XCD 45P vs XCD 55v

[fti9748]

Does anybody who has both the above lenses have an opinion on which is more useable/better. I know that's a vague and spongy question. But I have the 38V and it really isn't worth the 3500.00. I have the 90 on order but had planned to skip the 55. Now I am thinking a good, solid sharp lens, between the 38 and the 90 would be nice. But 3500 again for the 55, if it is on par with the 38,
is a hard to justify.

In short I am enjoying the camera more than i expected but finding it hard and expensive to find lenses. I have adapters for my Leica, Nikon and Mamiya lenses, but the electronic shutter is slow and unpredictable and not something I am used to yet.

So I am looking at older XCD lenses to pair with the camera.

[braver]

XCD 55V is 10x better — programmable ring, manual focus ring, DoF, metal throughout with superior metal caps.  The new line made all old lenses obsolete. 

[mar-ko]

What exactly do you not like about the 38v? "Really isn't worth the price" is pretty vague to understand, what's important to you. Price/performance-wise, the 45P will be hard to beat.

[paratom]

I have not yet either of the new lenses but a 55 on order.
I like the smaller size and the focus ring of the new lenses and faster AF. But let's be honest - the new lenses will not make the x2d a Z9 or R3 speedy camera.
And while smaller the new lenses also will not make the x1d a Leica Q2 size wise.
So from my side I like the new design, features and lither weight, but I also think - like you - come on a pretty high price.
Therefore I do not rule out the old lenses, specially since you can buy them used for 1/3 price of the new lenses.

In regards of the 45 ... I think if you already own 38, then 45 doesn't make much sense in regards of focal length. Too close, IMO.
I own the 45/3.5, but will probably sell when I get the55.
1 stop faster. Also the 45 shows quite some vignetting and it is one of the loudest lenses.
On the other side its not a bad lens, compact, sharp and overall IQ is fine.
My plan is to replace 45 and 65 with 55.

[tenmangu81]

I started my digital HB first steps with the X1D II and the XCD45P, because this lens was "cheap" when compared with the rest of the HB lens line. And I am not desappointed at all !! It is lightweight and not bulky at all, doesn't need any sun visor, fast, and..... excellent.

Then I got the XCD90, the XCD65,....and the XCD55V.

And the 55 is excellent as well. It will replace my XCD65 (that I intend to sell) because it is also very light, very fast, and there is this lens control ring which is very convenient.

I was thinking about selling the XCD45P as well, as it is rather close to the 55, but, after all, it is not worth selling it.

The difference between the 55 and the 45 is that the 45 is a medium wide angle very useful for landscapes and architecture, and the 55V is, for me, the lens which gives me the closest human eye angle of view, and I feel it very "natural". It is my all purpose lens.

So, I will keep my costless XCD45P. And it is not XCD 45P vs XCD 55V, but XCD 45P and XCD 55V   

[rollsman]

Thank you for sharing this.  The difference in price between the 45P which is Excellent and the 55V is quite a bit more and I dont know if it justifies the additional cost for IQ    Thanks   
  I just purchased the XCD 90 3.2  and looking forward to my next session of Portraits

[tenmangu81]

XCD45P and XCD90 is a very good combo.

[David Mantripp]

XCD 55V is 10x better — programmable ring, manual focus ring, DoF, metal throughout with superior metal caps.  The new line made all old lenses obsolete.

Yet precisely zero of those things have anything at all to do with optical quality. Some handling advantages, certainly DoF scale is a big plus, but otherwise, bling. 

Hard to see how 3 new lenses (of which 1 is vapourware so far) with new focal lengths makes a whole range from 21mm to 135*1.7 "obsolete", but there you go.

[braver]

It goes without saying that the optical quality of the new V lenses is superb.  Given you have a comparable V lens, then, it makes no sense to lug around a heavier lens, less agile to control, around.  I love my zoom, and the 80/1.9, and the 21mm, but I'll have a hard time lugging the 80mm around when the 90V arrives.  The manual focus ring is not bling, it creates a completely new way to quickly focus.  The programmable aperture ring can be used to quickly adjust EV on the 907x that makes it extremely useful.  The balance of the 55V on the 907x makes it a completely new camera, much more useful than before with the slow 45/45P.  Nothing else is small enough.  So yes, the 38/55V make 45/45P obsolete, in my opinion.  The 65mm is just dead in comparison.  The 90/3.2, gone.  Sorry guys I had all of those but fortunately let them go.  Whenever a V version of the previous plastic/rubbery lens will be engineered, the same evolution will occur, they'll join the Dodo and the Tasmanian Devil.  For now I need to replace all the lids with the amazing new metal ones...  The front lid is much safer and easier to replace.  Not bling, but a useful and ergonomic upgrade.

[jwillson]

Does anybody who has both the above lenses have an opinion on which is more useable/better. I know that's a vague and spongy question. But I have the 38V and it really isn't worth the 3500.00. I have the 90 on order but had planned to skip the 55. Now I am thinking a good, solid sharp lens, between the 38 and the 90 would be nice. But 3500 again for the 55, if it is on par with the 38,
is a hard to justify.

In short I am enjoying the camera more than i expected but finding it hard and expensive to find lenses. I have adapters for my Leica, Nikon and Mamiya lenses, but the electronic shutter is slow and unpredictable and not something I am used to yet.

So I am looking at older XCD lenses to pair with the camera.

If you are OK with an f/4 maximum aperture, a comparatively "clunky" shutter (sound), and slow/noisy AF then the 45P is, honestly, a really, really good lens. Depending on your particular uses, the max aperture and the slow/noisy AF and noisy shutter may be just fine. It sounds like I'm knocking the 45P, but the "issues" would be all but irrelevant for most landscape shots, as an example. The 45P is a lot of lens for the money, and it come with the added advantage of being the most compact XCD lens available.

The concerns I would have with recommending the 45P:

• Not a lot of focal length distance between 38 and 45 so not sure you would find it much of a supplement to your existing 38
• The AF is quite a bit slower on an X2D than the new "V" series lensers
• I find manual focus much, much easier with the new "V" series lenses since the motion is linear when you have the clutch engaged

Optically, they are both excellent. The 55 has more vignetting wide open than the 45, but by the time you stop down to f/4 they are likely similar. I would recommend you look at your particular uses. Will you be trying to do street photography or documentary photography/reportage? If so, the 55 is probably worth the price difference. Landscape? I'd be more worried about what focal length I needed. Portrait work? 55 all the way. Product photography? The 55 is probably not worth the extra money.

[JCM-Photos]

have ever used a 45P saying it has a clunky shutter sound ?

It's by far the most silent XCD line lens, certainly quieter than a focal shutter.

[doc steel]

30, 45/4, 65, 80, 135+TC is my choice

fastest: 80
most silent: 45/4
sharpest: 65, 135 wo TC

but
1/ the differnce in speed within these lenses is in my opinion not noteworthy
2/ the diff in shutter sound is also not noteworthy and
3/ the diff in sharpness is only visible if you print 30x40" or larger (or when you pixel-peeping like those not to take serious sonyists    )

[fti9748]

What exactly do you not like about the 38v? "Really isn't worth the price" is pretty vague to understand, what's important to you. Price/performance-wise, the 45P will be hard to beat.

I am looking for a lens that will sit on the camera most of the time, take photos that are, across a - square* - frame, sharp, good contrast, typical Hasselblad colors, smooth out-of-focus, with reasonable autofocus ( *hopefully we get in camera aspect ratios ).

In terms of image quality it is disappointing, to me, for a 3.7K-USD lens. Nice to have all those rings and fit and finish, but they are somewhat incidental to point of the lens. I can live with the 38v. I can work with it. But when deciding whether to spend 1-2K vs almost 4K it felt worth asking the question.

[fti9748]

Does anybody who has both the above lenses have an opinion on which is more useable/better. I know that's a vague and spongy question. But I have the 38V and it really isn't worth the 3500.00. I have the 90 on order but had planned to skip the 55. Now I am thinking a good, solid sharp lens, between the 38 and the 90 would be nice. But 3500 again for the 55, if it is on par with the 38,
is a hard to justify.

In short I am enjoying the camera more than i expected but finding it hard and expensive to find lenses. I have adapters for my Leica, Nikon and Mamiya lenses, but the electronic shutter is slow and unpredictable and not something I am used to yet.

So I am looking at older XCD lenses to pair with the camera.

If you are OK with an f/4 maximum aperture, a comparatively "clunky" shutter (sound), and slow/noisy AF then the 45P is, honestly, a really, really good lens. Depending on your particular uses, the max aperture and the slow/noisy AF and noisy shutter may be just fine. It sounds like I'm knocking the 45P, but the "issues" would be all but irrelevant for most landscape shots, as an example. The 45P is a lot of lens for the money, and it come with the added advantage of being the most compact XCD lens available.

The concerns I would have with recommending the 45P:

• Not a lot of focal length distance between 38 and 45 so not sure you would find it much of a supplement to your existing 38
• The AF is quite a bit slower on an X2D than the new "V" series lensers
• I find manual focus much, much easier with the new "V" series lenses since the motion is linear when you have the clutch engaged

Optically, they are both excellent. The 55 has more vignetting wide open than the 45, but by the time you stop down to f/4 they are likely similar. I would recommend you look at your particular uses. Will you be trying to do street photography or documentary photography/reportage? If so, the 55 is probably worth the price difference. Landscape? I'd be more worried about what focal length I needed. Portrait work? 55 all the way. Product photography? The 55 is probably not worth the extra money.

Thanks for the input. There is a strand to my photography which is similar - most similar to a Japanese photographer Rinko Kawauchi. That is what this camera and this lens for. While thinking about responding to your post, I essentially walked/talked myself back to my original opinion. That is what I am really looking for is a 90.

My original plan for this camera was 38v 90v 135. I have the 135 and 38v. I think I should hold out for a 90.

[Photon42]

Now I am thinking a good, solid sharp lens, between the 38 and the 90 would be nice.

I have paired the 38V with the 65. As nobody else seem to like it, it should be easy to acquire for a good price Great sharpness, focuses relatively quick and is f 2.8. Just a little on the heavy side for its focal length but really a solid performer. It comes with a large lens hood but (also) because the front element is recessed, I have never really used the hood.