Anyone using a ZM 50/1.5 Sonnar on an M240?

[wlaidlaw]

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I am thinking of getting a faster 50mm lens than the current 50 ZM Planar I now have. This is a nice lens but has somewhat odd bokeh and the common feature of the Zeiss Planar lenses, of a rather abrupt transition from the in focus to the out of focus areas (albeit nothing like as bad as the 35mm/f2 Planar G, which was notorious for this). I am not a big fan of the 50/1.4 ASPH Summilux, having already had a “Friday” one, passed on to a new owner, after a visit to Solms did not improve it. I am thinking of a Zeiss ZM 50/1.5 Sonnar, which I understand, draws very like the pre-ASPH 50 Summilux, which I always liked.

 

However I have been trying my old Opton 50/1.5 Sonnar on the M240 and I have found it will not activate focus peaking until between f4 and f5.6. In that I would like to benefit from focus peaking for more accurate focusing in low light situations with the lens wide open, can anyone who is using the modern ZM Sonnar on an M240 tell me if focus peaking operates with the lens fully open. I appreciate that if it does, it is likely to be only in the centre of the frame but this is OK because I can always recompose. I have been offered a mint nearly new Sonnar with the correct Zeiss hood for just £749, which is less than I would have to pay for a pre-ASPH Summilux, which would be a minimum of 10 years old.

 

Wilson

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[MarkP]

1.5/50 ZM C-Sonnar on M240 with EVF - focus peaking activated at all f-stops.

[george +]

1.5/50 ZM C-Sonnar on M240 with EVF - focus peaking activated at all f-stops.

 

+1

 

A very nice lens indeed.

[Keith (M)]

I can concur what MarkP has written. My M(240) and C-Sonnar cohabitate very happily and even being new to focus-peaking, I have no trouble at all in using the feature with the lens at f1.5.