prime lens help

Hi all- I've never had the pleasure to shoot any leica lens or body. The M8 looks great, and I want to experience the range finder "stealth" world you all have inhabited. I plan on getting a single 1.4 prime, and I'm considering either the 35 1.4 summilux M or the 50mm 1.4 to go with the M8. Just in terms of lens quality, which would you recommend? Thanks...Peter
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My vote is for the 35 summilux.

On film, it would be the 50 summilux ASPH but since we are talking about the M8 and you will only be using one lens on it, then the 35 gives you about the normal perspective. Very useful and a great choice which even if you had more than one lens, you'd probably keep the 35 lux on your camera 80-90% of the time.

Be careful, Leica M lenses are like Lays potato chips...you can't just have one

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• s t e v e

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter.” - Ansel Adams

thanks Steve- That's pretty much my thinkig, that the 35mm will be my normal lens on the 1.33 crop M8. As a pro nikon dslr shooter, I sure know about the potato chip syndrome! Let's just say that, for now, having just one prime for the type of candid shooting I'll use the M8 for, actually has a chance for at least a year or so! I just wanted to be sure that I wasn't missing something in terms of the 35 vs 50 1.4, I'm sure there are both excellent. BTW, can I assume that all the 35/1.4 summilux M lenses ever made are aspherical? best...Peter
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The best technically is the latest 35 lux ASPH but every Leica lens variation has its own "fingerprint." Some people actually prefer some of the old flavors/vintages. It's not uncommon to see Leica M shooters with more than one lense in the same focal length.

Try to get the lens used if you can. Leica lenses hold their value but only to a certain extent. The latest and greatest will of course hold better value if purchased new. The newest 35 lux yields amazing results but so do some of the older iterations. A good approach starting from scratch like you're doing is to bite the bullet for your most used lens...in this case the 35 lux ASPH. Then add to the collection via ebay or other resellers for the other focal lengths that you will use less.

I'm currently lusting over the 50 noctilux...

Best of luck with the M8 and happy shooting.

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• s t e v e

“Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have someone click the shutter.” - Ansel Adams

thanks a lot Seve for your excellent advise......Peter
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PS- you mentioned lusting for the noctilux. It was after aquiring the Nikon "noct" 58/1.2 that I really developed a fondness for manual focus low light shooting, and a desire to see what it will be like to do this through a viewfinder that is so much bigger and brighter! best....Peter
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Hey, you don't need to use "prime" all M lenses are primes. No zooms with rangefinders

right- I should say "single focus length" lens I suppose......Peter
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Peter-

Everyone has thier own preference here, but mine is for the 35mm focal length. The most useful lens on my film based M cameras has always been the 35mm f1.4 ASPH. However, with the crop factor on the M8, I expect that my 28mm f2.0 ASPH will be the most useful. And with the M8's native sensor rating of ISO 160, the f2.0 lens will allow me to work about the same light as my 35 with similar settings.

Good luck - Jim

All Leica lenses are excellent, even at full aperture, and most of the cheaper compatible lenses from Voigtlander or Zeiss Ikon are also very good (there isn't much of a market for junky rangefinder lenses). Which focal length you use is a matter of personal choice.

I prefer 50mm and have both the Noctilux and the Summilux ASPH, but use the Summilux 95% of the time. The Noctilux is big and heavy (at least by Leica standards, it's smaller albeit heavier than most Canon zooms).

The Noctilux has a very long throw helical because with the narrow depth of field focus accuracy is crucial, and it also has a mimimum focus distance of 1 meter, so it is not all that convenient as a general-purpose lens. The Zeiss Ikon Planar 50mm f/2 and the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Nokton are also very good lenses.

I would go for either the 35mm or the 50mm Summilux ASPH, although the 50mm Summicron f/2 has a beautiful optical fingerprint that is more "classic" than the newer aspheric lenses. If you want very wide-ange capabilities, look at the new 28mm f/2.8 Elmarit pancake that will be the "kit lens" for the M8, the Voigtlander Ultra-Wide Heliar 15mm, or the Zeiss Ikon Biogon 25mm f/2.8.
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Fazal Majid ( http://www.majid.info )

I think the 50 lux asph is a great lens and would love to get one myself. The 50 cron, as mentioned in the previous post, has a great fingerprint and is reasonably priced (for a Leica!). Everyone should have a 50 cron - I had one as my first Leica lens and foolishly sold it. It was very sharp and had a certain quality about it that I really liked. I know that I will be getting another one! As for a 35, I have the pre-asph 35 cron - very small, sharp with beautiful bokeh. This is also a great lens to find used. Another nice lens for about $300 is the 40 f2 Rokkor or Leica (same lens) made for the Leica/Minolta CL. Really a great deal on some fantasic glass. You need to estimate the 40 framelines, though. But you want f1.4? I think with the new asph luxes you get more clinical sharpness and higher contrast. The older ones are perhaps not as sharp but render a more classic(?) look.

I've also read that the current crop of Leica asph lenses have a slightly harsher bokeh than the older ones. I've seen images comparing the new and old lenses and sometimes you can see a difference, sometimes not. So this may be a consideration in your purchase. Just my cents.
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Way

Sorry!
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Way

I agree. My favorite has been either 35 Summilux or Summicron, on M8, I would say the 28mm or 24mm will be the new favorite. I guess this is also the reason that Leica also introduce the fixed 28 Emarit ASPH. Since I have the 28 Summicron, I am not going to pick up the new 28 Emarit but I am tempting to get the Zeiss 25 Biogon. I have not buying any new M mount lens for 2 years since heavily shoot on digital, M8 is a welcome news for me and I am on a waiting list to get one.

Jim Laurel said:

Peter-
Everyone has thier own preference here, but mine is for the 35mm
focal length. The most useful lens on my film based M cameras has
always been the 35mm f1.4 ASPH. However, with the crop factor on
the M8, I expect that my 28mm f2.0 ASPH will be the most useful.
And with the M8's native sensor rating of ISO 160, the f2.0 lens
will allow me to work about the same light as my 35 with similar
settings.

Good luck - Jim

Click to expand...

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Khun_K

Here's the issue with the Noctilux: At f-stops of f2 and higher the summilux and summicron outperform it (this is an over simplification but generally true). At f1 and f1.4 focus is nearly impossible - the issue is that if you focus and recompose the actual focus plane is far enough behind the subject that the subject is way out of focus. (This phenomenon has been discussed at endless length on a variety of digital forums.)

Back in my M6 days I owned an Noctilux but ended up selling it because in my hands at least is produced roll after roll of out of focus images.

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Woody

http://www.woodycampbell.com

I appreciate all the thoughtful advice. Looks like an added benefit of getting an M8 will be joining a fine community of dedicated photographers. My plan now is to get an older 35/1.4 and just get to learn the system. best...Peter
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http://www.innerimager.com

Peter,

Research carefully the older (pre-aspherical) 35/1.4 lenses. While I never owned one, many Leica users have reported that they are soft at f1.4, and are prone to flare. Check any sample you are thinking about buying to make sure these reported faults aren't an issue for you.

For the bang for the buck, I would recommend you also consider the 35mm Summicron. I have the aspherical latest version that I bought used for $950USD (an excellent value by Leica standards) and that is one heckuva lens, although the bokeh isn't quite as smooth at with the pre-aspherical 35/2.0.
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Bob

Peter said:

Hi all- I've never had the pleasure to shoot any leica lens or
body. The M8 looks great, and I want to experience the range finder
"stealth" world you all have inhabited. I plan on getting a single
1.4 prime, and I'm considering either the 35 1.4 summilux M or the
50mm 1.4 to go with the M8. Just in terms of lens quality, which
would you recommend? Thanks...Peter
--
http://www.innerimager.com

Click to expand...

You might think about the Cosina-Voigtlander 28/1.9 Asperical Ultron. It a a screw mount that will require an adapter, but the lens is only $450. It is a very high quality. It will work like a 35mm on the M8. A 35mm is pretty much the standard focal length on a Leica (rather than a 50mm). It will also use the 28mm frame in the viewfinder (no accessory finder necessary). It is stop slower than you wanted, but definitely worth a look.

Regards,
Ken

Before you start buying Leica lenses get Erwin Puts book, Leica Lens Compendium.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/189780217X

You will learn what the strenghts and weakness of each lens is. Also go read Erwins website.

http://www.imx.nl/home.html

You may find you'll want to add at least one Zeiss lens.

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'I have been a witness, and these pictures are
my testimony. The events I have recorded should
not be forgotten and must not be repeated.'
-James Nachtwey-
http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

there is one thing to consider when you come from slr to RF: with a slr a fast prime helps a lot in viewfinder brightness, so manual focus will be much easier. even if you don't shoot wide open, it is great to have a 1.4. with rangefinders the viewfinder is always bight, it doesn't matter how fast the lens is. and as there is no mirrorslap, it is very feasable to handhold a 1/8.

i used to have a 35 lux and a 50 lux as my first leica lenses coming from slrs.i sold them after a while and got the much cheaper 35 cron 4th gen and an 50 elmar (which is a 2.8), just because the image characteristics were much more to my taste. the 35 is magic, it is a 1:1 copy of my vision, and the elmar is supersharp and makes the camera really pocketable ( i don't think it fits the m8 though)

another thing is though RF focussing might be more precise in theory, hitting focus at 1.4 with a 50mm lens is much more difficult in practise, that means it real life other than shooting brick walls. so a f2 will help with sloppy focus.

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good timing on this advise. I have just been thinking just this way. Having the viewfinder brightness independent of the lens speed does make one less reason for getting a 1.4. The shallow focus is less clear as I've enjoyed trying to manage a 58/1.2 manual in the difficult slr finder, I'd like to see what it's like trying to nail shallow focus in a RF. But a 35/2.0 may well be my first choice. thanks....Peter
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