Non 6 Bit Lenses on the M10

[Vroon]

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Some advice please. Which older M mount lenses 28 or 35 would be worth considering for the M10 and why? Many thanks,

 

Simon

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[TomB_tx]

Depends on your own preferences. I tend to like the images from older lenses and often use 1950s & 60s lenses on my M10.

The 35 f2.8 Summaron is a very nice performing lens, and I prefer its higher contrast to the v1 Summicron of the same era. Both are smaller than current 35 lenses with excellent ergonomics.

Of course the 28 Summaron (f5.6) from the 1950s was so well thought of that Leica has re-introduced it in M mount. You can find images from it in this forum.

[jdlaing]

Depends on your own preferences. I tend to like the images from older lenses and often use 1950s & 60s lenses on my M10.

That’s because the lenses from the 50’s and 60’s seem brand new to you old folks. :)

 

But seriously they draw a little differently and in some cases produce a smoother image.

[evikne]

I use the 35mm Summicron v4 on my M10. It's a great and versatile lens, and it is so much smaller and lighter than the modern ASPH lenses, even with the hood on. With this lens mounted on my camera I get more authentic "Leica-feeling" than with all my other lenses.

[madrigalmaster]

I use the Cosina Voigtlander lenses both 28 and 35 mm.The 35 mm in particular is a Nocton f1,2 type and it is wonderful.

All it takes is to go to the menu of M lenses and select a 35mm or 28 mm and you are ready to go.

 

These are well built lenses that are extremly solid and priced reasonably.

 

Good luck

[UliWer]

Some advice please. Which older M mount lenses 28 or 35 would be worth considering for the M10 and why? Many thanks,

Simon

All of them. If you like to search a little bit you‘ll find many dicussions and many examples for each single lens with 28 or 35mm and M-mount (also from other producers than Leitz or Leica). You‘ll have to choose yourself whether you can live with or like less contrast and sharpness of older versions or restrictions given by smaller openings.

 

When it comes to 6-bit codes the M10 is the M with least concern about using wide angle lenses without lens detection. When the M9 was new magenta and cyan shift were serious problems also for some 28 or 35mm lenses. This was much improved by a firmware update. In think the M (240) still had these issues.With the M10 I never found anything which would cause trouble with colour shifts when you don‘t use a certain detection and correction.

[howard_cummer]

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I use a 1974 35mm Canadian made summilux on my M10 for its dreamy renditions and have just had a 40mm summicron coded as a 35mm summicron verson IV and the frame claw milled down to bring up 35mm frame lines at Don Goldbergs. It renders a warmer image, which I find very attractive, than my newer 35's . The 40mm summicron is a good bargain these days - selling for around $650 - $700.

Edited August 25, 2018 by howard_cummer

[Ecar]

Some advice please. Which older M mount lenses 28 or 35 would be worth considering for the M10 and why? Many thanks,

 

Simon

 

Including their variants, there are literally dozens of lenses worth considering - Leitz/Leica or other brands.

And then there are even more screw mount lenses that can be used on the M10 with a simple adapter (some of these adapters also have 6-bit coding pits).

Older lenses are often smaller (but not necessarily lighter), typically have lower contrast and show all sorts of optical imperfections, which define their "character"... Despite their flaws, some rare ones can be more expensive than their younger siblings.

Bottom line: it really depends on what you are looking for.

AFAIC, I like many of them and wouldn't be able to start making suggestions without more information: does it need to be Leica? can it be LTM? does it need to be fast? is size/weight important? are you after a vintage look or something more modern? and, finally, do you have a budget range in mind?

[a.noctilux]

Simon,

 

Over decades long, I tried to "learn my stuff to do what I wanted it to deliver as result".

 

To be shorter, what lenses to be considered for M10 : all of them .

 

Well to be more precise on 28mm and 35mm : start with the one you can afford then see for another (not for better but different) as time goes by and your need/want changes.

Some suggestions : Leica Elmarit-M 28mm asph. or not , then Summarit-M in 35mm or Summaron as second choice or some kind of Summicron which need some pages to differenciate them all.

 

Take time to learn them may be the best advice I can give .

Edited August 25, 2018 by a.noctilux

[adan]

As Uliwer says, the M10 handles uncoded/uncodable 28s and 35s quite well. I am amazed at how little cyan vignetting I'm getting from an uncoded 28 Elmarit v.2 and 35mm v.2 (c. 1972/1970 vintage).

 

The 28 in a worst-case situation (white wall) reveals a little bit - see image - while I simply cannot see any with the 35. On the whole, the M10 shows less corner-cyan with a 28 than my M8 did (even with its cropping of the worst of the cyan corners), and much less than my M9 did with an uncoded 35mm Summilux pre-ASPH.

 

I wish I had realized that earlier - I traded away an uncoded 35mm v.4 for a coded 35mm 'cron ASPH (since traded for the v.2 lenses), when it turns out I probably needn't have worried.

 

YMMV, since the amount of cyan edge does vary with exact optical design, even with identical focal lengths (position of the exit pupil, etc.) A 28 Elmarit v.3 or v.4 may or may not behave the same as my v.2!

 

I don't know that I would necessarily recommend those particular 45-year-old v.2 lenses for everybody - they do have quite fuzzy corners until stopped down to f/5.6 or so. Fine for journalism, maybe not so good for landscapes. Assuming the avoidance of cyan edges without 6-bit is the same, the v.3 28mm Elmarit is an excellent lens (but big), and the v.4 is equal to the v.3, but more compact. Can't really give an opinion across the multiple 35mm versions over the years.

 

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[Stein K S]

The 35 cron IV, my first ever Leica lens, was basically On the shelf for a few years when I guess I suffered from some GAS. But now it holds a strong position on my M10 ;-). As someone else said ones in another thread: it really shines at 4.0.

Another newbee in my range of lenses which also quickly has become a favourite because of its nicer drawing is the 28 Elmarit v4.

[Letin]

I have a pair of V3. 35mm & 50mm summicrons for my film Ms. Also being used occasionally on the M10, excellent results and they are both tiny.

 

Together they cost me $2800 cad ~ $2100usd