Need 50mm Recommendations For My New M3

Another vote for the CZ Sonnar - in chrome it looks very much at home on my M3. I've sent the collapsable summicron that came with my M3 away for cleaning as it was in a very sorry state so I'm keen to see what it can do when restored somewhat. I also have an old Summarit 1.5 which is a flawed but magnificent lens that I'm enjoying learning about but wouldn't suggest it as a competitor to the other fine lenses mentioned here.
 
Well, I ordered a collapsible Summicron. I like the images I've seen. The Zeiss Planar 50/2 is really tempting, but the Summicron is cheaper and cooler. Coolness counts. So does size and weight. I want something noticeably smaller and lighter than the Nokton.

Who knows how my negatives will look, since I'm just getting started in this processing things. I won't be printing for the time being, just scanning, and thought the Summicron's images might be easier to scan.
 
I don't think the 'cron is cooler... It's simply the correct lens for any ole M3... just like it would be a rigid 'cron, or an old Elmar f2.8. Heck, I have my own M3 system with a collapsible 'cron and a collapsible Elmar. They all look very much from the fifties... and, wait, I see... that's cool. :)
 
Based on my experience, I think you'll be so blown away by the results from processing your own b&w that the choice of lens will be somewhat secondary. In that sense, going for cheap and compact was a good choice...
 
ferider said:
Watch for haze.
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What's the best way to detect haze? Will I see it when I hold the lens up to a light? Am I looking for distortion on the surface or for fogging inside the glass? I've purchased a few used lenses and seen dust and the few odd spots, but nothing I'd call haze.

The seller described the glass as "excellent", so I'll see. Worse comes to worse, I'll ship it back.
 
wgerrard said:
What's the best way to detect haze? Will I see it when I hold the lens up to a light? Am I looking for distortion on the surface or for fogging inside the glass? I've purchased a few used lenses and seen dust and the few odd spots, but nothing I'd call haze.

The seller described the glass as "excellent", so I'll see. Worse comes to worse, I'll ship it back.
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Just hold it against a strong light and watch for fogging, in particular on the element surfaces behind and in front of the aperture.

Here is an example shot, taken with that lens:

13427455_GqGaQ-XL.jpg


Not a great photo, but it shows you what the lens does.

Cheers,

Roland.
 
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you dont need f2 to keep it smaller - take zeiss sonnar f1.5. it is small and totally different to nokton i think so you will have two fast lenses with different character. ;)
 
gilpen123 said:
...I wanted a leica glass and was looking at an Elmar Collap 2.8 but stumbled upon a like new Hex 50 2.0 and likewise highly recommended by some members here...
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Hi Gilpen123, Happy to read the recommendation turned out so well!:)

To the OP I can only repeat what I told you, get the M-Hex 50mm f2.0!

Brilliant lens for sure, and it won't set you back a grand either. Only Leica latest version pre-ASPH matches upto it. Love the intermittent click stops and the resitance to flare, the build quality, short focus throw, built-in hood!

I think Krosya's 50mm f2.0 is still in the classifieds, he sold it to finance the M-Hex 50mm f1.2
 
For $1,000 you can get BOFF of 'em. Two of the best...perhaps THE best two M3 period correct lenses ever.

DR summicron
50/1.4 Nikkor

Change for lots of film.
 
If I had to use only one 50 on a M3 (scary thought!) - I would get a late # DR Summicron and insist on the correct goggles. You might not use the close-up facility that often - but it makes it a very nice tight portrait lens.
It is one of those lenses that Leica did do right. Built like the proverbial brick out-house - but wonderfully "mechanical" in its operation. Try to find one with a # over 2000 000 - they did some subtle coating changes on them around that time. Check the lens for haze, fog and scratches and reject it if has any of this. Check that the goggles match. The DR was very much a hand built lens as it required some complex fitting and I always found that they had a bit of an edge over the regular "rigid" ones. By no means "lightweight" - gives a solid heft to the camera.
Among the modern lenses - my choice would be either the Planar 50f2.0 or the ZM C Sonnar 50f1.5.
Considering your budget, you would have enough money over to pick up my other favorite M3 lens, the Elmar 90mm f4 Collapsible. Again, a build quality we dont see anymore and not a bad lens at all - though you need the hood for it as you should have for the DR too.
 
Hi,

I have owned both the rigid and DR summicrons. I noticed no difference between the two lenses on colour or B+W film. My 2 pennies CDN. :) Based on your budget, I would recommend a faster f1,4/5 lens for greater low light versatility. The two lenses I'd choose between would be the ZM C Sonnar 50/1,5 or a type 2 Summilux 50/1,4 pre-ASPH. The v3, which has a slip hood and close focuses to .7m, is not within your budget, but it is optically identical to the v2 which has an external hood and a close focus of 1m. Bear in mind the ZM 50/1,5 close focuses to ,9m.

Buying older vintage lenses is a bit of a dice roll. You need to be ultra-cautious and wait. I have found that by the time I had bought the DR lens, its hood, and then its goggles, that I had spent a fair chunk; so try to get them altogether. However that's not always possible. So very often you can end up spending almost as much on a vintage kit as on a modern lens kit, especially if you want your lenses to be in excellent condition, as you should as Tom A states.
 
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I'm going to second Tom on what you should do with some of the money left in your budget... get the elmar 90mm (9cm) f/4 collapsible. 90 is a great focal length w/ the m3's higher magnification finder, the build quality of the lens is superb, and it at the very least equals the "coolness" factor of the collapsible 'cron you have on the way! (and yes...get the hood!)
Those two lenses make a nice, fairly compact, M3 kit.

(Of course, then you'll want something wider, and then maybe a 135 just because the framelines are there, and.... :))

-Brian
 
BTMarcais said:
... get the elmar 90mm (9cm) f/4 collapsible.
(Of course, then you'll want something wider, and then maybe a 135 just because the framelines are there, and.... :))
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Ok, ok. I'll check out that Elmar. ;) I'm looking around at hoods. Any real alternative to that rather ostentatious SOOFM hood? The "barndoor" one, right?

Umm... got a Zhou case on the way. Paid for the expedited shipping. I'm curious to see transit time from Shanghai to central North Carolina.
 
The DR has been on my list for some time now. I don't have a camera that will mount it :(
But you do! It seems you should give it a go. The images I have seen are quite lovely in B+W and Color.
 
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