M Monochrom and lens choices

[james.liam]

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I've been shooting an M6 and have the 35 'cron ASPH & 50 'cron (latest, non-APO). I am seriously considering the MM and am not certain that these lenses, wonderful on film, will present undesirable focus shift issues on the digital sensor.

 

After all, why have an ƒ/2 lens when all you can shoot reliably are ƒ2 and ƒ/8….

 

(Wasn't 100% certain whether to post here or the M lens thread; this seemed a more sensible place to get feedback.)

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[Luke_Miller]

Those two lenses are the most used on my M9 and Monochrom. Focus shift has not been an issue in my use.

[Jeff S]

My 35 Summicron-M ASPH focus shifts a bit at f4-f5.6 on the M8.2 and M240, but as a practical matter it hasn't been a problem in real world use and with my prints.

 

Maybe you could get a friendly dealer to lend you an MM to see for yourself and, if not, you could always rent one.

 

Jeff

[IkarusJohn]

I sold my 35 Summicron ASPH before I bought the Monochrom, so I can't really comment other than to say it performed very well on my M9 (same sensor, but no CFA).

 

My most used lenses on the Monochrom are the Noctilux 0.95 (really not necessary) and the star is the 75 Summilux, which is not ASPH. I suspect your 50 Summicron will perform very well. If you do strike a problem, I would suggest that you get the lens and camera calibration checked - I did that with my Noctilux and Monochrom, and they are perfect.

 

If you favour B&W photography, the Monochrom is absolutely fantastic. Initially, there was concern that the files looked a little flat straight out of the camera, but once you start playing with them in LightRoom they are absolutely superb!

 

Cheers

John

[jaapv]

Older lenses perform wonderfully on the MM. No colour means no chromatic aberrations and the sensor clearly pulls the best from the glass. See the relevant threads in the sub forum.

You should be more than all right with your lenses but it may be that you need to send them to Leica to have them adjusted to digital standard, i.e. to a more narrow tolerance span.

Afaik the lenses you mention do not exhibit dramatic focus shift. I certainly never had a significant problem on my Summicron 35 asph.

[james.liam]

That's all most reassuring! Thanks everyone.

[A miller]

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I've used 55+ year old glass with my MM with spot on focus.

You should most certainly keep those pre-asph lenses b/c you'll soon realize that they work best on the MM. The older glass, the better and more classic film like results.

[Jeff S]

Afaik the lenses you mention do not exhibit dramatic focus shift. I certainly never had a significant problem on my Summicron 35 asph.

 

Not significant but my 35 Summicron-M ASPH exhibits shift at f4-f5.6, exactly the same as reported by Sean Reid in his tests. Of course not every lens is the same.

 

Jeff

[250swb]

I am seriously considering the MM and am not certain that these lenses, wonderful on film, will present undesirable focus shift issues on the digital sensor.

 

Aperture related focus shift and being out of tolerance are two different things. If the lens exhibits focus shift on the MM they will also exhibit it on your film camera. If however they are out of tolerance the thickness of the emulsion can tend to disguise it, whereas the digital sensor will show it up.

 

If you have used your film camera extensively however you should know by now if you have a problem with the lenses, sooner or later focus shift (which is an inherent part of the lens design and can't be adjusted away) or out of tolerance (not being sharp when you expect it to be) will have shown up. FWIW when I got my M9, and now my MM, all my lenses (inc. 35mm ASPH and 50mm Summicron) worked without a problem on the digital sensor, or at least they all worked exactly as I expected them to work. None of them were out of tolerance despite being made in the film-age, and some still had focus shift and that won't ever go away.

 

Steve

[skinnfell]

I have both those lenses and a monochrom. They are wonderful.

In fact "older" lenses might be preferable on the monochrom. since several monochrom owners have reported that modern lenses can be too contrasty for the mono. Focus shift/miscalibration can happen on any lens, especially if it is used a lot.

 

One thing though: with monochrom I started shooting at F8 instead of F2. The "bokeh" look looks best in color (besides I have got awfully tired with the blur). The mono can pull off hand held F8 even in relatively poor lighting, giving you maximum sharpness from the lens. This also means you dont have to have the most modern lenses and also minimizes any focus shift issues to a minimum. End result = more joy from photography.

 

Get a mono and don't worry about lenses again.

[james.liam]

True enough, the high ISO performance does mitigate the need to shoot wider apertures in low light; set it to hyper focal and deal with framing instead. Was debating selling the 50 'cron and saving for a 50 'lux ASPH. Sounds like I'd be better served with the CV 50/1.5 ASPH, Leica 50 rigid or perhaps something even older.

 

I also have a ZM 2,8/35 bought new for a bargain from a shop clearing out its RF glass (something like 450 euros), that I really dig on film but might be too contrasty for the MM. I had used the M 35/2 v1 and found at wider apertures the rendering too low in contrast for my tastes, though the resolving power on that old timer was nothing short of a a revelation, given the age of its design and glass available at the time.