35mm lenses options for M2

the canon 35/2.8 is lovely; as rob says it displays a more "vintage," low contrast look.

You should be able to get a Canon 35/2 for under $600 too, if you need the extra stop of speed.

the summaron 35/2.8 is really nice from f4 down; it's pretty soft wide open imho.

I don't find the Summaron 35/2.8 to be soft wide open -- I have 2 samples, one in M mount and one in LTM (for sale in the RFF classifieds).
But the Summaron 35/2.8 sells for above $600 these days in good condition.

::Ari
 
I will second the canon 35/2 or 35/2.8 summaron.
Another good choice would be the cv 35/1.4
I have used all 3 and my favorite is the canon 35/2
 
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I've had a bunch. The one I liked least was the Canon 35/2. I had a sharp sample, but good bokeh was definitely not design priority .... I liked the Canon 35/1.5 and 35/1.8 better. Adorama has a 35/1.5 for sale, BTW, in your budget.

Of all the 35s I tried, the one that stuck and I now use most is the Nokton 35/1.4. The other CV lenses, and in particular 35/1.7 and 35/2.5 are great value, too.

Cheers,

Roland.
 
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I still find myself using the Canon 35/1.8 more than the Canon 35/1.5 or Canon 35/2.8 or Summicron 35/2 [with M3 goggles]. Each of these four lenses is in my book a first class 35mm lens. I have tested these lenses over and over,and I find them to be quite good overall. The 35/2.8 may be a "best buy".
 
Leica MP, Summaron 35mm f/3.5, Tmax400-2 printed on Ilford MGIV fb.

Erik.

3973034446_75c9788b0d_b.jpg
 
Another great lens for the M2 is the first Summicron 35mm f/2, the one with 8 elements in it's construction.

Leica M2, Summicron 35mm f/2, Tmax400 printed om Ilford MGIV fb.

Erik.

3997269017_0cf65d2ae5_o.jpg
 
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If I could only use one 35 and had your budget, the cv 35/1,4 would be my first pick. It has it all; speed, size, handling and the rendering is like a pre-asph lux w/o the optical artifacts. My second pick would be to find a deal on a summicron 35/2 v3.
 
Don't forget about the Summicron-C 40/2. I picked one up in the spring for around $350 and used it for street shooting all summer on my M3. Very sharp, even wide open, with moderate contrast. I've been extremely pleased. Two caveats, though:

1. Might not focus perfectly on all bodies, since it was officially designed for the CL. Mine doesn't line up exactly at infinity and has a very slight focusing error, but the DOF makes up for it, so from a practical sense it's no problem whatsoever.
2. On an M2 you would have to modify it to bring up the 35 framelines. Apparently a simple modification, however, and some of the ones on the market already have had it done.

I've also owned the Skopar "classic" 35/2.5 for several years and it is a fantastic bargain, IMHO, especially if you don't want/need the speed. It is very sharp, contrasty and quite compact. I personally find the build quality to be just fine, despite what some have said.
 
Eric,

Nice photos! Reminds me of when I lived in Holland for a while... You have a very nice selection of 35's !

Regards,

Simon
 
Eric,

The BP M2 is going fine. I'm trying to talk myself out of selling it to fund an M9 though... What do you think?!

Simon
 
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