Fellow friends: which tele lens for my M8 do you recommend?

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peepete77

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Dear friends here at RFF!

I have saved money over a long period, and bought last summer a Leica M8 with the 50 summilux pre-asph, and an Elmarit 28 ASPH. I have been very happy and satisfied, and the 50 has stayed glued to my M8, I love its rendering and character, and the lovely bokeh.

Now, I am on the hunt for a tele lens for my M8, and I just relaized that I do not know enough, or rather; I have not the overlook over all the lenses out there, all the possibilites. I need to buy a lens pretty fast, both for portrait work, but also for concert photos. I see now that my 50 is too short focal length many times.

I am considering all options from 75mm up to 90mm. And I am most interested in your views, thoughts, likes and dislikes! Which lens is in your experience the best choice? I have not the funds for a new APO Leica 90, but I can shell out between 1500 to 2000 US $, as I have saved all year, not spending a dime on myself, other than the basic needs. I love Leica, and I can't help it.
But I am open for your thoughts on this subject, and your experiences and ideas. Old/New: Jupiter, Zeiss, Rokkor, Hexanon, Voigtlander, Leica...anything... I really would love to hear from you all, and I will tell you what I will go for, based on your experiences. Since I am so lost in the Internet jungle (after reading) here, I will say that the one with the best arguments (and possibly pictures to underline the arguments) will inspire me to go for his or hers choice.
I would love to find a bang for your buck-lens, but I realize also that a lens can be pricy, and I am willing to pay within my budget.
I am a sucker for creamy bokeh, so that can be some of the tipping points for me :)

I hope you can help me, and show me the guiding lights of your wisdom and experiences. Every opinion is valuable to me.
I am open for anything, and I hope to widen my horizon and hope to be enlightened by your wisdom, fellow Rangefinder-lovers!

Best regards
Hope for positive and many answers!

Peter :confused:
 
The best "bang for the buck", probably a Nikkor-PC 8.5cm F2 in Leica Thread Mount. Mine was $300.

Wide-Open at F2, on the M8.

picture.php


With the M8, I use the 75mm framelines that come up with the 50-75 LTM to M-Mount adapter. Very close to 100% framing for the 85mm lens.
 
Wooow, I love it!! Amazing, thank you! Would you mind telling which adapter you prefer, and where you bought it?

This is a great photo, love the sharpness and bokeh and rendering here! This lens draws just beautifully! And thank you also for that valuable insight on the framlines!!

:)
 
Wow, Brian, that is a beautiful image.


Vick

Brian Sweeney said:
The best "bang for the buck", probably a Nikkor-PC 8.5cm F2 in Leica Thread Mount. Mine was $300.

Wide-Open at F2, on the M8.

picture.php


With the M8, I use the 75mm framelines that come up with the 50-75 LTM to M-Mount adapter. Very close to 100% framing for the 85mm lens.
Click to expand...
 
Peter, in your search I think it would be useful to subscribe to Reid Reviews at reidreviews.com. This is a pay subscription, but worth it since he has very well-considered commentary and observations. He has reviews longer lenses, including a recent comparison of several 75mm choices.
 
Doug said:
Peter, in your search I think it would be useful to subscribe to Reid Reviews at reidreviews.com. This is a pay subscription, but worth it since he has very well-considered commentary and observations. He has reviews longer lenses, including a recent comparison of several 75mm choices.
Click to expand...

Thank you, Doug, I will most certainly check this out! Very much appreciated :D
 
75 mm is perfect for the M8. Check you frame lines to see if you agree.

75 CV cheap and decent. New 75 Heliar is probably nicer, portrait soft wide open & sharpening up on closing down.

75 Leica lenses are probably to many $. The 1.4 and new APO are both nice lenses as is the Summarit 75. The 1.4 is soft open and get fabulously sharp at 2.8.

90 4.0 Elmars are cheap but really nice. Soft a little at 4, sharp at 5.6. You need a screw to m adapter + shade. Nice Bokeh.
They are to long for a crop sensor because they are the equivalent of 135mm, but you may like it.

Russian lenses are cheap, but i know nothing about them. There may be focus issues.
 
I liked 75 Summarit, but now have Summilux instead. Of course having F1.4 is nice and I like how it works, but I still miss Summarit, and I don't know why.

But since you have 28mm and 50mm, I might try looking at 90mm and I like Elmarit (latest with built in hood) for its price <$1000.
 
While I would whole heartedly agree with the Nikkor 85/2 as it would be my choice, you might want to include in your search the 105/2.5 Nikkor, a bit bigger and heavier than the 85/2, but an equally good choice if those are not issues for you. The black version of the 85/2 is much lighter than the chrome. Same optics but you will pay twice as much for a much lighter lens.

Even with a Leica LTM to M adapter you should be well within your budget.

B2 (;->
 
2.8/90-Elmarit-M. Near-apo quality, small, light and not too expensive.(less than 1000$) one of the best short teles ever built, somewhat underrated.
 
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I've been through a big chunk of lenses in this range. The 75 lux would be my top choice - if money were no object.
Second would be the new CV 75/1.8. It's a very nice lens on the M8 - which, in my experiences, isn't that hot with 90s.

Some of the stuff I've done (primarily portrait and glamour)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/tbarker/tags/voigtlanderheliar75mmf18/

And this one was shot wide open or at f/2

5095230041_c6814f2944_z.jpg
 
Ronald M said:
75 mm is perfect for the M8. Check you frame lines to see if you agree.

75 CV cheap and decent. New 75 Heliar is probably nicer, portrait soft wide open & sharpening up on closing down.

75 Leica lenses are probably to many $. The 1.4 and new APO are both nice lenses as is the Summarit 75. The 1.4 is soft open and get fabulously sharp at 2.8.

90 4.0 Elmars are cheap but really nice. Soft a little at 4, sharp at 5.6. You need a screw to m adapter + shade. Nice Bokeh.
They are to long for a crop sensor because they are the equivalent of 135mm, but you may like it.

Russian lenses are cheap, but i know nothing about them. There may be focus issues.
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all this valuable info, I absorbe it all, and reflect on it! Your experience is a gift!
:)
 
I regularly use a few longer lenses as my style of shooting often involves using short teles. I can advise on these, all of which are quite good value. Others can advise about more recent / more expensive options.

My current favourite is the Voigtlander 75mm f1.8. I bought this recently and find it to be excellent in both build and optics. Had I not bought it, I could have just as easily bought the older screw mount 75mm f2.5 as it is reported to be as good or even better. At under $1000 Australian its pretty good value. Proving you do not need to spend huge bucks unless you want to.

The Leica glass that has a lot going for it on an M8 is the late model Tele Elmarit 90mm f2.8 from the 1980s. This is my second most favourite short tele. It is small, light and quite cheap (for Leica glass) to buy. Just try to make sure it does not have the haze that can be common to this lens (lenses with a later serial numbers are reported to be less likely to be affected.)

Another good and much cheaper option is the black and chrome Canon 100mm lens which is excellent in its optical characteristics and build quality. You have to use it with a 90mm LTM-M adapter and "fudge" the frame a bit as this lens has a slightly narrower field of view.

I also have a Leica Elmar 90mm f4 but have never been too happy with it on the M8 as it has very low contrast. Surprisingly I did rather like it on film cameras and color film for the same reason. Still it can be fun for occasionla use.

A final option that gives good results and is not badly priced is the Elmar 90mm f2.8 from the 1960s. I like this lens quite a bit and they go for very reasonable dollars. Their styling is a bit dated though and looks wise they better suit an M3. Still they give fine results on an M8.

M8s dont really lend themselves to longer lenses but occasionally I have used a black and chrome Canon 135mm f3.5 with external finder. If you really want to consider a 135 (which I realise is not really in your sights) I would advise thinking about the Leica Tele Elmar f4. This lens from the 1970s- 80s is pin sharp and relatively inexpensive to buy.
 
hiromu said:
I liked 75 Summarit, but now have Summilux instead. Of course having F1.4 is nice and I like how it works, but I still miss Summarit, and I don't know why.

But since you have 28mm and 50mm, I might try looking at 90mm and I like Elmarit (latest with built in hood) for its price <$1000.
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Thank you so much Hiromu, such an honor. I am a BIG fan of your work!!! :)

You are spot on, I am considering both the Summarit and the Elmarit (there are only 2 versions, right, first and last?), and they are very strong candidates, but there are so many good lenses, and I am blown away by everything I see here that I never knew about!!!! It is amazing! I have already learnt so much and read things worth considering very much!
If you have a shot with the Summarit, and would consider posting it, I would be most honored and happy!
Thank you, again :) :)
 
The VC 75 2.5 is my favorite 75mm lens on the M8 at the moment. I much prefer it to the 75 1.8. It is smaller, lighter, and fantastic straight from 2.5. "Portrait soft" on the new lens is not all it's cracked up to be. I'de rather put a light diffuser on at F/4 than shoot a headshot at f/1.8. That's just my taste though.

It's cheap, and definitely holds it's own as a lens, even compared to the Leica glass. Fantastic rendering and sharp as any!
 
BillBingham2 said:
While I would whole heartedly agree with the Nikkor 85/2 as it would be my choice, you might want to include in your search the 105/2.5 Nikkor, a bit bigger and heavier than the 85/2, but an equally good choice if those are not issues for you. The black version of the 85/2 is much lighter than the chrome. Same optics but you will pay twice as much for a much lighter lens.

Even with a Leica LTM to M adapter you should be well within your budget.

B2 (;->
Click to expand...

Thank you Bill for really insightful and valuable info for me here. I really appreciate it! I must confess that these Nikkors were completely unknown to me, but starts to become more and more interesting to me. I am very curious. Also, if you have a picture taken with the 105 Nikkor that you feel showcases the lens' beauty, please post, would be very interesting to see. Thank you again, Bill :) :)
 
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