Your favorite Leica vintage lenses?

[evikne]

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I have four Mandler lenses, and I love them all equally. It is impossible for me to choose one over another:

• 35mm Summilux pre-ASPH v.2
• 50mm Summilux pre-ASPH v.3 (E46)
• 50mm Noctilux f/1.0 v.2
• 75mm Summilux v.2

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[Ernstk]

35 mm Summilux pre and 21/2.8 Elmarit M

Ernst

[james.liam]

How is “vintage” defined here?

[shirubadanieru]

However you want James, anything goes as long as it’s not ASPH : ) 

interesting to see no love for the summicron 35mm 8 elements, which is my favorite one. A lot of people seem to like the summilux 35mm pre ASPH, I do like it to but I find 1m minimum focus too limiting on a 35mm lens (If it’s 50mm I’m fine with it though)

Edited December 18, 2019 by shirubadanieru

[farnz]

5 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

However you want James, anything goes as long as it’s not ASPH

So ... that includes, for example, the 50/2 Summicron v5 that is still on sale new?

... And excludes the 35/1.4 Summilux ASPHERICAL (not to be confused with the 35/1.4 Summilux asph or 35/1.4 Summilux asph (FLE)) and the 50/1.2 Noctilux 'double aspherical')?

Perhaps a different definition might be more appropriate?

Pete.

[james.liam]

1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

However you want James, anything goes as long as it’s not ASPH : ) 

My Zeiss 2,8/35 isn’t aspherical. It’s a 2008 design. Hardly call that vintage. Is the new 28 Summaron, a copy of the 1950’s original, vintage then? How about the Thambar redux? Or the 75 Summilux that went out of production in 2007?

Pick a year where everything pre-dating is vintage. Say, 1955 or 1960 for example. 

Edited December 18, 2019 by james.liam

[shirubadanieru]

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I worry more about the rendering (classic vs modern), that's why I said non-asph. 50mm V5 though you are right, it's not ASPH but quite modern design; summaron 28 it's new but it's a classic rendering (I actually have it and love it). I'm thinking more about like what I said in my original post, anything from the 1940~90s would be vintage so anything released within that time frame, ideally closer to the 1940~60s as that's the golden age of Leica).

Edited December 18, 2019 by shirubadanieru

[a.noctilux]

What I had learned (still learning yet 😉) is ...

- there is no lens with classic/vintage rendering which can handle all kind of photography,

some styles need "precision" and other styles need "rounder/character" of the used lens and camera

- the date of release of the lens has little to do with their global rendering

I see almost same "global rendering" with my two "best couple of 50mm" (for some years, on film, ...not now) : Summilux-M (release date "II" 1962-63) and Noctilux 1.0 (1975-1976)

Dr. Mandler lenses as said Evikne above (as your lovely 35mm Cron 'I' , 1958 ...this one is not for me "same rendering" as the former two 50mm)

- good news for me, Summarit-M lenses line can do most of "classic rendering" and "modern" when closed down ,

you may try them to make your own opinion

 

 

Edited December 18, 2019 by a.noctilux

[shirubadanieru]

@a.noctilux I just found a summarit 50 f2.5 and bought it, gonna give it a try : ) was debating getting this or Elmar-m 50, but going to try summarit first (I like the 2.5 lens design too, looks like the 8 elements)

[a.noctilux]

4 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

@a.noctilux I just found a summarit 50 f2.5 and bought it, gonna give it a try : ) was debating getting this or Elmar-m 50, but going to try summarit first (I like the 2.5 lens design too, looks like the 8 elements)

Good move 😉

I had the compact Elmar-M 2.8/50 that I used for long liking it's compactness.

When I purchased the 2.5/50 Summarit-M , using it a while, I trade-in the Elmar-M (the hexagon aperture always bothered me with contre-jour situation) for other gear.

Summarit-M 2.5/50 is compact (without hood) and without needing to collapse/uncollapse and the more aperture blades "rounder opening" makes wonder in light spots.