Re: [Leica] Opinions on a Kobayashi 28/2.8 lens??

[TTAbrahams@aol.com]

Bob,
I concur with Joseph and Jem on the Kobayashi 21/2,8. It is the same lens as 
the Kobalux/Avenon/Pasoptik,etc. I think the Kobayashi name is the name that 
the lens was originally sold under. I have had the Kobalux. It is a very 
large lens and some of the earlier once had an irritating habit of coming 
apart (mainly the front ring of the lens would unscrew and the front element 
suddenly would come loose). It is a remarkably good lens for its price, not a 
pretty lens and the finder is truly ugly (but very bright and nice). If you 
are not a heavy user of 21's I would recommend it. Best replacement finder 
for it would be the Roussar 20mm finder. I used mine mainly for black/white 
and pulled some 16x20's, shot under somewhat marginal light conditions in 
Tokyo's fishmarket and they were more than OK. It is also a screwmount lens, 
which means that you can put it on a 3F or 2F body and have a dedicated 21 
body without going to the expense of getting a separate M-body. It is 
slightly less contrasty than the 21/2,8 Asph and the few rolls of color I 
shot with it, had a slightly warmer tint than the Leica 21's. I haven't had a 
chance to try out the 21/3,5 Ricoh yet so I can't say whether it is better or 
worse than that one. Together with the 28/3,5 (later made into a 28/2,8) 
Kobalux lenses were some of the first lenses made for the LTM market in the 
90's - prior to that most of the LTM lenses were made for dedicated cameras 
who happened to be 39mm mounts. Now we have a whole buffet of these lenses 
and more to come! Latest rumour from Japan is Voightlander 50/1,5 Nokton and, 
rather than a 85/90 mm APO-Lanthar, a 75/2,4 APO-Lanthar, and if the Cosina 
can keep the optical quality they have shown with the 15/4,5 and the 25/4, I 
am getting in the line for the 50/1,5 and the 75/2,4.
Tom A