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New to Leica Lenses


memorylane

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Hi all...thought I stop by and introduce myself to the Leica community.  I just recently got into leica lenses.  Took me awhile to see the differences and their characteristics.  50mm is my to-go lenses so I purchased a 50mm summicron rigid to start off with, which its contrast and classic look were what got me into Leica.  

 

I have sony zeiss 55mm 1.8 and this thing is sharp.  Too sharp that is.  I started looking into 50mm summicron v4 or v5.  I see that folks here prefer v4 due to its size and the construction of the hood.  Any suggestions on 50mm???

 

I also have a sony fe 16-35 f4 for landscape and what not.  However, I might just get rid of that and get a 35mm instead.  Any suggestions on 35mm as well?

 

Thank you in advance folks.  

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I have to agree with the appreciation for the 50 Elmar-M.  A beautiful rendering lens. I prefer it to the Summarit.

 

Hi

 

The V4 and V5 are optically the same. A superb lens a little prone to flare, but apart from that wonderful IMO, Most of Leica's 50mm lenses are great tbh. I really like the much underrated and cheap Elmar-M F2.8.

 

You don't say which camera you use ?  

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Which 50 you choose, IMHO, really depends on the shooting conditions you encounter, your aversion to weight, if you're into "bokeh" or not, how close to the subject you need to focus, and finally your finances. I went for almost the 1st 20 years of M4 ownership without a 50....35 was my go to and 90 & 135 were the other extreme. When I did get a 50 I got an early Summilux which produced just gorgeous shots, but by my standards was big & heavy, I then got a 2.8 Elmar-M, which was contrasty and razor sharp...but I wasn't using it enough to keep it. I tried a Noctilux for a year but really didn't like it, size & weight wise, and focusing wide open became a problem for me with deteriorating eyesight, because you really needed to be spot on. Then came a V4 Summicron....just a perfect lens IMHO. The recession hit and I decided to sell off some of my Leica gear (BAD IDEA in retrospect). No more 50s. About 2 years later I decided I really wanted another 50, but the Summicron was more than I was willing to pay....so I did quite a bit of research and decided to go for a nice red scale Elmar 3.5 screwmount, and have been fully satisfied with the results from this oldster. I do have a few 50 Canon screwmounts which serve well in low light shooting, pretty much matching the first Summicrons. To make a long story short....simply, I think any Leica 50 since the 1960s would make 99.99% of their owners happy....they're all that good!

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Hi...welcome to the forum.  I'm new to Leica as well, here are my thoughts and what I've come across:

 

1)  3 lens kits tend to be either 28/50/90 or 21/35/75.  This would be a starting point based on what you plan to shoot.

2)  28mm/50mm combo or 35mm stand alone seem to be popular light weight carry options.  If you are a 50mm guy, you may want to check out a 28mm before you invest at 35mm.

 

I personally have the 21SEM, 35Lux FLE and 50 APO.  My first lens was the 35Lux FLE, and the one which I tend to shoot the most.  It's like a Swiss Army knife, such a versatile lens that covers a lot of ground.  I wanted a fast lens for my first; I like to shoot street at night and in low light situations; so I decided to grab some speed at 35mm.  If you don't need the extra stop, I'd second what others have said about the 35 Cron.  I was able to get a great deal on the 50APO; too good to pass up...so I went that direction as opposed to 75mm.  I use the 50APO as a duel purpose street/portrait option on my M; I have my DSLR kit to handle focal lengths > 50mm.  The 50APO is a specialty lens and quite expensive; the 50mm Cron (non APO) is a wonderful option and would have been my choice if I wasn't presented with such a great deal on the APO.  With respect to my wide angle choice, Landscape/Architecture, the 21SEM is fantastic value if you don't require speed at this focal length.  It produces stunning images with incredible contrast and sharpness.  Enjoy!

 

 

Thorsten's site has write-ups on many different lenses; they tend to include a number of photos too.  I'd give it a look

 

http://www.overgaard.dk/thorsten-overgaard-photography-lounge.html

 

 

 

-Marc

Edited by MT0227
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Greetings,

I am a new owner of M-P 240, not yet have a single lens.

I know that I like 50mm lens (street, landscape, portrait, one object at a time), the question may I ask is: if I can buy only one, which of the following lenses should I buy:

 

1. 50mm Noctilux 0.95 (I don't mind the weight)

2. 50mm APO Summicron F/2

3. or 35mm Summilux ASP 1.4 FLE

 

Thanks in advance

quidam

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2 or 3. The Noctilux is wonderful, but it is a bit of a specialist lens. Unless you are after the look it can give to some images, the Summicron or Summilux are far more versatile. Although personally would take a Summicron 35 asph over the Summilux, but that is a matter of taste.

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Just got summicron 35 asph.   :)  Love the way it renders.  I still have that itch though.  I'll be sending my rigid off to get it polish and recoat (not sure if it is needed).  There's a haze and circular scratch inside the rear element.  Maybe I should start a new thread for that.  While the rigid is off for the service, I thought I'll pick up a 50 summilux 1.4 asph.  I did an extensive research and I couldn't seem to differentiate the two.  Some swear by the cron and some by the lux.  From what I read, the advantage with the lux is the extra stop and few other small details i don't recall anymore since I read so much of it.  I'm not sure if it's going to make sense owning 2 crons.

Edited by memorylane
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Hi

 

The V4 and V5 are optically the same. A superb lens a little prone to flare, but apart from that wonderful IMO, Most of Leica's 50mm lenses are great tbh. I really like the much underrated and cheap Elmar-M F2.8.

 

You don't say which camera you use ?  

 

I'm currently using my two lenses with sony a7ii.  It's going to take me awhile to get used to the M9.

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