The Mandler 35mm f2

Hmm. Just checked the Mandler shop site. Only brass silver lenses left...at $538USD. Is that a price increase? The sold out black aluminium still shows $348, but maybe that will be changed when they get back in stock? Don't need this lens, but it seemed like such a deal I shouldn't pass up.
 
rfaspen said:
Hmm. Just checked the Mandler shop site. Only brass silver lenses left...at $538USD. Is that a price increase? The sold out black aluminium still shows $348, but maybe that will be changed when they get back in stock? Don't need this lens, but it seemed like such a deal I shouldn't pass up.
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So far no price increase: for M-mount black aluminum $348, silver aluminium $378, brass $538, LTM version +$40
 
brbo said:
I got the Mandler with the intention to replace my other "character" 35mm lens - Canon 35 LTM. I like everything about this lens (very good center sharpness even wide open, swirl, size) except the 40mm filter size and particularly 1m MFD. At 300 EUR (ok, probably closer to 400 after VAT and import fees) I couldn't resist the Mandler 35. And it was available in black (which I prefer) when I visited their shop, so I took that as a sign... 😉
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You will no doubt continue to have trouble with the filter size. I solved that on mine by using the 39mm specified for the lens, Give it a try. ;o)
 
brbo said:
I got the Mandler with the intention to replace my other "character" 35mm lens - Canon 35 LTM. I like everything about this lens (very good center sharpness even wide open, swirl, size) except the 40mm filter size and particularly 1m MFD. At 300 EUR (ok, probably closer to 400 after VAT and import fees) I couldn't resist the Mandler 35. And it was available in black (which I prefer) when I visited their shop, so I took that as a sign... 😉
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But the Mandler uses a 39mm filter and has a 70cm minimum focus distance?
 
Archiver said:
But the Mandler uses a 39mm filter and has a 70cm minimum focus distance?
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I think brbo’s post was a little confusing re: the Canon 35mm f2.0 LTM or the new Mandler 35mm f2.0. The 40mm filters that the Canon lens was designed for are indeed hard to come by, whereas the Mandler uses standard 39mm filters that are widely available. My workaround for filters for my Canon lenses has been to get a 40 to 43mm step-up ring and then use 43mm filters on those Canon lenses. Brbo’s larger point, about the Mandler replacing (or, maybe, augmenting) the Canon as a “character” lens is a good one, IMO.
 
It would appear that Mandler was unprepared for the demand its copy of the KoB lens generated at its price point, and production is slowly catching up to demand. I will say that the company has been pretty responsive and good to deal with. I purchased the premium accessory kit and received a rear lens cap instead of the square lens hood. I brought this to Mandler’s attention and they apologized for the glitch and promptly shipped out the square hood. My black aluminum version of the lens is now sporting the square lens hood and the UV filter that also came with the accessory kit. It’s been great to be able to use the lens on both my IIIc and my CL digital with the M-mount adapter.
 
Bingley said:
I think brbo’s post was a little confusing re: the Canon 35mm f2.0 LTM or the new Mandler 35mm f2.0. The 40mm filters that the Canon lens was designed for are indeed hard to come by, whereas the Mandler uses standard 39mm filters that are widely available. My workaround for filters for my Canon lenses has been to get a 40 to 43mm step-up ring and then use 43mm filters on those Canon lenses. Brbo’s larger point, about the Mandler replacing (or, maybe, augmenting) the Canon as a “character” lens is a good one, IMO.
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Ahhh, I can see where I misinterpreted @brbo 's post. Sorry about that. @brbo
 
@Bingley, that is exactly what I meant to say in regards to the filters. I also use step-up filter adapter(s), but the ones I was able to get were not ideal. Wrong thread pitch (you can still screw it in about halfway) and aluminium (binding). But this is a minor issue for me. If it wasn't for the 1m minimum focusing distance I'd probably be happy with this lens for the rest of my life.

Anyway, this thread is about Mandler 35mm... Those that already have one how do you find the calibration on your lens? Does it agree with the rangefinder at infinity and is accurate at short distances?
 
Godfrey said:
I'll stick with my original, 1972-issue Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 lens that Walter Mandler designed. It's one of my favorite lenses.
DAG cleaned, lubricated, collimated, and coded it for six bit sensors a decade ago. It's tiny, takes excellent photos, etc.


Siding - Santa Clara 2023
Leica M10 Monochrom + Summilux 35mm f/1.4 V2
ISO 160 @ f/4.8 @ 1/1000​

G
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Love mine too!! I have an '88 German copy... DAG did a great job with mine as well. It a keeper along with my 2.0 Cron ASPH
 
brbo said:
@Bingley, that is exactly what I meant to say in regards to the filters. I also use step-up filter adapter(s), but the ones I was able to get were not ideal. Wrong thread pitch (you can still screw it in about halfway) and aluminium (binding). But this is a minor issue for me. If it wasn't for the 1m minimum focusing distance I'd probably be happy with this lens for the rest of my life.

Anyway, this thread is about Mandler 35mm... Those that already have one how do you find the calibration on your lens? Does it agree with the rangefinder at infinity and is accurate at short distances?
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My LTM lens agrees with both rangefinders on the M3 and IIIc. However, the distance scale on the lens is slightly off—for example, it shows approximately 2.8m when the actual distance is 3m. My Summitar shows exactly 3m on the scale at a 3m distance. I also checked the focus at film back using a ground glass to confirm accuracy.
 
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hugov said:
I presume a Leica 14043 cap should fit
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Answering my own question, I ordered a Leica 14043 cap, and it does indeed fit perfectly over the included square hood (I have the plastic one, but I would be surprised if the aluminium one had a different shape). If you're after that cap, I can recommend a seller called "fouruo4sk" on eBay (arrived from China to the UK in 8 days, at a price similar to some of the 3D printed ones).
 
hugov said:
Answering my own question, I ordered a Leica 14043 cap, and it does indeed fit perfectly over the included square hood (I have the plastic one, but I would be surprised if the aluminium one had a different shape). If you're after that cap, I can recommend a seller called "fouruo4sk" on eBay (arrived from China to the UK in 8 days, at a price similar to some of the 3D printed ones).
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I wish I had a square hood. Mandler didn’t sale one for the LTM lens.
 
Deklari said:
I wish I had a square hood. Mandler didn’t sale one for the LTM lens.
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The Mandler company people pointed out that the square hood was unlikely to sit straight on LTM lenses both on LTM bodies and especially adapted on M bodies. You can buy one and try it, it might sit square on your copy.
 
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valdas said:
As far as I remember, when I had cron v4 I liked it most at f4/5.6.
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In that aperture range the out of focus rendition of the v4 35mm Summicron is perfect; soft edged, smooth and objects appear to shrink inwards. Depth of field looks slightly extended because the fall-off from in focus to out-of-focus is so gentle. It's very different to the super-modern multi-aspherical element look. Note, of course, that Dr Mandler is very unlikely to have considered any of this, whereas in 2026 new lenses are definitely designed with out of focus character in mind.
 
To me bokeh is a very subjective thing. Not something quantifiable. Either pleasing, nice or not. Unlike distortions, one could accept a lens with 0.5% barrel distortion but not 2%. But what’s busy bokeh? Nervous bokeh? (I happen to like swirly bokeh tho.) Anyway, one man’s meat is another man’s …
 
yossi said:
To me bokeh is a very subjective thing. Not something quantifiable. Either pleasing, nice or not. Unlike distortions, one could accept a lens with 0.5% barrel distortion but not 2%. But what’s busy bokeh? Nervous bokeh? (I happen to like swirly bokeh tho.) Anyway, one man’s meat is another man’s …
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It is _absolutely_ quantifiable - out of focus rendition is simply three dimensional mtf (i.e. mtf at different distances in and out of focus) and aberration mapping, but almost no-one shows it and few people understand the data presentation. This is how it is modeled in lens design.

To a substantial degree you can see what near-far bokeh looks like from congruence between the tangential and saggital traces in standard mtf charts.

What you think of how it looks, that is unquantifiable. In aesthetics, anything goes.
 
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Freakscene said:
It is _absolutely_ quantifiable - out of focus rendition is simply three dimensional mtf (i.e. mtf at different distances in and out of focus) and aberration mapping, but almost no-one shows it and few people understand the data presentation. This is how it is modeled in lens design.

To a substantial degree you can see what near-far bokeh looks like from congruence between the tangential and saggital traces in standard mtf charts.

What you think of how it looks, that is quantifiable. In aesthetics, anything goes.
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As much as I would like to believe your theory, I am not a know-all-optical-expert, nor I pretend to be one. But that's okay as I would continue to like portrait with swirly bokeh without having to know those jargons.
 
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