mgc2010 Posted September 6, 2010 Share #1 Posted September 6, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Please forgive me if this has been dealt with in some past threads. I'm so new to the Leica scene that I haven't even bought one yet but the ferry is booked for a trip to Inverness tomorrow to purchase an M8. The lens which I intend to get at the same time is a new Nokton 35mm f1.4. Is it necessary/advisable to have it coded for use on the M8? I have an opportunity to get a mint secondhand Summarit 35/2 from the same dealer. What is the concensus of opinion in choosing between the 2 lenses? Your advice would be very much appreciated before I part with my hard earned cash. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 6, 2010 Posted September 6, 2010 Hi mgc2010, Take a look here Coding a Nokton 35mm f1.4?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
giordano Posted September 6, 2010 Share #2 Posted September 6, 2010 There's no such thing as a 35mm f/2 Summarit: if it's f/2 it's a Summicron, if it's a Summarit it's f/2.5. Either way, assuming it is in good order, it'll be a better general purpose lens than the 35mm f/1.4 Nokton. The Nokton is much faster, but it isn't very sharp at the widest apertures and also suffers from focus shift as you stop down from f/1.4, which makes it difficult to place the plane of sharpest focus just where you need it. (Evidence that the Nokton is something of an expert's lens: it's made in two versions, with conventional multi-coating and old-fashioned single-layer coating respectively.) For a 35mm lens on an M8, coding is (in my experience) desirable but definitely not essential. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgc2010 Posted September 7, 2010 Author Share #3 Posted September 7, 2010 Thanks giordano It was the 2.5 summarit I meant to say. My budget simply wouldn't stretch to the 'cron. I guess from your advice the leica glass always wins. Now to spend some money! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
giordano Posted September 7, 2010 Share #4 Posted September 7, 2010 I guess from your advice the leica glass always wins. Not every time, even when money is no object. And the 35mm f/1.4 Nokton isn't a bad lens, just not quite as good for general photography as the Summarit - especially if you're new to Leicas. I didn't mention this before because time was short, but there's a lot of excellent information on rangefinder photography, including detailed reviews and comparisons of various lenses, at http://www.reidreviews.com. It's a subscription site, but many people here - me included - think it well worth the money. I hope you really enjoy the M8! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PasMichiel Posted September 7, 2010 Share #5 Posted September 7, 2010 Nice page for not Leica glass: lenscoding.info - your source for 6bit-codes Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maggie_O Posted September 8, 2010 Share #6 Posted September 8, 2010 I've never bothered to code my Nokton Classic MC. I see no need. It's my #1, everday lens on my M8. Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35/1.4 Flickr Set Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgc2010 Posted September 8, 2010 Author Share #7 Posted September 8, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks All for your valuable advice. I collected my M8 yesterday and I'm already delighted with the few images which I've snapped on the way home. The two 35mm lenses were sold before I reached but I managed to pick up a good 50mm pre-asph summicron. A little long for my general purpose use but very handy all the same. Now for some fun!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Islandmike Posted September 10, 2010 Share #8 Posted September 10, 2010 Please forgive me if this has been dealt with in some past threads. I'm so new to the Leica scene that I haven't even bought one yet but the ferry is booked for a trip to Inverness tomorrow to purchase an M8. The lens which I intend to get at the same time is a new Nokton 35mm f1.4. Is it necessary/advisable to have it coded for use on the M8? I have an opportunity to get a mint secondhand Summarit 35/2 from the same dealer. What is the concensus of opinion in choosing between the 2 lenses? Your advice would be very much appreciated before I part with my hard earned cash. Regards Colin Hi Colin If, or when, you get a Nokton or other VC lens, it's easy to code those that have a groove running round the mont by placing a sticky white label on the mount in the correct place, press down with a fingernail to ensure adhesion, then trim with a surgical scalpel so that the only part of the label remaining is that which is stuck inside he groove. You then mark with a sharpie pen, according to Bo's template at BoPhoto.com: M8 coder - simple manual handcoding of M lenses Or pop over here if you're not sure. Cheers Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mgc2010 Posted September 11, 2010 Author Share #9 Posted September 11, 2010 Hi Mike Thanks for the offer. I'll catch up with you sometime soon and we can do the coding. I now have the 35/1.4. Very nice piece of kit. Regards Colin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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