50mm advice needed

bhop73

bhop73

Well-known
Local time
6:36 AM
Joined
Jan 16, 2008
Messages
727
Location
Los Angeles
View My Gallery
So, after a little over a week of owning my M6, 4 rolls through it, it seems like a focus problem as most of my shots are looking soft. I took it to Steve Choi and he tells me that my rangefinder is off, (he's fixing that) and my Jupiter 8 is also too worn out, too much play, and not worth repairing. He could adjust it, but couldn't guarantee it.

So.. I guess i'm in the market for a new 50. I have looked around online and it seems I can get a Summarit f/1.5, Canon f/1.4, or Nokton f/1.5 (new) all for similar pricing. Cost is a big factor at the moment, and I think I want to keep a fast aperture so that's why I narrowed it down to those three. I have the thread mount adapter already.

Any thoughts?
 
Depends on the look you want. Of those, I'd go with the canon 50/1,4 or the summarit f1,5. Depending on the condition, that's how I'd choose; if they be equally sound, I'd take the summarit, as it has a beautiful look if it is optically sound. For an all-round 50, the nokton is too big for my taste.
 
I've been on the hunt for a summarit for a while now and find that they almost always have scratches and or haze in the lenses so keep that in mind and do a good check when you look at them. Take a flashlight and shine it through the lens front and back and take a good look. Often you can't see haze just by holding it up to a lamp.
 
The J-8's normally need to be adjusted to work well on a Leica. They are built to the Contax standard. I hope that he tested the RF of the camera with a known-accurate lens.

This J-3 required an extra shim to work well with a Canon 7.
Close-up, and wide-open at F1.5.

picture.php


Before adding the shim, the focus was poor.

Summarit's are softer wide-open than the Canon 50/1.4. The modern aspherical Nokton will be the sharpest of them all, but I have personally never used one. Well, not a modern one, I have two from the 1950s. I prefer the vintage look.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Brian Sweeney said:
The J-8's normally need to be adjusted to work well on a Leica. They are built to the Contax standard. I hope that he tested the RF of the camera with a known-accurate lens.
Click to expand...

Yeah, he had some expensive Leica lens on there.. (i'm a leica newbie, so not familiar with which one it is, but it sure felt nice as he showed me the difference between it and my jupiter) Plus he was using some kinda gizmo/tool mounted to the camera to check the focus that looked pretty fancy. *shrug*
 
The only thing that concerns me with the Nokton is the size. I've never seen one in person, but i've seen pics of it mounted on cameras, it looks a little beefy, I tend to like to shove my camera in my backpack pockets and go, one thing I liked about the J8 before I realized I had a bad copy.
 
Just get a Konica Hexanon. Better built than CV, Zeiss and many Leica lenses and optically as good as anything else. People who worry about f/1.4 vs. f/2 don't really take pictures. They just hang out on online forums and whine about lenses not being fast enough.

If you don't want a Hexanon for whatever reason, get a Planar or Summicron or (in a pinch) the CV equivalent. In practice, they're all pretty similar.
 
Andrew Sowerby said:
Just get a Konica Hexanon. Better built than CV, Zeiss and many Leica lenses and optically as good as anything else. People who worry about f/1.4 vs. f/2 don't really take pictures. They just hang out on online forums and whine about lenses not being fast enough.

If you don't want a Hexanon for whatever reason, get a Planar or Summicron or (in a pinch) the CV equivalent. In practice, they're all pretty similar.
Click to expand...


I shoot Tmax 400 rated at 800 at the local pub I go to. My 35 summicron gets me an 8th of a second which results in about 1 in 5 shots being sharp. When I am shooting at a 15th of a second, I get 4-5 sharp. If you have a 35mm f1.4 asph that you'd like to trade me for my f2 I'll take it 😉
 
RdEoSg said:
I shoot Tmax 400 rated at 800 at the local pub I go to. My 35 summicron gets me an 8th of a second which results in about 1 in 5 shots being sharp. When I am shooting at a 15th of a second, I get 4-5 sharp. If you have a 35mm f1.4 asph that you'd like to trade me for my f2 I'll take it 😉
Click to expand...

You might look for an 35mm Summilux-M pre-ASPH instead 😉 OK, it sometimes flare but if you avoid bright point light-sources just outside the frame it performs pretty decent and is quite tiny. Some example photos can be found in this thread.

About a 50/1.4 ... the Canon 50/1.4 LTM is a quite decent performer and not very expensive.
 
Sounds like your repairman tested everything properly.

The Canon 50/1.4 uses a 48mm filter- it is not a small lens. On an M6 it will be fine. On a lTM Leica, such as the IIIF, it will block 1/3rd of the viewfinder.

I have one, keep it on a Canon VI-T. Also have two Summarits, one LTM the other M-Mount.
 
I've owned, and put some serious use on, the Canon 1.8, Canon 1.2, CZ Planar f2, Nokton 1.5 and current version Summicron f2. Of these the Planar and Summicron are my personal favourites for different reasons - CZ is contrasty while Summicron less so but both may be more than you're willing to pay. The Nokton is a big lens for a 50mm RF but is optically good quality with plenty of bite in contrast and sharpness. However I can't overlook the Canon 1.8. It's IMHO the best 'beginner' 50mm. Cheap, small, sharp, not too contrasty and not too lacking in contrast. To me it's the Goldilocks lens, a real all rounder. Admittedly, if the majority of your shots are in near darkness then go for a faster lens but this one will allow you to take great pictures AND afford to leave some cash aside for another lens or plenty of beer!

BTW - hope you get your M6 back soon, my TTL is being serviced and having a Leica leak fixed....I miss it.
 
Thanks for all the comments. The Nokton does look pretty darn good, but I ended up going with the Canon for a couple reasons.. the main ones being price and the 48mm filter size means I can use the filters I already have for my Canonet... now I just have to wait for it to get here and for my camera to be done.. *sigh*

The Hexanon seems to be out of my current budget (unless i'm looking at the wrong thing) and I do want to eventually get some Leica glass.. I mean, that's the main reason for owning one right? So i'll start saving for that down the road, but if the Canon is as good as the tests and examples i've seen online, then I should be good for now.
 
Last edited:
Short on cash I'd go for the 50mm/2.0 VC Heliar collapsible - about $300 out the gate. Its a chrome lens, weighty, and balances well on the M6. My second choice would be 50mm/2.0 Zeiss for the highest quality.
 
I have the trio. The Summarit is the latest addition.
I think that the Nokton is a much more modern looking lens.
The Contrast is higher and Bokeh less Swirly than the other two.
It seems that if you you are choosing between modern and a more classic low contrast design.
I love the Summarit and Canon but, at open apertures they will show a stronger personality. The Nokton will not have as much influence on your shots.
That can be good or bad(?) depending on what you want. In use I don't feel the Nokton is larger. It sure is physically bigger than the other two but as someone has mentioned..... not as heavy. I picked mine up for under $200. I think you should try it and one of the others before settling into only one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

J
Did Nikon really blow Leitz and Zeiss out of the water in 1950? Not quite, but....
Replies
9
Views
1K
aoresteen
aoresteen
A
5CM F1.5 Sonnar with damaged front element
Replies
11
Views
743
Alberto G
A
R
Desert island RF 50mm m-lens shot at f2 (showcase pics please)
Replies
5
Views
642
Godfrey
Godfrey
aoresteen
Voigtlander 50mm f/1.0 For Nikon SP?
Replies
7
Views
403
former member
F
EddieO
Parallax Correction Using Voigtlander 40mm on Leica IIIf
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
aw614
A
Back
Top Bottom