My new Leica M6 is here

[SolaresLarrave]

Javier, when I got my first Leica, I too got a 50mm lens. I liked it, but I kept dreaming of a wide-angle, and when I got one, I seldom went back to the 50. Buy, if you can, the Ultron 35. These Leicas are natural wide-angle cameras, and while the 50mm is a good match, the M6 doesn't have the viewfinder of an M3 (made famous as a combo with a 50mm lens by Henri Cartier-Bresson). If you take a peek through the viewfinder of an M3 you'll never use any other lens but a 50. However, the M6 is another beast... and it calls for a 35mm lens.

In any event, whatever your decision be, felicitaciones por tu compra! 🙂

 

[javimm]

Thanks for all the suggestions, and Bill, for your offer. I have quite a mental mess now of what to choose 😀. The 40 cron for the CL (will it work in the M6 without problems?) seems to be a fine choice too and not too expensive, and it's Leica glass.

My list of first lens is one of these now:

- CV 35 Ultron
- CV 40 Nokton
- 40 Cron
- CV 50 Nokton
- 50 Collapsible Cron: I read it's hard to find without scratches or fogging.

What is the general consensus about the 40 cron?. Didn't know that it existed, but seems to be a great lens.

I have to say I love WA photography. I tend to use a 17-70 Sigma (27-112 eq in 35mm) lens on my Canon DSLR, for the normal shots, but I bought a Canon 10-22 (16-35 eq in 35 mm) and I use this lens a lot. There are sometimes where the longer end, ie eq to 35 seems to be too wide for my normal shots, and I have to switch lenses. On the other side, the 16 eq is awesome for cathedral interiors and buildings. Maybe a 40 (cron or Nokton) is the middle point I'm looking for. I'm not much of a telephoto guy. i use a Canon 70-300 that I can borrow from my father, for some pics, but not much use for me. I don't do sports nor wildlife. Love landscapes. I think the better choice is a normal lens first and then a WA, either 28, 21 or even 15.

I'm going to read now all I can about these lenses.

Thank all,
Javier.

 

[Ken Ford]

What is the general consensus about the 40 cron?. Didn't know that it existed, but seems to be a great lens.

Javier, in my opinion the 40 Cron is one of the best single lenses a new M6 owner can get! It's a good match with the M6's 35mm framelines, and it renders very much like a 70s era Summicron 35 or 50. The only downside is the funky filter thread, but it really isn't a big deal.

Look for a clean one, and you should always be able to recover your money if it turns out to not suit you.

 

[vrgard]

In addition to the 40 Cron, you should consider the similar 40 Rokkor lens.

-Randy

 

[javimm]

The Rokkor is Minolta made, isn't it?. What differences exist between the Cron and Rokkor?

 

[Bill Blackwell]

The Rokkor is Minolta made, isn't it?. What differences exist between the Cron and Rokkor?

The differences would be indistinguishable - in fact, the Minolta is said to have better coatings. But you can't go wrong with either lens if you want a 40mm M-mount lens. Beware though, that there are no 40mm frame lines in your M6. Personally, when I owned my 40mm Nokton, I found this frustrating. The 50mm frame lines come up, which are too tight. I could have had the mount adjusted to bring up the 35mm frame lines, but in my testing of this, I found the 35mm frame lines were too forgiving.

Ultimately, although I think the Nokton is a great lens and extremely sharp, I decided to sell it.

BTW - congrats on your "new" M6.

Therefore, personally, I would recommend getting the 35mm or 50mm lens of your choice. I don't think there is a bad choice among those already discussed.