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M8 lenses?


leicaluke

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I will be getting the M8 within the month.. what are some good budget lens options? I was looking at the 40 summicron but how drastically inaccurate would the frame lines be? (WITHOUT grinding anything for the 35mm lines.) as for a wide angle lens what are your experiences withe the voigtlander 15mm (second version? )

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I am so much happier after grinding the 40 cron, of course that's me. From what I have read from different forums, the only frame line problem after grinding is when you use it with a CLE. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I have the first version 15/4.5, mine is a nice sample which is sharp from coast to coast but applying a UVIR filter is a pain.

Nice shots Paulmac.

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thanks for the 28mm advice, but im more of a 50mm kind of guy so the 40 on the m8 would put me in that ballpark. 15mm looks like a nice wide angle to accompany the 40, love the shots. So if i were to grind to get the 35 lines how accurate would it make the framing be?

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15 = 21mm on the M8. You should have an external finder. I think this is too wide for an only wide, so I would say a real 28 mm = 37 mm.

 

40=52 on the M8 which has 50 MM frame line which the 40 should bring out if nobody has taken a file to it. Now the problem. It is not standard 39 mm filter thread pitch. When you try to add a UV/IR filter it will not fit. If you do not use one, all the colors get screwed up, not just purple blacks which is easy to fix. The rest are not easily fixed. Then when you add the filter, cyan corners appear. So you have to code the lens or use corner fix. Proper code? who knows?

 

Leica will also not guarantee focus of CL lenses on the M camera either. Most have no problem, but you never know.

 

You might think about a 24 or Zeiss 25 2.8 which might be a better spread on the M8. CV 25 is also available.

 

I would advise you not to get into this on the cheap.

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A 39mm filter will indeed screw into the Cron 40, it just won't screw all the way down. It will certainly get tight enough that it's not going anywhere. For the money, the 40 is one of the best lenses you can get. Definitely grind it to get the 35mm frame lines or get one that's already ground.

 

Having said that, the Cron 28 pretty much gets you the look of the 35mm ASPH on the M8.

 

As always though, the real issue is how do you shoot. Before I got my original M8, I asked all the same questions, Within three months, I realized that 50mm was the keystone for me. The 67mm equivalent focal length makes it an ideal compromise between a standard lens and a short telephoto. On top of that, there's a huge selection to choose from. Good luck.

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I have the 28 Summicron and 50 Lux ASPH, I never feel like I need anything else.

The 28mm cron and the M8 are magic.

This would have to be the best entrance to this forum I can recall. Welcome!
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I have an M8 and shoot with a 40mm Rokkor (Summicron Clone) on it. The 35mm frame lines are incredibly more accurate than the set which the C mount lenses bring up. I routinely use the preview lever to compose my shots then release it prior to making the shot. The lens is quickly worming it's way into my heart. The Bokeh is wonderful, not world-beating, but quite usable for shallow focus in my experience so far. A co-worker of my girlfriend begged for an 11x14 of a Daffodil I shot this week using f4 at the minimum focusing distance. The flower really pops up in a wonderful 3D manner. Homerun.

 

Framelines: Grinding is regretable, but much more functional. I am attempting to come up with a replacement mount out of hong kong, but no luck so far.

 

Richard in Michigan

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Hoferat,

I wonder what your citation for that bit of info is? My understanding is that, unlike the Summicron Forty, there are 2 generations of Rokkor Forty. The first of these generations has a single coating like the Summi's, but the second generation has Multi-Coating. The Gen II rokkor has some other differences from the Gen I which, to my understanding, fall into the cosmetic and mechanical categories and don't impact the optical performance.

First source I could think of for some of my info on the Rokkor Forty is :

Leica Minolta

Just scroll down.

I can say that my Personal Copy is a Gen II and it sure looks Multi-Coated to my eye. Actually reminds me of the coatings on the Minolta SLR Primes of a similar vintage I once owned.

If Both Rokkor Generations were Multi Coated, it would be quite useful info for forum members. Hope you can sort out the discrepancy between my info and yours.

Sincerely,

Richard Ward

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hey richard! im in the grand rapids area too. crazy weather lately.. optically does the 40 cron and 35 cron (pre asph) have similar sharpness and rendition? ( i think i would opt for the 40 cron over rokkor just because.. well.. its a leica ;) )

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...there are 2 generations of Rokkor Forty. The first of these generations has a single coating like the Summi's, but the second generation has Multi-Coating...

I have kept the Minolta brochure of the CLE body and its M-Rokkor lenses from 1981. It refers to the same "Achromatic" coating as earlier Minolta lenses which was composed of two layers if memory serves. Now i happen to use both M-Rokkor 40/2 v2 and Summicron-C 40/2 lenses and i have never noticed a significant difference in flare rendition i must say. On hard tests (500W halogen lamp within the frame at f/2), the Rokkor's pics look a bit more flare free than the Summicron's but i need side by side comparos to view it distinctly.

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Agree at medium to long distance, but neither for closeups nor for the M8.2 in general.

 

35 is ok for distance, 50 best for close. So I agree.

 

If you want to wedge a filter on, run some tape around the outside. You risk buggering the threads.

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