First M mount lens

[Ccoppola82]

I always like fast lenses for film. If budget is a concern,

35mm Nokton 1.4 v2 (I had the v1 but the v2 seems as good minus the focus shift)
Or
MAYBE 50mm 1.5 Nokton v2. This is a tempting lens because it seems versatile and compact. Both things weigh heavily on my lens selection these days.

 

[xayraa33]

It takes a long long time to exhaust the photographic possibilities of the 50mm focal length.

I remember shooting with the Jupiter 12 lens on my M4-2 and M2 Leicas when I owned the 35mm Summicron and the 35mm pre asph Summilux lenses and still enjoyed the experience and the photographic results.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

My 40mm f1.4 Nokton fits the 35mm frame lines of my Zeiss Ikon exactly at distances beyond 2 meters. ...

That may be true, but the 40mm offerings (out of the box, at least) bring up 50mm framelines on a Leica M camera.

 

[jukka]

I hope that explains my comments.

Well, umm, no, not really. 🙂

I did assume we were talking about having fun. I am thus of the opinion that the more fun a camera body is to use, the more use it will see.

And given that most (if not all) M mount lenses are adequate for hobby purposes (and then some), it would make sense rather to invest in a body instead of a lens. That is, especially if you are getting into the system and budget is limited – as it is for many of us.

 

[agentlossing]

It sounds like you like to shoot on the longer end - I'd suggest a 35mm lens, which can act like a wide angle. It's not that wide, especially for those of us who like to shoot wide, but if you're used to a 50mm then it will "feel" wide and will engage you in the act of working more things into the frame. It has the added benefit of being ultra versatile, I feel like I can shoot anything with a 35mm, with a little creativity. I do love the 40mm lenses, but I treat those like a normal lens. They're different enough from a 50mm to offer a different feel, but at the same time invoke the "normal lens" feel such that I don't feel a 40mm and a 50mm complement each other nearly as well as a 35mm and a 50mm.

 

[Ronald M]

My first camera when I was in college was a RF with fixed 50 2.0
Nippon Kogaku. Now Nikon.
Having but one lens drove me crazy. Bought a SLR with 12 lenses and could not carry them all. Zooms were garbage.
Spin ahead 55 years and I find 50 mm is my go to lens. It has the most natural perspective. If I can not back up, put on the 35. If I do a formal portrait with studio lights, 90 goes on.

All said and done. KISS principle ( keep it simple stupid.)

 

[Sonnar Brian]

My first camera when I was in college was a RF with fixed 50 2.0
Nippon Kogaku. Now Nikon.

Nikon made a full line of lenses for their rangefinder cameras. With the S and S2 you used an external viewfinder for lenses other than the 50.
Which Nikon did you have?

 

[raid]

Since the OP uses his 50mm lens 90% of the time, if his other camera is an LTM camera, just get an adapter 50mm LTM-M. If you need a lens in M mount, and if your budget is $500, look for a CV 50 1.5. If your budget is $1000, look for a used Rigid Summicron 50/2. If you like a vintage look, look for a Zeiss Jena 50 1.5 or a Jupiter 3 and get an adapter LTM-M for 50mm.

There are too many options to list here.

 

[David Hughes]

Well, umm, no, not really. 🙂

I did assume we were talking about having fun. I am thus of the opinion that the more fun a camera body is to use, the more use it will see.

And given that most (if not all) M mount lenses are adequate for hobby purposes (and then some), it would make sense rather to invest in a body instead of a lens. That is, especially if you are getting into the system and budget is limited – as it is for many of us.

Hmmm, well, I think the lens is the most important; so my answer went down that route. And he has bought the M4-P already...


He also said that any hint would be welcome.

Regards, David

 

[Nitroplait]

My two cents: If you primarily care about the pictures, you'd most likely have approached this the other way around - from lens towards camera.
If you first buy a Leica body without knowing what lens to put on, you are most likely buying the Leica mythology and you won't be satisfied with anything but a Leica branded lens.
Save yourself the agony and stop making rational reasons for something that is emotional. Get what you really want - anything else is just waste of time and money.

Take it from someone who has been there.

 

[jukka]

Hmmm, well, I think the lens is the most important; so my answer went down that route. And he has bought the M4-P already...

Sure, and if you re-read my initial post in this thread, you'll notice that I was reacting to a general tendency and an argument, if you will, concerning the overall importance of bodies versus lenses within Leica related internet communities.

I do disagree with you here nonetheless. I can't imagine someone not having buyers remorse after investing several thousands of dollars to an APO Leica something only to realize that in and of itself it didn't improve his photography one bit.

I repeat myself here, but I would really like to see one single boring photo that would have been interesting if only shot with a Leica branded lens instead of any other M mount brand.

As such, and including those with unlimited budgets, buying Leica glass is an emotional decision – more so than getting a Leica body that you enjoy using.

I do understand that this view may not be super popular among Leica aficionados. 🙂

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

My two cents: If you primarily care about the pictures, you'd most likely have approached this the other way around - from lens towards camera.
If you first buy a Leica body without knowing what lens to put on, you are most likely buying the Leica mythology and you won't be satisfied with anything but a Leica branded lens.
Save yourself the agony and stop making rational reasons for something that is emotional. Get what you really want - anything else is just waste of time and money.

Take it from someone who has been there.

FWIW that was not my experience at all. I happily shot my M2 for several years before I bought my first Leica lens, and of the three bits of Leitz glass I ended up buying (5cm Cron Collapsible, 50mm Lux v2 and 90mm Tele Elmarit), the 90mm is the only one I’ve kept.

The two things that attracted me to a Leica M were the tactile experience of using the body (something I still haven’t come close to with any other brand) and, ironically enough, the depth of lenses available for M/LTM Mount, from all manufacturers.

I’m with Jukka here. It’s an old and boring trope that insists everyone buys a Leica for the lenses. Sure, that’s one reason that some people do, but there’s plenty of others...

 

[nickthetasmaniac]

Hello all,
Just got a M4-2, and looking for a lens. I'm basically shooting 90% of the time at 50mm on my other camera, sometimes at 85 or 105.
I'm looking for a lens for the Leica, i hear a lot about the 40mm 1.4, not a focal i'm used to, but maybe it would be interesting to change a bit and stop being stuck at 50.
any hint welcome!

But back to the question!

My recommendation is to stick to the framelines available on your body (as others have mentioned).

I’d suggest looking for a run out deal on the Voigtlander 50/f1.5 Nokton v1 (M mount). It’s a fantastic lens and I reckon there should be some good prices around given the recent release of v2.

 

[Hari]

Just got the Nokton 35mm 1.4 vers. II
for the Leica M2, my first lens
in M-mount. I've been using LTM to M rings.
My previous 35mm lens was the Russian
Jupiter 2.8. I didn't like the rim set aperture and
focusing at the end of the lens.

 

[Hari]

The Nokton 35/1.4 II is S.C.
Be nice to compare the M.C.
Beyond nice to compare to 'Lux ASPH new
but how much is it?!

 

[tuanvinh2000]

Excellent choice! I own a summicron 35 but i use my friend nokton and see no differences in my photos. Im happy to exchange my summicron to a nokton any days of the year. Focus on making photos and buy lot of film and bw fiber papers!

 

[maddoc]

It takes a long long time to exhaust the photographic possibilities of the 50mm focal length.

I remember shooting with the Jupiter 12 lens on my M4-2 and M2 Leicas when I owned the 35mm Summicron and the 35mm pre asph Summilux lenses and still enjoyed the experience and the photographic results.

Exactly. J-12 is an awesome lens on film (also with the SONY A7), if 2.8 is OK and the slightly awkward handling of the aperture doesn't bother.

Since somebody mentioned the Ultron 35/1.7 LTM, that lens seems to be very nice for BW film if no element separation takes place (the result looks like a hazy lens) and there are no optical spare parts.

 

[Horatio]

Wonder what the OP chose? Just the single post so far.

 

[Orthogonal]

The 40 1.4 is a nice lens, but it's also pretty divisive. It's far from technically perfect wide open and the bokeh can be harsh and bubbly at medium distances with noticeable barrel distortion. I think of it as being a sort of character lens but with the ability to look fairly modern stopped down, I have heard rumors (I can't verify) that it's based on the first summilux 35mm. Ergonomically on an M it's great - super compact with a nice focusing tab. Lightweight but still precise feeling with no wobble. I personally don't find the lack of 40mm framelines as an especially big deal on an M, IMO framelines are rarely all that accurate in the best of times and you already have an SLR for accurate framing.

If lenses are a balance between size, speed and technical image qualities, I think the 40mm 1.4 is on the far end of tiny size and high speed, at the expense of optical perfection. I would take a look at flickr, if you find the imperfections acceptable, it's really a great lens.

 

[scautez]

There are a lot of offerings from Voigtlander at the moment in the 35mm/40mm range: 40mm f1.2; the new 35mm f1.2, the 1.4s, and also the 35mm f2. I think it all comes down to what type of lens you would be looking for: something every day, reliable in most situations, or something with character and speed. If an every day lens, consider the 35mm f2.5 color skopar, 40mm rokkor m or 40mm summicron m. All can be had for a reasonable price. If you like something different, there is the 40mm f2.8 rollei sonnar which is ltm, so you can have a 35mm adapter which will bring up the 35mm framelines. If want something with character and speed, the noktons are worth a look. If heading to the 50mm, there are so many options...old and new. You can spend years exploring the various options and if sticking to Leica - vintage or new, Voigtlander, Zeiss, you can't go too wrong. Good luck! In my personal view with your camera I'd be looking to utilise the inbuilt framelines, so would go to either 35mm or 50mm, or 40mm ltm so you can bring up the 35mm framelines. 40mm using 50mm framelines takes a bit of guess work but you can get used to it pretty quickly - you will start seeing an imaginary floating frameline 🙂