Leica Summicron 40mm f2 - advice.

[erniethemilk]

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I keep hearing good things about the Leica 40mm f2 Summicron. (also read Minolta Rokkor option). 
 

Just wondering if it’s as good as the reviews appear to be. Currently have a Nokton 35mm 1.4 & a 50mm 1.2 Nokton. The 50mm is a great lens but quite big and the 35 1.4 is a bit of a so and so for vignetting.

Wondering if the 40mm f2 would cut the mustard on my M6/M10 combination. 

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[jdlaing]

It’s a wonderful little lens.

[mdemeyer]

There is a thread on this lens with plenty of examples.  It’s good at 2.0 and very good from 2.8 on.  

[Del-Uks]

The Minolta M-Rokkor "Summikkor" 40mm f/2.0 version II (CLE) is a better option if your looking for a Summicron 40mm : better lens treatment, more common 40.5mm Ø filter thread and much cheaper on the second hand market. 

I own many lenses including Summiluxes and Noctiluxes... the Rokkor is the most used one in my arsenal. A lovely little gem !

[lct]

Beware that the settings of your M6's and M10's VF are not the same so that 40mm lenses might fit a different way on those bodies. Fits well the 35mm frame lines of my M4-2 and M6J for instance but not those of my M6.2 and M240. Matter of tastes as i understand it but you may wish to try the lens on your own bodies before deciding. Otherwise you know that the Leica 40/2 has a sloping focus cam i guess. Never been a problem for me but i second Del-Uks' advice about the Rokkor for Minolta CLE (not CL) which has a regular focus cam and a slightly better resistance to flare than the Leica's. Otherwise the rendering of those lenses is similar to that of Summicron's 35/2 from the same period which are more expensive but have no compatibility problems with the frame lines of rangefinders. FWIW.

[adan]

The 40mm Summicron-C (or Minolta equivalent) is actually slightly better than its contemporary 35 Summicron-Ms (v. 2/3), although it depends on which part of the picture one looks at. Less vignetting than those 35s - or more accurately, it shows the same vignetting as a 35mm cropped to a 40mm field of view, thus removing the darkest parts of the corners.

It will definitely outperform the C/V Nokton 35 f/1.4, especially in the outer areas of the picture, until f/8 or so (the Nokton might be ever-so-slightly sharper right in the center at f/2).

The only real issues to consider are practicalities: no 40mm framelines exist in M cameras, and it is not covered by Leica's 6-bit coding system for a digital body (e.g. M10) nor by the camera lens-selection menu list.

The latter won't affect image quality though - the 40mm doesn't show any color drifts or digital vignetting with the M10's new microlenses. It just means you'll never see EXIF data identifying the 40mm focal length.

As to the framelines - an original 40 will bring up 50mm framelines, which means you'll have to mentally add about 10% of coverage all around to what the viewfinder shows you. Or get a C/V 40mm external finder, which is kind of a pain for a "near-normal" lens  - or crop all your shots to get the "50mm" picture you saw framed in the finder.

Some people file down the appropriate lens flange to get and use an M's 35mm framelines. Which frankly I consider a better match and would do myself. But it does mean the lens is no longer "original" and may be harder to sell to a collector or Leica CL/Minolta CLE owner.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

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I had Minolta Rokkor CLE MC second version. It was very small lens for f2 aperture.

I used it for few months and sold it. I didn't find 40 to be useful focal length. Rendering was OK, nothing special with bokeh kind of OK. The focus ring was not modern Leica quality. Even after I installed completely new focus helicoids (here is three of them in this version of this lens). 

I'm still finking of small and fast lens and Nokton 35 1.4 II seems to be better choice. Despite odd bokeh.

Color Skopar 35 2.5 PII beats them all for the size. It is neutral bokeh lens. It is very small lens with 39mm filter size.

Edited December 23, 2019 by Ko.Fe.

[lct]

1 hour ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Color Skopar 35 2.5 PII beats them all for the size. It is neutral bokeh lens.

Matter of tastes. Not mine at all i must say but i have no experience with this lens on film.

[Ko.Fe.]

2 hours ago, lct said:

Matter of tastes. Not mine at all i must say but i have no experience with this lens on film.

I had this lens on film and on M8. On M8 it was not any different from Summarit-M 35 2.5. On bw film it is kind of flat. Color - fine.

[Frase]

I had one for a while used it on my M9, filed the mount so it would bring up the 35mm frame lines changed the focusing Knob to a standard Leica one, mine was the Leica version which even though strange filter pitch you can still get a standard filter screwed on a couple of threads. These lenses are climbing in price all the time used to be a a bargain but not so much now.

[g2van]

I have the Minolta version 2, filed down for the 35mm frameline. Wonderful lens. Sharp, contrasty, easy to use and not too modern in look. 

Perfect for travel to solve the 35 or 50mm conundrum. 

Personally I wouldn't worry about "resale value" if you want to file it for 35 framelines - it's never going to be a 35AA; it will always be a few hundred$ lens.

Thought it might seem too close for you to have both a 40 and 50 lens together. That's what I found, so I used the 40 for a trek which needed a really small and light lens but now I've sold it because it's served its purpose very well. Any regular travel or trek I can use a 35FLE. 

Here's an example of the Minolta 40 wide open:

 

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[erniethemilk]

Just to dig this thread back out, thanks for all the responses. 
I’ve just had delivery of a Summicron 40mm which on first impressions looks very promising. 

[jakontil]

I have the minolta’s latesr edition without the QF code at the front ring

 

i must say this is the smallest and lightest f2 40mm lens and definitely my go around lens should i only carry one 

[84bravo]

I have the Minolta 40mm f2 on my M8 and it's a fine lens. It's almost identical in image quality to the 35mm Summicron (V 2/3), however it does flare much more. I filed the mount to bring up the 35mm frame lines and it seems to frame perfectly on the M8 that way.

I find the Rokkor to be a better value than the same Leica lens. They are identical except for the filter threads. The Rokkor is more user friendly because it has a common 40.5 mm filter thread. It is also cheaper since it doesn't say Leica.

[jakontil]

The rokkor comes in 2 editions, with the letter believed to have better flare resistant 

to identify which edition is which, was from a qf code in the front element lens as well as the SN been moved to the focus barrels

[lct]

1 hour ago, jakontil said:

to identify which edition is which, was from a qf code in the front element lens as well as the SN been moved to the focus barrels

True for the serial number but not necessarily so fo the QF code. See the two v1 copies below. Another way to recognize the two versions of the lens is the shape of the focus knob: round on v1 and rectangular on v2. FWIW.

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Edited January 25, 2020 by lct

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On 12/23/2019 at 4:21 PM, Ko.Fe. said:

I had Minolta Rokkor CLE MC second version. It was very small lens for f2 aperture.

I used it for few months and sold it. I didn't find 40 to be useful focal length. Rendering was OK, nothing special with bokeh kind of OK. The focus ring was not modern Leica quality. Even after I installed completely new focus helicoids (here is three of them in this version of this lens). 

I'm still finking of small and fast lens and Nokton 35 1.4 II seems to be better choice. Despite odd bokeh.

Color Skopar 35 2.5 PII beats them all for the size. It is neutral bokeh lens. It is very small lens with 39mm filter size.

Off topic i know but you once put a link on here of a female possibly russian photographer who took black and white pics with leica and other cameras.

The pics had a very distinctive style and were often blurry and grainy but they were fine pictures.

Trouble i have lost the photographers page so if you remember or still know who the photographer was please let me know.

[Ko.Fe.]

11 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

Off topic i know but you once put a link on here of a female possibly russian photographer who took black and white pics with leica and other cameras.

The pics had a very distinctive style and were often blurry and grainy but they were fine pictures.

Trouble i have lost the photographers page so if you remember or still know who the photographer was please let me know.

https://anna-sush.photographer.ru

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11 hours ago, Ko.Fe. said:

https://anna-sush.photographer.ru

Thats her! thanks very much

[andym91]

I’ve used the 40mm on my CL for over 10 years and it remains my favorite Leica lens.

the FOV is perfect for me, between 35&50.

the sharpness is at least as good as the 35 Cron and the contrast better.

Site and weight balance perfectly on the CL or M2/3/4/6.

if there is one lens I’d never sell it’s this one 👍

just my personal opinion of course.

 

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