Need a new 50 for M-mount

[tomasis]

forget everything. it is new summarit 50/2.5 that youll get. no regrets. i needed tab and im very happy now. all other lenses are joke unless youre serious, not fondler 🙂

i replaced summicron from 1979 and optically it is similar, but better at everything. short focus throw, compact, better hood etc.

 

[Classique]

I had a collapsible summicron and now I mainly use my DR summicron because I shoot color mostly. DR or rigid is not a big lens (feels much smaller than nokton because it's narrower) but it is pretty heavy. To me, that translates as quality and solidity of the build but to some it may be a negative. Rigid does have a focusing knob and I wouldn't say the focus throw is that large. Try w-nikkor 35mm 2.5; now that is a LONG focus throw.

 

[froyd]

forget everything. it is new summarit 50/2.5 that youll get. no regrets. i needed tab and im very happy now. all other lenses are joke unless youre serious, not fondler 🙂

i replaced summicron from 1979 and optically it is similar, but better at everything. short focus throw, compact, better hood etc.

Nothing against the Summarit per se, but it's not for me. I have the planar if I want a modern look.

 

[ferider]

It will be impossible to get a modern focus tab on a classic lens, unless you put it on yourself.

Regarding which lens I recommend ? Any of the ones below will work - Character galore ....

The Summilux doesn't have a tab, but you can probably add one easily. All the others do. Then again, the Summilux is probably out of budget. The other 3 lenses should be easily in your price range.

My favorite ?

The nice thing about the Nikkor is that it can be modified to focus to 0.7m.

If you want classic rendering, the faster the lens, the better.

Did I help your GAS ? Good, that was intentional 🙂

Roland.

 

[furcafe]

As you know, there are many 50s that fit your criteria & you've received many good recommendations so far.

A couple that haven't been mentioned:

The modern, (relatively) recently discontinued, 50/2.8 M-Elmar. Not sure if it can be found for < $800, but addresses most of your ergonomic complaints w/the older versions (e.g., focus ring, not tab) & has updated coatings, etc.

In the CV line, the 50/2 Heliars have an updated, old-school look wide-open.

I need a lens recommendation.

I'm thinking of selling my collapsible Elmar and replacing it with another lens. I do like the performance of the Elmar, but I'm not crazy about the ergonomics, particularly how changing the f-stops also changes the focus unless I lock the focusing tab or hold it steady with one hand.

I would like to replace it with a lens that features tab focusing (preferably the Summicron or 35 Nokton concave type), and preferably a fairly short focus throw. I also would want this lens to have a fairly gentle drawing quality, something similar to the Summaron that I own and love. I'm very well served in the microsharp/saturated/contrasty department by my Contax G lenses, so I'm looking for a less modern look. I'm happy with f2.8 but I would not consider anything slower and I would sacrifice speed for size, i.e. I'd rather have a small 2.8 lens than a large 1.8 or 1.4.

Final requirements: smallish and under $800.

Given the budget, I think I'm in LTM or CV territory. I like CV lenses, but my assumption is that most of them have a modern, quite contrasty look so I'd like to hear if any of their 50s are more delicate than others.

 

[Bingley]

CV 50mm Skopar is f2.5. It's really small, and has a focusing tab. I like it a lot. Nice price also, great image quality, but it does have a modern look. But i don't think it's excessively contrasty.

I completely agree. There are a couple of threads on the CV forum devoted to this lens. Worth serious consideration. Otherwise, the Canon 50/1.8 like Frank and others have recommended. It easily fits your budget and is a terrific optic. Every time I get GAS for a rigid Summicron, I look at the photos from the Canon, and the GAS goes away. My flickr has lots of photos with this lens if you're interested.

 

[1joel1]

Zeiss 50mm f2 Planar. Best bang for the buck 50mm lens in the world.

Joel

 

[taemo]

This may not be the lens for you but it may well be worthy of consideration. My most recent acquisition is a Canon LTM 50mm f1.5, it set me back less than $500 including LTM to M adapter ring.

It is a 50/1.5 Sonnar, its age and the coatings Canon used back in the day give it a unique look perhaps not available from other Sonnars such as the J3 or current Zeiss ZM offering. I like it, a lot. I resisted for a long time due to known issues of focus shift but decided to bite the bullet and learn this lens. I repeat myself, I like it, a lot.

It is not modern, not as extreme as a Summar, nor as contrasty as the current ZM 50/1.5 Sonnar. It is smallish, think 50 Summicron, not as compact as the CV 50/2.5 which is very much like the 35 Summaron.

i've been thinking about the ZM 50 1.5 Sonnar, what's everyone opinion of it on a film Leica?

 

[ferider]

This may not be the lens for you but it may well be worthy of consideration. My most recent acquisition is a Canon LTM 50mm f1.5, it set me back less than $500 including LTM to M adapter ring

Agree, the Canon 50/1.5 is a fine lens. The smallest fast 50 you can find, about as big as a collapsed Summicron.

Roland.

 

[BNLee]

@ taemo

Do not own that lens, but I read about it extensively and it is actually a very impressive lens. I am not doing a review here so I will just say in short that people LOVE it, and hate it...

Many really like the current ZM 1.5 because, what the name says, it is a Sonnar design and gives the so called "Sonnar" look, which is actually a rapid transition from in focus subjects to out of focus subjects. It is also plenty sharp... that is when you get accurate focus.

Which brings me to the second point, it has a lot of focus shift... most Sonnars, if not all Sonnar lens design has focus shift issues, and this is one of the lens where the focus shift is really present. There are 2 types of this lens so far: optimised for 1.5 or optimised for 2.8. It is really straight forward, that is it is adjusted so that the focus shift is minimal at 1.5 for the first one and focus adjusted so that focus shift is minimal at 2.8 for the latter... If you are planning on shooting wide open most of the time then the first one is the obvious choice whereas most people usually go for the second one as a normal lens. A note, if you are shooting wide open with the second one (Optimised for 2.8), and you are familiar with your copy (You get use to it with time I guess...) then you can easily get very sharp Sonnar look pictures if you adjust the focus slightly backwards when the subject is focused. At smaller apertures, the depth of field would effectively cover up the focus shift issues.

Searcj La Vida Leica's review and you will know the details. Conclusion, you will either love it and live it or you will not accept its flaws. Good luck with the search.

 

[Mabbo]

Aside from the Summicron DR, I'd also recommend the Summitar 50mm f/2.
Despite being known for its 'swirly bokeh' I think it renders beautifully and gives that gentle draw you're looking for (far from a modern look).
However it may be hard to find an optically clean copy being so old (I got lucky with mine).
It has a focus button that locks at infinity (annoying when you forget it does that haha).
Being collapsable, its a very compact and light lens, and if I were to base it on design/looks alone this would be my favorite leica lens (vintage or modern).