I-61L On An M3

[DeeCee3]

I'm just getting back into the M swing of things and am having to rebuild my lens stable slowly...the last time I bought a Leica lens they were labeled E. Leitz and you could buy one already attached to an M2 body for under $300!

On the strength of something I read here about the sharpness of the I-61L, I've ordered one and plan to mount it on my M3. Assuming it has no focusing issues, how may I expect it to render its images in terms of contrast and gradation? Should I be on the lookout for any surprises?

dc3

 

[xayraa33]

it is a sharp contrasty lens , too sharp for some.
I find the OOF areas it produces are ok, but not my first pick.

 

[rich815]

Works great on my MP! See here:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=Industar-61&w=38698047@N00

 

[DeeCee3]

My appreciation to you both...and particularly to you, Rich. I'm delighted to run into you here...a real surprise after those years of admiring your work (and wisdom) on the G List. Finances...or lack thereof...force me to the FSU route as I re-enter the Leica family after 25 years of being away. Wish I could afford a couple of new ZM lenses! Good to see you here.

dc3 (Drayton)

 

[payasam]

The I-61 L/D is optically a fine performer, but its build quality may not appeal to those who are accustomed to Leitz lenses.

 

[DeeCee3]

I surely don't expect it to possess anything remotely similar to E. Leitz (or Carl Zeiss) mechanical finesse, Payasam! I was looking for a sharp, contrasty 50 which would give me a rendering similar to my old Elmar 2.8 of bygone years...and be cheap in the process!

dc3

 

[rich815]

Hello Drayton! Thanks for the kind words, and great running into you here too! I still use my G2 but a desire for more variety and a more "classic" look to my B&W work I turned to the Leica and it's huge past stable of lenses. I find some of the more "classic" lenses like the 50/2 Summicron DR and 90/4 Elmar give such a gorgeous look and tonality in B&W. The G-lenses, while superlative, are simply too sharp and contrasty sometimes.

As mentioned above the I-61 will certainly not be winning any build-quality awards by any means but when I saw the results I was astounded at the quality of the image it renders. Have not used it enough to pass judgement on it vs. other lenses in terms of subtle nuances or differences to others in this focal length but as can be seen from the few shots I have shot it can be a very decent performer. I had won an auction on eBay for one (see that? eBay, not evilbay, or eprey, or eboy, or some other stupid, "clever" way people spell it for some reason...) for only $10. When it arrived it was a bit oily and rough and when I mentioned this the Ukraine seller sent me another for free (and the second time with a hood as an apology!). The second was much smoother and did not have the oil leaking from the barrel. Hopefully you'll be getting a decent one. If not you can have my first one if you feel up for a "project"! ;-)

 

[xayraa33]

the Industar 26m gives a more classic balanced Tessar look in my opinion.
the I 61 l/d has the best preformance to price ratio of any lens I know of.

 

[ZorkiKat]

Any Industar (even the collapsibles) will do great on the M3. I used to have the I-61 L/D on mine for ages until I got J-3 and J-8 for it.

The I-61 had different versions. Those marked "I-61" are just as great as those marked "I-61L/D". And those marked "L" should have "D" on it- there was an I-61L/Z made for Zenit in M39 mount.

Jay