Need Help picking lens

[Peacewalker]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hello,

 

I am trying to deside on a lens for my Fuji S3 (Nikon F mount body) to hold me over until I caqn one day afford an M9. Being that this is an old DSLR I am hoping to get the most detail, contrast and color out of the lens as possible. The softer "Leica Look" is important to me, but not as important as overall optical performance on this older camera.

 

I am looking at:

 

1. Summicron 35mm 2.0 R pre ASPH

 

2. Pre ASPH Summilux 35mm 1.4 R

 

3. Pre ASPH Summilux 50mm 1.4 R

 

Or

 

4. Nikon 24mm 1.4 AF-S

 

Obviously #4 will be much different, but I am trying to get the most out of this Fuji.

 

Would anyone be so kind as to spell out for me what, in their view, is my best option here?

 

Any other reccomendations would also be welcome.

 

 

Thanks truly...

[jaapv]

Maybe if you asked on a Nikon forum....

[steveclem]

Maybe if you asked on a Nikon forum....

 

Will Nikon users have an in-depth knowledge of Leica glass then?

[jaapv]

The lenses he mentions have to be leitaxed or something I suppose.

[jdlaing]

Will Nikon users have an in-depth knowledge of Leica glass then?

 

They think they do......

[andyedward]

I'd check out nikoncafe.com, which has a thread dedicated to R lens users

[bpalme]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Surely someone around here knows about those lenses. Wish I could help ya.

[fWord]

The Summicron-R 35/2 is a lens that I used for a while on a Canon camera via an adapter. Have never used it with a Nikon mount camera unfortunately, but nevertheless I presume it is the behaviour of the lens that you're interested in, even though the camera characteristics can also affect the results. The Fuji S3 is a nice camera from what I've read, and I currently also use a Fuji S5 alongside an M system.

 

Here's a link to a thread at a Canon forum which I created back in the days when my 1Ds was still functional. Since then it's gone dead for two reasons: my camera has died, and I also sold the lens (to get the Vario Elmar-R 35-70/4, another superb lens).

 

Leica Summicron-R 35mm f/2 (Type 2) Mini-Review & Sample Pics - Canon Digital Photography Forums

 

I've taken quite a few photos with the 35 Cron and Canon combo which have not been posted to that thread as of yet. It's a very good lens, despite its age and is good value for money.

 

Do you absolutely need f/1.4 or f/2? Also, the lenses you list have wildly varying focal lengths. Consider also the Nikon 14-24/2.8, an excellent lens that I believe works wonderfully well with a high dynamic range camera like the Fuji S5.

[giordano]

One important thing to remember is that if you convert a Leica R lens to Nikon mount you lose all automatic diaphragm control. You have to stop down for metering (A or M only), open up for focusing and stop down again to shoot, all by turning the aperture ring the right number of stops. For me, this rules out using R lenses as my primary, let alone only, lenses on a F-mount body.

[Peacewalker]

Thanks for the help guys! I have one true Leica question though- which tends to be sharper the Pre ASPH 35mm 1.4 Summilux or the Pre ASPH 35mm 2.0 Summicron?

 

From what I gather the early Summicron was slightly better than the later ones. I am hopeing someone can tell me which is better for sharpness- or if they are about the same.

 

I recently saw a comparison between various lenses on the Fuji X Pro 1 and the Summicron looked a little sharper than the Summilux:

 

Summilux Pre ASPH:

 

Leica Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 pre-asph | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

Summicron Pre ASPH:

 

Leica Summicron-M 35mm F2.0 IV pre-asph | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

But neither could touch the Summilux ASPH:

 

Leica Summilux-M 35mm F1.4 ASPH | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

 

That is as close to perfection as the Fuji is going to get...

[philipus]

Thanks for posting those links. Those are M lenses btw. Not sure how they differ compared to the R versions.

 

I'm certainly no expert but the Summilux pre-asph shot looks as if it's a bit out of focus.

 

Alternatively the look might be explained if it was the first version of the Summilux which was used. Apparently it performs pretty badly wide open (there are several threads about it here). This could explain the veil that seems to cover, for instance, the lantern. I guess I should add that it could be my screen, though the other shots look very good on it.

 

Of the Summicron and the Summilux asph the latter seems to be better, imho, and handles the various highlights (tree trunk, bench) better. Granted, the light changed between the shots so it is difficult to offer too firm an opinion on this.

 

The Summicron's bokeh looks a bit more old-style to me. The asph reminds of the current 50 asph very much.

[jaapv]

There is a big confusion here. There is no Summilux 50 asph or 35 asph for Leica R, so no pre-asph either. M lenses cannot be fitted to a DSLR because they cannot be focussed to infinity - macro only.

If you want the details on these lenses, you will have to consult Erwin Puts'site:

 

www.imx.nl

 

 

If they are not on his site, it would be wise to buy his compendium.

[darylgo]

The 24mm f1.4 Nikkor would be my choice assuming the body works with G lenses. Very sharp, more compatible than R lenses, and easily sold when you purchase Leica M.

 

The perceived sharpness of a lens is a combination of contrast and resolution. The Leica Compendium will have mtf curves for most lenses and these can guide you toward the lens that will provide the highest performance. These curves contain much information but a simple tutorial will help you learn quickly how to read the most obvious information, i.e. percieved sharpness. Other sources have the mtf curves, such as the latest pocket guide and maybe a web search also.

 

The Fuji X-Pro 1 is an APS size sensor, it will not allow you to see the corner sharpness of a lens, in addition the Fuji may render a Leica lens differently than the M9 so I would not judge lenses by this method unless you wish to purchase the Fuji X-Pro 1.