Which of the 40mm do you like more?

[veraikon]

. I didn't know about the Rollei 40mm.
It seems hard to find one... at least there is none on Ebay at the moment.
Thanks!

I think there were only about 700 pieces manufactured by Rollei (mechanics from Cosina, lenses from Carl Zeiss, assembling by Rollei) .

 

[Huck Finn]

I think there were only about 700 pieces manufactured by Rollei (mechanics from Cosina, lenses from Carl Zeiss, assembling by Rollei) .

Actually the lenses were produced by Rollei on license from Zeiss & using Schott glass. The lens design is from Zeiss.

 

[jsuominen]

My favorite is the Rollei 40/2.8 Sonnar.

I agree. Works fine with Rollei 35RF body. Photos here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jsuominen/tags/rolleisonnar40mmf28

 

[tooffy]

I have got all the four 40mm(Nokton, Cron-C, Rokkor & Rollei). Yes, Rollei is my fav!

My favorite is the Rollei 40/2.8 Sonnar. Beautiful rendition of color, flare resistant, nice bokeh, very compact, & exceptionally well built. This lens also has the advantage of being LTM, so you can choose whatever adapter you prefer to match the frame lines you like to work with best, such as 35 mm frame lines to go with the 40 mm lens. Works perfectly.

 

[foto_fool]

I had a couple of examples of the Summicron-C and while I liked the image quality very much I did not care for the handling. I also prefer the extra stop of the Nokton. I shoot it mostly at f1.4-2.8 and think the image quality is fine. I kept the Nokton and bought an R3A to park it on. Sold the Summicrons and only miss them a little.

I have not had a chance to shoot the Rollei, but as much as I like the Sonnar I would miss the two stops. The lack of a stop has also curbed my GAS for that gorgeous Pentax 43.

 

[jdos2]

My "second" CV 40mm f/1.4 backfocuses as bad as the "first" (returned to the dealer, who either sent it back to me or sent another almost exactly as bad: the moral being to never buy CV glass unless one can try it on the camera!) but the 40mm Summicron had a tad of decenter in it. it was sharper of a greater portion of the frame, so my vote goes for that. Both have very nice color and IQ, when in focus.

 

[Graham Line]

Since no camera except the Besa have proper 40mm frames, that is what I would get or at least a 40mm finder.

That's true for current production but the Leica/Minolta CL, the Minolta CLE and the Rollei HRF all had 40mm frame lines as well, and are not too hard to find.

 

[EmilGil]

If you need 1.4, get the 40 Nokton. Otherwise a 2.8 Rollie

Since no camera except the Besa have proper 40mm frames, that is what I would get or at least a 40mm finder. [...]

I find the 35mm frames of my M6 to be a almost perfect match to my Summicron-C on distances above 2.5-3m. With older M's (2/3/4), it won't match as well as the framelines show slightly more.

The two main reasons I don't use my 40mm more are the fact that it needs a CLA (very stiff focusing) and that I haven't modified it to bring up the 35mm frame instead of the 50mm one. Simple job with a file, I know, but I haven't gotten to it yet. The Summicron-C and Rokkor versions are very good value, I bought mine for approx. $250 1.5 years ago. It's very sharp and have nice, creamy out-of-focus areas (bokeh). I've seen some people compare it to the 35mm Summicron IV (aka King of Bokeh) but I haven't put them side to side yet.

 

[oscroft]

I also have a Summicron-C 40, but I also didn't vote because it's the only one that I've used and I have no idea what the others are like. But I do love it, even though I haven't had it long and have only shot a few rolls with it. The only camera I have with a 40mm frame is a CL, but my C-40 is filed to bring up the 35mm frames on an M and I have used it almost exclusively on my M6 so far.

 

[Rhoyle]

I have the Rollei as well, and yes, I love it. They didn't make a lot of them and so you don't see them every day. And I believe that they may have recently been discontinued.
Rollei seems to have a history of marketing blunders. The 35 RF system is a pretty good example... Despite the fact that I love mine.

 

[Hacker]

I have the Rollei Sonnar LTM, and it renders images beautifully with nice OOF highlights. However, I would not give the SMC Pentax 43mm L a miss either. It is f1.9 vs the Rollei's f2.8. But it is longer in physical length. It is also better built.

 

[Anupam]

For those interested in a detailed head to head comparison, I just did a test for my Summicron-C and Nokton MC and posted the results here. No use going about linking to all the test shots again in this thread, so take a look at the link if you are interested.

Best,
-A

 

[Hacker]

What about the Leica 40mm Elmarit?

 

[Hacker]

A closer look:

 

[Ghiom]

Here some reasons for my vote:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?forumid=133

 

[Paul T.]

I've not used the 40mm sonnar, but I'm a fan of those lenses in 50mm, and likewise the VC range.

But I do believe that the 40mm Summicron C (I"ve not tried the Rokkor) is pretty much perfect. A different tonal rendition to most of the VC, less contrasty maybe, terrific clairty but wiht a slightly classic look. It's hard to think of a better lens for the money.