My greatest wish: the cheap-fast glass!

[SJTstudios]

Hey guys, opening up to thoughts here. What would you guys think about a line of canon lenses with wide aperatures, but no aperature blades.

If there were 1.0-2.0 prime lenses, with no aperature blades, sharp glass for the single aperature (L or not), built quality of the new IS primes, and a USM for a cheap price, would you buy it?

Of course aperature blades are important, but a line like this would be really nice for amateurs and enthusiasts wanting wide aperatures.

I have no ballpark price estimate, but this would make for a much simpler computer.

[wickidwombat]

it they were like this

http://www.omd-em5.com/tag/lens/

then yes

if they were bulky more than likely not

[timmy_650]

No probably not. It would be really limited use, it would of fun for a challenge and changing how you look at things.
If i want fast glass with good optics, I am going third party without auto focus. Something like the Samyang 85mm f/1.4.

[rs]

The aperture blades and the electronics to control them are one of the cheapest components of a theoretical sharp large aperture lens. Saving a percent (if that) on the cost of manufacture while making it impractical for almost any real life use would mean the lens would have next to no market. And with such a tiny market, R&D wouldn't be recouped easily, so the list price would be much higher than the current f1.2 L lenses.

In short, it will never happen.

[Halfrack]

With DoF not being controllable, how 'fast' can you expect?  Yes, folks shoot f1.2 lenses wide open, but to limit it like that just doesn't work for sales.  Besides, unless you're looking for pressed glass elements, not the ground to perfection elements, you're never going to get the quality image.  Third party folks are getting better, but in the end the actual cost of r&d, materials and licensed technology - forget making a profit - makes this impossible.

Speed, length, quality and price - pick 2, and the others will give you options.

[crasher8]

Like a Lensbaby without the aperture rings.

[RLPhoto]

Buy some old nikkors primes and adapt to EOS mount or some Samyang lenses.

[paul13walnut5]

It's easy to make fast aperture lenses.

The hard bit is making them sharp.  Thats where the biggest costs come in (R&D and sample rejection).   

So again, I'm with the 'makes no sense' brigade.

Get a lensbaby.  Lock it straight.

Or get a nifty fifty.

By surrendering aperture control you are then reliant on extra filtration, as even ISO 100 or 50 is too bright for midday sunlight, even with 1/8000th shutter, for some subjects.  And even where the cameras max shutter speed is enough to pull things back in, you may not actually want a very fast shutter (say for fill flash situations)

Lomography do things like the Diana lenses which can be adapted for EOS cameras, or there is also the Holga HL-C, which for the price of a half decent bottle of wine is quite good fun now and then.

[tortilla]

What about building such lenses by yourself? Here you'll find an example of a lens that is supposed to be faster then f/1.0 for the price of a lens cap: www.diyphotography.net/build-your-own-lenses

[dr croubie]

Well, there's always the Cyclop 85mm f/1.5, you can get them for $2-400 (or the Helios version with aperture blades goes for $6-800, but lens elements are identical).

It's a highly 'specialised' lens, shall we say, people call it 'swirly' bokeh which is actually extreme astigmatism and vignetted bokeh (which is the 'opposite' of the way a lensbaby makes its bokeh, which looks more like bad coma).
Anyway, samples on flickr here.

Or my sample, EOS 3, Ilford Delta Pro iso100, handheld indoors, and I was so drunk I don't remember even using the lens that day:

[pedro]

Quite unlikely, I guess.

[scrappydog]

As dr croubie mentioned, the Cyclop 85 f/1.5 almost fits the bill of your hypothetical lens.  It has no diaphragm because it was a lens for a night vision monocular.  It is sharp in the center, very shallow depth of field, and is soft elsewhere.  As paul13walnut5 stated, on a bright day, your shutter speed may not be fast enough because you cannot stop down.  My solution is hand-holding an ND grad or circular polarizer in front of the lens.  I got mine for $120.

[crasher8]

holga 120N