Yashica ML 28mm f2.8
An extremely versatile vintage wide angle lens, as much as the Zeiss Flektogon if not more, provided 28mm is your focal length of preference.
Because my photography style comes from cinema, wide angle lenses help me create a dramatic, "larger than life" image, and the 28mm allows me to do this whilst at the same time giving me the opportunity to refine by cropping if needed, still staying within the 28 to 35mm territory. All this makes this optic ideal for street photography but also perfect for environmental portraits. Moreover, it can focus as close as 0.3m, allowing close ups on small objects whilst capturing the surroundings. A lot of image creation potential.
The black and white rendering is beautiful straight out of camera, the blacks are very deep and the highlights perfectly balanced with them. It's a very sharp lens in the centre starting at the widest aperture and it gets sharper when stopped down.
Like the Zeiss Flektogon, It doesn't have any particular rendering quirks but it does offer a perfectly balanced performance in a top quality construction, the multi coating controls flares well and delivers great contrast. Some of these lenses were produced by Kyocera, the former Tomioka Kōgaku K.K.
Why use the Yashica ML 28mm f2.8:
1) Contrast
2) Sharpness
3) Beautiful rendering in both color and black and white
4) Smooth background blur
5) Minimum focusing distance of 0.3m
6) Sturdy construction and smooth handling
7) Multi coated
Weaknesses:
None.
