Elmar vs M5

[laverda3c]

Hey Folks,

just thinking about getting a 50mm to use on my M5. I have not decided which lens to get but did wonder if I could mount any of the Elmars (M mount) onto my M5 and collapse the lens? I realise that I could just leave the lens in the locked out position but it doesn't look sturdy enough to take the knocks of everyday use.

Oh heck why don't I just ask the really big question that is consuming me now - which 50 would you buy for $1K or less? I like low light photos but I know that I can hand hold shots much better with my M5 than I can with my SLR. I really like the limited depth of field that one can get with wide-open shots, but realise that the difference in DOF for a 1.4 vs a 2.8 lens at 1 Meter is negligable. One other factor that I really like is smooth Bokeh.

Any guidence would be appreciated.

advTHANKSance,

Mark

 

[sf]

CV Ultron or Nokton if you want a new lens.

Or a used Summicron.

 

[dreamsandart]

First off, don't try collapsing a 50 Elmar (or various other collapsible lenses) mounted to an M5! If the shutter is cocked it will damage the meter arm that sits just inside the body. In the M5 manual and Leica literature of the time they showed a photograph of an Elmar and how to tape the barrel so that you would not accidently retract the lens.

Second, if you are looking for a good general 50 with nice out of focus area you can't go wrong with a Summicron of any vintage ( for most use f2 and a modern film is enough) , although my favorite is the '69' catalog #11817 which are selling in the $400 range. Its one lens that after 30 years still surprises me with its 'look'.

 

[ERV]

I have an elmar-m and I use it all the time on my m5.
To prevent the lens from collapsing I bought some 1" clear flex tubing from my local hardware store.
I cut a 3/8" piece, sliced it open, and use it as a stop for the lens barrel. I can remove easily to use the lens on another m body.

The elmar-m is a great lens, there are several posts here and on photo.net comparing it to the recent summicron. It is my favorite modern lens, since I also prefer the look of older summicrons and vintage lenses in general.
I would recommend it highly!
-eugene

 

[Flinor]

As I recently posted, several years ago I tried a collapsible 59Summicron and an LTM 50 Elmar on my M5 and CL. I mounted the lens, ste the shutter to "B" and opened the back of the M5 and took off the back of the CL. I did this with the shutters uncocked so the meter arms were retracted. Collapsed the lens and very slowly raised the meter arms looking for interference. There was no problem but to be on the safe side I always keep the shutters uncocked when the lens is retracted. It's such a pain and cause of worry that I decided to buy a ridgid Summi and stop playng around. Do not try this with a 90 Elmar collapsible.

 

[jaapv]

The official Leica fix ix to use Dymo 13.5 mm tape to prevent the lens from sliding all the way in. You'll find this both in the M5 manual and the Leica handbook.