LTM Lenses advice?

[Anbaric]

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1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

Thank you! For the size and weight of the Summitar I’d probably consider the collapsible summicron instead? Should offer better rendering, and it’s a bit lighter & smaller.

I just love the size of the Summar & Hektor and would be a perfect way to complement my Elmar 50mm. But yeah, Summitar / Summicrons can definitely be found in better shape and should provide more ‘modern’ rendering VS those two lenses from the 1930s. 

Sure. I was considering both the Summitar and collapsible Summicron, but happened to come across a nice Summitar first, coated but still with the 10 blade aperture. The Summicron reportedly has more contrast, sharper corners, and less idiosyncratic bokeh, but may be rather more expensive and perhaps harder to find in nice condition.

[cobbu2]

For longer lenses, the 90mm f/4 Elmar is a good performer, but my favorite is the Canon LTM 135mm f/3.5. Early examples were badged as Serenars, but that later changed to simply 135mm Canon Lens; either way, it’s superb.

[lct]

The Jupiter 85/2 is a great lens too. Soft at f/2 but plenty sharp above. Here at f/4 on digital:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Sony-A7r2-mod-Jupiter-852/i-Hj65vnR/0/5547c3c6/X4/DSC02317_si-X4.jpg

 

 

Edited August 5, 2021 by lct

[cp995]

My favorite LTM lens is the Color Heliar 2.5 75mm.
Damn sharp and with a bokeh, I never saw 'til today!

[IkarusJohn]

I have the 5cm/2 Summitar.  It’s collapsable, and has that weird swirly bokeh, much like the f/1 Noctilux, wide open and is tack sharp stopped down.

It was a pre-War design, continued into the early 1950s.  You need to check if it is coated (mine is) and the number of aperture blades.  It’s a nice lens, even on digital, and cheap by Leica standards.

[Ecar]

12 hours ago, Steven said:

What about the nikkor 35 f1.8 ltm ? 
quite rare, and expensive, but also quite small and quite fast …. 

Wonderful lens. Great in colour, but really sings in B&W IMO. The radioactive glass used may play a part. Think 8-element Summicron's broad tonal range with a bit more contrast and vignetting. No noticeable distortion.

Not THAT rare: about 1,500 made. It's the original lens hood that's hard to find (fortunately, there are alternatives).

The (less pricey and often overlooked) 35/2.5 and 35/3.5 are even smaller and also excellent performers.

[Ecar]

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42 minutes ago, Steven said:

Interesting Ecar. Thank you. 
I found a very mint copy of the lens from a vendor who is asking 3500 euros for it. I’m considering it as you and others are recommending the lens. 
In terms of size, is it much bigger than the  8e? And would you happen to know what size of filters does it take ? 
Many thanks 

Cheers 

Steven 

I don't have the lenses with me, but can post a side-by-side picture tonight.

Re filter, I *think* it's 43mm, but I'd need to check. 

[Matlock]

2 hours ago, Ecar said:

Wonderful lens. Great in colour, but really sings in B&W IMO. The radioactive glass used may play a part. Think 8-element Summicron's broad tonal range with a bit more contrast and vignetting. No noticeable distortion.

Not THAT rare: about 1,500 made. It's the original lens hood that's hard to find (fortunately, there are alternatives).

The (less pricey and often overlooked) 35/2.5 and 35/3.5 are even smaller and also excellent performers.

I have the 35/3.4 and it really is superb. 

[Matlock]

34 minutes ago, Steven said:

In that case, I think you should share with us your favorite photo OF the lens, and your   Favorite photo WITH the lens 😃 

Here is a photo of the lens mounted on my Leica IIId. Having just moved house I don't have access to shots taken with the lens at the moment ( I have only used it with film)

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[Guest JMF]

3 hours ago, Ecar said:

I don't have the lenses with me, but can post a side-by-side picture tonight.

Re filter, I *think* it's 43mm, but I'd need to check. 

Hello !

The W-Nikkor 3,5cm f1.8 has a filter size of 43mm and a minimum focussing distance of 1m .

Best 

JM

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Edited August 16, 2021 by JMF

[Ecar]

Thanks JM! Saves me some time 😉

[Martin B]

My favorite LTM lenses on my Leica IIIc are in this order:

1. Konica Minolta Super Rokkor Chiyoko 45/2.8 LTM lens (fits perfectly the size of the IIIc viewfinder window which is wider than 50 mm). 
2. Voigtlander 25/4.0 Snapshot Skopar LTM lens (not rangefinder coupled but you can never go wrong estimating focus with the available focus steps on this lens)
3. Canon Serenar 35/2.8 LTM lens (underrated gem in the LTM lens line, compact, vintage chrome lens look, very sharp and rich in contrast)
4. Leica 50/2.0 Summitar lens (circular bokeh at f/2.0 which I love with this lens. It came originally with my IIIc.)

Other favorite LTM lenses which I normally don't use on my IIIc:

+ Leica 50/1.5 Summarit LTM (always use it on my M3 with adapter due to better focus accuracy wide open, fantastic bokeh, lower contrast lens)
+ Canon 50/1.4 LTM, Japanese early Summilux  (always use it with my film/digital M and MLC cameras). 
+ Tanaka Tele-Tanar 135/3.5 LTM lens (my favorite 135 mm rangefinder lens, track sharp and contrasty wide open with beautiful smooth bokeh, unique lens body design. I normally don't use tele lenses on my IIIc body - just personal preference). Got this lens for $40 in excellent used condition in a local camera store. Still amazed how good this lens performs even on digital!

If it comes to LTM lenses, I recommend looking for good deals of lenses with good price/quality range. I find many of them in general quite overpriced currently. Best deals can be found for non Leica brand LTM lenses from Japanese manufacturers (but Nikkor LTM lenses in good condition are hard to find and also go for high prices normally). A sweet spot seem to be f/2.8 and f/3.5 LTM lenses since they are less hyped up. 

Edited August 16, 2021 by Martin B

[shirubadanieru]

Thanks everyone these are great lenses being shared here.

FYI my current collection is:

• Summar 50mm f2 (apparently not as sharp as the Summitar but I’ve been enjoying it a lot; also it comes in nickel and is smaller/lighter :p)
• Elmar 50mm f3.5 red scale (just a super reliable performer and tiny)
• Elmar 35mm f3.5 (still testing it and waiting for the results as I recently acquired it; love the size, and it also comes in nickel)
• UC-Hexanon 35mm f2 (love the rendering but thinking about selling it to keep it a collection of 1930~50s Leica) FYI @Steven this is a remake of the Nikkor f1.8 but can focus to 0.9m, it’s black paint, lighter and also smaller, and of course it has the UC coatings which are even better than Leica’s coatings. I had the Nikkor before but preferred the Hexanon.

I have also tried:

• Nikkor 28mm f3.5 (it was great, should’ve kept it but not a 28mm shooter…so between it and a 35mm I tend to always grab the 25)
• Hektor 28mm f6.3 (same as above, love this lens but decided not to keep it due to focal length; should be a great lens to match with the Monochrom though)
• Summaron 3.5cm f3.5 (sold it to get the elmar instead due to the smaller size and to the fact I always wanted to try the elmar)

I would like to try (if you have any thoughts on these lenses please share):

• Summicron collapsible 50mm (smaller than Summitar and also lighter, and should be the best performer? Given I have two Summars (one nickel, one chrome) I’m considering selling the chrome one for the Summicron)
• Elmar 50mm f3.5 Nickel (just curious if it’s different from the Red scale one and if so, in what way; there are a lot of nickel ones available so could be good to have and/or replace the red scale with this one)
• Nikkor 35mm f2.5 (Hard to find but I’ve read good things about it so would like to give it a try)

The Barnack world is fun! Lots to explore and try, and I just love the size. I am also not interested in large lenses, so the smaller the better, that’s why I love the Elmars so much. 

[tommonego@gmail.com]

Just to add a couple of lenses, the 25mm Canon f3.5 and Nikkor f4. Both are very nice small lenses. I sold the Nikkor when I sold my IIIc, then missed the focal length and bought the Canon. From the Canon on my M3:

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Edited August 18, 2021 by tommonego@gmail.com