wlaidlaw Posted March 23, 2016 Share #1 Posted March 23, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Lomo seem to be really pushing the boat out at the moment on Leica fit lenses. Hot on the heels of the Jupiter 50/1.5 (Zeiss Sonnar clone), is this new Lomo LC-A MINITAR-1 Art Lens 2.8/32 M. This is a tiny pancake lens and would make an M close to a pocketable camera. At the very reasonable price of just £249, I am rather tempted. It would be nice to have a Leica alternative to humping round my SL and 24-90. OTOH if the quality compared with my 35 ASPH Summicron were horrible, it would be money down the drain. I have found eastern bloc lenses a bit hit and miss. My M fit but non coupled 16mm/f2,8 fish-eye is fine but my 80mm/f2.8 R fit tilt shift Hartblei Super Rotator is not very good at all. Wilson Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/258491-has-anyone-tried-the-lomo-lc-a-minitar-1-art-lens-2832-m-yet/?do=findComment&comment=3012950'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 23, 2016 Posted March 23, 2016 Hi wlaidlaw, Take a look here Has anyone tried the Lomo LC-A MINITAR-1 Art Lens 2.8/32 M yet.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
matlep Posted March 23, 2016 Share #2 Posted March 23, 2016 (edited) I have it. It is very "special". I NEVER use it. It is just not that good. Personal preferences mostly I guess. Only upside is the size. But still.... For sale if you are interested Edited March 23, 2016 by matlep Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pico Posted March 23, 2016 Share #3 Posted March 23, 2016 From their own ad, "The Minitar-1’s unique vintage Russian optic schemes are great for vignetting." Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share #4 Posted March 23, 2016 Thanks guys. Might give this one a miss therefore. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
matlep Posted March 23, 2016 Share #5 Posted March 23, 2016 Thanks guys. Might give this one a miss therefore. Wise decision! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted March 23, 2016 Share #6 Posted March 23, 2016 Hi Wilson, the 28mm Skopar is generally considered to be excellent, and it's pretty tiny especially if you buy the LTM version. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 23, 2016 Author Share #7 Posted March 23, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi Wilson, the 28mm Skopar is generally considered to be excellent, and it's pretty tiny especially if you buy the LTM version. James, I have had such awful luck with Voigtlander lenses, I would be most reluctant to try again. In any case I have a very small and very good 28 ASPH Summicron, albeit with a loose-ish front section, like many. If I did want a pancake lens, I would think I would be much better with the Zeiss Biogon 35C. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted March 24, 2016 Share #8 Posted March 24, 2016 I have one too. Funky colours and vignetting. It's fun to use when you are in the mood for it, but it's no substitute for a 'proper' lens. It's a bit like using one of those app effects when taking pictures with your smartphone. The good old Summaron is another option for a small-sized 35mm. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share #9 Posted March 24, 2016 I might as well stick with my Leicagoodies pin hole M "lens" when I need a really small lens, if only I could remember where I put it Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
honcho Posted March 24, 2016 Share #10 Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) James, I have had such awful luck with Voigtlander lenses, I would be most reluctant to try again........ Wilson I can understand your comment here, although I think the Cosina Voigtlander range has finally levelled out from being an odd assortment of suck-it-and-see generally low quality gap-fillers and matured into a good range of cheaper alternative lenses to Zeiss and Leica. Earlier this week I spent an hour with David Kilpatrick going through images he had just made with some CV lenses which he had on loan from Flaghead and the results were very interesting. The new 10.5mm rectilinear lens is incredibly good on the Sony AR7ii and the latest CV 15mm is even better. There are some good ones in the original range and for me, the 28mm ltm Color-Skopar is a keeper. It's a viable alternative to the Leica 28mm f2.8 elmarit-m asph and almost renders a Leica M 'pocketable'. Personally, I think lenses such as the Lomo you refer to above are far from 'art' lenses in that the effects they create badly in-camera can be created far better in post processing. Probably something you'd use for a week or two and then forget about. I'd rather have a good dinner out with a friend! Edited March 24, 2016 by honcho Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen.w Posted March 24, 2016 Share #11 Posted March 24, 2016 Hard to find, but you could perhaps try for one of these: http://www.japanexposures.com/2011/05/25/ms-optical-super-triplet-perar-3-535-mark-ii/ The 28, 24 and 21mm lenses are even smaller. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock Posted March 24, 2016 Share #12 Posted March 24, 2016 For size the Elmarit-C 40 f2.8 is hard to beat. Unless, that is, you want picture quality . I have one and stopped down it is usable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephen.w Posted March 24, 2016 Share #13 Posted March 24, 2016 I have the Leica 28 2.8 asph and the Zeiss 35 2.8 - they are both small (and also give great results) but are by no means "pancake", which seems to be what Wilson is looking for. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share #14 Posted March 24, 2016 Hard to find, but you could perhaps try for one of these: http://www.japanexposures.com/2011/05/25/ms-optical-super-triplet-perar-3-535-mark-ii/ The 28, 24 and 21mm lenses are even smaller. I know both Dirk Rosler and Miyazaki San from having had discussions with them about the possibility of converting the Zeiss Contax G 35-70 lens to a non-RF coupled lens for use on the M240. Both the 28 and 35 are currently sold out with only the 24 available. The 24 is too wide for an everyday lens IMHO. I have just been using the 35 ASPH Summicron on the 240 today and in reality, it is small enough, coupled with superb optics. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jip Posted March 24, 2016 Share #15 Posted March 24, 2016 Get a Leica Minilux 40mm lens converted to M mount! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share #16 Posted March 24, 2016 Get a Leica Minilux 40mm lens converted to M mount! I already have a 40 Summicron C, optimised for normal M's by Malcolm Taylor. This is actually my smallest M lens but it is not as good IQ and has lower contrast compared to the 35 ASPH Summicron, so it usually sits on my M4, where film is a less critical audience than digital. Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted March 24, 2016 Share #17 Posted March 24, 2016 (edited) It would be nice to have a Leica alternative to humping round my SL and 24-90. I'm surprised you thought it was a good idea to begin with. The camera is one thing but lenses like the 24-90 are lenses that I will not carry around unless I am literally being paid to do so. Life is too short. I have just been using the 35 ASPH Summicron on the 240 today and in reality, it is small enough, coupled with superb optics. The 35 Summicron (in all its flavours) is IMO the quintessential Leica lens. It's neither the sharpest nor the best behaved Leica lens (nor does it have any special "rendering") but it is an excellent lens that is the right size with the right ergonomics for the M system. Edited March 24, 2016 by wattsy 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wlaidlaw Posted March 24, 2016 Author Share #18 Posted March 24, 2016 I'm surprised you thought it was a good idea to begin with. The camera is one thing but lenses like the 24-90 are lenses that I will not carry around unless I am literally being paid to do so. Life is too short. Ian, Initially I would have agreed with you but after a few days of near continuous use, my left shoulder muscles must have built up because I seem to mind the weight less and less now. I thought I had got over not having zoom lenses, since I sold my Contax SLR's in 2006 but the flexibility that the 24-90 permits, becomes addictive. Even today when using the 240 and 35 to take technical photos for someone's court case, I was thinking "that shot would have been easier and more illustrative, if I had taken the SL + 24-90." Wilson Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdk Posted March 25, 2016 Share #19 Posted March 25, 2016 The 35mm/2.8 C-Biogon ZM is an awesome little lens, though not a flat one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter H Posted March 25, 2016 Share #20 Posted March 25, 2016 Ian, Initially I would have agreed with you but after a few days of near continuous use, my left shoulder muscles must have built up because I seem to mind the weight less and less now. I thought I had got over not having zoom lenses, since I sold my Contax SLR's in 2006 but the flexibility that the 24-90 permits, becomes addictive. Even today when using the 240 and 35 to take technical photos for someone's court case, I was thinking "that shot would have been easier and more illustrative, if I had taken the SL + 24-90." Wilson Wilson I can perfectly imagine that a zoom lens would be ideal for that sort of technical shot. It is exactly the sort of thing that the M was not conceived for. I agree with Ian though if I understand him correctly; an M with a small and high quality lens allows a sort of imaginative and polite kind of photography that any large camera, despite all its technical qualities, would struggle with. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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