50mm and Fast... Need Help...

[Sonnar Brian]

1956 KMZ Jupiter-3, shimmed for the Leica.

Wide-Open

Stopped Down a bit.

The early 1950s KMZ Jupiter-3's are the pick of the litter.

 

[helen.HH]

LUCKY YOU, a new lens for the B'day...HAPPY BIRTHDAY !!

having both lenses....here is the Nokton 1.5

 

[helen.HH]

here is the 1966 50 lux...BOTH the 1.5 Nokton & the lux are SUPERB..though i would not mind trying the 1.1 nokton
Take a peek @my flickr . I have a 1.5 nokton & a 50 lux set....Best to YOU - H

 

[ChrisLivsey]

Noting the OP has decided against the 'lux, foolishly IMHO good though the Zeiss are and I do have some you should/must have a Leica lens at some point , I still add for the benefit of M8 owners coming to the thread, that the Leica UV/IR E43 is specific to this lens being constructed with the cut out ring to allow the hood (12586) to mount so don't go for a B+W etc and it is also only available in chrome. Luckily not obvious when the hood is mounted for those of us with the black body version and aesthetically aware (even though it may be mounted on a chrome body (ducks to avoid incoming).

 

[ampguy]

very nice

very nice

Great foreground and background bokeh there. But think how much more you could have gotten at .7m 😉

I still can't understand why it took them 40+ years to get to 0.7m mfd. Very weird.

Sorry, cann't help you Ted, not with this one 😉

I shot this yesterday with my late 60s Summilux v2

Really great mixture of sharpness and OOF performance that lens. Mandler at his best.

Roland.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Thankyou- it is by far the best $50 lens that I've picked up. Some luck in that, an Ebay "better than described" rarity.

 

[DRabbit]

Before you consider changing the lens - check the camera's focus. Borrow some fast lenses (1.4's and 1.5's) and do another test. At f1-f1.1 stresses the focussing on any camera - particularly at closest distance.

I did consider it might be the camera - however, since it was back-focusing so badly at f/2 (see basket shot above), I'm just not willing (at this point) to send my M8 away for adjustment and potentially screw up the focus with the lenses I already have. I have NEVER had a single issue @ f/2 with my Zeiss glass. Nail focus every time.

Now, when the f/1.5 and f/1.4 arrive, we shall see 🙂

The Nokton 50f1.5 is a better lens than the Summilux pre-asph - but it is a modern lens design and shows it (sharp, contrasty etc). The ZM Sonnar 50f1.5 has more of a classic look it. It has become my favorite "medium speed" 50 over the last couple of years.

Hopefully I'll like the look of the f/1.5 Nokton... I like the sharp contrasty look of the Zeiss Biogon and Planar, so it may be up my alley. I don't doubt I would like the Sonnar... just concerned with the focus drift I've read about. Plus, lets face it, with the CV glass I can get two for the same price 🙂

Noting the OP has decided against the 'lux, foolishly IMHO good though the Zeiss are and I do have some you should/must have a Leica lens at some point ...

Believe me, I'd like some REAL Leica glass as some point, but I don't think now is the moment. I do LOVE love love my Zeiss glass... I could not have expected better when I bought them. Biggest regret I have is selling the 21mm I had!

Here's one I took today with the 35 f/2 Biogon... (and yes, I wanted the flare)

Great input everyone! Thanks so much!

 

[ferider]

Great foreground and background bokeh there. But think how much more you could have gotten at .7m 😉

I still can't understand why it took them 40+ years to get to 0.7m mfd. Very weird.

Well - it wasn't designed for that, IMO. Summilux v2 and Noctilux 1.0 were optimized for high speed documentary type photography and shine at longer distances wide open.

1m min. focus is enough - want to get closer, use a tele 🙂.

To the OP: 40 and 50/1.5 Noktons are excellent lenses.

Roland.

 

[noimmunity]

get the C Sonnar!

get the C Sonnar!

You already have plenty of excellent advice, but here's a vote for a C Sonnar optimized for f/1.5
You won't have any (distractingly noticeable) shift problems (unless you want the area in front of your point of focus to be more in the view), and the C Sonnar has a special magic look on the M8 sensor.