Distagon 60mm f35

[bahngeist]

Thank you everyone for the replies. Great shot there Michael, very similar in composition and feel as ones I have taken excepting that mine have the flavour of the upper Pacific NW rainforest -- my being up here in Alaska and all

I am looking forward to working with the CB, that is, once KEH has processed the return of the CF I tried-out -- there is nothing quite like the dubious pleasure of anticipation, eh. So it seems that the likely culprit in the shortcomings I found when testing the CF was the condition of that particular lens and not the design itself nor the prism. That is what I figured, but verification seldom hurts either.

A thought that hit me a short while ago is that the 120 would complement the 60 quite remarkably well as a walkaround duo for landscape/nature/etc. photography. Given that I have the 100 it is unlikely that I will take that route; but then, a while back I also said that I would never get a 60 as I found the 50 CFi and Biogon quite sufficient -- "different horses for different courses" often holds so true eh Simon

 

[simonpg]

Spot on Wayne. Every month I am learning more and more about how each focal length has its own "story" to tell.

My CF 60mm is a wonderful "walk-around" lens too due to its relatively compact size and its very natural angle of view.

I have also found I use it wide open quite a lot and have never seen any image quality issues. It has a well deserved excellent reputation.

Michael, lovely pic that does the lens good justice.

 

[bahngeist]

I need some quick advice re. whether I should keep the CF60 I received yesterday from KEH. Do note that I ordered a CB60 originally and instead received the CF in error (see note at end of post).

The serial no. indicates that the lens was made in 1987, which makes it 10 years older than a CB at a minimum. Roughly 1/3 of the black finish on the lens hood bayonet mount has been worn-off, indicating that the lens was probably used heavily by its prior owner. Conversely, the shutter appears to work quite smoothly across the entire range, and the glass is quite pristine. In short the lens is an obvious user but had likely been taken care of quite well.

The CB I ordered was actually an exchange for a 60CF I returned approx. a month ago (due to being a marginal low-end Bargain grade for KEH) -- the latter was ordered originally this past mid-May but was held-up pending evaluation of items I forwarded earlier as trade-ins. I have needed a 60 for a while now and have compromised some recent personal shoots because of the corresponding lack. I would likely have to wait another month before receiving a CB as a return exchange, and there is no real guarantee that a replacement will be any better condition (as there is a fair degree of variation within an evaluation grade depending on individual differences between KEH’s evaluators). I am aware of the advantages that a CB would have over the CF, but am tempted to just cut-my-losses and start putting the CF to good use.

I really do not expect others to make my decision for me, but given the above would there be any compelling practical reason(s) to return the CF in exchange for a CB in this instance?

Note: through various transactions with KEH over this past six months I have noticed a recent tendency of their inspectors to misidentify items despite clear indications to the contrary – e.g., the lens I ordered was labeled as being a CB despite CF being clearly printed on the lens barrel. Though such errors would pop-up occasionally given KEH’s transaction volume -- and I may well have just had a string of correspondingly bad luck -- do be aware that buying used through even KEH can be somewhat of a ‘crap-shoot’. It can be annoying to have to regularly return/exchange incorrect items and absorb shipping-back costs; I can just imagine how much more that would be to those outside of North America.

 

[agripix]

G'Day Wayne:

My two cents worth.

I look after my lenses, but the CFs I do have became quite worn at the hood bayonet mount fairly quickly. My later CFE has a "mark-free" construction, and no marks.

I have no experience with CBs - they may be the same new construction?

My focus (pun intended) would be the glass and the shutter.

Cheers,

Colin

 

[najobskalf]

I don't suppose you know whether the CF front ring can be replaced with the non-marking CFi/CFe type?

 

[gjames52]

Wayne:

I would call and speak to the owner and see if he wants to salvage his reputation, by providing you with a shipper, and provide you a lens that satisfies you.

Regards:

Gilbert

 

[simonpg]

Wayne, keep in mind the fact that the lens hood bayonet mount paint rubs away very easily - so the fact that your replacement has worn paint there does NOT indicate heavy use - just indicates that it has had a hood on and off some degree of multiple times.

My suggestion is that if YOU are happy with the cosmetics; and hearing you say you ARE happy with the glass and shutter; and you think the price for that CF model and condition IS good (not cheap but just good) then KEEP it, so long as a CF really appeals to you in the first place - don't let circumstances of dealer errors make you accept what you really did not want. But bearing that in mind - there is NO downside to owning a good CF model.

All my lenses are CF except the 80CFE that came with my 501CM. YES I do marginally prefer the in-hand mechanics of focusing etc of the current lenses; yes knowing a current lens (includes the CB) have the enhanced interior coating (although its benefits are ONLY visible in extreme shooting light according to pros that use them) is a "nice to have" feature but it is no deal breaker; yes knowing the lens mount and front bayonet are of the "new" materials that don't really show wear - but what the heck; yes knowing it has the new fancy metal shutter mechanism is neat - but so what, the CF shutter mechanism was hardly weak and the new one can be fitted to CF lenses anyway (in about 70 years when the original wears out!!)

- my MHO is I could care less.

I found a wonderful genuinely unused CF 60 - got lucky and it was very hard to find and the only CB I considered was too expensive for me. So my choice was easy. And I preferred to know a CF works fully on a 200 camera should I get lucky one day and own one.

Of course if your kit is all current lenses then it may be neat to have all in similar designs so the CB "fits" and would understandably be your preference.

So don't buy under pressure - by what you decided you wanted for your personal reasons. My personal reasons are that I buy neat mint condition as mine are keepers and I could afford CF and not CFE/I. And I see NO disadvantage in owning CF at all.

 

[bahngeist]

Thanx everyone for the timely replies. I was working under the assumption that the finish was black chrome rather than paint (I stand corrected), but a short while after posting my query a work colleague confirmed that such paint wear isn't necessarily indicative of heavy use. As the lens is otherwise in overall great shape (similar in condition to my CF180 and CF38) it is a keeper, particularly since I have newly acquired used lenses CLA'd fully as a matter of course.

Simon: your positiveness and enthusiasm is as heartwarming and contagious as usual

Your point about having the option of using a 2XX body in the future is an excellent one -- although at present I am satisified with my 503's, the comparatively fast FE non-SA telephotos are an attractive option. Besides that, in-camera TTL metering would be somewhat easier than a manual approach when using a polarizer-9+ ND combination close-in under tricky lighting situations. But, for now, I am really looking forwarding to putting the 60 through its initial paces -- in this instance, I am going back to reshoot my recent 'problematic' lighting situations with/in a different perspective