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Let's see some images from this incredible and unique Zeiss lens, the Biogon 25/2.8 ZM

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the 18mm Zeiss ZM Distagon on the Leica M10 specifically. Which lens profiles did you use and to what degree did it mitigate (or completely remove) colour shift? Unprocessed SOOC images would be most welcome! Thanks!

For UWA lens fans and users: could you work/live with just one UWA lens to rule them all (say, 15mm or 18mm) or would you rather have two extreme sides of UWA (like Laowa 9mm/Voigtlander 10/12mm and a 21mm)? Your thoughts are appreciated.

quite a nice short film https://lenspire.zeiss.com/cine/en/article/the-circle

Hello everyone, here's my review of the new Carl Zeiss Contax G Planar 35mm f/2 FUNLEADER conversion to Leica M. This is my first review here so I am not used to the technicalities of posting, please forgive me if I readjust things after I post. FUNLEADER Contax G35 to Leica M Conversions I have included the 7artisans 35mm f/1.4 M and the Voigtlander VM 40mm f/1.2, the only lenses in the 35mm zone I own. Disclaimers: 1. none of the lens makers / converters have been involved in these tests and I have personally purchased all 3 lenses, none of them have been provided. 2. the FUNLEADER link above contains an affiliate link with a code that will get you a 5% discount (used to be 15%, I hope they bring that back). If you purchase using the link above FUNLEADER says I will receive 10%. 3. all opinions expressed here are my own and, just like with anything in life (especially photography equipment!), you may have a different one. A few bullet points about the tests: - done on my Leica M-P typ 240 - done on a tripod with a 2 second timer to hopefully dampen most vibrations - no filters or hoods were used and lenses were extremely clean - captured at M-P's base ISO: 200 (with the exception of a few frames captured at 1.2 and 1.4 because 1/4000 was too slow to keep equal exposures so I set the ISO to PULL 100) - exposure was manual and the exposure time was adjusted accordingly with every aperture change (generally 2/3 stop) in order to hopefully maintain an even exposure between the samples - white balance was on AUTO - all focus was EXTREMELY CAREFULLY done using LIVE VIEW at f/2 for each lens, using both the focus peaking and my own eyes to make sure I get the best possible focus - focus was redone with every lens change - the 40mm was repositioned so that the main subject filled roughly the same size in the photos (as much as possible, the infinity tests obviously show the difference in focal length) - most tests were taken all all apertures but since this ended up requiring so much work I only included up to f/8, to be honest I don't think anything past that is relevant - all samples processed in Capture 1 PRO with the default output sharpening for screen (any image processor will apply some sort of sharpening from DNG to JPG) - I am sharing a Google Drive folder with all DNGs, JPGs, comparisons and misc images, all full size. Please check them out and use them for free, a credit would be nice if you end up posting them. PART 1 / 5 A morsel of history: if you're reading this you most likely know what this lens is, otherwise this info can be easily found online. The G35/2 is supposed to be the "lesser performer" of the Contax G suite, the internet is funny like that, some person deemed it once as not being as stellar as the G45/2 (which is whispered to be one of the best lenses in 35mm photography history) and the internet has taken that and transformed it into "not a good lens" kind of rumour. I am here to prove otherwise. Here's a G35 / G45 specs comparison: This 35 together with the Hologon 16mm are the only ones I do not own in G mount. I have shot all the other ones (21/2.8, 28/2.8, 45/2, 90/2.8) on my Contax G2 and adapted on my Sony A7R3 with a cheap Ulata adapter. They are sharp, very sharp wide open. And so light. Build quality: without further ado, I think FUNLEADER and Mr. Ding have done an amazing job here: the conversion is incredible, so tiny and lovely, with a great weight and feel. The focus action is nice and smooth and the little focus tab suits the lens. The black paint version is really beautiful, I have always been a black paint / lacquer fan, hence my M-P. This version will get patina with use (unless you're Lenny Kravitz and give it a good rub to look well used). The "gold" version has lovely sharp black engravings and a black focus tab. The focus tabs are really nice, placed at the perfect position where, when pointed straight downwards, the lenses focus at 4 feet / 1.2 meters. I also purchased a "gold" helicoid as I am planning to do a conversion myself. The "gold" helicoid feels like brass and it's a bit of a fingerprint magnet. The helicoid has "MR. DING" engraved on the mount. Pretty cool. I did a bit of digging and "Mr. Ding" is their master craftsman, maybe having been part of MGR Production. They are also behind the Bresson Viewfinder magnifier, which I happen to have on my M-P and love. I would love to find out more about Mr. Ding, if anyone has info please do share. The weight of the helicoid is 206g / 7.26oz and the whole lens is 266g / 9.38g The lens did have a plastic ring glued on the front, on top of the original Carl Zeiss from markings, but I removed it easily and left no marks. Sorry Mr. Ding, I prefer the original Carl Zeiss engravings. The original lens hood of the G35 / G45 fits nicely, but I have the champagne version and I personally don't think it works with either the black or the gold version. I might spray paint it with a glossy enamel. Honestly, it looks amazing on the M-P. It is a gem of a little lens and a great performer. Customer service: excellent, very responsive, I had quite a few questions for them and they replied very quickly. Packing: excellent, pragmatic, not fancy. Shipping: wowsers, the lens was in my hand in Vancouver BC Canada in 6 days, dayum! PART 2 / 5: colour, focal length, sharpness close and mid distance Two notes about colour and focal length: - colour - the G35/2 renders the most accurate and neutral colours, next is the VM 40/1.2, while the 7artisans 35/1.4 M renders quite warm - focal length - the G35/2 is a little wider than the 7artisans 35/1.4 M, I wonder what their real focal lengths are. Please do share if you happen to know. Sharpness: the G35/2 is very sharp wide open, it nearly matches the VM 40/1.2 at f2, actually honestly we are splitting hairs between the G35/2 and VM 40/1.2. Keep in mind that the VM starts at 1.2, so from a lens design pov it has a lot of room to be sharp at f2. It's quite a feat how consistent the G35/2 is all the way up to the widest apertures. The G35/2 is sharper than the 7artisans 35/1.4 M at every aperture. I was surprised as well. In all honestly, I really love the 7artisans lens, it has a really nice 3d pop and the built is absolutely amazing. Check out these 100%s of this starling at f2! I used live view, there's no way to nail that in the viewfinder patch, I also took a bunch of shots and these were the best 4, maybe out of 12 or so. 100% full images for context I have done a few test sessions but not included all here (so much to process and compare), so here are a few. Before every comparison chart you will see a half size G35/2 image at f2, for no reason really other than to show you what the whole scene looked like. Session 1 close: Session 1 mid distance: Session 4 close: Session 4 mid distance: Session 5 close: Session 6 close: PART 3 / 5: sharpness at infinity Session 3 infinity (center and corner): Session 7 infinity (center and corner): PART 4 / 5: bokeh and conclusion Session 1 mid distance: Session 2 mid distance: Session 6 close: Vignetting: yea a bit, but nothing out of the ordinary at large apertures. See for yourself. Focus shift: I did not test for it, but from my walks it seems to be fine. CONCLUSION: The Carl Zeiss Contax G Planar 35mm f/2 is a gem. Coming from great heritage, it is now encased in an amazing conversion from FUNLEADER for our Leicas. The G35/2 is an honest lens, you won't find clinical sharpness here, but since you're reading this you're probably not looking for that, but for the resurrection of a highly underrated Carl Zeiss optic. The G35/2 renders the world gently with neutral colour rendition, pleasant bokeh and a sprinkle of pop. The tiny form has a great weight and feel and it simply looks incredible on a Leica. The black paint version is shiny and will brass while the "gold" version has lovely sharp black engravings (bit of a fingerprint magnet though). I honestly look at my camera sitting on my desk now and hear the whispers: "take me out and make photographs". Well done FUNLEADER and Mr. Ding, hat's off to you. Just like the original little piece of history it now protects and focuses, the FUNLEADER conversion will also be remembered as a gem amongst the connoisseurs. FUNLEADER Contax G35 to Leica M Conversions I hope you enjoy the test results, please let me know if you have any thoughts, suggestions and questions. Here is the Google Drive folder: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-mgIUEIScjebkdNY-GAouTlJE3FTCrDy I am leaving you with a bunch of samples, enjoy. PART 5 / 5 samples All the following samples are just snaps from my walks and I barely spent a minute on some of them in C1 f2 f5.6 f8 f2 f2 f2 f5.6 f5.6 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f2 f4 (i think) f2 f2 Cheers!

Is early days I realise, but I wonder if we could please have a thread devoted to third party lens performance on the SL please. In my case I would be interested in experiences with Zeiss F mount lenses (ZF/.2), particularly the 1.4/55 Otus, 1.4/85 Otus, and 2/135 Apo-Sonnar. But I also have a couple of C/Y lenses. I'm sure there are others here interested, as well as those with Canon and Nikkor glass. If I end up with and SL I will report first hand, but I haven't decided to pull the trigger yet (I had wished for higher resolution and IBIS), but there is a lot in this camera that appeals, including it looking like a good tool for some R glass I have. So, anyone with an SL and experience with third party lenses, please share your experiences. Thanks in advance.

I would like to buy a new 35mm wide-angle for my recently acquired M2. For the moment my budget restricts me to Zeiss or Voightlander glass. I was thinking about the Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2 but I understand, because of its size, part of the lens blocks the 35mm view. For me this is unacceptable. As I am unable to try all the 35mm lenses, my question is what 35mm wide-angle lenses from either Zeiss or Voightlander are available that do not obstruct the 35mm framelines of my M2? I presume the smaller 35mm f2.5 Voightlander VM Skopar and the 35mm f2.8 Zeiss are OK? I would rather not use a separate viewfinder just now although it could be an option at a later date. This is a post from a new member (and new to Leica) so forgive me if the topic has been raised elsewhere. Thanks.

Anyone compared these 2 lenses and which one do you prefer. Very hard to chose between the 2. Both great build quality. Like the focus nub on the Zeiss. Voight is also very smooth and can see he benefit of no focus tab/nobb. Seems like will help with prefocusing and developing muscle memory. Both aperture ringes smooth. Zeiss is 1.4 vs Voigt 2.0. Zeiss 2x$. ($2,390 vs $1,149), Resale value? Dont know which will be better and not a huge decision criteria. Voigtlander being an APO lens, is it supposed to be better? Like the Zeiss pop, Vightlander slightly warmer. Thanks for any feedback from users. Seems like both great lenses.

Hi All, I am considering buying a Zeiss 35mm lens for my M6 with 0.85 viewfinder. I can not really decide between the 2.8 and the 2.0 version. I would like to have the extra stop of light – but not sure if this would block the view- or rangefinder window. The little bit more money isn’t the problem – has anyone an Idea of the blockage with and without lens hood ? Thanks for thoughts and advice Thomas

Dear Forum, is it possible to use a Zeiss Batis f1.8 85mm (made for the Sonyalpha) on a Leica M10? I found an adapter: https://www.novoflex.de/de/produkte/adapter/adapterfinder/adapterfinder-produkte/camera/leica-m/objectiv/36.html But I wonder how to change the aperture. Kind regards Tulpenwahn

Hi everyone, I was wondering if anyone has used the Sonnar 50mm f1.5 on a M film body and can tell me if the focus shift is noticeable? I used to have this lens and loved it's small size and bokeh, but the focus shift on my digital M was too much so I decided to sell it. Thanks in advance!

Hope you all are doing well. I searched through this forum and found few topics on Zeiss 28 F2.8 but wasn't able to get the answer I was looking for. If i want to spend 1k on a 28 do you recommend Zeiss 28 F 2.8? Fairly new to Leica compared to most of you so I am not geeked out YET. Here is my line up M10 & M240 Summicron 35 Summilux 50 Elmarit 90 Tri-Elmar All your tips appreciated. Hope you are having a nice Weekend.

2403520ZM, Imperia (IT)

Hola everyone! I had a hunch! And I made a lens exchange with a colleague. I changed my Elmarit 28mm for a Zeiss C Biogon T 35mm F2.8. Of course, I got also some very good money because of the difference in price ($2,300 vs $900 approx). I tested already and I'm incredibly happy with the result. I'm new in the world of Rangefinder, I only owned an Elmarit for one year, and now this one. I always used lenses for SLR and DSLR. So I'm very newbie. I was so surprised (in a very good way) about the Zeiss contrast, details, sharpening and almost the lack of imperfections... Wow... so light, small but soooo powerful. I'm a 35mm guy, I always have been. I got a 28mm with my first Leica (M10) because my plan was a 28+50 combo. One lens first, then later the 50mm. I didn't resist and I made the change. And I was 100% happy about it. I like the 35mm frames better than the 28mm. And the focus ring range is better, shortest. I like 1/3 aperture stops etc.... But the lens comes with a detail... check the videos here https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2y1inj9cq2tj8w6/AACwHw27CsRg6uhz1OTwKjBJa?dl=0&lst= ... you will understand it better. Check also this video at 1'08" The little four screws are tight. And of course, most important... The lens performance is almost perfect, better than any Nikon I ever had 🙂 It works great. But it feels like is weak or more delicate, do you know what I mean Thanks in advance for your time

Hi all, apologies if this topic has already been covered (I couldn't find any direct comparisons). I'm new to the rangefinder universe, I finally took the plunge this week and invested in an M10 with a 50 ASPH lux. I'm looking for a (preferably fast) wider companion and interested in hearing from people with experience of both the Zeiss 35mm 1.4 and the Summilux 35mm 1.4 - what have your experiences been, are there any advantages/disadvantages of one over the other (I know the Zeiss is bigger), which do you prefer? I don't mind sacrificing reduced weight and size for superior image quality, I'm already loving the feel of the 50 lux's files and want to keep that micro-contrasty Leica vibe. I know these things are subjective, opinions welcome! Thanks in advance! Chris

This looks like it will be an interesting camera. If I had to guess, I would expect it to either be a huge hit for Zeiss or an exercise in humiliation similar to the ignoble Hasselblad Lunar.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my new M10 with the 35mm & 50mm Summiluxes, a 90mm/f2.0 and 135mm Telyt Leica lenses. To cover the wide end for architecture/landscape, I got a Voigtlander Ultron 21mm/f1.8. I'm used to fast lenses from Fuji X. Since I love landscapes, and am curious about Zeiss lenses, I've found there are two interesting options, Biogon 25mm/f2.8 and Biogon 28mm/f2.8. What do you guys think of those as filling the 21-35mm gap? How do you feel about the relative slowness at 2.8? How's the rendering compared to the Luxes? And which one makes more sense, 25 or 28mm? I see that 21mm is quite fish-eye-y and would like a bit straighter lines... A+

Hi guys, Was wondering if any of you could advise me on how the black ZM lenses look on the black paint M bodies (i.e. MP, M6 Millennium, M9 etc). How close is the finish of the two? Pictures welcome! Thanks

I am having a difficult time with zone focussing for street photography. I am using SL with Zeiss 35mm f1.4 ZM. Initially I tried with f1.4 and changing focus for each shot. While it did give good results, but not fast enough to capture the scene. Next, I tried f8 and f11 at 1/125s and 1/250s with zone focussing...with 1.2m set on the left side (closest distance in focus), which gave me an in-focus distance between 1.2~2.5 m @ f8 and 1.2~3.0 @ f11. Also, tried electronic shutter always on and always off (not much difference to the image, but silent shutter is useful). Then I tried setting infinity scale on the right side @ f8 & f11, but the min focus distance is more than 2.5m. I have two issues: (a) images are not sharp even at 1/250s; and ( how to switch quickly between shallow dof and wide dof quickly? I would appreciate any inputs on what settings seems to work for you. I am new to street photography, and have no experience with RF cameras and quite slow with MF lenses. Finally, will optical VF attachment help for street photography with SL?

M240 35 2.0 ZM

Hi all, Any recommendations for a 3rd party hood for a new 35/1.4ZM pls - great lenses but overpriced hood in my view... Thanks

I'm selling my 21mm Super Angulon f/4 M mount in favor of something a little more "practical". While in Cuba earlier this year, I found myself using the Zeiss 28mm f/2.8 on my Contax G2 quite a bit but for my next few trips, I'll bring only a couple of M bodies (M7 & Typ 246). I really love the results that I got out of my Zeiss and am wondering if I should go with another Zeiss (25mm f/2.8 or 28mm f/2.8) OR a new-ish 28mm Elmarit ASPH. So my two questions are "is the Elmarit ASPH quality worth more than double the price of a used Zeiss 25mm or 28mm?" and "In order to keep my work consistent, should I just stick with the Zeiss 28mm f/2.8 for the way it renders colors?" Examples of my work in Cuba with the 28mm f/2.8 on the Contax G2 below. Both photos with Portra 400.

Hallo zusammen, es gibt hier im Forum ja schon so einige Informationen zum Kodieren von Objektiven. Die wesentliche Erkenntnis, die ich daraus gezogen habe, ist die, dass ich es nicht selbst machen kann/will. Da Leica aber natürlich nur eigene Objektive (und davon auch nur einige) kodiert, suche ich einen Dienstleister, der mir meine Zeiss- und Voigtländer-Objektive professionell kodiert. Kennt jemand so einen Dienstleister hier in Deutschland? Vielen Dank im Voraus für alle Antworten und allen ein schönes Wochenende, Ralf