40mm on an m3?

[back alley]

ok, i'm thinking portability here.
a nice small flat package on a neck/shoulder strap, under a coat.

sure, a collapsible summicron is the standard but for less money and usually in better shape is the small minolta or leica 40/2 lens.

i had 2 when i had the 2 cle's long time ago.

very nice lens, sharp, small & light.

the question is, has anyone here used one on an m3 and how did you frame?

was it a successful experience or just a lesson in frustration?

thanks.

joe

 

[FrankS]

For real compactness Joe, you could either use one of your small Canon 35's and use the whole M3 viewfinder, or pick up a 50mm f3.5 collapsible Elmar or FSU Elmarski.

 

[taffer]

Joe, IMHO, if you had no trouble using a 35 on the Ps then probably you could do fine with a 40 using the whole finder of the M3 (you can mask with tape the frame illuminator window to... deiluminate the frame 🙂 ), and using the 50 lines for critical / close up shots.

I really love the 40 Cron, and despite having already too many 35s, I wouldn't mind at all spotting a(nother) bargained one, or a Rokkor or (lust on) a 40/1.4 SC (lust off).

Oscar

 

[back alley]

i am aware of the elmars and both the 2.8 & 3.5 are on my look into list.

i want to stay away from the 35 canons, it's a leica and eventually i'd like a leica lens on it, plus i have lots of cameras that have 35 framelines already.

at first i plan on using the 50/1.2 canon for a numbers of reasons. i'd like to get to know the lens well and i hope to do some low light shooting handheld. then i want to use the 50/1.5 for a stretch of time for much the same reason, to really get to know it and i want to exploit it's softer edges for some outdoor shots.

eventually the canons will live on the p bodies though and i'd like as small a set up as i can afford for m portability and it will be my back up/second shooter when out with the zi.
joe

 

[ray_g]

Joe, I think the 40mm on the M3 will work just fine. Just like Taffer said, it will be just like using the 35 on the P. Just use the whole VF and don't peer around the edges too much.

 

[furcafe]

I regularly use a 40mm on my M3. I used to use the entire VF (I wear glasses so that gives me some margin for error) or use the 50mm frames & mentally add some space, & I never had any problems w/framing. The fact that I often use Contax RFs & other non-frameline RFs might also help me in the "guesstimation" dept. I now mostly use a CV 40mm accessory finder (originally intended for my "Barnack"-type bodies), but will occasionally use my old methods on the M3.

 

[sockeyed]

I love my Rokkor 40/2 (CLE version). It's tiny and renders beautifully. The 'cron-c and the earlier Rokkors should be equally excellent.

 

[terrafirmanada]

THe 4o Cron is my main lens, but I do have trouble framing from time to time. I have read as you get closer to the subject you are closer t the fifty framelines (further away you are closer to the whole frame). From my experience this seems to be true.
I did use the 35 2.8 Canon on my M3 for several months, and it took excellent photos. I wouldn't rule that option out. I had the 35 leica finder, and at 15 feet it was almost exactly the same as the whole M3 viewfinder. So I traded the finder with Stan Tamarkin for the 40. And here I am today.
I have found that I chop parts of people and things from time to time with the 40, so I recently added a DR to the kit (still in the mail). I think the 40 will remain my main axe since it is such a portable tool, but when their is a more critical shot I will pull out the 50.

 

[Todd.Hanz]

Joe,
I have the 40/2 rokker and use the whole frame on the M3 with no problems. If I was worried about missing anything in the frame I would frame the important parts of the image in the 50 framelines and crop if needed later. Remember these 40mm's are closer to 35 than 50. Good Luck

Todd