35mm lens advice

[menos I M6]

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I spent years trying different 35mm lenses and the result for me is that of all the fancy 35mm lenses there is only one single "from my cold dead hands" lens being the black 35/2 UC-Hexanon LTM (there is also a single coated silver chrome version).

 

I still keep most of the other 35mm lenses as I love them all, but the UC-Hex will always be the one lens for the rest of my life thing.

 

my favorite 35mm - 35 UC-Hex:

 

portrait - fish seller by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

2nd - 35 Summilux ASPH:

 

supper by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

3rd - 35/1.2 v1:

 

rainy shanghai | portrait - during a rain by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

 

4th - 35/1.4 Summilux v2 Infinity Lock:

 

portrait - little chick by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

5th - 35/1.8 W-Nikkor LTM

 

35 ƒ1.8 W-Nikkor LTM - first shots - portrait - lady with hat by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

6th - 21-35 Konica Hexanon Dual

 

Untitled by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

7th - 35/2 Summicron v1

 

portrait - construction worker by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

8th - 3.5cm f3.5 W-Nikkor LTM

 

L1061237-M Monochrom--for_flickr by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

9th - 35/2 Canon LTM black v1

 

Untitled by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

10th - 3.5cm Elmar LTM

 

tai chi - both hands 2 by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

 

The current 35/2 ASPH I never liked much and I would put it somewhere between 7-8th in my top ten (for speed, usability and practical features).

The current 35 Summarit is a fantastic lens and I would put it somewhere along the Summicron v1 around 7th place.

I can't remember if I slipped one or two lenses.

I never owned a Zeiss 35mm - something still on the list (would love a wartime LTM Biogon to pair with my 5cm Sonnar LTM)

A regular production M mount 35/2 Hexanon is still on my bucket list as are a few other strange ones but I have slowed down much with the addiction.

 

My pick for best all around 35mm ever: 35/2 UC Hex

My pick for best bang for the buck in 35mm: hands down a Konica Hexar AF camera - these are dirt cheap and truly undervalued cameras for what you get or either a 35/2.5 Voigtlander or a good copy of a 35/2 Canon LTM.

For the 500 - 1000 EUR range a nice copy of a 35/1.2 can be spectacular (but heavy to carry and large on a Leica M + you need to get a nice, smooth worked in copy or have a good repair tech modify yours - I went through several different lubricants and some helicoid lapping to get mine to perfect smooth action - think 35mm Noctilux in terms of handling).

Most interesting classic 35mm lens: 35 Summilux pre ASPH (any vintage really).

 

 

@ Peter, Just having had a glance at your flickr, I'd say don't look at the low contrast, softer lenses like the Summicron v1, 3.5cm Elmar, W-Nikkor and possibly Summilux pre ASPH. Stick with the more modern multi coated lenses which will all have a somewhat higher contrast to start with.

[jaques]

Ah, but it's not inconceivable, crows are very clever. I watched one with a stone in its beak, it went to the gutter on a roof and dropped the stone down the drain pipe. Then it flew down to where the pipe entered the ground and looked around. Just some blue sky research to satisfy its curiosity. 

Nice picture

they say crows are way smarter than their brain size can account for- on a par with dogs and some monkeys when it comes to problem solving. Funny birds they are.. That photo was part of a friends art project- we tried to get live crows to come to that spot- they were nearby but wouldn't play ball despite our food offerings. So the stuffed one had to fill in...

[peterjcb]

I spent years trying different 35mm lenses and the result for me is that of all the fancy 35mm lenses there is only one single "from my cold dead hands" lens being the black 35/2 UC-Hexanon LTM (there is also a single coated silver chrome version).

 

I still keep most of the other 35mm lenses as I love them all, but the UC-Hex will always be the one lens for the rest of my life thing.

 

my favorite 35mm - 35 UC-Hex:

 

portrait - fish seller by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

2nd - 35 Summilux ASPH:

 

supper by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

3rd - 35/1.2 v1:

 

rainy shanghai | portrait - during a rain by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

 

4th - 35/1.4 Summilux v2 Infinity Lock:

 

portrait - little chick by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

5th - 35/1.8 W-Nikkor LTM

 

35 ƒ1.8 W-Nikkor LTM - first shots - portrait - lady with hat by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

6th - 21-35 Konica Hexanon Dual

 

Untitled by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

7th - 35/2 Summicron v1

 

portrait - construction worker by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

8th - 3.5cm f3.5 W-Nikkor LTM

 

L1061237-M Monochrom--for_flickr by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

9th - 35/2 Canon LTM black v1

 

Untitled by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

10th - 3.5cm Elmar LTM

 

tai chi - both hands 2 by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

 

The current 35/2 ASPH I never liked much and I would put it somewhere between 7-8th in my top ten (for speed, usability and practical features).

The current 35 Summarit is a fantastic lens and I would put it somewhere along the Summicron v1 around 7th place.

I can't remember if I slipped one or two lenses.

I never owned a Zeiss 35mm - something still on the list (would love a wartime LTM Biogon to pair with my 5cm Sonnar LTM)

A regular production M mount 35/2 Hexanon is still on my bucket list as are a few other strange ones but I have slowed down much with the addiction.

 

My pick for best all around 35mm ever: 35/2 UC Hex

My pick for best bang for the buck in 35mm: hands down a Konica Hexar AF camera - these are dirt cheap and truly undervalued cameras for what you get or either a 35/2.5 Voigtlander or a good copy of a 35/2 Canon LTM.

For the 500 - 1000 EUR range a nice copy of a 35/1.2 can be spectacular (but heavy to carry and large on a Leica M + you need to get a nice, smooth worked in copy or have a good repair tech modify yours - I went through several different lubricants and some helicoid lapping to get mine to perfect smooth action - think 35mm Noctilux in terms of handling).

Most interesting classic 35mm lens: 35 Summilux pre ASPH (any vintage really).

 

 

@ Peter, Just having had a glance at your flickr, I'd say don't look at the low contrast, softer lenses like the Summicron v1, 3.5cm Elmar, W-Nikkor and possibly Summilux pre ASPH. Stick with the more modern multi coated lenses which will all have a somewhat higher contrast to start with.

 

 

 

thanks for all the examples...my head is spinning

 

Coincidently, the first camera that I ever owned....and my hands-down favorite 35mm 60's Japanese rangefinder is the Konica S1.6 and the S2....

I own four of these beautiful cameras and they are dirt cheap on eBay. The Hexanon has always been a super sharp lens and I have taken thousands of Kodachrome II color slides with it back in the day....I will have to check out that 35/2 Hex....

[menos I M6]

Peter, you are very welcome, but be aware (should you not have read this through the lines already) - I am a fanatic fan of Konica rangefinder lenses as of their wonderful qualities, the pinnacle being the three wonder lenses: 21-35 Dual Hexanon; 35/2 UC-Hexanon and of course the mighty (and now unfortunately collector territory priced) 60/1.2 Hexanon.

 

In my opinion the modern Konica Hexanon rangefinder lenses (and their Hexar-RF and AF camera bodies) have marked a high point of brilliant engineering and a no-cost spared attitude in craftsmanship, not found since (for any gifted repair person - just open up a Konica 21-35 Dual and marvel at the detail solutions Konica's engineers came up with - they even secured the red dot from the inside (!!!) to prevent the Leica'esce falling off red index dot. Konica didn't cut any corners with these lenses and I truly miss them building rangefinder cameras to compete with modern Leica.

 

Here is some select pictures that show some traits of 35mm lenses I like:

 

35 Summicron v1 - it's low contrast really helps a lot in developing the different dark tones in a photograph (this is much more difficult if not impossible with Leica's new modern ASPH lenses):

8 elements - grind by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

It is great for pushed B&W film too as it doesn't go crazy on the contrast:

digger by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

35 Summilux v2 Infinity Lock - one of my favorite night time lenses as it renders lights so special:

bus station by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

 

[peterjcb]

I found a deal on a 35mm summilux V.II (circa 1972) that I couldn't pass up.
It's very nice cosmetically, everything works smooth glass seems mint but there's a bit of oil on the blades.

I took some test shots and the lens seems very sharp so I contacted Youxin Ye who I've used in the past to see if he thinks it needs a CLA for the oil on the blades and I'm waiting to hear back from him.
 

....the thing that I've noticed about the lens is that there are no thread to attach a filter. The glass is mint as far as I can see so I want to get some sort of protection for the lens..... be it a filter or a lens hood or both....any suggestions?

[alan c. davis]

Peter, you are very welcome, but be aware (should you not have read this through the lines already) - I am a fanatic fan of Konica rangefinder lenses as of their wonderful qualities, the pinnacle being the three wonder lenses: 21-35 Dual Hexanon; 35/2 UC-Hexanon and of course the mighty (and now unfortunately collector territory priced) 60/1.2 Hexanon.

 

In my opinion the modern Konica Hexanon rangefinder lenses (and their Hexar-RF and AF camera bodies) have marked a high point of brilliant engineering and a no-cost spared attitude in craftsmanship, not found since (for any gifted repair person - just open up a Konica 21-35 Dual and marvel at the detail solutions Konica's engineers came up with - they even secured the red dot from the inside (!!!) to prevent the Leica'esce falling off red index dot. Konica didn't cut any corners with these lenses and I truly miss them building rangefinder cameras to compete with modern Leica.

 

Here is some select pictures that show some traits of 35mm lenses I like:

 

35 Summicron v1 - it's low contrast really helps a lot in developing the different dark tones in a photograph (this is much more difficult if not impossible with Leica's new modern ASPH lenses):

8 elements - grind by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

It is great for pushed B&W film too as it doesn't go crazy on the contrast:

digger by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

35 Summilux v2 Infinity Lock - one of my favorite night time lenses as it renders lights so special:

bus station by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

With you Dirk on the Hexanon lenses. I have 5 of them including the 28, 50 and 90 Hex M's, the afore mentioned 35/2 UC and the 50 2.4 collapsible. Never been able to compare them with Leica's offerings because I don't own any of the latter. The thought I could spend countless thousands on the Leica equivalents and find they offer me little over the Hexanons has always scared me off.

[menos I M6]

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I found a deal on a 35mm summilux V.II (circa 1972) that I couldn't pass up.

It's very nice cosmetically, everything works smooth glass seems mint but there's a bit of oil on the blades.

I took some test shots and the lens seems very sharp so I contacted Youxin Ye who I've used in the past to see if he thinks it needs a CLA for the oil on the blades and I'm waiting to hear back from him.

 

....the thing that I've noticed about the lens is that there are no thread to attach a filter. The glass is mint as far as I can see so I want to get some sort of protection for the lens..... be it a filter or a lens hood or both....any suggestions?

That is nice! I am a big fan of the pre ASPH Summilux - wonderful lens if you can live with it's sometimes diva like behavior (but the is so beautiful).

The lens you have will need the filter be attached inside a lens hood. It will take the 12504 lens hood designed for it which will accept standard Series 7 drop in filters.

There are also some clever people who use the (much more efficient) later 12526 square soft plastic lento (still supplied with the 35/2 Summicron until recently) which does NOT have a filter attachment.

With these hoods one can modify it to glue a filter inside the lens hood or fix it via some ingenious handiwork.

 

I use my pre ASPH Summilux lenses either completely naked (no hood or filter) or when a hood is on order I prefer to use a naked 12526 lens hood for a little better ergonomics and more efficient shielding than the (beautiful 12504 hood).

Be a aware - there are reproduction lens hoods of the 12504 available on the market - on first sight they are hard to distinguish from the genuine hood but some sellers do make it very unclear if you are buying a reproduction (the ones I have seen seem to work fine) or a genuine sample (which are usually more pricey).

 

Here is how I use my pre ASPH mostly:

 

35 Summilux infinity lock by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

here it is with the 12504 lens hood (the hood is a split design which screws apart, holding a Series 7 filter in between):

Leica M8.2 two lens kit by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

You can also fit an IROOA hood (but lacking a filter holder):

 

my favorite focal length pair by Dirk Steffen, on Flickr

 

 

With you Dirk on the Hexanon lenses. I have 5 of them including the 28, 50 and 90 Hex M's, the afore mentioned 35/2 UC and the 50 2.4 collapsible. Never been able to compare them with Leica's offerings because I don't own any of the latter. The thought I could spend countless thousands on the Leica equivalents and find they offer me little over the Hexanons has always scared me off.

 

I envy you about the nice Hexanon set you have there ;-)

Some of these I never tried (like the collapsible Hex or the 90 or the 28) - I keep them all still on the bucket list of lenses.

 

The economics of using rangefinder lenses is seen different by different people.

So far none of the Leica lenses I have owned were more expensive than any Nikon, Canon, Pentax, Contax, … lenses I have used and owned.

In fact, some modesty priced (but excellent) Nikon lenses I have sold a few years back (and only owned for a short time after buying them new) have turned out to have been MUCH more expensive than some of of most valuable Leica lenses.

 

The net cost for anything is always purchase cost + maintenance cost - resale value not accounting for all the good use and enjoyment it gave you along the way of ownership.

I have been very lucky so far (not that I ever would want to sell my Konica Hexanon lenses though).

[IWC Doppel]

As I'm in the process of slimming down my lens 'collection' from 12,15,18,2x21,24,28,3x35,4x50 to 15,21,28,3x35,2x50 why do I still cover both the mk1 summicron AND the pre ASPH Summilux !!!!

 

You'll notice I just couldn't bring my self to sell one 35....

[peterjcb]

the Leica 12528 hood off my 35 Cron asph fit's the 35 Lux except for the fact that the lens does not have the notch to keep the hood from spinning.

I put it on my M8 tonight as I went for a walk. The lens is surprisingly sharp....I didn't expect it to be this nice...and I love the small size of it.
I typically don't use filter as a rule, I just like a UV filter on the front of my lenses for protection. With the 35Lux I'll probably just use the 12528 hood without any filter.

It has a 50mm FOV on the M8...looking forward to putting it on the MM1...

Leica M8 / 35mm Summilux
Piper by Peter, on Flickr

[michaelwj]

The 35 pre-asph is fast becoming my favourite lens.

As for the filter/hood, there are ways to make it work...

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=156103

 

Michael

[peterjcb]

The 35 pre-asph is fast becoming my favourite lens.

As for the filter/hood, there are ways to make it work...

https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=156103

 

Michael

 

interesting approach but I don't want to bastardize my 12585 hood....

I was thinking about getting one of the Chinese knock offs...Has anyone purchased one of these?

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/152053901607?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT