was in focus, January 2020
The shot right above was the first one I took indoors at the lens’ maximum aperture of f2.8. I focused on the white containers on the middle shelf and had a decently fast shutter speed and even then, everything seemed to be blurred. Stopping the lens down didn’t really help much up until f8, but I feel that shooting a “semi-fast” lens stopped down that far defeats the purpose of said lens.
The top picture was shot at f2.8 and the bottom at f8. The edges sharpened up a fair bit and the center seems to have stayed fairly consistent across the two images. The screen on the back of my camera confirmed that every image was, indeed, in focus. I was losing hope for this lens. Things didn’t improve much during the rest of my time with this lens. I started to understand why there weren’t many articles discussing this lens, it wasn’t worth the time. I am glad I got to write my thoughts about it though; hopefully someone reads this and makes an informed decision, I wish I would have. See the rest of the pictures below..
