Angenieux lens; 35 - 70mm f/2.5 - f/3.3 zoom;
Test date June 1984.


Lens number 1479470                  

Specifications: 35 - 70mm f/2.5 - f/3.3 Angenieux 2 x 35 Zoom; mounts for Canon, Leica, Minolta, Olympus and Pentax K; No. 1479470; accepts 58mm accessories; f/2.5-3.3 to f/22 plus AE, ½ stop detents; min. foc. dist. 1.5 ft. (.46m); max. magnification 1:5.6 at 70mm; 4¾ in. long, 2¾ in. diam. (123 x 70mm); 1 lb 4½ oz. (582g); $1100.00.

New mechanical design heralds serious re-entry of France's pioneering motion picture zoom lens maker into the still camera lens arena. Unusual in design and manufacture (it's guaranteed against defects in materials and workmanship and comes with an all-risk one year insurance policy protecting against loss, theft, or damage). All this comes at a premium price. Is the high cost justified? Yes. See analysis and data for details.

Practical comments: Far from the smallest 35-70mm zoom, the Angenieux is, nevertheless, light and well-balanced. Twin-ring controls with fluted gripping surfaces set focal lengths between 35 and 70mm, focus to 14½ in. at all focal lengths; lightweight high-tensile strength Polycarbonate body shell with integrated focusing and zooming grips for easy handling and excellent fit. Being a twin-ring design, lens focus and focal length settings stayed put, in any lens position. Focus, zoom and aperture scales are in white and gold, red depth-of-field scale slightly hard to read. Lens front elements recede deeply into barrel as lens zooms to long focal lengths, adding to the effectiveness of the snap-on rectangular hood provided. Since the filter mounting ring does not rotate in focusing or zooming Cokin P filters can be fitted, and use of polarising filters is made easy. Focus and zoom changes do not affect the length of the lens, so handling is easy. Lens is shipped in a nitrogen-filled bag said to protect it in shipment, enclosed in a fitted presentation case with a lens pouch, haze filter, shade and Cokin adapter.

Although the Angenieux's 2:1 zoom range is modest, the test results indicate that it's performance is well above average.

Field test slides: Transparencies sharp and snappy from center to corners at all apertures. Contrast and sharpness of fine details was exemplary throughout. Performance holds up well at close-working distances. Slight barrel distortion was noticeable at wide settings. Flare was well controlled at all aprtures.

Optical bench analysis (for optical experts only):
At 35mm, on axis, we saw slight flare wide open. Sharpness was diffraction limited by f/5.6. Slight lateral colour throughout.
At 50mm, slight flare wide open, very slight under-corrected spherical aberration, peak performance by f/5.6. Off axis, same as 35mm.
At 70mm, performance same as shorter focal lenght settings. Diffraction limit reached by f/11. Off axis, slight astigmatism and coma disappeared by f/8. Slight lateral color throughout.

PERFORMANCE
Our Standard
as Tested
Focal length: ±5%
(33.25-36.75mm)
(66.50-73.50mm)
36.30mm
68.47mm
Aperture: ±5%
35mm (f/2.38 - 2.63)
at 70mm: (f/3.14 - 3.47)
f/2.61
f/3.47
Distortion:
35mm: (±2.5%)
70mm: (±2%)
2.05% (barrel)
less than 1% (barrel)
Light falloff: at f/5.6
+1 stop from theoretical limit
35mm: (0-1.9 stops)
70mm: (0-1.3 stops)

1.1 stops
1.1 stops


RESOLUTION
ANGENIEUX 35~70mm f/2.5 - 3.3
at 35mm
at 1:49
f/ Centre (l/mm) Corner (l/mm)
2.5 V. Good 49 Excellent 44
4 Excellent 62 Excellent 44
5.6 Excellent 69 Excellent 49
8 Excellent 69 Excellent 49
11 Excellent 69 Excellent 49
16 Excellent 62 Excellent 44
22 Excellent 55 Excellent 44
RESOLUTION
ANGENIEUX 35-70mm f/2.5-3.3
at 50mm
at 1:50.1
f/ Centre (l/mm) Corner (l/mm)
2.8 Excellent 57 Excellent 45
4 Excellent 64 Excellent 45
5.6 Excellent 72 V. Good 45
8 Excellent 72 Excellent 51
11 Excellent 64 Excellent 51
16 Excellent 64 Excellent 51
22 V. Good 51 Excellent 45
RESOLUTION
ANGENIEUX 35-70mm f/2.5 - 3.3
at 70mm
at 1:50
f/ Centre (l/mm) Corner (l/mm)
3.3 V. Good 45 Excellent 45
4 Good 45 Excellent 45
5.6 V. Good 56 Excellent 45
8 Excellent 63 Excellent 50
11 Excellent 56 Excellent 50
16 Excellent 56 Excellent 50
22 V. Good 50 Excellent 45

CONTRAST
ANGENIEUX 35-70mm f/2.5 - 3.3
at 35mm
at 30 lines/mm
f/ Centre (%) Corner (%)
2.5 High 63 High 30
4 High 58 High 40
5.6 High 88 High 53
8 High 80 High 53
11 High 78 High 50
16 High 74 High 48
22 High 73 HIgh 41
CONTRAST
ANGENIEUX 35-70mm f/2.5 - 3.3
at 50mm
at 30 lines/mm
f/ Centre (%) Corner (%)
2.8 High 45 Medium 30
4 High 64 High 43
5.6 High 72 High 42
8 High 69 Medium 39
11 High 62 Medium 38
16 High 54 High 37
22 High 48 Medium 37
CONTRAST
ANGENIEUX 35-70mm f/2.5 - 3.3
at 70mm
at 30 lines/mm
f/ Centre (%) Corner (%)
3.3 High 42 Low 20
4 High 58 Medium 31
5.6 High 66 Medium 33
8 High 65 Medium 34
11 High 59 Medium 30
16 High 52 Low 29
22 High 41 Low 28


Modern Photo Buying Guide/85
< <: <   END   > > >