What is you're favorite M-lens you have used and still using - tell me your love story! And what M-lens you least liked

[Gobert]

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I never liked the APO 75. I’ve sold it. It had nothing to do with the lens, which was perfect. I just never became friends with the focal length.

Edited November 28, 2021 by Gobert

[pippy]

For a long time my #1 lens was a 40mm f1.4 Voigtlander Nokton but, just recently, I picked up a '74 35mm Summilux and I'm almost 100% certain it will replace the 40 in the 'Favourite' stakes. Runner-up spots go to the v4 50mm Summicron and 28mm Elmarit asph v1.

I was about to type that I haven't disliked any M lens but then I remembered the 135mm f2.8 Elmarit I bought on the (well-) used market. I'm sure, optically, this lens is an impressive performer but, IMO, it was just far too big and far too heavy to lug around. Fortunately for me the example I received was faulty so it was duly returned and I felt like I had been given a 'Get out of Jail Free' card...

Philip.

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[Aryel]

My favourite is the 50 rigid. My first one came with my first Leica a m3. I sold it only to buy one in mint condition.  

The lens I hate the most is the Thambar. I never tried one, but it keeps telling me ‘buy me, buy me’ 😊!

Edited November 28, 2021 by Aryel

[Ouroboros]

Most used and all time overall favourite: 28mm summicron asph

Least liked and happily disposed of: late v4 Noctilux f1

[tom0511]

my one favorite m lens is the 50 APO, followed by the 28 Summilux. I have collected about 15 M lenses over the years, but in the end I could live with 28 and 50mm.

[Martin B]

One of my most currently used M lenses on different kind of Leica M film and digital cameras is the Cosina-Voigtlander 75/1.5 M-lens. I am normally not a tele lens shooter, but I have now used this lens more often than any of my 50 mm lenses! I love its painterly unique looking bokeh wider open, and its crisp sharpness throughout the frame when stopped down to f/4.0 to f/8.0, very flare resistant, too. Light weight, great price/quality ratio, and easily portable. Thumbs up here. 

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Leica M-E 240, Cosina-Voigtlander 75/1.5 M-lens at f/11

Leica M-E 240, Cosina-Voigtlander 75/1.5 M-lens at f/1.5

Second most often lens which provided me very unique images especially in close up distance on my M 240 camera is the TTArtisan 11/2.8 fisheye M-lens. It is not my first fisheye lens which I own, but I consider it one of my best I had so far. I can take so creative images with this lens - f/2.8 is an additional benefit this lens has for full-frame. Neither Cosina, nor Zeiss, nor Leica make a fisheye lens for M-cameras - the widest ones are all rectilinear ultrawide lenses. I am really glad that TTArtisan recognized this and released this kind of lens. I just sometimes wish it would go all down to 8 mm focal length to get a circular fisheye shot on full-frame. But 11 mm is mostly fine anyway to cover the scene as I visualize. Fantastic bang for the bucks with this lens. 

Leica M-E 240, TTArtisan 11/2.8 fisheye M-lens at f/4.0. The lens was only a few inches away from the center part of the rotor. 

The M-lens I only very rarely use is the Leica 135/4.5 Hektor lens. It is okay to use with film but not so much on my digital M camera. With digital, the lens has a very low contrast and needs some significant PP to make the image look right on the screen. Even with hood attached, the lens can flare quite a bit. 

[garysamson]

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Since 1972, I have used the following Lenses on film and digital M cameras:

50mm Summicron

35mm Summicron

28mm Elmarit

90mm Elmarit

35mm Biogon f2.0

21mm Voigtlander f1.8

75mm Voigtlander f1.8

50mm Voigtlander f1.5

50mm Voigtlander APO f2.0

50mm TTArtisans f0.95

My favorite lens to date is the 50mm Voigtlander APO f2.0 (see portrait of Maya below), followed by the 50mm Summicron and 75mm Voigtlander f1.8. My least favorite is the 50mm Voigtlander f1.5. 

 

 

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[Al Brown]

In spite of all my summiluxes atm my fav Wetzlar glass is the 40/2 summicron, made with the same optical double Gauss formula as the V2/V3 Summicron 35.

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[stephan54]

Most used is my Summilux 50asph. It ia simply a pleasure to use this lens. 

Followed by the Summicron 28v2 which renders like the 50. The Telyt 135 is my less used lens, although I like the rendering very much.

The Summarit 90 never worked on my M10 and I sold it.

[IkarusJohn]

In order (I really can't choose):

• 50 Summilux-M ASPH silver chrome
• 28 Summilux-M ASPH
• 75 Summilux-M
• 50 APO Summicron-M ASPH black chrome
• 50 Noctilux 0.95
• 28 Summaron-M
• 21 Summilux-M ASPH
• 35 Summilux-M pre-asph
• 50 Summitar-LTM

Shopping list (maybe) - 35 APO Summicron-M ASPH and 75 Noctilux-M

Sold - 35 Summicron-M ASPH; 35 Summilux-M ASPH (FLE) x 2; 75 APO Summicron-M ASPH; 90 APO Summicron-M ASPH; 28 Summicron-M ASPH v1; Zeiss Distagon 15/2.8 T*

Least used, no purpose POS 135 Elmar-M (unsaleable)

Edited November 28, 2021 by IkarusJohn

[ymc226]

1 hour ago, IkarusJohn said:

In order (I really can't choose):

• 50 Summilux-M ASPH silver chrome
• 28 Summilux-M ASPH
• 75 Summilux-M
• 50 APO Summicron-M ASPH black chrome
• 50 Noctilux 0.95
• 28 Summaron-M
• 21 Summilux-M ASPH
• 35 Summilux-M pre-asph
• 50 Summitar-LTM

Shopping list (maybe) - 35 APO Summicron-M ASPH and 75 Noctilux-M

Sold - 35 Summicron-M ASPH; 35 Summilux-M ASPH (FLE) x 2; 75 APO Summicron-M ASPH; 90 APO Summicron-M ASPH; 28 Summicron-M ASPH v1; Zeiss Distagon 15/2.8 T*

Least used, no purpose POS 135 Elmar-M (unsaleable)

John,

Why did you sell the 35 Summilux FLE twice?  I only have compared the 2 (ASPH pre FLE and FLE) via web pictures but get the impression that the OOF areas are more busy with the FLE which is a distinct negative for me.  

[IkarusJohn]

4 minutes ago, ymc226 said:

John,

Why did you sell the 35 Summilux FLE twice?  I only have compared the 2 (ASPH pre FLE and FLE) via web pictures but get the impression that the OOF areas are more busy with the FLE which is a distinct negative for me.  

I had a black FLE soon after it was released.  I found the out of focus areas just too busy, like you.  I sold it.  The M Edition 60 came with a lovely stainless steel FLE, and I gave it another try - still didn’t gel with it, so it went with the M60 as a set.

[Bangrossi]

Favourite: Summilux 35mm v2 pre-ASPH. Tiny and fast. Unique rendering wide open (leica glow) while still maintaining fine details, easy to focus, behaves like summicron when stop down, super sharp at f8, versatile focal length. The downside: it only can focus to 3 feet.

I only tried 4 leica lenses, all of them are great. So I don't have anything that I dislike.

 

[IkarusJohn]

17 minutes ago, Artin said:

I actually find the OTF on the FLE buttery smooth. I can’t see swirly 

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No, not swirly - that is the fingerprint of the f/1 Noctilux and the 50/2 Summitar.

Unlike your first image, with fine detail in the background and spectral highlights, the blur can be busy - you get an idea of it in your second image, along the line of the bedclothes and the edge of the door joinery; also the points to the left of your grand-daughter's shoulder.  If it were vegetation or other lots of detail, it can get too distracting.

Edited November 29, 2021 by IkarusJohn

[evikne]

Some years ago I purchased a 50mm Summilux-M pre-ASPH (E46) from a seller on eBay. It was 20 years old, but it looked like it was never removed from its box. I immediately fell in love. To me, it has the perfect mix of sharpness, gentle rendering, beautiful bokeh, size and weight. I recently gave it a CLA and 6-bit coding, because this is a lens I plan to keep for the rest of my life.

I've never really had an M lens I disliked, but all in all this is my favorite.

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[jaeger]

I sold everything above 50mm for the M system, I use Japanese made to handle 50+ telephotos which is a million times better in every aspect. 

Now, I only keep 24lux, 35lux ASPH, 50lux ASPH & 50 Summitar.  The 24 and 35 are very good in M.