lens decisions?

[Ko.Fe.]

I see character on M9 with three of my modern Zeiss ZM lenses, the C Sonnar 50, of course, but also the C Biogon 35 2.8, and the C Biogon 21 f4.5. (And on Monochrom M)

Most no surprises, good, just different colors 50mm lens I had was 50/2 ZM Planar. It was zero focus shifts lens, comparing to all 50 Crons a had. Yet, I liked Leitz typ 3 and 4 colors more on digital. And I can't stand 1/3 aperture stops and pimple instead of focus tab. Not a fiddling design. Going from f2 to f16 and back was cobblestonish exercise. 🙂

 

[Roastchestnuts]

28mm Summilux M
Why? It's the one you really want.
Personally I think it's overkill for the M8 - I'd think the Summicron would be a better choice. It's only a stop slower, smaller than the Summilux, and < half the price on the used market.

I have had a v1 summicron 28mm it was actually one of my favorite all time lenses. and If I find a deal on one I might go for it too. I shot it mostly on my mp240 and m10p and some on film. It might be overkill but I may get another digital body in the future. The selling point for the 28mm summilux for the m8.2 I have is the fast 1.4 aperture and to be honest the holly grail Leica lens for me.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

There are a lot of good 35's, Canons, CV's and others. I have both and like them. On my 8.2 I especially like the Canon 28mm F/2.8 LTM. But at the end-up it is going to be you not the lens.

the one I am using is pretty good. Just a little goofy as a main lens. Its a Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 S mount its adapted with an amedeo adapter and that makes focus reversed. it is a little soft in the corners. Iv never shot digitally until now. on film its really really good. (most lenses are on film though). one of the easiest lenses to zone focus that I have ever used. the photo at the beginning of the thread was literally shot over the shoulder guessing distance stopped down to only 5.6.

 

[wlewisiii]

the one I am using is pretty good. Just a little goofy as a main lens. Its a Nikkor 3.5cm f2.5 S mount its adapted with an amedeo adapter and that makes focus reversed. it is a little soft in the corners. Iv never shot digitally until now. on film its really really good. (most lenses are on film though). one of the easiest lenses to zone focus. the photo at the beginning of the thread was literally shot over the shoulder guessing distance stopped down to only 5.6.

Need to get one both for use on my S2 and on my 240 with my Amedeo adapter

 

[Roastchestnuts]

The Ultron you pointed to is a totally different lens from the one i had. It's an ASPH, and a new revision. I know nothing about it. 😉

My Hektor 135/4.5 in M-mount is about the cheapest Leica lens I ever bought: $180. And though it's disparaged quite a lot, it is actually quite decent performer, which i put down to the old RF mount for it. I use the Visoflex 020 to focus it and it's quite sharp when critically focused.

I replaced the M6TTL I sold in 2003 just recently with another, but this one with the 0.85x viewfinder. That's a delightful M body.

But we digress. The Summilux 35 photo i posted was made at a fairly large lens opening and shows all the beautiful blur rendering they're famous for.. stop down to f/5.6-8 and it's a razor sharp performer. Permanently not for sale!! 😀

Onwards, G

Haha we do digress. I could talk camera all day. I appreciate your input though. the .85 finder was great for the 90mm cron I had! made it easier to nail focus too.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

35 is new 50. Ok, but not wide enough often.
28 is mobile phone pictures, but more resolution and nothing really else.

Lens character on digital is not always something to be desired. Nor it is prominent, except old lenses weakness, which is bunch of defects,
not a character.

The biggest reason I am hesitant on the 28mm right now is the fact almost everyone in the world is shooting a 28mm equivlent that has a smart phone. I agree with lens character not always wanted but I do really like it and tend to use lenses with it.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I might pull the trigger on a 35mm summilux v2 today. Ill post if I do. I have 2 lenses bookmarked on fleebay. one is a v3 cron and the other is a 35mm lux v2.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I see character on M9 with three of my modern Zeiss ZM lenses, the C Sonnar 50, of course, but also the C Biogon 35 2.8, and the C Biogon 21 f4.5. (And on Monochrom M)

the only zeiss zm I have ever owned was the planar 50mm. it was really good. I sold it when I got a 50mm summicron v5. but then I sold the cron when I got the Elmar M 50mm f2.8. The elmar was smaller and was easier to pack in my bag with my other lenses. I also never have been a die hard 50mm guy. (I saw no visible difference even in boka in practice use between the two.) I have always been cuirous on the 50mm sonnar zm. The biogon is amazing. a friend had one and I tried it when i had my m9 it was great on that. I HATE the focus nub thing on all their lenses. I would have rather zeiss leave it off or give us a real focus tab.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

Need to get one both for use on my S2 and on my 240 with my Amedeo adapter

I have two amadeo adapters. I got one in a trade and bought the other. I filed one of the lugs on one of the adapters down to bring up 35mm lines. it works great. I use the other with my 5cm f1.4 s mount. Its really fun on digital. gives it a dreamy look similar to the summarit 50mm f1.5. I think the Nikkor is better though. Honestly I do want to try the slower 3.5cm nikkor. I would love to make my nikkor 3.5cm f1.8 work on both nikon and Leica m. I have seen a few done this way but not in the states. LTM ones are pricy.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I should start a thread of just digital photos taken with Nikkor s mount lenses.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

The biggest reason I am hesitant on the 28mm right now is the fact almost everyone in the world is shooting a 28mm equivlent that has a smart phone. I agree with lens character not always wanted but I do really like it and tend to use lenses with it.

I have tried different 28 on different Ms. To me it was only OK on M8.
Yet, it is fine on mobile phones.
My mistake was to finally get 21mm. Mostly using it now on M-E 220.

To me it depends on the choices. I used 35 as only one for years, because it is framing the object of story from some distance, yet story is still present and coexists with the object comparing to narrow 50mm.

28 is more universal these days, but you have to be close, yet not as close as 21 will gives you, which gives special effect of been close and emerged.
Rare animal to occur and hard to get it, but it is worth of any rendering with character, IMO.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

I have tried different 28 on different Ms. To me it was only OK on M8.
Yet, it is fine on mobile phones.
My mistake was to finally get 21mm. Mostly using it now on M-E 220.

To me it depends on the choices. I used 35 as only one for years, because it is framing the object of story from some distance, yet story is still present and coexists with the object comparing to narrow 50mm.

28 is more universal these days, but you have to be close, yet not as close as 21 will gives you, which gives special effect of been close and emerged.
Rare animal to occur and hard to get it, but it is worth of any rendering with character, IMO.

I dont really have a desire to get a 21mm for full frame and therefore I dont really want to get it for the m8. i do love shooting my hasselblad swc but thats a different animal. for me its easier to frame up a wide on 6x6.

I have said it before but I really like the 46mm equiv the m8.2 makes the 35mm. close to the new leica q3 43! I think I have pretty much decided to go with 35mm for that reason. second reason is when I get another FF leica in the future I will have a focal length. I know I liked before. I used a summicron v5 and 4 quite often. out of all the 35s I have used the v4 has been my favorite. If I could get a good deal on a v4 I will get it I just looked back at photos I took with it. and it made me miss it! These shots were taken with it and my m10p. I have never tried the 35mm cron v3 though.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I dont really have a desire to get a 21mm for full frame and therefore I dont really want to get it for the m8. i do love shooting my hasselblad swc but thats a different animal. for me its easier to frame up a wide on 6x6.

I have said it before but I really like the 46mm equiv the m8.2 makes the 35mm. close to the new leica q3 43! I think I have pretty much decided to go with 35mm for that reason. second reason is when I get another FF leica in the future I will have a focal length. I know I liked before. I used a summicron v5 and 4 quite often. out of all the 35s I have used the v4 has been my favorite. If I could get a good deal on a v4 I will get it I just looked back at photos I took with it. and it made me miss it! These shots were taken with it and my m10p. I have never tried the 35mm cron v3 though.


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I don't know 🙂 I see good content and well balanced grey. If I really want character, I'm keeping Nokton 35 1.4 II wide open 🙂

I hated 40mm on Olympus Trip and ditched 40/2 for Leica. It was light and compact, good IQ, but just not my thing.
Leica Q2 with 43 is something I won't for free. 43 is just as narrow as 50mm.
The lens is so ugly. It is horse collar on horsefly.

Why I liked 35 on M8, I don't know.
To be honest, I think I liked all lenses on M8, even 90mm.
Here is something unsurpassed with Ms after it.
Shouldn't sell it, but I'm not keen on collecting of Ms.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Right now my M8 has a Konica 50mm F2.4 on it. Really nice combo. I've had a lot of lenses on the M8. Lenses that no one else has likely tried on an M8, because some 10 years ago I went off on a kick to adapt classic 50mm SLR lenses to the M8, making an RF Cam for them.

The Minolta-PG 50mm F1.4, RF coupled to 0.65m.



Jupiter-8, also modified for 0.65m close-focus.


These are $50 lenses. Sharp over the center 2/3rds, perfect for the M8.

So the question of buying a lens becomes- are you getting it for the M8, or are you going full-frame soon. If the M8 is a short-hop, and you want corner-to-corner sharpness, that will run you a premium. If you are buying the lens for use on the M8- all you need is a lens that is sharp across the center 2/3rds of the image. Stop an F2 lens down to F4- almost all will be sharp on the M8. Then- what equivalent FOV do you want. The Voigtlander 35/1.7 Ultron Aspheric would be a good "50-Something" equivalent on the M8. At F4, it's as sharp as you will ever need.

1952 J-12 3.5cm F2.8. Zeiss optics. The rear of this Biogon extends very close to the image plane. No problem on the M8.
This one is in LTM, and was fine-tuned for the Leica.


This $60 lens works well with the smaller CCD of the M8- you are getting the "lean" portion of the image. Back to- what is your budget, and what is the longer term plans for a full-frame RF camera.

Konica 50/2.4, wide-open.

Be sure to use IR cut filters, unless you want to shoot IR. Which this camera is really good at.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

So I had purchased a 35mm lux v2. for a great deal about 1700$ but I could not shake a bad gut feeling so I canceled the order. The lens looked good but over the years I have learned to trust my gut on that sort of thing. I really dont like doing that but something was not right. Kinda like buying a car haha. I instantly felt better after cancelling the order. I'll keep looking. have any of you that are in the states ever bought anything from Irohhascamera in japan through ebay or their site? they have a lens I am looking at.

 

[Godfrey]

So I had purchased a 35mm lux v2. for a great deal about 1700$ but I could not shake a bad gut feeling so I canceled the order. The lens looked good but over the years I have learned to trust my gut on that sort of thing. I really dont like doing that but something was not right. Kinda like buying a car haha. I instantly felt better after cancelling the order. I'll keep looking. have any of you that are in the states ever bought anything from Irohhascamera in japan through ebay or their site? they have a lens I am looking at.

I can't say that I remember buying anything from Irohhascamera, but I've bought many things from Japanese vendors and have had only very good experiences with them. Quick shipping, amenable to questions, always pleasant, and well packaged equipment.

G

 

[RexGig0]

In about June 2023, I test-shot a demonstrator Version I of the Summilux-M 35mm FLE, and really liked the handling qualities. The hood was a part of that handling equation, the same hood that is on my well-liked Elmar-M 24mm ASPH. Too big? No, not in my opinion. “Just Right.” I have not yet bought an FLE I, however, largely because I already have the Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1,4 ZM, which, though large, has a rendering that is often worth carrying the larger lens. (To start Leica M shooting, I acquired a Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, which is far from being a compact lens.)

Alongside that FLE I, I test-shot a sixties-vintage, but quite clean Summilux-M 35mm Version II. I did not find it to be anything special, optically, until stopped-down, and, it seemed to be just a bit too fiddly, and small. I reckoned that I would rather have a Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II, which I had also test-shot, earlier, or, try to find a nice pre-owned FLE, or perhaps a version of the Summicron.

In mid-2023, I then had a chance to order a Re-Edition Steel Rim Summilux, when Leica USA received a delivery. (Notably, their availability had not triggered a notification e-mail. On a whim, I had simply decided to take a look at the site, and it showed that I could add one to my cart.) I liked the handling of the Re-Edition more than that of the Version II, presumably because of the slighly larger diameter. Thus far, I am really liking the Re-Edition Steel Rim, so, acquiring a pre-owned FLE I is now moved to a back burner. (I do tend to accumulate 35mm lenses...)

With any lens, a Minimum Focusing Distance of 1 meter is going to be a draw-back, in some circumstances. This is a factor with both the original pre-aspherical Summilux-M 35mm lenses, and the Re-Edition.

 

[Godfrey]

...
With any lens, a Minimum Focusing Distance of 1 meter is going to be a draw-back, in some circumstances. This is a factor with both the original pre-aspherical Summilux-M 35mm lenses, and the Re-Edition.

It is at times inconvenient, I agree, but then I only rarely use those of my lenses that have such a restriction (the 'Lux 35, the Pentax 43...) close up such that it matters. With the digital Ms, I often fit the somewhat bulky but superb Macro-Elmarit-R 60mm and use the LCD or the Visoflex to focus it, and with this lens I have superb close-up capability down to 1:2 magnification without any attachments. To my eye, a 35mm or less lens at closer than 1m nets too much perspective distortion to be useful ... a personal preference, but I like longer lenses for greater magnification at a more reasonable distance.

G

 

[G Dogg]

I'll keep looking. have any of you that are in the states ever bought anything from Irohhascamera in japan through ebay or their site? they have a lens I am looking at.

My personal experience.....I have purchased many items from Irohascamera over the past 10 years and have never been disappointed. His descriptions, while somewhat brief... are accurate. Has always been responsive to my inquiries. He is on my saved list of sellers, and frankly, one that I trust.

 

[Roastchestnuts]

SO in a weird move on my part I bought a voigtlander 28mm f2 ultron asph VII in black. I got it for a pretty good deal. 500$ I really wanted to find a summicron v1 but For everything I have read the biggest difference from the cron is the vingetting in the corners and guess what... the crop of the m8.2 will fix that. Additionally I have tried a bunch of leica glass and while its amazing not sure the m8 needs the best. I thought about the MS optics Apoqualia 28mm as it seems like a really fun lens.

I got the voigtlander lens in yesterday and I am blown away with the build quality of this lens. Its smaller than the summicron 28 and dare I say it might be better built than the cron. (I have ownd a v1 summicron 28) The only thing I dont like is the silver hood attachment. Now I decided to go with the voigtlander because I was Unsure if I wanted the 35mm or 28mm as a main lens for this m8. Anddddd I think I like the 35mm a little better. so eventually I will find another fast 35mm. I have my heart set on a silver fle. but Ill need to sell some stuff first I think. Might have to say goodbye to my 500cm and a couple of other things. for now though I am going to spend some time to get to know the 28mm voigtlander I bought.

I apologize for the terrible picture of it.