What adapted "fast" 35mm and 50mm prime lens are you now using and liking?

[Docderm]

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I love the original lenses issued with the S cameras. They are all excellent.

However......there are a few drawbacks that I want to solve.

a) Too heavy: the 50mm F1.4 lens is stellar quality, but you pay the price in weight of the lens. I just can't see carrying around on a routine basis. Just for special projects.

b) Too "slow": the 24-105mm is wonderful but only opens to F4. What happens when you want to isolate your subject from the background by shooting at a very open F stop like F1.4 or F2?

So...it is time to use some faster and lighter Leica M compatible lenses and an adapter ring Leica M to Leica L mount to connect them to the L-mount camera.

Yes....these will be manual focus only and no lens data will be transferred to the images. This means the following consequences:

a) The meta data on the image will be blank for name of lens and focal length of lens and F stop used in the image.

b) You will have to tell the camera what is the focal length of the adapted manual lens. This is not a problem. As soon as you turn on the camera it will query you to choose the correct focal length for the adapted lens. The camera needs this information in order to correctly implement image stabilization.

So....after a long winded intro, what 35mm and 50mm leica M compatible lenses do you like? Can you share some images taken?

(and yes...sorry...I first posted this by error in the SL topic forum, but can't figure out how to move it from there to here)

Thanks!

[tom0511]

If I adapt a prime than usually when light is low and the primes are too slow. So I sometimes use the 35/1.4 FLE.

If I would buy new and wanted MF lenses for the S1(r) I would probably go for the CV 35/1.2. In regards of 50mm I prefer to have a lens with AF.

 

[FlashGordonPhotography]

I don't have samples as I'm heading from home for a couple of weeks.

I'm taking my SL50 with me AND my CV Nokton 50mm 1.2VM. Great lens. Works really well on the S1R. I've coded it with a sharpie so the focal length shows up in the exif.

Gordon

[Ronald Weissman]

Canon's 50mm L f1.2 works well with the Sigma MC-21 adapter.  I used it today on an SR-1. Particularly good for people/portraits and is relatively inexpensive and a number can be found on the used market as this is an older lens. The Sigma 35mm f1.4 ART also works well, but is not as stupendous as the new 35mm native SL lens from Leica, but that one is very expensive.

[grahamhoey]

I have the Leica R 50mm Summilux. I haven’t tried it on my S1R but did use it regularly on my SL with great results. With the adapter it isn’t light but nowhere near as heavy as the SL 50mm. 

[Joakim]

You of course also have the Zeiss classic and Milvus line for Nikon and Canon mount which contains some really fine manual focus lenses that probably delivers at least as good or better IQ than M lenses, at least at 35mm.

 

[Nicky Scali]

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I am finding both the Canon 50mm 1.2L and 35mm 1.4L using the MC-21 adapter excellent.

The autofocus is not super fast but I find by switching camera to MF mode, then use back button AF gives you the best of both worlds.

The EVF is so good (as well as the peaking) that it don’t find it necessary to zoom in when focusing.

[caissa]

Here are a lot of users which are afraid of too much weight, so my suggestion will probably not be welcome. I suggest using the Summilux-R 35. It is a substantial lens. It is not apo corrected. But the rendering is “nice” (really the Leica look). I like it and it is the reason I will not wait for the SL35. (Rather for the Summicron-SL 28, because there is no R equivalent.)

I like it much better than adapting any non-Leica f 1.1 , 1.2 or 1.4  35mm or 50mm lens (even if they are maybe lighter and just as sharp). I have to repeat the same old phrase: If I have a Leica camera, why should I be satisfied with using non-Leica lenses. The lenses are what makes Leica Leica. For me this is valid year after year (it is not simply about being the “sharpest” lens. All lenses are today much sharper than 25 years ago. See e.g. Sigma Art.)

If sharpness is the main concern, simply wait for the Sigma prime lenses in L-mount. You will get nothing sharper at a comparable price.

Edited May 18, 2019 by caissa