M mount Lenses for a Zeiss Icon Rangefinder Film Camera:

[Jpeg]

I went to a camera show one time and fell in love with the Zeiss Icon 'classic' rangefinder film camera, -it had the biggest and brightest rangefinder I ever looked through. I noticed that B&H has a used one available without lens. I don't want to buy a Leica M lens because they are too damn expensive. I'm using a Carl Zeiss, Contax/Yashica Planar 50mm. f/1.5 lens for SLR on my Sony NEX-7 and think it's about the best lens in the world. It would certainly be nice if there was a Planar f/1.4 50mm. C/Y for M mount cameras. Are there any other alternatives in M mount lens for film cameras that don't cost you an arm and a leg like Leica's do for the Zeiss Icon Classic rangefinder camera????

 

[thegman]

I suppose you need to define "expensive". First place to look I think is Cosina Voigtlander, lots of good lenses, and not crazy expensive. The Nokton 50mm f/1.5 might be the place to start looking, or perhaps Nokton 35mm f/1.4.

There is the Zeiss glass too, which is perhaps in the middle of costliness between Voigtlander and Leica.

Voigtlander also do the f/2 50mm Heliar, which is quite beautiful to look at and by all accounts, an excellent lens.

If you get an old Leica lens, like a Summarit 50mm f/1.5, they're not *that* expensive, but when shot wide open, they have, er, character. i.e. not dead sharp wide open. I found my Nokton f/1.4 35mm pretty sharp wide open though.

 

[Pioneer]

The Voigtlander Bessa R series are nice cameras. I use an R (the LTM version) when I feel the need for a built in meter. I also own the Zeiss Ikon rangefinder and I absolutely love it. I have it paired with the ZM 50/1.5 Sonnar and it is a great combination.

The Zeiss Ikon is lighter than my M6 but seems to be just as solid. If the shutter is louder it is really tough for me to tell. It does have a slightly different tone, more of a "snick" where the M6 has a "schnich" sound. 😀

I love all of them but (insert very quiet whisper here) "I use my Zeiss Ikon the most." 😉

Well, truthfully I probably use my Tower Type 3 the most. It's a lot more compact to carry around as well.