Canon LTM Canon 85/1.9 LTM?

Canon M39 M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
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Hey all

I feel as though we've discussed this before, but here goes...I'm finding my Elmar 90 is not adequate for the kind of stuff I like to do at this length--too slow, not enough contrast. (It is great for certain things, of course.) I would like a faster portrait lens and keep coming back to the Canon...the silver barrel kind, I mean, which seems to be cheaper than the later style black barrel kind. Is the black barrel worth the extra money? Or is the original fast 85 a good lens? (I used to have a 100/2--it was great, but way too big, and the ergonomics were very frustrating, with the aperture values always wheeling out of sight when I focused.)

I was also thinking of a Jupiter-9 adjusted (by Brian perhaps?) for Leica.

This is for use with the M2 and M7, mostly.

Thanks, everyone, and happy Thanksgiving!
 
If you need the lens to have a short focus throw, then the Canon 85 1.9 or the J-9 would not be the right lenses for what you need.

I recommend you give some thought to a Nikkor 105mm 2.5 LTM. It is razor sharp and it is fast.
 
Raid, I don't mind the long throw--I actually prefer it for precise focus on a lens this long. That wasn't what bugged me about the 100/2--it was that the whole barrel turned when you focused!

I can get an 85/1.9 for peanuts, that's why I'm asking about it particularly. It's not the Serenar but the Canon Lens. (I assume they're the same.)
 
Word is that Brian is trying to work out the focus of the Jupiter-9 in LTM. I would wait for the results. The J-9 is terrific lens--fast, nice contrast, plenty sharp, very light with that aluminum mount, it has a non-rotating mount, and it's pretty cheap--so it's great IF it will focus right. I would be patient.

On the other hand, aside from its weight, the Canon has all the same virtues.
 
Personally, I don't think the black barrel Canon 85mm f/1.9 LTM is worth the extra money over the chrome version. The differences in the images produced are not obvious, if any at all. The premium on the black lens is due more to rarity than anything else. However, the black lens is lighter and much easier to handle, especially on cameras without winders or grips. It seems that the black Canon 85mm f/1.8 LTM is easier to find than the black version of the Canon 85mm f/1.9 LTM.

If you hated the Canon 100mm f/2 LTM because the whole front assembly rotated when you focus, then you'll be disappointed to know that the both Nikkor and Canon 85mm also uses the same single helicoid system.

Cheers,
 
i had a canon 85/2 chrome...very heavy and very sharp.
well worth it and not very expensive.

2775621_27eb8cf45a_o.jpg
 
The chrome J-9 I have cannot be brought into good agreement across the focus range. The Black J-9 has a secondary shim, the chrome one does not. I have a Black J-9 in Contax mount, and do not want to sacrifice it.

The Black J-9 is much softer than the 1950's lens. The latter is as sharp as the Nikkor, but only over a limited focus range. The optics do not rotate with the focus ring, something that I do appreciate.
 
Benny said it first

Benny said it first

bennyng said:
...

If you hated the Canon 100mm f/2 LTM because the whole front assembly rotated when you focus, then you'll be disappointed to know that the both Nikkor and Canon 85mm also uses the same single helicoid system.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

The Nikkor does it too. It sorta bugs me too. I overcome that somewhat by using it wide open in the dark. Or my usual M5 aperture priority mode: f/5.6 and twirl the shutter speed dial.
 
I can recommend the Canon 85/2 - it's a better lens than it really has a right to be considering how old the design is, and they are superbly made. It's just as good as the Nikon 85/2 and usually less expensive.
 
bennyng said:
If you hated the Canon 100mm f/2 LTM because the whole front assembly rotated when you focus, then you'll be disappointed to know that the both Nikkor and Canon 85mm also uses the same single helicoid system.

Cheers,
Click to expand...

That is rather vexing to hear, but I didn't hate the 100/2--it was just enormous. I did go ahead and buy the 85/1.9...it was from KEH, $149 with caps. It's so much cheaper than the (apparently similar) alternatives that it seems like a no-brainer.

Thanks, all! I'll post results of course.
 
Well- I went ahead and tried-out the Black J-9 optics module in the LTM mount. I removed the rear shim, allowing the optic to be moved in closer to the front element. Best I could do was 1.5m, really no better than the KMZ module that I polished down the mount to move the optics in. So I put everything back the way it was, 1958 chrome module back to LTM and the J-9 back into Contax mount. I did ditch the makeshift aluminum foil shims and traded them for "real ones" from a third lens, so it worked out for the better.

My bottom line: I have not been able to get the J-9 to focus on a Leica standard camera across the full range. I can get 1.5m~20m wide-open, then stop down to F4.

On the Contax, I get full range as would be expected.
 
Since you have the contax adapter try the Opton Sonnar 2/85.
The search will end there. The Canon 85 is a nice sharp lens but, it is a Guass scheme and shows it in oof highlights.
Here is an Contax Sonnar 85 sample.

U29969I1249419703.SEQ.0.jpg
 
Brian Sweeney said:
Well- I went ahead and tried-out the Black J-9 optics module in the LTM mount. I removed the rear shim, allowing the optic to be moved in closer to the front element. Best I could do was 1.5m, really no better than the KMZ module that I polished down the mount to move the optics in. So I put everything back the way it was, 1958 chrome module back to LTM and the J-9 back into Contax mount. I did ditch the makeshift aluminum foil shims and traded them for "real ones" from a third lens, so it worked out for the better.

My bottom line: I have not been able to get the J-9 to focus on a Leica standard camera across the full range. I can get 1.5m~20m wide-open, then stop down to F4.

On the Contax, I get full range as would be expected.
Click to expand...

So it is good that I have the J-9 in Contax mount.

Brian [or "Brain"!], if I use a Contax -Leica adapter, would the same problem carry over and then I would not get focusing across all distances accurate when used wide open?
 
example from sonnar is really stunning. As you say the example from canon shows over exposed highlights (if it is not due to scanning)
 
On using the 8.5cm f2 J-9 with an adapter...the answer is try it and see what happens. The rotation of the Contax adapter should translate into the proper motion of the Leica Cam. So if the J-9 is shimmed properly, it should work. But the entire lens rotates, unlike the LTM version of the J-9.
 
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