Leica LTM What 50mm (5cm ) lens for my IIIG

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
raid said:
If you prefer a non-collapsible 50mm lens, based on the lenses that I very much like using, I recommend to you:
Nikkor 50/2 ltm (not expensive)
Canon 50/1.4 ltm (cheap) Canon 50/1.8 ltm (even cheaper)

If you consider collapsible lenses:
Hexanon 50/2.4 ltm
Collapsible Summicron.

Cheap but excellent: Jupiter-8 50/2 (clone of Zeiss 50/2) ltm. Jupiter-3 50/1.5 ltm ($250)

Excellent: CV 50/1.5 ltm.

There are many excellent options out there.
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l am leaning towards a Niikor 50/2 but might also get jupiter 8 too, thanks for the reply:)
 
peterm1 said:
I second the view that the Canon 50s (the f1.8 and f1.4 in particular) are excellent (and relatively cheap)and are worthy additions to a 111G or any other LTM camera. But I would add that my other choice as a general purpose lens would probably be a Leica Summitar 50mm f2. Its a fine lens and I would not fault it - not too far off a Summicron with nice rendering and sufficient sharpness to keep a reasonable man happy. By the way as to the Canon f1.4 it is so good many call it "The Japanese Summilux". If you Google this term you will get a lot of hits with positive reviews. Here is one. http://aperturepriority.co.nz/2013/05/28/the-japanese-summilux-canon-50mm-f1-4-ltm/

As to the Summarit, while I like it and have one and use it, for general purpose shooting it should be regarded as a lens which is best used at f2 and beyond. At f1.5 it is a bit quirky with low contrast and is also flare prone. But at that aperture it also is inclined to produce very pretty pastel colors which can be nice so you pay your money and you make your choice. Never the less it is a lens which is not to everyone's taste.
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prices of the summitars seem unfortunately high at the moment in the Uk
 
AlexBG said:
I've only ever heard good things about the nikkor. Like Raid said, there is always the jupiter 8. Have a look on 35mmc.com, he is hunting for his favourite 50mm at the moment.
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there are a lot of thums up on the nikkor here
 
FUJINON said:
If you want a Leitz lens then I would suggest either the 50mm f2.8 Elmar or the 50mm f3.5 "Red Scale" Elmar, otherwise get a 50mm f2 Nikkor.
I use the 50 f1.4 and 50 f2 Nikkors on my Leica IIIb and can thoroughly recommend them, they are excellent build quality, have good hard coatings, they can close focus to 18 inches (3ft to 18 inches un-coupled). If you intend to use the 50mm f1.4 or f2 also on a digital mirrorless camera with an LTM adapter (I use a Novoflex) the close focussing Nikkors are superb.
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well l am about to pull the trigger on ebay for a Nikkor 50/2:)
 
Probably too late to do any good, but have you asked yourself what's most important to you in selecting a lens? How much does speed matter? Compactness? Weight?

I find the non-collapsible lenses tend to be heavy for the Barnacks (the aluminum Soviet lenses notwithstanding), and most intrude at least a bit on the viewfinder.

My preference for the IIIg is either a Summitar or Canon 50/1.9 when I need the speed, and Canon 50/3.5 when I don't. The collapsible lenses make for a very compact package, which matters to me, and they seem to balance better as well.
 
No mention so far of the 50 2.0 Summar. It gets a bad, and usually undeserved, bad reputation. A good one - no scratches, etc. - is fine stopped down and gives a dreamy result wide open. They're not expensive, are collapsible, and don't block the finder on either my IIIa or IIIc. If you are shooting black and white, the Summer is a nice lens. Try to pick up the large and somewhat clunky hood. They, too, are inexpensive.
 
The Summarit may be a better choice for a general purpose lens than the Summar. I have both. The Elmar 50/3.5 or 50/2.8 are both great lenses too.
 
Yet another vote for the Nikkor 5cm/f2. The CV might be a great lens but the Nikkor is period correct.
 
The coll Cron is a luxurious and beautiful choice, and that's the lens that sits on my IIIg. Mine was a restoration project and ultimately had to be recoated by John at Focalpoint. It just looks and feels right. The "red scale" Elmar is much smaller and lighter and practically disappears into the IIIg. It makes the IIIg, which is larger than the other barnacks, almost a pocket camera. The images from these 2 lenses are legendary. The "correct" normal lens is perhaps the 50mm elmar f2.8 which I regrettably sold to purchase another coll. Cron many years ago. Good luck with your decision.
 
I have a few of the recommended lenses, and just put two of them on a digital scale for comparison. According to my scale, the Canon Serenar 50mm f/1.9 Collapsible weighs 207g, while the Nikkor H.C 5cm f/2 weighs 217g. Although the Canon is more compact when collapsed, it is actually longer than the Nikkor when fully extended, with slightly more intrusion into the viewfinder of my IIIf. I would not consider either to intrude a significant amount.

Here is a review of the Nikkor H.C 5cm f/2. Although the tests are on digital, I think it gives a general overview of the Nikkor's technical characteristics. 02Pilot also has a very nice review of the Canon Serenar 50mm f/1.9 Collapsible.
 
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