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Vintage lenses on the M - Post your images here!


bideford

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M (Type 240) and cheap lenses....there I've said it. Love my battered Elmar 50mm /f3.5 and Elmar135mm f/4, and lets not forget a couple of excellent Voigtlander's (CV 75 f/2.5 and 50 f 1.5 being prime examples). But just lowered the bar somewhat and purchased a Jupiter 8. And it is good - sharp (enough) and luckily seems to nail focus.

 

Somehow getting results from cheap lenses is a tad more enjoyable than from spending (a very considerable) amount more on the usual suspects (of which I have to confess I am a ready participant).

 

Yes it is harder - but (for a hobbyist) very satisfying!

 

James

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James,

 

I couldn't agree more and the M is the ideal platform for trying inexpensive lenses owing to the EVF that opens up a world of newly compatible lenses. As long as you can find an adaptor then virtually any lens is compatible because of the M-series's 27.8 mm register. For example I bought a cheap Contax/Yashica to M adaptor from that online auction site and I'm using very inexpensive but very good C/Y Sonnar zoom lenses. I've also got my eye on a 42 mm screwmount to M adaptor that will open up an enormous range of very inexpensive lenses. There's no lens snobbery here although expensive lenses are great when there's a particular need.:)

 

Pete.

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I have an old 135 f4 Elmar that I bought for $40 before Leica had a digital M and it is great. Consensus is: lenses wider than 50 can be problematic... some great, some OK, some not so much. Shoot and enjoy.

Maybe I should take that lens, re-brand it as a re-issue and cover it with alligator hide and auction it. Nah.

 

George

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Now you know what to think of those who try to convince each other that old lenses can't be used successfully on the latest digital high-megapixel cameras ... :rolleyes:

 

On a side note, I've seen online some fairly nasty smearing examples of images with old & new lens designs shot wide open on the recently released A7/A7r. Also very evident is vignetting & red-edge with wide-angles. I haven't noticed this on my M with old & new lens designs..

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On a side note, I've seen online some fairly nasty smearing examples of images with old & new lens designs shot wide open on the recently released Sony A7/A7R.

Uh, yes ... the Sony A7. I've seen those examples, too. So, exceptions to the rule exist.

 

I was having the resolution issue in mind, basically. People often believe that higher-resolving digital cameras also require higher-resolving lenses, or the pictures will look bad. Which is nonsense ... some other possible technical issues notwithstanding.

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I'm a big fan of the Minolta 40 rokkor cle version. No need for a 35 pre king of Bokeh!

 

+1

 

It has a really interesting bokeh character - not great on foliage, but if you shoot something with lines the impression comes through, while still blurring out.

 

7049776445_f4c2cc328c_c.jpg

 

what? didn't everyone buy a Leica to take pictures of their cat?

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Lets kick it off with my macro dog's dinner:

Leica M, pimped Olympus EVF, Nikon flash bracket, Hama LED light, Corfield Lumax 45/1.9 LTMlens

 

Made in England ca 1949, no RF coupling (The Corfield Periscop camera had a weird focusing thing built in) , focuses down to less than 15 cm.

Quality: surprisingly good, maybe as good as Zeiss and Leica lenses of the time. :)

 

 

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Edited by jaapv
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Yes, older lenses are fine, just had my pre-ASPH 50mm Summilux serviced for almost as much as it cost new and it's working well.

 

The M allows you to put all manner of old lenses on it of course and I restrict myself to Nikon and M42.

 

It's interesting to compare the Meyer Optik Goerlitz Domiplan 50mm f2.8 which I bought on eBay for (IIRC) £1.35 with the Leica APO 50mm Summicron ASPH which cost 4000 times as much. Not so different, really. At least I haven't had to return the Domiplan to have central veiling flare fixed, it comes as standard, and besides, when I tried to track down the Meyer Optik factory a couple of years ago, not surprisingly, it's long gone. Probably an Audi showroom now.

 

More seriously, I enjoy the Carl Zeiss Jena Pancolar 50mm f1.8, the Flektogon 20mm f4 - huge compared to the Leica 21mm f3.4 - and the Pentax Super Takumar 55mm f1.8.

Edited by marknorton
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Jaques,

 

How have you managed to mount the wonderful Biotar on your M? Did you find an Exakta to M mount?

 

Pete.

 

It took me a while to find a solution- I ended up getting an Exakta to Canon ring- then a Canon to M ring- and stacked them. There are several types of Exakta to Canon- I had to get a very thin one for it to work. Works like a charm with infinity focus spot on.

 

Exakta Exa Mount Lens to Canon EOS EF Adapter 550D 600D 1100D 7D 5D Mark II Cap | eBay

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