Zeiss lenses and Leica M

[stric]

I currently run a Voigtlaender 35mm Ultron 1.7 lens on my Leica MP. I am very happy with it but I plan to build a "system" over time (3 lenses). So I am considering some wide angle and those bigger lenses. I know, my 35mm Ultron is already a wide angle lens but I am cosidering even something "wider." Leica lenses will come with time but I am thinking about Zeiss as well. How would you clasify Zeiss wide angle lenses for M mount in wide-angle editions. Do any Zeis lenses stick out in terms of quality over the others.
Any general overview of Zeiss lenses is welocme.
Thanks

 

[erudolph]

Hi stric..... Tom Abrahamsson wrote a nice review of the Zeiss Ikon lenses. Here's a link:

http://www.cameraquest.com/rf2005.htm

Ed

 

[peter_n]

How much wider than 35 do you want? Both the Zeiss 28 & 25 lenses are excellent.

 

[amateriat]

One determining factor here is how fond you are of auxiliary viewfinders. If you can deal woth them, the sky's the limit – you can go as wide as, say, a 12mm CV. If, like me, you're not terribly fond of them, you're limited "officially" to 28mm, although it's been said that most Leicas and other RFs (such as the new Zeiss Ikon, as well as my Hexars) incorporating 28mm framelines can roughly handle 24-25mm focal lengths by utilizing the entire VF beyond those framelines.

My three-lens selection is 28-50-90: to me, this covers the essentials with the greatest economy (physically, not merely in monetary terms). This is where over 90% of my photography has "happened", whether with rangefinder or SLR, for over thirty years.

In the RF community, 35mm seems a "sweet spot" for very many. My prefernce for 28mm might be influenced by my predilection for 24-28mm WAs from my SLR days. I talk a bit from time to time about adding a 35 to my present setup, but I seriously question just how much use I'd really get out of it, vis-a-vis my 28 – I tend to think I'd merely be inching back to the hardware-bloat that brought me to ditch SLRs in the first place. Simple is more fun to me now.


- Barrett

 

[ywenz]

I highly recommend the VC 15mm heliar. Pics are in my Gallery 2.

 

[drmike-s]

Zeiss lenses for Leica

Zeiss lenses for Leica

Will the old Zeiss lenses (pre 1940's) fit the Leica? I have an M6 with an adapter for screw-mount lenses?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Roger Hicks]

Will the old Zeiss lenses (pre 1940's) fit the Leica? I have an M6 with an adapter for screw-mount lenses?

Thanks,
Mike

Dear Mike,

Not without another adapter. Contax lenses (1932-1963 or thereabouts) and Leica screw lenses are COMPLETELY different in mount.

Contax 50mm lenses don't even have a focussing mount (it's built into the camera body) and the other Contax lenses (21-25-28-35-85-135) have a focusing mount but fit on a different bayonet on the Contax body!

Adapters are hard to find or expensive or both.

Cheers,

R.

 

[mfogiel]

In the ZM line, I went down to 21mm, and the 21/4.5 C Biogon is something of a lens to beat in this FL, obviously this is also because of the relatively slow aperture. Then the 25/2.8 is totally stunning (but it is on the biggish side). Both these lenses are fairly high in contrast, so keep it in mind , it will be very visible compared to your Ultron. These lenses are very sharp already from wide open, and in practice flare free. You can shoot right into the sun, if you have a camera that can be used for this (Leicas have to be excluded). I find that unless you use slower films, you do not even perceive how high the resolving power of these lenses can be.

C Biogon 21

Biogon 25

 

[notturtle]

I shoot my Leica into the sun all the time. I just dont point it in that direction for too long.