Best M Mount Lens For M10-R?

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You’re right, I misspoke, the 35 FLE is a Summilux, not a Summicron. 

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13 hours ago, adan said:

I guess for me, this question poses the usual problem for such questions.

It amounts to "what one string would you use on your guitar?" Sorry, that's not how art functions.

If someone told me I could only have one M lens on any sensor, and it should be the best, or I would be shot, I would reply "50mm APO - sharpest, and M-sized. Now, shoot me anyway; I'd rather die than photograph that way!"

It also ignores the scientific fact that there is not some one best lens for a particular sensor resolution. Better sensors improve any lens, better lenses improve the performance of any sensor.

Or put more accurately, the better the lens, the less it degrades any sensor's absolute performance. And the better the sensor, the less it degrades any lens's performance

MTF of the system (sensor + lens) = MTF lens X MTF sensor. Since MTFs are always given as a percentage that implies "less than perfect" (i.e. less than, and usually a lot less than 100%) a given sensor can only degrade a lens's performance (and vice-versa). Lens MTF 75% x sensor MTF 90% = system MTF of 67.5% - worse than either alone).

I can reply that:

First Leica lens I bought and last I would sell: 21mm Elmarit pre-ASPH. Regardless of sensor quality, or color vs. monochrome.

My money focal length, with f/2.8 speed and 1980s Mandler color and contrast. I'd be just about willing to live (unhappily) with that alone. Then I'd try to find some shooting buddies with a 28 and a 35 and a 75 and a 135 - so's we could swap around welded lens/camera units. Nobody said anything about that - or swapping SD cards.

Unusual first lens for an m ?

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[jrp]

@adan is right. Why do you specify the M10R? I might have a favourite lens (I don’t, universally), but wouldn’t discard the others any more than I would make Sophie’s Choice. 

[adan]

21 hours ago, steve 1959 said:

Unusual first lens for an m ?

It may be, but 20/21mm is the focal length I've bought first in every system since 1978.

Drama and expressiveness sell - and selling my vision has allowed me to make photography my "day job" most of my life.

I'm a real amateur - I love photography so much I see no point in wasting 8 (or more) hours a day on other ways of supporting myself.

Maybe that's what's unusual.....

[scroy]

I'm waiting to 'find' my one lens for the M10R. I'm enjoying the process  🍸

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2 hours ago, adan said:

It may be, but 20/21mm is the focal length I've bought first in every system since 1978.

Drama and expressiveness sell - and selling my vision has allowed me to make photography my "day job" most of my life.

I'm a real amateur - I love photography so much I see no point in wasting 8 (or more) hours a day on other ways of supporting myself.

Maybe that's what's unusual.....

Good answer.

All those 8 hour shifts i could have saved if i had only got a 21mm lens!!!

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19 hours ago, jrp said:

@adan is right. Why do you specify the M10R? I might have a favourite lens (I don’t, universally), but wouldn’t discard the others any more than I would make Sophie’s Choice. 

My topic, my rules. 😉. I chose the M10R (or could similarly choose the new M10 Monochrome) due to its high resolution. As I’ve noted, I have an M10P and non-Leica M mount lenses so it’s not like I’m pushing personal favorites. There’s no need to get your knickers in a twist folks - either answer the question or move along, the secret Lens police won’t be knocking on your door. 

[jplomley]

Hey Chris, I've been shooting with he M10-R for three weeks now and have used the 21 SEM, 28 Cron Asph v2, 35 Lux FLE and 50 Lux Asph extensively. They have all performed brilliantly. For me, the print is the final score, and all these lenses deliver in spades at the 16x24 sizes I routinely print. Also, thanks to the 41 MP sensor, I'm now able to print at the native resolution of the Epson (360 ppi), and the increase in print detail is very noticeable over my previous M10, which forced me to print at 240 ppi for a similar print size. So my experience has been extremely positive with the M10-R. I will also add, that I'm able to shoot down to 1/30th hand-held without loss in image quality, something I was initially concerned about.

Edited September 27, 2020 by jplomley

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3 hours ago, jplomley said:

Hey Chris, I've been shooting with he M10-R for three weeks now and have used the 21 SEM, 28 Cron Asph v2, 35 Lux FLE and 50 Lux Asph extensively. They have all performed brilliantly. For me, the print is the final score, and all these lenses deliver in spades at the 16x24 sizes I routinely print. Also, thanks to the 41 MP sensor, I'm now able to print at the native resolution of the Epson (360 ppi), and the increase in print detail is very noticeable over my previous M10, which forced me to print at 240 ppi for a similar print size. So my experience has been extremely positive with the M10-R. I will also add, that I'm able to shoot down to 1/30th hand-held without loss in image quality, something I was initially concerned about.

That’s very good news all around!  I have an SL2 for high res and IBIS but I’m sorely tempted by the M Monochrome at 41MP. 

[DonnaW]

On 9/14/2020 at 9:08 PM, ChrisL said:

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

It's a personal choice.  If you are to have only 1 lens it must be either a 35mm or 50mm.  Mine has always been 50mm.  If money were no object I would also own a 75 or 90mm

[DonnaW]

On 9/14/2020 at 5:24 PM, 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. 

I am shooting with the m10 40mp with a 50mm leica summicron 2.0 and loving it

[pedaes]

53 minutes ago, DonnaW said:

50mm leica summicron 2.0

Which one - there are so many?

[DonnaW]

If money is an issue I have been using a Voigtlander 70mm which great results but I also have a Leica 50mm summicron 2.0.  Great lens

 

 

 

Edited May 31, 2021 by DonnaW

[Jeff S]

44 minutes ago, DonnaW said:

If money is an issue I have been using a Voigtlander 70mm which great results but I also have a Leica 50mm summicron 2.0.  Great lens

 

 

 

So, Donna, you thought about pedaes’ question for 8 months, but decided to avoid? 😁

Jeff

[hdmesa]

On 9/16/2020 at 6:15 PM, Tailwagger said:

50mm Summilux BC is magic on the 10-R. Never looked better. 

Same here, despite its weakness in the corners at infinity versus an APO like my CV 50. Ergonomics, build quality, tactile feel, etc. are often overlooked in these "one lens" hypothetical situations. If you're going to only have one lens, these things are hugely relevant. Focusing the 50 BC is dreamlike. Surface texture, focusing ring feel, etc. is wonderful. Even the simple act of attaching the 50 BC lens to the camera is sublime, what with the incredible feel of the metal-spike-grip texture around the base of the lens.

So if the question was, "Which one lens is most worthy of the M10-R/M10M resolution?", the answer is undoubtedly a Leica or CV APO offering. If the question is more broadly, "Which one lens would you rather use on the M10-R/M10M?", then for me the answer is the one lens that stays on my M10-R, and that's the 50 BC.