Leica LTM what would be the perfect lens match ...

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
I have two IIIc's. One has the traditional Elmar 50mm f3.5 and the other a clean Industar 22 collapsible. I would have trouble telling them apart by the photos and the Industar 22 is very affordable. If you can, get a clean Elmar. I also have a 50mm f2.8 Elmar in M mount. A little hard to find in screw mount but an under appreciated lens. Joe
 
I've been using a borrowed 50 f/2 Summar -- it collapses fully into my M body and handles pretty well. The aperture dial doesn't have any stops built into it and the markings are all weird half-stops like 6.3 and 4.5. F
 
Elmar 50mm f/2.8. A tiny bit bigger than the f/3.5 but definitely worth it. Not that the "extra" speed does anything, it's the controls of the lens that make it. It brings the Elmar into the fold of aperture tabs in their usual places which is a huge deal for me.

Phil Forrest
 
Paul,
I had some stellar results with the Elmar 3.5/50 on my IIIf and it collapses down to a really neat and compact package. Smaller than almost anything else you'll find short of a digital P&S. I also had the Summitar 2/50 which also performed very well and looked just as good, if not better, on the camera.
A couple of things to be wary of.
I found the Summitar to be quite flare-prone. It also has an abomination of a hood that looks like a packing crate. Most folk do without or make something else to work. The Summitar also has a unique tapered thread for filters and they're hard to find if you want the genuine article although they do pop up on Ebay from time to time. There are work-arounds with adaptor rings etc but it's not very pretty!

The Elmar 'peciuliarity' is that it has lens hoods and filters that are attached by a small set screw that clamps the accessory onto the lens rim. Also the aperture adjustment is a tiny tab on the front face of the lens - you have to be looking at it to make any adjustment so you can't do it while it's up to your eye. It's also difficult if you have a filter or hood fitted - you have to remove them first! One other thing that catches most users out at least once - if you don't fully extend and LOCK the Elmar then you'll likely end up with badly out of focus shots because the tube can retract a little. You'll only get caught once like that though!
I have heard very good reports of the Elmar 2.8/50 collapsible but never used one and they're scarce and expensive compared to the 3.5. I note Phil's comment above that the 2.8 Elmar has a more conventional aperture adjustment and if I was in your position I'd have a good hard look at that lens but check whether it has any strange arrangements for fitting filters and lens hoods. The tapered thread on the Summitar is a real trap!
 
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I can offer an example of an Elmar 50mm F3.5 shot The slight flare to the right is refreaction through the fountain which is just out of sight. This lens (as has been said) is a gem.


 
The perfect match would be an LTM Nikkor 50/1.4 from 1951 🙂

Really depends on what you want, Paul. Who's your favorite Leica shooter from back then ? For example, Eisenstadt's favorite was the Elmar 35/3.5, I believe. Bresson started using a Summicron in 1953, and used a 50/3.5 before (not sure) ? The Nikkor was the right choice for David Douglas Duncan, among others.
 
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ha, dave! this is not a GAS urge. i have set about wondering just in case something pops up. the elmar 50/2.8s (i once owned one in m-mount; believe me, i still miss it 30 years later) are very expensive. i think i could get a good summicron for close to the same price.
 
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The 50mm f3.5 Elmar is a goodie, even if it is a bit quirky regarding setting aperture and dealing with filters and hoods. It does make for a compact package when collapsed, and the focussing tab is nice to use.

Below is a shot taken soon after I got my red scale Elmar (1953) and IIIf RD (1954). Aperture was probably f11.

ForthBridge.jpg


And this is a 100% crop of the corner (minilab dev and scan at about 2.2mp)...

ForthBridge100a.jpg
 
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