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Back to the M9... on a budget... Leica, Voigtlander or Zeiss lenses?


w44neg

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So I had an M9 with a 35mm Summicron ASPH. Loved it, but unfortunately developed a hankering for the M 240. 

With that camera I went for a 35mm Summilux 1.4, but I never liked the M+Lux as much as the M9+Cron. I don't know why. The M is superior in shutter noise, battery life and of course ISO, but it never felt the same and the images lacked something. 

Recently, used M9 prices have dropped considerably and I'm now seriously considering another one. However, the Summicron used is around £1400GBP, but I see the Zeiss F2 35mm is around half the price of that, with the Voigtlander options looking cheaper still. 

Has anybody had this first world decision to comprehend, and perhaps tried the options before coming to a conclusion of which is the best set up? I always loved the physical size of my Summicron as well. 

I'm thinking overallI IQ and sharpness to make the most of the M9 sensor.

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I stayed with the M9, as it does all I need, and I love small size lenses. I've preferred Summicrons since the 1960s, using the v2 35 since '69 and love its tiny size. In recent years I wanted a faster 35 for low light work, and tried the Voigtlander 1.4 Nokton due to its low price and small size. My sample gave me some very nice shots, and was sharper than my old Summicron at f2. Yet reading about how bad this lens was, I got a Zeiss f2. I liked the images a lot: very sharp, high contrast, but the lens seems too big compared to my other 35s. So I ended up with a Summarit 35 f2.5, which gives the size and image quality on my M9 that I want. If you don't mind the size, the Zeiss f2 is a good choice.

BTW, the Nokton 1.4 now spends the most time on my Sony A7, where it seems to focus better, as I focus at aperture so focus shift isn't an issue. The results seem better for the majority of the image compared to the M9.

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Thanks for the reply. The Summarit has always appealed, but I feel, especially on the M9, the wider the lens can go, the better. I think the main competitors will be the Zeiss f2 or the Summicron ASPH f2. I love the look of classic lenses but the sharpness always astounds me on the modern lenses, so I tend to stick with those.

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Optically the Biogon is as good (with even less distortion) build quality is good. Although quite Leica level, it is a lot cheaper.

It is slightly bigger and has a bump on the focusing ring instead of a focus tab.

 

Can't really go wrong with either, depends on personal taste. And there is an upcoming 35/1.7 Ultron as well.

Edited by padam
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This will be interesting.

 

I know, right?  I've got the old one and love the rendering.  If they make it a touch sharper and keep the classic rendering, it will be a home-run.  (I hate the .9M close focus on mine.)

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The following lenses are stunning:

Zeiss 25mm f2.8

Zeiss 28mm f2.8

Zeiss 35mm f2

Zeiss 35mm f1.4

Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 ii

Zeiss 50mm f1.5 (factory optimised for f2.8. If you shoot at f1.5 focus on ear not eye for focus shift)

Zeiss 50mm f2

Voigtlander 50mm f1.5 (contrast lower but sharpness all there)

Voigtlander 75mm f1.8

Zeiss 85mm f4

 

Good luck!

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My experiences have been this.

50mm Summicron current non-asph version - just superb, everything it's meant to be, not outrageousl;y expensive.

50mm Planar - just as good for images I think, I have almost no hope of telling which lens I used & just slightly 'lighter' in build quality. 

35mm f2 Biogon - stellar, build great etc etc, worth every penny, my most used lens. Never used a 35mm Leica so no point of comparison.

25mm f2.8 Biogon - superb. Comparable lenses cost $$$ although I know a lot of people like the Voigtlander

 

Seriously, these are all great, if times get tough I have no problem with living with just the 35/2 although once you hold a Summicron you really don't think you'll ever sell it.

 

Very hard to go wrong. The water is warm, dive in.

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The best setup depends on i.a. which lens manufacturer you prefer, which focal length you need and with what lense you feel comfortable - obviously one seems to be the Leica Summicron-M 35mm type of lens?

 

Until now I prefer:

Zeiss C Sonnar 1.5/50 ZM (optimized from f2.8)

Leica Summarit-M 2.4/75

... because of the feeling/handling, filter thread of 46mm in diameter and of course the attractive price.

 

But also tested the following lenses before ...

Zeiss Biogon 2.8/28 ZM

Leica Summarit-M 2.5/35

Leica Summarit-M 2.5/75

Leica Summicron-M 2/50

Leica Macro-Elmar-M 4/90 (two times)

Leica Elmarit-M 2.8/90 (four times)

 

As I mentioned above: it depends on your personal taste.

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The Budget Selection:

ZM18 (used about 800 US) very close to SEM 21 in quality

CV 28/1.9 Used about 400. Good fast 28

ZM 35/2 About 600USD M9 loves this lens and it's technically fantastic. But the CV 35/1.4 is also fine for about 450USD, if you must have the speed. At f/8 it's sharper than the CV 35/2.5 skopar.

ZM 50/2 or Canon 50/1.4 LTM or CV 50/1.5: all great and not to expensive

CV 75/2.5 Leica level sharpness.

CV 90/3.5 "

These are both worth about 350USD.

Canon 135/3.5 LTM 85USD and quite good, if clean.

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a totall awesome lens- much under-rated- is the Canon LTM mount f2 100mm:

 

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I have 3 non-Leica lenses: Voightlander 15mm III, ZM 25mm f2.8 & ZM 35mm f1.4. All three give images that seem older & more 'organic' than my modern Leica lenses (on M240).  Lightroom 6.1 has lens coding for the Voightlander & the ZM 35mm & this shows what stellar performers they are.  The ZM 25mm I code as a Leica 28mm f2.8 & this is excellent but I would love to see its true ability if Lightroom would offer the lens coding.  The ZM 35mm f1.4 via LR6.1 is razor sharp yet somehow the images look just real, it captures the image perfectly but all the detail is there too. It is an addictive lens.  I also have the Leica Apo 50mm f2 & this produces amazingly detailed images (many can be seen online) but somehow appears sterile, whereas the ZM 35mm 'just gets it right'.....difficult to explain.

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