microview Posted July 21, 2007 Share #1 Posted July 21, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) For sentimental reasons (first film camera, 50+ years ago was a Zeiss Ikonta) I’m thinking of trying one of the Zeiss M-mount 50mm lenses on my Leica MP. I don’t need the extra stops but the f1.5 sounds interesting according to Zeiss’s own description as ‘artistic’. On the other hand it’s had indifferent reviews whereas the f2 has been described as ‘stellar’ in performance. Can someone advise on these two? MP I currently have the pre-aspheric f1.4 50mm Summilux which I find slightly heavy. I recently bought the CV 35mm Color-Skopar Pancake II and was impressed with its resolution. Also a delight to use, discreet and low in weight! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 21, 2007 Posted July 21, 2007 Hi microview, Take a look here Help with 50mm ZM choice. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
mmazariegos Posted July 22, 2007 Share #2 Posted July 22, 2007 Hi for zm lenses in the 50 mm range I can only speak of the sonnar, it has a beautiful bokeh rendition which is unique to this lens, also it may have issues with the focus shift correction up close at full aperture, to tell you the truth I have not noticed it in my photo probably because I dont use a tripod for those pics, but you either love it or you dont, otherwise the sonnar is a beautiful lens, I love mine, hope this helps, regards, Mario. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cnguyen Posted July 22, 2007 Share #3 Posted July 22, 2007 I have the 50mm f2 Planar for my M6TTL and M8. It's a beautiful lens and rivals my 50mm cron and lux. The bokeh from the Zeiss lens is the best. You get a softly rendered out of focus area much more so than the Cron. I have to say the Planar will give a more "romantic" look so have both. You cant go wrong with the Planar. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
microview Posted July 24, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted July 24, 2007 Thanks Mario and Charles: I ordered the Planar today from Robert White and it should be with me Wednesday! Since I posted my query I bought a 40mm VC Nokton to try as well! Best wishes, Christopher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve kessel Posted July 24, 2007 Share #5 Posted July 24, 2007 Thanks Mario and Charles: I ordered the Planar today from Robert White and it should be with me Wednesday! Since I posted my query I bought a 40mm VC Nokton to try as well! Best wishes, Christopher Hi Christopher I'm hoping to clinch a 40mm VC Nokton deal from the US once my Paypal account becomes activated. Also found the different accounts of the Zeiss and Leica 50mm's interesting. I am curious though why you've gone for a 40mm. In my case I'm a newcomer to film rangefinder photography - my only other lens is a 50 CV Heliar - and I'm intrigued by making just a small jump from 50mm. Best wishes Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
microview Posted July 24, 2007 Author Share #6 Posted July 24, 2007 Hmm, what excuse can I offer? The 40m on the Leica shows the 50mm frame lines, so it's more or less the complete viewfinder frame outer that you'd need for composition. I loved the Color-Skopar 35mm Pancake lens for its sharpness and low mass – I do find the 50mm Summilux a heavy beast, and for smilar reasons I sold both my 75mm and 90mm Leica lenses. I also found that Leicas are really better suited to the shorter focal length lenses. (For years I resisted anything remotely 'wide angle'.) The 35mm VC is f2.5 whereas the 40mm as you know extends up to f1.5. So I felt it had its uses. London has a very nice little shop for Nikon/Leica enthusiasts with decent trade-in allowances and brisk sales of unwanted mint product {Aperture – http://www.apertureuk.com} , and they've just taken on VC dealership. In short, that 40mm lens was a bit of an extravagance with them..... Christopher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve kessel Posted July 24, 2007 Share #7 Posted July 24, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) No excuse necessary. I also looked at a 40mm Nokton at Aperture. FWIW the one I hope to get is single coated, apparently lower contrast than the multi coat, especially suitable for black and white, it's claimed. We'll see. Enjoy. Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
microview Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share #8 Posted July 25, 2007 Steve One tip regarding the Nokton. Robert White have just delivered the Zeiss lens and its separate shade. The build quality of the Zeiss products is, I discover, considerably superior to CV's - their lens hoods are a sloppy fit. So if your deal for the Nokton doesn't include a hood may I strongly suggest you get a Zeiss hood instead (the one for the 50mm Planar lens is £53 from Robert White) which locks on with a satisfying click. Push in/rotate to release! Best wishes, Christopher Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve kessel Posted July 25, 2007 Share #9 Posted July 25, 2007 Christopher Yes, I've noticed on my 50 Heliar which is retractable that the hood slips about when one places the lens in the shooting position. Also the CV lens caps are a bit of a joke - they need to be almost dropped through the hood into position and then snapped on. Still I've been lucky enough to pick these items up all but brand new at very reasonable prices. As a newcomer to film, it's a bit like a kid's starter set. Would you have some kind of fairly neutral filter usually fitted to your lenses, as protection? Best wishes Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
microview Posted July 25, 2007 Author Share #10 Posted July 25, 2007 No, I haven't used any filters, although (again) Aperture kindly threw one in free when I bouth a 50mm pre-Asph Summilux three years ago. BTW lens cap on Zeiss is exactly the same as with CV. I know no-one likes them, but I am quite taken with them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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