18mm Zeiss or Leica?

[wilsonlaidlaw]

And a bit deflating to be shipping your camera back to its birth place so soon after getting it. I use my C Sonnar, of all things, to check my cameras. I did extensive testing of it with my M9 which gave me good evidence my 1.5 optimised Sonnar is actually optimized for about f2.2. I get a cm of front focus at f1.5 and from f2.2 and smaller the point at which I focus on is near to maximum actual focus, with the slight rear focus at f2.8 and f4 being of no consequence. My Monochrom focuses exactly the same as the M9-P. I haven't tested for distances other than 1m.

Richard,

This is actually my second M240. I had one of the first ones out in the wild in the UK in the first week of March. When it was recalled for the lug repair, Leica managed to break it. As I am on their professional register, I exercised my right to a replacement rather than a second repair.

It is funny going back to the M9 over the last few days, how much yesterday’s technology it feels. In a way, it now feels older than my M4, which i have had since new in 1967. Admittedly, the M4 has just come back from its first major overhaul since new, done by Peter at CRR in Luton and both looks and feels like new.

Wilson

 

[ajramirez]

Antonio,

Could you please confirm what framelines your ZM 18 brings up. When I talk to the people selling both the new and S/H ZM’s, I want to make sure I am asking the question the correct way round. I believe all new ZM lenses now have a slot into which you can do hand coding, so it does not get wiped off all the time. This is rather like Novoflex do on their SLR to M adapters. The M240 bayonet is quite tight in comparison to my M8 and M9 and keeps wiping off hand coding done on the surface of a mount. The ink ends up on the LED’s and stops them working. That is why I have just had all my non-coded lenses properly milled and coded (CV15, ZM25, ZM50, 40mm Summicron-C and 90mm Elmarit-M).

Wilson

28 and 90mm.

Cheers,

Antonio

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

28 and 90mm.

Cheers,

Antonio

Antonio,

That is very helpful. As the 18mm SEM has 50/75 framelines, it means that a S/H ZM 18 can only be coded as a 21/2.8 if it has 28/90 framelines. This in reality means I have to go for a new ZM 18, if I want it coded as an SEM 18, unless I am prepared to get into changing bayonets as well as coding it. Not the end of the world, as I did it 7 years ago on a ZM21, which I had at the time, from a 24/35 to 28/90 but a pain as you have to make sure you get the correct framelines bayonet, with the matching screw spacings, since they too have changed over the years.

On going through Jorge’s linked images for the ZM18 and SEM18, slightly to my irritation (and surprise), I tended to prefer the Leica ones.

Wilson

 

[Richard G]

Richard,

This is actually my second M240. I had one of the first ones out in the wild in the UK in the first week of March. When it was recalled for the lug repair, Leica managed to break it. As I am on their professional register, I exercised my right to a replacement rather than a second repair.

It is funny going back to the M9 over the last few days, how much yesterday’s technology it feels. In a way, it now feels older than my M4, which i have had since new in 1967. Admittedly, the M4 has just come back from its first major overhaul since new, done by Peter at CRR in Luton and both looks and feels like new.

Wilson

Misery, Wilson. Know what you mean about yesterday's technology. Your previous laptop so capable and hardly needing replacement, becomes within weeks, within days, a tired unresponsive dog. Like an unloved dog actually. The whole time since I responded to your lens focussing issue I have been mad enough to check some more of my lenses, suspicious already of my 50 Summicron. I have now confirmed it is way out and needs servicing anyway. The 50 Elmar M is spot on as is the 90 Macro Elmar. The v4 Summicron is out. The 35 C Biogon is front focussing majorly. I had better just use the 18 I think. At least the two cameras are right and consistent with each other. I have used the DR Summicron on both and that is a good test. M2 tomorrow for me, nevertheless.

Good luck.

 

[wilsonlaidlaw]

I have ended up going for the Leica 18 SEM, as I got offered a new one at such a good price I just could not say no.

If I find I am not using the 18 much or for some weird reason don’t like it, I can probably sell it at close to what I have paid for it. In my experience ZM lenses are quite difficult to sell second hand and don’t fetch good prices. The 35 and 21 Biogons I got when I bought my M8 in 2006 and only had three old 50mm lenses (a pre war Elmar, 6 blade Summitar and series III Summicron) to use on it were resold about a year later. This was when I had bought a 35 ASPH Summliux and decided I needed 28mm and 25mm lenses more than a 21, so bought a 25 Biogon and 28 ASPH Summicron. In the end I sold them to a friend as they did not exceed the quite modest opening bids I had put on Fleabay.

Either dealers are struggling to sell lenses or Leica have increased their dealer margins, maybe allied to turnover targets to reach certain discount percentages, like motor manufacturers use. It is not as if this lens is old stock that has become a shelf queen. The lens is not even arriving at the dealer from Leica until later this week.

Wilson