I have too many 50mm lenses. Do you too?

[I'll play too]
50mm f2.5 Summarit
50mm f1 Noctilux
50mm f2 Summicron V1 rigid purchased with my M3.

I don't think I have too many (especially after reviewing some of the posts here)... I have just enough...
 
When this thread started I checked and discovered I had eleven or twelve 50mm lenses ... three or four of which were being used on any regular basis.

Those days are gone ... Im now down to six and I'm seriously considering selling a couple more. Between my Canon 1.2 and my Hexanon f2 I can pretty well cover what I need to do. For the classic look I have a little 3.5 Red Scale Elmar that's a lovely lens and a DR Summicron ... and if I'm looking for that 'Leica Glow' I have a Summitar with lots of internal dust and a scratch on the front element. 😛
 
I'm down to 7 if we are counting only 50mm. Eight if I count the 55/1.2 Canon L M-mount, 9 if I count the 45mm Planar G, 10 if I count the 48mm fixed on the Konica III. Just 3 of them are not in use at the moment. Today I can think of one, maybe two, I might be able to part with.
 
From someone I know who halved his stash and this is what is left:

L50.jpg
 
Raid,
I have been thinking of selling my 50/2 M- Hexanon. It is on the R-D1 just now. I like it but prefer the ZM Sonnar C for size, handling, speed and image quality (the Sonnar is admittedly not as sharp anywhere as the Hexanon, but I like it - I am not deeply moved by sharpness).
I may also sell a late CZJ Sonnar T (if authentic) in LTM. It makes images I love, but I prefer the Nikkor SC for build quality and handling. I'm also actively looking for a nice Canon 50/1.5 - when I find one the Zeiss may be relegated permanently to the camera bag, and would better go to a good home. And to make things that much more complicated, I just scored a very clean pre-war chrome-on-brass CZJ Sonnar in Contax mount, which will be interesting in one of Amadeo Muscelli's M-mount adapters.
 
The whole multiple lens thing is starting to worry me which is what made me halve my own 50mm collection. It's nice to have these obsure bits of history that have their own particular way of rendering an image I agree and if you are a predominantly 50mm shooter I can see the point in having a fair few but eventually it just becomes collecting ... which is ok too I guess!

I'd like to see a poll that identifies how much of an individual's lens collection he/she uses on a yearly basis as a percentage of their entire armoury. Some of them aren't exactly cheap and time tells on them without them having to even be used ... internal lubricants vapourise and form hazy coatings on glass and grease in helicals dries ... I store all my gear in a ventilated cabinet with a low heat source that should be keeping them perfect but I picked up a Summitar the other day that I haven't used in a long time and it's a little hazy ... I'd swear that lens was as clean as whistle a year or so ago! 😛
 
foto_fool said:
Raid,
I have been thinking of selling my 50/2 M- Hexanon. It is on the R-D1 just now. I like it but prefer the ZM Sonnar C for size, handling, speed and image quality (the Sonnar is admittedly not as sharp anywhere as the Hexanon, but I like it - I am not deeply moved by sharpness).
I may also sell a late CZJ Sonnar T (if authentic) in LTM. It makes images I love, but I prefer the Nikkor SC for build quality and handling. I'm also actively looking for a nice Canon 50/1.5 - when I find one the Zeiss may be relegated permanently to the camera bag, and would better go to a good home. And to make things that much more complicated, I just scored a very clean pre-war chrome-on-brass CZJ Sonnar in Contax mount, which will be interesting in one of Amadeo Muscelli's M-mount adapters.
Click to expand...

Hi John,
I also prefer the Sonnar look over razor sharpness of other lens designs. I own a [genuine?] CZJ Sonnar T 5cm/2 LTM, as "authenticated" by Marc Small and Charles Barringer. It is a lens that I love for its history and optical performance, but the Contax mount pre-war Sonnar is equally nice. The Canon 50/1.5 is also on my list of lenses to get.

I recently got a CZJ 50/1.5 from Brian Sweeney. I love it. The 50/2 is equally good.

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?topic_id=1481&msg_id=00Ox6p&photo_id=7105737&photo_sel_index=0




Good luck with your plans.
 
Last edited:
Keith said:
The whole multiple lens thing is starting to worry me which is what made me halve my own 50mm collection. It's nice to have these obsure bits of history that have their own particular way of rendering an image I agree and if you are a predominantly 50mm shooter I can see the point in having a fair few but eventually it just becomes collecting ... which is ok too I guess!

I'd like to see a poll that identifies how much of an individual's lens collection he/she uses on a yearly basis as a percentage of their entire armoury. Some of them aren't exactly cheap and time tells on them without them having to even be used ... internal lubricants vapourise and form hazy coatings on glass and grease in helicals dries ... I store all my gear in a ventilated cabinet with a low heat source that should be keeping them perfect but I picked up a Summitar the other day that I haven't used in a long time and it's a little hazy ... I'd swear that lens was as clean as whistle a year or so ago! 😛
Click to expand...


Hello Keith,
Many of my 50mm lenses cost me less than $200 each, so they are not really expensive. I use many of them, but not as often as to justify having them all. On the other hand, why not .... ?

Among the cheap lenses, is the 53mm Menopta. I used the lens recently:

http://rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56890
 
I guess I don't have enough of them... 🙂 I am waiting on a Jupiter 3 50/1.5 for my Kiev 4a and find myself searching ebay for collapsible Tessars & Sonnars in Contax mount... :bang:

William
 
I have eight 50's for my rangefinders and three 50's for my SLaarrrghs.

My RF 50's are:
Summilux-ASPH, Summarit (the old one), Summitar, two f3.5 Elmars (a black scale that needs a CLA and a red-scale), Jupiter-3 "Brianov", two Industar-22's (one is mintish - the other is garbage).

I've used the Summitar the most but I'm sure that is going to change because I just got a Summilux-ASPH. I really like the rendering of the Summitar very much and because it is collapsible, it makes for a compact camera whether it is mated to my IIIf or one of my M's.

My other 50's are a 50 f1.4 Super Multi Coated Takumar (the radioactive one), 50 f1.8 SMC-PM, and a 50 f4 CZJ Flektogon in Pentacon-6 mount. Yes technically 50 Flek is my wide-angle lens for my medium format kit but I have these Pentacon-6 to Pentax-K adapters that have tilt and shift functions. So I sometimes use the 50 Flek on the Pentax as a tilt or shift lens.
 
raid said:
I see that you only have two posts in the RFF.
Click to expand...

Too many?

Raid. I do use my external mount Nikkor 50/1.1. Wide-open, it has a pleasing bokeh and more than adequate sharpness when properly focused. The small rangefinder patch on an SP makes accurate focusing difficult particularly under dim light conditions. When stopped down to the mid-range, it sharpens up a lot and becomes a lot more forgiving of less focusing precision.

It's a special use lens in my hands... daylight, wide-open, slow film and ND filters.

Arthur
 
Nando said:
I have eight 50's for my rangefinders and three 50's for my SLaarrrghs.

My RF 50's are:
Summilux-ASPH, Summarit (the old one), Summitar, two f3.5 Elmars (a black scale that needs a CLA and a red-scale), Jupiter-3 "Brianov", two Industar-22's (one is mintish - the other is garbage).

I've used the Summitar the most but I'm sure that is going to change because I just got a Summilux-ASPH. I really like the rendering of the Summitar very much and because it is collapsible, it makes for a compact camera whether it is mated to my IIIf or one of my M's.

My other 50's are a 50 f1.4 Super Multi Coated Takumar (the radioactive one), 50 f1.8 SMC-PM, and a 50 f4 CZJ Flektogon in Pentacon-6 mount. Yes technically 50 Flek is my wide-angle lens for my medium format kit but I have these Pentacon-6 to Pentax-K adapters that have tilt and shift functions. So I sometimes use the 50 Flek on the Pentax as a tilt or shift lens.
Click to expand...

The jump to a Summilux-ASPH is a big one from the cost side.The other lenses you have mentioned are freasonably priced. I also have the SMC 50/1.4, and I love using it. I have never used the CZJ 50/4 on a SLR body, but it is an awesome lens on a Mamiya 645, as a wide angle lens. Some claim that this is the best lens made by CZJ for Pentacon 6, in addition to the 180/2.8 Sonnar [which I have used on a SLR body]. The tilt/shift option is useful, but I don't own such an adapter.
 
rolleistef said:
no M mount 50s yet, but a LTM J8, a Kiev mount one, a stunning little 50/1.8 Pancolar, a Minolta MD 50/1.7, one 50/2, a Pentax 55/2 and a 50/1.7 Km, mount and a hard-to-use M42 Industar 50/3.5, hard to use because it's so slow.
Click to expand...

Some claim that the Pancoloar is the best CZJ 50 lens made by that company.
 
Arthur said:
Too many?

Raid. I do use my external mount Nikkor 50/1.1. Wide-open, it has a pleasing bokeh and more than adequate sharpness when properly focused. The small rangefinder patch on an SP makes accurate focusing difficult particularly under dim light conditions. When stopped down to the mid-range, it sharpens up a lot and becomes a lot more forgiving of less focusing precision.

It's a special use lens in my hands... daylight, wide-open, slow film and ND filters.

Arthur
Click to expand...

Arthur,

Nikon Kiu once let meuse his Nikkor 50/1.1 for a 50mm lens test. The focus was always slightly off with the lens until I tried using a Contax adapter [which is incorrect], and the focusing improved wide open.It later truned out that the lens needed some reallignment (shimming). I like the overall look of the lens.
 
I think I have enough to join the club.....

Leitz Lenses in M

1990`s (series four) 50mm f2.0 Summicron

Leitz Lenses in LTM

1936 50mm f1.5 Xenon "uncoated"
"Wartime" 50mm f2.0 Summitar "uncoated"
"Wartime" 50mm f3.5 Elmar "uncoated"
"Wartime" 50mm f3.5 Elmar "coated"
1950`s 50mm f3.5 Elmar
1950`s 50mm f1.5 Summarit

Non Leitz Lenses in LTM

Late 1940`s Nikkor Tokyo 50mm f2.0
1950`s Nikkor 50mm f1.4
1950`s Canon 50mm f1.8
1950`s Canon 50mm f1.5
1960`s Canon 50mm f1.4

No you can NEVER have enough 50mm`s - I`m still looking for a clean uncoated Leitz Summar and maybe a wartime Zeiss Sonnar f1.5, a Nikkor f1.5, a Nokton f1.5 and a Canon f1.2 ~ anyone have anything please let me know 😉

Tom
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom