Leica M3 with industar 26m 50mm f2.8. Good?

It is my first lens and only I used on family FED-2 (kit lens), until I switched to J-3 in 2015.
Most likely you will need to re-shim it for Leica. If you haven't got one already, get one with focus tab. It is way better build comparing to primitive I-61 L/D.
I was very tempted to get one few weeks ago, but scored Rigid Cron for good price to stay on M3 for a while.

Couple of scans from photos taken with I-26M.



 
No. It's horrible.

The lens is way to short for wildlife, how close do you get to the lions? I'd recommend a 500/4.
The autofocus is way to slow to track my kid, and there is only one focus point in the middle, and it's not even a cross type. Have you heard about the Canon 1Dx? With a 24-70/2.8 it will track your kids better.
It only takes small memory cards that can only take 36 pictures each. Even my phone does a better job.
Don't get me started on movements! There are none, no rise, no tilt, what were they thinking! A the negative is soooooo small. You don't even get a TTL view!

On the other hand is is fantastic.
Good for what and compared to what? Please put a little more effort into your questions so we don't all have to guess. You might get more sensible answers. Let me help;

"Is the Leica M3 with an Industar 26m 50mm f2.8 going to be a good combination for me to (insert what you want to do with it/get out of it here)?"
 
How about an industar-61 ?
Mine is an older 'panda' non L/D
Here are some shots with it on M3:

hPPQf7P.jpg



tfExhYV.jpg



Ikk4DP4.jpg
 
Nice lens, but just not on par with a Leica M3. It can be a trial to get it to work accurately with your leica. Besides shimming it is most likely it would need to get the cam adjusted by adding material to it. On my M4-P, two J-12s and one silver J-8 cannot drive the rangefinder of the M4-P all the way from near to infinity.
 
DanskDynamit said:
get a jupiter 8, it might be better than the industar
Click to expand...

Don't think so. The Sonnar by design suffers from focus shift in close ranges and one needs the exact right coating and very precise machining to remedy that. The Industar by design is more versatile and years ago here on RFF I have seen Dave Lackey test his Industar against a high grade Nikon lens and it was a tie. Both lenses need to be shimmed for best results on a Leica, but even then the Sonnar still exhibits focus shift and the Industar doesn't.


The Jupiter is held in higher esteem here than the 'lowly' Industar, probably due to the historical aspect etc. Everyone will comment on the Sonnar design and the possibility to shim it to Leica specs etc, while no heads will turn to see you use an Industar, or only with a chuckle.

So the real question is, are you here to show off or shoot? :D :D
 
Hi,

All the lenses mentioned are old and will be second-hand, so there's no answer that applies to the one you get except use it and see what it does.

They vary because a lot of people out there look after them and another lot out there take them to bits and try to clean them and try to put them back again and get all sorts of things wrong; it's not like changing a light bulb but they seem to think it is.

And a golden rule is that if you have to ask then you shouldn't but they still do and then sell them on.

So buy and test, it won't break the bank and you've a good chance of a good one and then will be pleasantly surprised.

I go for good looking old cameras and lenses as looks can't be improved and expect a few will need repairs by an expert; that rule applies to all makes and models and at all price levels.

Regards, David
 
I'd suggest an Industar-61 if f/2.8 is fast enough for your need, since both the production date and the optical calculation are newer. It's sharper than I-22 and I-26M either on technical paper or from mine and people's experience that I read online.

I've had a couple of I-61 and 61l/d. The best one is a 1968 I-61 "panda" version with 10 aperture blades and click-stops, which is not so common. The others I had are as soft as J-8 when wide open, so I got rid of them. I only have one I-26M and it is also as soft as my J-8 when wide open, so I just don't use the lens and leave it on the non-working FED-2 it came with.

The thing I dislike about I-61 is the "valve handle" shaped focusing ring which I found it awkward to use and it is almost a deal breaker for me. I find it good ONLY in winter when focusing with thick gloves on. And the click-stop aperture doesn't make me worry if I changed aperture by accident.

Buy a good Jupiter-8 too. :)
 
michaelwj said:
No. It's horrible.

The lens is way to short for wildlife, how close do you get to the lions? I'd recommend a 500/4.
The autofocus is way to slow to track my kid, and there is only one focus point in the middle, and it's not even a cross type. Have you heard about the Canon 1Dx? With a 24-70/2.8 it will track your kids better.
It only takes small memory cards that can only take 36 pictures each. Even my phone does a better job.
Don't get me started on movements! There are none, no rise, no tilt, what were they thinking! A the negative is soooooo small. You don't even get a TTL view!

On the other hand is is fantastic.
Good for what and compared to what? Please put a little more effort into your questions so we don't all have to guess. You might get more sensible answers. Let me help;

"Is the Leica M3 with an Industar 26m 50mm f2.8 going to be a good combination for me to (insert what you want to do with it/get out of it here)?"
Click to expand...
Quite. He keeps asking the same question again and again.

"Gandolfi half-plate with 168 Dagor. Good?"

Cheers,

R.
 
johannielscom said:
Don't think so. The Sonnar by design suffers from focus shift in close ranges and one needs the exact right coating and very precise machining to remedy that. . . .
Click to expand...
How can coating or machining affect focus shift, which is an optical problem? It means that the plane of focus varies as you stop down or open up, and I cannot see how either coating or machining can affect this. Nor can Zeiss, which is why the 1,5/50 C-Sonnar suffers from focus shift...

Cheers,

R.
 
johannielscom said:
Don't think so. The Sonnar by design suffers from focus shift in close ranges and one needs the exact right coating and very precise machining to remedy that. The Industar by design is more versatile and years ago here on RFF I have seen Dave Lackey test his Industar against a high grade Nikon lens and it was a tie. Both lenses need to be shimmed for best results on a Leica, but even then the Sonnar still exhibits focus shift and the Industar doesn't.


The Jupiter is held in higher esteem here than the 'lowly' Industar, probably due to the historical aspect etc. Everyone will comment on the Sonnar design and the possibility to shim it to Leica specs etc, while no heads will turn to see you use an Industar, or only with a chuckle.

So the real question is, are you here to show off or shoot? :D :D
Click to expand...

I've never seen ANY focus shift in my Jupiter 8s and I have used more than one. maybe you notice it in the J3 using it at f1.5 but f2 or f2.8 you will never see it.
Jupiter 8 is a great lens and I wonder how many of those talking about "focus shift on the sonnars" had really used one or just repeating what they read online. That "very precise machining" is called "adapter" from M39 to Leica M and you can find it for 7€ or less online. I use mine in my M3 like this and it works perfectly.
 
When I bought my first M3 and couldn't afford a Leica lens, I got hold of a Canon 50mm 1.8. It took excellent photos. So good that I've just bought another...and a 1.4...just because. Not at the same super-low price level, obviously, but I see a lot of them come up around $100. They seem to focus perfectly on the Leica M cameras.
 
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