Paul Verrips Posted June 9, 2014 Share #1 Posted June 9, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm planning to buy a second hand M7. Which 50mm should be the one if i prefer to shoot wide open? - Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm f1.5 (custom optimized for shooting wide open) - Voigtländer 50mm f/1.5 ASPH - Summilux 50 (older version) - Summacron 50 (older version) Budget limitation € 900/1.000 I also prefer focus tab on the lens if possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Hi Paul Verrips, Take a look here Which 50mm for wide open on M7. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
asiafish Posted June 9, 2014 Share #2 Posted June 9, 2014 I'm planning to buy a second hand M7. Which 50mm should be the one if i prefer to shoot wide open? - Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm f1.5 (custom optimized for shooting wide open) - Voigtländer 50mm f/1.5 ASPH - Summilux 50 (older version) - Summacron 50 (older version) Budget limitation € 900/1.000 I also prefer focus tab on the lens if possible. If just wide open, or just wide open AND f/8 (with nothing in between) then it is very hard to beat the Sonnar. Luscious 1930s charm wide-open, razor sharp modern perfection stopped down, focus shift (manageable if you know how) in between. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 10, 2014 Share #3 Posted June 10, 2014 Paul, It totally depends on which 'look' you like or are wanting. As Asiafish says the Sonnar will give a lovely classic look and that famous Sonnar smoothness in the out of focus areas but the corners aren't particularly good and has curvature of field wide open. The Summilux will be much better corrected for aberrations and the sharpest of all the lenses you mentioned although not as clinically sharp as its aspherical sister. The Voigtlander is a sound middle of the road performer but not particularly special and doesn't appeal to me in the out of focus areas. The Summicron will perform well right into the corners, will be very sharp but suffers from flare at odd times. If you're looking for an inexpensive fast 50 then you might also like to consider the Canon 50/1.2 rangefinder lens or a Zeiss 50/2 Planar. The latter will rival the Summicron for sharpness but has more contrast. Again, so depends on what you're looking for your lens to give you. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asiafish Posted June 10, 2014 Share #4 Posted June 10, 2014 A newer Summicron (v4 and current v5 are optically identical) is always a great option. Even though I own three Sonnars (sold the modern one, mine are all vintage) it is usually the modern Summicron that is on my M5. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dikaiosune01 Posted June 11, 2014 Share #5 Posted June 11, 2014 what Farnz says it right, "it all depends on what look you want." Personally, I used the zeiss 50 plannar for a couple of years; and only last week moved up to the current summilux asph. I did this because I like the high contrast, sharp look that gives images a little more 'pop'. (zeiss 50mm plannar) If you are looking for something more classic look, (zeiss Sonnar, or some of the older leica's) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeStone Posted June 11, 2014 Share #6 Posted June 11, 2014 what Farnz says it right, "it all depends on what look you want." Personally, I used the zeiss 50 plannar for a couple of years; and only last week moved up to the current summilux asph. I did this because I like the high contrast, sharp look that gives images a little more 'pop'. (zeiss 50mm plannar) Interesting, and why did you change to the Summilux ASPH? Regards Jacob Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
payasam Posted June 11, 2014 Share #7 Posted June 11, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Of the lenses you list, the Nokton has the lowest price. It does not have a focus tab. Some months ago I moved from an M Hexanon 50/2 to a Canon 50/1.4. I now get somewhat less contrast but have one more stop for emergencies -- and a focus tab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dikaiosune01 Posted June 12, 2014 Share #8 Posted June 12, 2014 Interesting, and why did you change to the Summilux ASPH? Regards Jacob To me it seemed like a natural progression: (1) more speed (2) I couldn't get the DYI lens code to work properly. (3) Black lens to go better with the black MP and M240. (4) The summilux asph seems to have a similar focus on contrast and sharpness; in some cases more so because of that 'pop' typically found on lux images. (5) on the respective flickr groups, I like the summilux images more than the voigtlander. To me, the summilux page had more photographs, while the voigtlander had more gear and test shots. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
friedeye Posted June 13, 2014 Share #9 Posted June 13, 2014 There are an awful lot of great 50mm lenses out there for film. Which lens will make you feel like going out and shooting more? I happen to think that size is a factor. The smaller, the better. To that end, I'd recommend the Summarit 50 f/2.5 -- a tiny, great lens that can be had for $1,100 or so. It also leaves you a few hundred dollars to buy: A Jupiter 3 50 f/1.5 Sonnar. These are terrific lenses, if you find a good copy and have them shimmed properly. Wonderful character wide open. I personally own the two Zeiss lenses -- and love them both -- you really can't go wrong there. But the Sonnar C does focus shift. I actually think it's probably a better film lens when it's optimized at 2.8. The new Voigtlander 1.5 looks great - but it's kind of big. Don't go for the Nokton - it's small but soft wide open. Again - there's a great selection out there. The old Summis are terrific. I have a Summitar that I love. Have a great time deciding -- you really can't go wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynp Posted June 13, 2014 Share #10 Posted June 13, 2014 I'm planning to buy a second hand M7. Which 50mm should be the one if i prefer to shoot wide open? - Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm f1.5 (custom optimized for shooting wide open) - Voigtländer 50mm f/1.5 ASPH - Summilux 50 (older version) - Summacron 50 (older version) I would buy a Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm f1.5, optimized for f2.8. IMO, once the Sonar is optimized for f1.5, the lens became a one trick animal and almost useless down to f5.6. Any Summilux will be a safer bet as a sole lens on a film body. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 13, 2014 Share #11 Posted June 13, 2014 I would buy a Zeiss Sonnar T 50mm f1.5, optimized for f2.8. IMO, once the Sonar is optimized for f1.5, the lens became a one trick animal and almost useless down to f5.6. Why have a fast lens if it back focuses wide open when it's optimised to f/2.8? Why not go for a f/2.8 lens that doesn't have the same problem and is likely to be lighter, smaller, and maybe cheaper? Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ynp Posted June 13, 2014 Share #12 Posted June 13, 2014 Why have a fast lens if it back focuses wide open when it's optimised to f/2.8? Why not go for a f/2.8 lens that doesn't have the same problem and is likely to be lighter, smaller, and maybe cheaper? Pete. I agree. That is why I said that a Summilux would be better as a single 50mm lens. I used to have both versions of the Zeiss C-Sonnar's: one optimized for wide open shooting and another - f2.8. Fortunately, I also had a Rollei 40/2.8 to compliment the C-Sonnar ver. 1.5. when I wanted to shoot between f2.8-f5.6. They both had similar drawing. I think that it is possible to learn to lean into the scene a bit with the C-Sonnar, optimized at F2.8, when shooting it wide open. I learned the trick only when I bought an M8, it was cheaper and less frustrating than learning the lens with film. Gene. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted June 13, 2014 Share #13 Posted June 13, 2014 You can't go wrong with any of the lenses you mention. IMO, the best all-rounder would be a Summicron rigid (v2), followed by a Summilux (ideally v4, but finding a good sample in that price range is going to be very difficult). The Sonnar would be the most interesting/challenging one of the lot - I've kept mine optimised for f/2.8 and learnt to lean forward a bit at f/2 and a bit more at f/1.5. The CV 50/1.5 has its own character wide open - you may like it or not. Ditto for the knurled focus ring. And if you like old, non-Leica lenses, there are many other options... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
philipus Posted June 20, 2014 Share #14 Posted June 20, 2014 I'm planning to buy a second hand M7. Which 50mm should be the one if i prefer to shoot wide open? It depends on the results you prefer when shooting wide open. I personally like the Summitar wide open. And it has a focusing tab (but a rather annoying infinity lock, but that can be worked around). The v3 Summicron is nice wide open too but doesn't have a focusing tab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gsgary Posted June 30, 2014 Share #15 Posted June 30, 2014 CV 50F1.5 asph M mount wide open on M4-P, shot on HP5 developed in Rodinal stand developed in the fridge Hp5 iso1600, wide open Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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