M8 and Old Glass

[andym911]

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is even more fascinating IMO than the newest and sharpest...

 

Here a 28/5.6 Summaron on a cold winter morning....

I am convinced that old glass and digital M has something special, very subjective I know.....thoughts anyone?

 

regards

 

Andy

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[Sailronin]

Beautiful image. Leica glass (old or new) is truly the best in the industry. It produces wonderful results whether digital or analog.

[tbarker13]

I love old glass (and not just Leica glass) on my M8.

Here are couple with a 50/1.5 Jupiter 3.

 

 

 

[proenca]

I concour... I also believe that old glass + M8 is a terrific combination.... When I saw Andy picture, I remembered on the spot one of my first images from my 35mm Summaron which is almost old enough to be by my grandfather...

 

Almost no retouching has been done and NO HDR whatsoever.

 

All the magic comes from Wales and Summaron year of 52 glass

 

[Hodc]

Andy,

 

This is a stunning beautiful image, full of atmosphere and 'soft' sharpness. The light is a real plaesure to look at. Thanks for posting Andy. How is this lens wide open?

 

And Tim, i really like the jupiter here. Could you post the first one a bit bigger?

Just to see the DOF.

 

Harry

[Nicoleica]

I concour... I also believe that old glass + M8 is a terrific combination.... When I saw Andy picture, I remembered on the spot one of my first images from my 35mm Summaron which is almost old enough to be by my grandfather...

 

Almost no retouching has been done and NO HDR whatsoever.

 

All the magic comes from Wales and Summaron year of 52 glass

 

 

May I please congratulate you on this image? The light on the clouds and background is most beautiful.

[andym911]

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Tim..love those Jupiter shots....great bite to them

 

Harry...glad you like it....wide open it is a bit soft (if you can call 5.6 wide open;))

but if you avoid direct sun it has a charming quality ...I love it.Not that easy to find the hood for it but a joy to use...this was taken at f8 I think.

 

Great landscape image there..I remember seeing it for the first time a year or two ago and it is still as lovely

 

regards

andy

[tbarker13]

Thanks guys.

 

This J-3 has just been a wonderful addition to my portrait lens lineup. It's a 1953 model that's been worked on by forum member Brian Sweeney.

 

Reposting larger. Pretty sure this was shot around f.5.6 or so. But I have no qualms about using it wide open.

 

 

[markgay]

Proenca,

 

That image is remarkable. It looks like a watercolour. And to my mind, when photography recalls drawing or painting, it's reached the peak.

 

I recently bought a 35mm Summicron with goggles, which I've mostly used on the film camera though, what the heck, I should put it on the M8.

 

You've inspired me.

 

Regards,

Mark

Edited January 24, 2010 by markgay

[2Bébèrt]

Never underestimate that old glass..

 

Summarex 85 /1.5 from 1952

 

 

 

 

Xenon 50 / 1.5 from 1938

 

 

and

 

[brianv]

The older glass has lower contrast, and that is a perfect combination for digital.

 

I am going "Hyper" as my daughter says in trying out older glass on my new-to-me M8.

 

I've also put a couple of J-3's on it, a good match.

 

So far the oldest lens that I've used on it is this early 1930's Carl Zeiss Jena 5cm F2 Sonnar, converted to Leica Mount.

 

Wide-Open:

 

 

I'll be using the Nickel Summar on it soon, made about the same year as the Zeiss.

[proenca]

Andy, Nicole & Mark, thanks for the kind words.

 

Actually it is one of my best landscapes to date and it yields a funny story : I went to Wales with some friends and was driving the car at the time, opened the window and saw this landscape - rushed to stop the car, grabbed the camera, crossed the road and took 3-4 exposures.

 

The light was just magical..

 

Everyone was scrathing their heads inside the car saying "what the.. ? " and then they understood.

 

Funny enough, I had bought the 35mm Summaron from the USA and went to pick it up at UPS offices outside London, on the first day of the trip - a 2 hours detour which wasnt appreciated by anyone in the car except by me

 

I'm with Brian, old glass on the M8 its great : the low contrast usually found on old glass works like a charm : its easy to add contrast when you dont have much and get the perfect balance, rather than removing it.

 

Couple more examples from my Wales trip couple of years ago , still with the Summaron, which works wonders both in colour and black / white

 

 

[jpmac55]

Wow, what a great idea for a thread. Thanks, Andy!

 

This warrants a 'sticky' status if ever there was one. Being able to use old lenses was one of the attractions to going M8 and ditching my DSLR kit. However, most threads are about the latest and greatest and frankly, some of the new Leica prices are out of my reach. Looking out for yesteryear gems is also more fun than buying current models. Narrowing the field down is still a challenge but this thread will certainly be helpful.

[Pangur Ban]

This is great. I've owned both old and new Leica lenses but have sold the new and kept the old for my film cameras. I recently bought a used M8 but the infamous shutter fault happened less than a week after buying it (!) so I've not had much of a chance to put my Elmars, Summar, Summarit, Summitar and old Summicron on it but I'm really keen to do so.

 

Keep posting more images from old lenses, please!

[bmc]

those photos are incredible. i'm looking for a little help with finding a 28. i did a quick search on this forum and became even more confused. what year('s) would you look for when purchasing old glass? is there a serial number range. again, i would like to pick up a used 28mm elmarit or summircron to use with my M8. thanks

[Hoaxville]

I'm on the hunt for an old 50mm ( But hopefully something around f2 or f2.8...).

 

Is there a good reference site online that provides images, characteristics and quality of older lenses?

 

Thanks.

 

--

 

GlendynIvin.com

[tbarker13]

You could look here:

 

Flickr: M-mount (Leica, Zeiss, Voigtlander)

 

Some lenses are better represented than others, but it is a nice starting point.

[Hodc]

Thanks Tim for posting the big one.

I love the tones, composition and DOF.

The light on her hair is very gracefull.

 

Harry

[wda]

Thanks guys.

 

This J-3 has just been a wonderful addition to my portrait lens lineup. It's a 1953 model that's been worked on by forum member Brian Sweeney.

 

Reposting larger. Pretty sure this was shot around f.5.6 or so. But I have no qualms about using it wide open.

 

Those old Russian lenses were initially direct copies of the old Zeiss designs appropriated by the Soviet Union at the end of WWII. So you are really looking at optics dating from the 1930s! Fascinating!

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[lars_bergquist]

The 50mm collapsible Elmar 1:2.8, the original one, is a very useful lens. You can regulate the amount of contrast and 'Leica glow' almost as with a tap, simply by stopping down. At 5.6 to 8, it is plenty sharp from corner to corner. And you can find a good one for little money.

 

The hood is a problem because a clip-on type makes it difficult to adjust the aperture ring. But you can probably still find the one for the modern version (# 12549 in chrome) though the lens is discontinued.

 

The old man with the Summilux-M 1:1.4/50mm ASPH