Finding your favourite Leica lenses.

[pgk]

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I am sure that I am not unique in having owned, used and sold a lot of Leica lenses in my quest to find those which I find to be most to my tastes. I have gone through a lot of lenses over the years and have ended up with the 35 (last but current version) and 50 (current version) 'luxes as being the lenses that I most appreciate and use on my M8. In fact I can go out with either of these and shoot happily away without thinking that I should have brought the other. They are thoroughly reliable lenses and whilst I'm still learning their nuances of characteristics, I am satisfied that they suit my requirements very well indeed.

 

Not that other lenses haven't. My 50 'lux pre asph. was extremely competent but I noticed the wide open performance difference as soon as I tried the asph. The 35 is also just to me taste.

 

That said, having previously owned various longer lenses and having eventually sold them off to buy the two 'luxes, I have now acquired 2 x 90 Elmars (a C and a three element version) and a 135 Tele-Elmar. On my M8 the Elmars both perform very well but somehow the 3 element seems to have the edge in terms of its usability for me and so its off having a CLA with Malcolm Taylor (so the C will end up in the classifieds here). Whilst I really like the 135 (which really isn't too difficult to focus) in terms of image it produces, I'm less certain of its ergonomics and size (its the earlier version but not the earliest as it has the straight fine grooves on the focus ring).

 

I'm also hankering after a wider lens again though, and am regretting having sold a 21mm SA!

 

Is it just me or do other people take a long time and purchase some lenses only to sell them off, not because they perform poorly, but because they don't gel? I wonder what opinions there are on lens ownership - is it such a personal thing and is a part of the enjoyment and appeal of Leica use and ownership, the pleasure of owning a very personalised and intuitive limited set of equipment (somehow I don't consider any of my Canon lenses to have particular appeal other than being pure workhorses)?

[kokoshawnuff]

In a shorter time-frame, I started shooting Leica 2 years ago and it took me over a year before I brooke down and got my self a modern Leica lens (a Summarit 50), as soon as I saw the difference between what that lens produced and what my Zeiss 50 produced I sold all my non-leica lenses and have since proceeded and now I have the newest Summicron 50 (sold my first modern leica lens ironically), Summarit 35 and Summarit 90, a couple Summitars, a summaron, and a Elmar 135.

 

To answer and agree with your statement/question:

After a year of contemplation, telling myself that they (leica lenses) cant be that much better than C.V. or Zeiss, I bought my Summarit 50. Within 6 weeks I'd sold it for a new Summicron.

[Stefan-S]

One always regrette selling a Superangulon!

[AGeoJO]

When I went from M8 to M9, I sold my 35 lux ASPH and 75 cron ASPH, my most used lens using the 1.3X crop factor. I though I could get away with 21, 28, 50 and 90 on the FF M9. What a mistake! I ended up buying them again at a higher price.... I enjoy the 35mm as much now. I just received my new 75 last week and I haven't had the chance of using it except for some test shots.

[SteveYork]

In a shorter time-frame, I started shooting Leica 2 years ago and it took me over a year before I brooke down and got my self a modern Leica lens (a Summarit 50), as soon as I saw the difference between what that lens produced and what my Zeiss 50 produced I sold all my non-leica lenses and have since proceeded and now I have the newest Summicron 50 (sold my first modern leica lens ironically), Summarit 35 and Summarit 90, a couple Summitars, a summaron, and a Elmar 135.

 

To answer and agree with your statement/question:

After a year of contemplation, telling myself that they (leica lenses) cant be that much better than C.V. or Zeiss, I bought my Summarit 50. Within 6 weeks I'd sold it for a new Summicron.

 

This is curious, because the current Zeiss 50mm Planar in M mount is widely considered to be optically equivalent to the current 50mm Summicron, with the obvious difference in color rendition. I have a 50mm Planar in Contarex mount and can attest that it's a terrific lens. And yes, I do have 2 50 summicrons (both version 3 and 5).

[epand56]

I agree on the Lux 50 and 35 Asph, they are my most used lenses.

I must say that after spending almost three years buying and selling lenses I'm now very ok with those I have.

I would be curious to try some other, but it's no more an urge to me.

[bill]

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Yes.

 

I have bought and sold lenses over the years and wound up with a "toolkit" that suits my style and taste. This is a two-way voyage of discovery, in as much as, in my case at least, my style and taste were evolving (and probably still are) as I tried and discarded lenses to match my vision.

 

I have ended up with a mixture of Leica, Zeiss and CV lenses, with my favourites being the Leica 50mm Elmar-M, the 50mm Sonnar, the 35mm CV 2.5 Pancake II and the 90mm Elmarit-M; many others have come and gone, Noktons, Summicrons, Summarits, Summatelses... the list goes on. Some lenses I have owned more than once - the collapsible 90 Elmar and the DR 50mm Summicron in particular. In some cases I have forgone the Leica equivalent for a "lesser" brand - the aforementioned 35mm CV replaced a version IV Summicron and the Sonnar is in preference to the Summilux because I prefer the results it delivers.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[IkarusJohn]

I agree on the Lux 50 and 35 Asph, they are my most used lenses.

I must say that after spending almost three years buying and selling lenses I'm now very ok with those I have.

I would be curious to try some other, but it's no more an urge to me.

 

Hi Enrico,

 

I see you have the M-E-M 90/4. How do you find using that lens? Bill, I see you also owned one more than once.

 

Cheers

John

[voe]

I started with 35mm Summicron ASPH, but upgraded to the latest 35mm Summilux ASPH FLE, used it for two months, didn't like the harsh bokeh and high price, sold it and bought the old 35mm Summilux ASPH. IMHO focus shift is exaggerated, in practical photography I did not notice focus shift, my photos are perfectly sharp and bokeh is much more 50mm Lux ASPH like. Also bought silver 50mm Lux ASPH, loved it but hated the weight. Sold it and bought a black one.

 

Tried Zeiss 50mm Sonnar and much preferred the 50 Lux ASPH

Tried the 25mm Zeiss but found it too contrasty, so I sold it upgrading to Leica 21mm and eventually to 28mm both Elmarit ASPH.I was very happy with the 21mm but decided to upgrade from M8 to M9 and sold it to recover financially.

 

I'm thinking eventually to get a Zeiss 21mm f/2.8, but I'm too afraid of the high contrast.

Also consider the Zeiss 21mm f/4.5 but the red edged problem is stopping me. Maybe if Leica fixes the red edge problem with the June firmware update I might eventually buy it and live with the typical Zeiss high contrast.

So I'm still in search for a small and sharp 21mm. Any suggestions?

[Ecar]

So I'm still in search for a small and sharp 21mm. Any suggestions?

Although I also own the Lux 21, I like the CV 21 for its small size and center sharpness. Same issue with red edges, though. I'd wait for the new firmware to make a decision.

[bill]

Hi Enrico,

 

I see you have the M-E-M 90/4. How do you find using that lens? Bill, I see you also owned one more than once.

 

Hi John, it took me a while to work out what "M-E-M" meant!? I wouldn't bother with that, to be honest - I think it is a compromise and not worth the price. The one I had (and now have) is the older Collapsible Elmar f4; a much under-rated lens, nice for mono work, that can often be found cheaply with "fogging" on the internal elements. It is a straightforward job to do a part-dismantle and clean and you are rewarded with a very usable lens.

 

Regards,

 

Bill

[PBatemanJ]

Started M8 with Ultron 28mm f2.0, Summicron 50mm 2.0 current version

Sold Ultron 28mm f2.0 for Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH current version

Sold Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH for Summilux 35mm f1.4 ASPH (non FLE)

Bought Elmarit 28mm f2.8

My most favorite lens for M8 was Summilux f1.4 35mm ASPH.

Then I got M9.

Sold Elmarit 28mm f2.8

Now I am using Summilux 35mm on M9, and Summicron 50mm on M8. Perfect combination for me. For some reason, I did like 28mm on M8, but I like 35mm on M9 a lot.

I am really interested in getting Summilux 50mm ASPH.

 

SATOKI