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

Leica M39 screw mount bodies/lenses
50 for leica

50 for leica

the 5cm 3.5 elmar coated is a great lens . probably a couple hundred dollars .
when the light fades the nikkor 5cm 1.4 is one of the best , probably $350 and up.
i had a coated elmar i used on a wartime IIIc it delivered great results , was compact , and for most purposes an ideal lens .
 
As you already have a 50mm, perhaps a Summaron 35mm 3.5? Still a nice period look but with a different focal length. Granted, you'd need a finder, but you can pick up a Leica multifinder or a FSU dedicated 35mm finder for ~$60.

Beyond that, almost anything with clean glass is good - Summar, Summitar, etc. While I have other 50s, I won't be giving up my Summar as it has a look unlike anything else I use.
 
I once had the Summitar. Awesome lens. I mounted it on a M3 it was really compact and fast. I regret it... bokeh is awesome !
 
Period-correct standard lens would be the Elmar 50/3.5 Red Scale. I use mine on a pre-war IIIb, and it's certainly awkward in action. :) The collapsed state is amazing - far flatter than my classic Elmar 50/2.8. Either of these lenses will preserve the IIIf compactness and produce great pics.
 
The Summitar would be correct for a '51 - ish body and would be coated nicely. And the best you could get at the time as the Summicron didn't appear until later.

I always think that the standard lens should match the body as though bought with them, meaning the same or previous year.

Regards, David
 
Hi Paul, if you want zero distortion, minimal diffraction and great bokeh and all apertures, there is only one choice for that era. Or any era, for that matter. It is the 50/2.8 coll. elmar, the first version late '50s, 4 elements, in 3 groups. This is the one with like 15 aperture blades.
 
My IIIf has pretty much become dedicated to 2 unique lenses - the 50 Elmar and 15mm CV.

With any others you lose the size/weight advantage of the III and might as well have a M-body. Pre-set, the 15mm is as fast as anything and the Elmar is so compact that I carry it in a coat pocket with just a small wrist strap.

.
 
Without a doubt, an Elmar 3.5 50 red scale. A wonderful lens indeed. Absolutely contrasty in comparison to older Elmars (black scale, pre-wwII uncoated and 30' nickel), almost up to modern lenses. Sharp as a Summicron and nothing is flatter when folded. And it's from about the same time, perhaps a few years later. Look for a VALOO. It will get you a hood and an easy way to set the diaphragm.
 
I bought a IIIf with an early Summicron on it- Thorium glass. The SN dated the IIIf to 1952. So- late Summitar, or very early Summicron goes with a IIIf.
 
My first thought was Elmar, because that's THE classic Leica lens, and because it's such a great lens. But the Summitar would be the standard lens specific to that time period, IMO, and the most likely to be originally offered with the IIIf as a kit probably, judging by old Leica ads I've seen.
 
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