Leica 28mm elmarit

[UltraDan]

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I have a 50mm summicron v5 that I’m considering either selling or swapping for a 28mm elmarit but if I decided to keep it what is a good alternative to the Leica 28mm? I’m looking for something rangefinder coupled - is voightlander the only option? I see many m42 or screw mount lenses on eBay, am I right to think these are not rangefinder coupled ? 
 

thanks in advance.

[pedaes]

4 minutes ago, UltraDan said:

is voightlander the only option?

Zeiss make some very nice 28's. As a generalisation with Zeiss, the 2.8's tend to be sharpest.

[UltraDan]

1 minute ago, pedaes said:

Zeiss make some very nice 28's. As a generalisation with Zeiss, the 2.8's tend to be sharpest.

Would they work with the ranger finder autofocus ? 

[a.noctilux]

Autofocus ?

8 minutes ago, UltraDan said:

Would they work with the ranger finder autofocus ? 

Which M do you use ?

[adan]

Voigtlander is not the only option - Zeiss also made an M-mount, RF coupled set of lenses (ZM collection) that includes one (not "some") 28mm Biogon f/2.8.

The Zeiss is very good - I can't quantify it against the Voigtlander options, since I haven't tried most of those.

Leica screw-mount is M39 - Leica and Nikon and Canon all made lenses in that mount that are 1) RF coupled and 2) easily adaptable to M mount.

The Leica rangefinder does not "autofocus" at all - with any lens. It focuses manually only.

Are you expecting to shoot on film or on digital? There are specific issues with wide-angle lenses (M or M39, <50mm) on digital that will change the conversation.

[UltraDan]

4 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

Autofocus ?

Which M do you use ?

M4-p 

[UltraDan]

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3 minutes ago, adan said:

Voigtlander is not the only option - Zeiss also made an M-mount, RF coupled set of lenses (ZM collection) that includes one (not "some") 28mm Biogon f/2.8.

The Zeiss is very good - I can't quantify it against the Voigtlander options, since I haven't tried most of those.

Leica screw-mount is M39 - Leica and Nikon and Canon all made lenses in that mount that are 1) RF coupled and 2) easily adaptable to M mount.

The Leica rangefinder does not "autofocus" at all - with any lens. It focuses manually only.

Are you expecting to shoot on film or on digital? There are specific issues with wide-angle lenses (M or M39, <50mm) on digital that will change the conversation.

Hi, thanks for this info and let me clarify : I have a Leica M4-p and a Leica summicron 50mm V5  (funnily enough Leica Uk featured a shot of it today on their Instagram page) so the body will be the m4-p. 

Could you specify what exactly I’d look for on eBay for instance.

Thanks,

Dan.

 

[Reini]

vor 5 Minuten schrieb UltraDan:

M4-p 

You need to look for lenses with an M mount. Leica M, Voigtländer M, Zeiss M, ... 7 Artisans M

[a.noctilux]

M4-P = no autofocus ...

for manual lens rangefinder coupling, you have thousands choices, maybe some dozen in 28mm M or LTM mount.

this 28mm Summaron-M is my favorite, now but there are out there so many better and cheaper 28mm in new or second hand.

[adan]

Good - on an M4-P you need not worry about the digital issues.

The following searches on da Bay work:

"Zeiss ZM 28mm"

"Nikkor 28mm screw-mount"

"Canon 28mm screw mount"

"Voigtlander 28mm Leica"

...and I forgot a couple of obvious, rangefinder-coupled, M-mount 28mm options from Minolta (1980s) and Konica (2000s) - these search terms should find them for you:

"Konica RF 28mm"

"Minolta CLE 28mm"

I've used the Minolta but not the Konica - the Minolta is good (not quite as good as its contemporary Leitz Elmarit-M v3). However, some examples have a problem with contrast-reducing speckles forming on the front element after 35-40 years - check carefully.

Edited February 17, 2020 by adan

[UltraDan]

14 minutes ago, adan said:

Good - on an M4-P you need not worry about the digital issues.

The following searches on da Bay work:

"Zeiss ZM 28mm"

"Nikkor 28mm screw-mount"

"Canon 28mm screw mount"

"Voigtlander 28mm Leica"

...and I forgot a couple of obvious, rangefinder-coupled, M-mount 28mm options from Minolta (1980s) and Konica (2000s) - these search terms should find them for you:

"Konica RF 28mm"

"Minolta CLE 28mm"

I've used the Minolta but not the Konica - the Minolta is good (not quite as good as its contemporary Leitz Elmarit-M v3). However, some examples have a problem with contrast-reducing speckles forming on the front element after 35-40 years - check carefully.

Thank you so much, this is very helpful indeed 👍🏻

[Reini]

I would not recommend screwing lenses with an adapter. Ok to experiment, or if you already have some.
Mostly the fonts and numbers are smaller, difficult to read, the handling is not as good, they are not as stable as M bayonets.

[Tom R]

1 hour ago, UltraDan said:

M4-p 

I've used a 28mm Elmarit on M4-P bodies for nearly 30 years with excellent results. I have never used any of the Zeiss or Minolta lenses, however. I even use that lens on an M8.2 (with the appropriate uv-ir filter) with excellent results, meaning that the rendering up and down the tonal scale is excellent.

T

[Reini]

I recently got an M4-P black with my favorite Elmarit 28mm lens. I haven't seen any photos yet, but the combination looks very good. 😁

[pedaes]

1 hour ago, adan said:

also made

If we want to play pedantic - they still make (a 28mm....)😀

[derleicaman]

I own the Leica 28/2.8 Elmarit ASPH and it is a wonderful lens. I sold my copy of the Zeiss 28/2.8 when I acquired it. I also own the Zeiss 25/2.8 Biogon ZM and it is an outstanding lens. I still have the CV 28/1.9 lens. I used it with my M9 and it was great with that camera. With film you should have no problems with it. It is larger than either the Zeiss 28 or the Leica 28/2.8 ASPH, so this would be the only knock on it. Original Leitz 28 Summaron is a bit of a crap shoot with finding a clean copy. It is a great lens, but the SM to M adapter can be a bit of a pain.

[ChicagoMatthew]

The Leica 28 2.8 Elmarit ASPH is an amazing little lens and they can be had for a really good price if you find out without a box or hood. I would try that before you start messing with adaptors. 

[lct]

Another vote for the current Elmarit-M 28/2.8 asph (order # 11677) or its earlier variant (11606). My second choice is the M-Rokkor 28/2.8 if you can find one with no white spots on the black coating of the rim (pic). It is even smaller than the Elmarit asph and will match your Summicron 50/2 v5 very well. It has less acutance than the Elmarit asph though.

 

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[farnz]

Another search to add to Adan's list above is for "Kobalux 28 mm" or "Avenon 28 mm" (the same lens marketed under different names) that is RF-coupled and available in both M-mount or M39 screw mount.  This is a tiny and very light lens, much smaller even than the tiny 28 Elmarit asph.

More left field would be the MS-Optical 28 mm Perar lens, which is RF-coupled, M-mount, and so small and flat it could be mistaken for a Leica body cap.

Pete.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[AndreasG]

I happen to own the Elmarit 2.8/28 V3 (Mandler design) for more than 30 years and the ASPH  2.8/28 first version, bought 2019 second hand. Both are great lenses which draw differently, the old version is a little warmer,  the ASPH has an amazing resolution, some people say it is too clinical, but I don't feel so. Meanwhile I prefer the ASPH version, not for the optical performance, but it is less bulky, size matters when you carry the camera in a pocket.

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Hmm, should remove the dust.....