Best M Mount Lens For M10-R?

[Guest]

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This is sure to stir up some 🔥 and I apologize In advance if it’s redundant, but I see so many posts by folks insisting that they only shoot with one lens on their M. So, if you could only have one M mount lens permanently affixed to your high resolution M10-R, which was your only camera, and price was no object, what would that lens be (doesn’t have to be a Leica, but I’m guessing it will be)?  Would your answer change if you were shooting a 40MP Monochrome?  I’m Seriously interested in the response from this group.  Thanks. 

[Guest]

The lenses you already have.

[Guest]

13 minutes ago, steve 1959 said:

The lenses you already have.

OK, of course, but now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s try to answer the question shall we?  I’m actually interested in the opinions of this group on the topic. 

[Guest]

52 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

OK, of course, but now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s try to answer the question shall we?  I’m actually interested in the opinions of this group on the topic. 

With respect i see it like this.

I love my zeiss 35mm f1.4 distagon and zeiss 25mm f2.8 biogon,the only other lens i use is the leica 90mm tele-elmarit thin which is a lovely mandler lens and if the postman by mistake delivered an M10R i would be happily using those lenses with that camera.

If you mean which modern lenses can best showcase the extra resolution then that would mean a handful of leica lenses and certainly my zeiss distagon but i would not swap my zeiss 25mm for any leica 24mm lens.

So for me the honest answer is the lenses i already have.

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, steve 1959 said:

 

If you mean...

Please see below for what I mean.

 

Edited September 14, 2020 by ChrisL

[pippy]

A circa 1975 Black Paint Jupiter-12.

It has the perfect melange of Mandler Magic and pre-war Biogon Bokeh.

P.

[Guest]

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I only specified the type of M because I'm interested if the greater resolution of the M10-R effects the choice, same if its a Monochrome or not (chromatic aberration not being an issue with B&W for example).  I've owned and own many Leica lenses, but for my M10 (24 MP) I don't currently own any.  For the record for that camera I currently own: 

• Zeiss 50mm f/2.0 T Planar, ZM Lens
• Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f/1.2 Aspherical III VM Lens
• Voigtlander Nokton 75mm f/1.5 Aspherical VM Lens

I'm not looking for validation of my choices.  I'm genuinely  interested in what folks consider to be the perfect (or close to perfect) universal prime M lens by focal length, speed, make and model.  If it's a 35mm Summicron Asph. FLE, so be it (and I suspect it may be).  

Edited September 14, 2020 by ChrisL

[a.noctilux]

9 minutes ago, pippy said:

A circa 1975 Black Paint Jupiter-12.

It has the perfect melange of Mandler Magic and pre-war Biogon Bokeh.

P.

Those Jupiter are incomparable lenses, indeed.

One of Sonnar ...Jupiter 3 (some severe scratches on some lenses) or Jupiter 8 (focus not smooth, a bit of grease on iris) could be my choice.

I can't make my decision yet.

Edited September 14, 2020 by a.noctilux

[BradS]

39 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

....(chromatic aberration not being an issue with B&W for example).....

chromatic aberration is a property of the lens not of the sensor.  Granted the effect will, obviously, manifest differently on color media than on B&W media but it doesn't simply go away because the camera is loaded with B&W film. .

[rpittal]

I am sure you will hear folks asking what you want to shoot or what are your favorite focal lengths, etc. 

My favorite high resolution lenses (ignoring any "character" aspects, re the Jupiters):

21: Leica SEM

28: Leica 28/1.4 Lux

35: Zeiss 35/1.4 Distagon

50: Leica 50/2 Apo

75: new Leica 75/1.25 Noct

For a single lens, I assume you would want something in the 28 to 50mm range.

Besides the list above, you may want to consider something dual purpose (character wide open but sharp enough closed down), such as sumicrons 35/2 eight element and 50/2 rigid, or sumiluxes 21/1.4 and 75/1.4. This is where you will get a thousand suggestions and why some folks have way too many lenses!

[james.liam]

The highest resolving lenses available today have been mentioned above & I'll add one or two:

-21 SEM

-1,4/35 Zeiss 

-50 Summicron APO

-75 Noctilux

-90 Noctilux

If it is your plan to make 6' prints or need files for deep cropping, these are at the top of the heap.

[Kwesi]

3 hours ago, ChrisL said:

This is sure to stir up some 🔥 and I apologize In advance if it’s redundant, but I see so many posts by folks insisting that they only shoot with one lens on their M. So, if you could only have one M mount lens permanently affixed to your high resolution M10-R, which was your only camera, and price was no object, what would that lens be (doesn’t have to be a Leica, but I’m guessing it will be)?  Would your answer change if you were shooting a 40MP Monochrome?  I’m Seriously interested in the response from this group.  Thanks. 

A 25% increase in resolution, while meaningful, is not significant enough to embark on a quest for the highest resolving M lens.

[james.liam]

Reading Sean Reid's review, there's more to the R than strictly higher resolution. 

Edited September 15, 2020 by james.liam

[Guest]

3 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

The lenses you already have.

OK, of course, but now we’ve got that out of the way, let’s try to answer the question shall we?  I’m actually interested in the opinions of this group on the topic. 

[Guest]

9 or so replies, only one person tried to answer the question as posed. Can’t we do better?

[Guest]

14 minutes ago, ChrisL said:

9 or so replies, only one person tried to answer the question as posed. Can’t we do better?

Two posters put a list of highly respected sharp lenses on this thread so what more do you want?

Its all hype anyway is not?

 

[LeicaR10]

ChrisL,  I understand your intended question in your initial post.  Many photographers will give you many opinions.  It gets down to your intended genre of photographs you wish to create.  If you shoot mostly landscapes, a 24mm Elmar f/3/8 would be the highest resolving lens, edge to edge sharpness, near flat field curvature, excellent color and contrast, minimal to no aberrations.  If you photograph people, some landscapes etc and all around lens; the 50mm APO Summicron-M might be an answer to your question.  If other factors come into question like money...then for instance a 50mm Summarit-M f/2.4 would be excellent.  If you are looking for rendering, that opens up further opinions.  I know you would like better replies, but you will find the more parameters you offer the forum, the better the responses.  Hope this helps.  r/ Mark

Edited September 15, 2020 by LeicaR10

[tobey bilek]

50 2.0 APO.  One lens.

50 2.8 Elmar M if can not afford APO

 

[FrozenInTime]

I’ve been running my M10M and M10 almost exclusively with the Nokton 40/1.2; so much so that I now have one lens per body.Very happy. M10-R would not change this.  

Maybe not the ultimate super resolution technical lens, but has great rendering wide open and is sharp enough for me stopped down with no glaring geometric issues.
Not being torn between do I take a 35 or take a 50 or both is liberating ... or is it just laziness 😉

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Guest]

33 minutes ago, FrozenInTime said:

I’ve been running my M10M and M10 almost exclusively with the Nokton 40/1.2; so much so that I now have one lens per body.Very happy. M10-R would not change this.  

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I’d read great things about that lens but was concerned that, since I only use the optical viewfinder, that I wouldn’t like this tweener focal length that doesn’t align with the VF framelines. I take it you don’t have an issue with that.