Any 50 mm lenses to compliment the 50 Elmar-m

[elixxir]

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I've been using the 50 Elmar-M for almost a year with my M6 as my only lens for M format and I really love its rendering.

The rigid Summicron is really an interesting lens but I couldn't find one in a good condition and the price is going up like crazy these day so it's not my option

I mainly shoot portrait and some street photography

Currently,I'm interested in 50 Summilux BC(I heard the rendering is sharper and more deep in red to the normal one) and new LLL Elcan

Btw,sorry for my bad English

[lct]

Welcome to the forum . I must own a dozen 50mm M lenses but none of them match perfectly the Elmar-M 50/2.8 how i feel it. It is my favorite 50mm lens ever but this is highly subjective given that i prefer it to the Summicron 50/2 apo so take what i say with a lump of salt. The 50mm lens i use the most to complement the Elmar-M is the C Sonnar 50/1.5 followed by the Summilux-M 50/1.4 asph. I have no experience with the "BC" though.

Edited October 28, 2021 by lct

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[a.noctilux]

I need not to complement my loved Elmar-M 2.8/50 (sold).

 

I replaced it with Summarit-M 2.5/50, no need to fold/unfold anymore, almost as compact and more pleasing (just my taste)

light spots ( the former hexagon shapes, closed down Elmar-M was no-no for me).

Edited October 28, 2021 by a.noctilux

[elixxir]

1 hour ago, lct said:

Welcome to the forum . I must own a dozen 50mm M lenses but none of them match perfectly the Elmar-M 50/2.8 how i feel it. It is my favorite 50mm lens ever but this is highly subjective given that i prefer it to the Summicron 50/2 apo so take what i say with a lump of salt. The 50mm lens i use the most to complement the Elmar-M is the C Sonnar 50/1.5 followed by the Summilux-M 50/1.4 asph. I have no experience with the "BC" though.

 

46 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

I need not to complement my loved Elmar-M 2.8/50 (sold).

 

I replaced it with Summarit-M 2.5/50, no need to fold/unfold anymore, almost as compact and more pleasing (just my taste)

light spots ( the former hexagon shapes, closed down Elmar-M was no-no for me).

Thank you for your replies!!

 

[Jean-Michel]

Hi,

I never had the opportunity to use a 50 mm Elmar, but have used a "rigid' since 1968 and more recently the current Summicron. Yes, there are differences between lenses, however, especially for film cameras the results you will achieve will depend more, much more, on the type of films you use (b&w, colour neg, transparencies), any filtration used for b&w, film processing, and printing. How large are your prints? By all means, if you have the means, get a different 50 mm but you will not likely go about changing lenses during a photo session.

[elixxir]

7 minutes ago, Jean-Michel said:

Hi,

I never had the opportunity to use a 50 mm Elmar, but have used a "rigid' since 1968 and more recently the current Summicron. Yes, there are differences between lenses, however, especially for film cameras the results you will achieve will depend more, much more, on the type of films you use (b&w, colour neg, transparencies), any filtration used for b&w, film processing, and printing. How large are your prints? By all means, if you have the means, get a different 50 mm but you will not likely go about changing lenses during a photo session.

Thank you for your reply,

I shoot B,W most of the time for my personal works(TriX,Hp5)

For color,I only use Portra400 for its versatility and good skin-tone and hardly use slide films,since I can’t develop by myself 😂

I most likely won’t change my lens during the session,since my m6 is actually an extra camera to my M digital which has a 35 cron ASPH permanantly attached on 🤣

The compliment I have mentioned are regarded to the look that lenses render,extra stops(which most of the time I haven’t used much),and so on.

I’ve been using these 2 mentioned lenses for quite a long time so I need a different “experience”

[elixxir]

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From the first post,The 50 Elmar-M is only lens for “analog M”.

The 35 cron asph has too much modern looks to my liking in B&W films 

[a.noctilux]

@elixxir,

your discovery journey can begin, then.

Curious for decades, I've purchased when I can one by one new lens to 'discover', with pleasure.

Your next 50mm can be whatever lens to discover, then if it does what you want, keep it, if not just sell.

Selling a Leica (or M/LTM mount) can be the price to pay (very small amount in general) for discovery.

Summicron 50mm come with different flavors,

- "I" collapsible can be the most difficult to accept it's lovely 'softness' wide open.

 

- "II" or Rigid/DR ( I use many of these ) can be a good challenger to Elmar-M

 

- " III" my prefered as first Leica lens I bought, so long ago, and I never use another Summicron "III", strange

in this forum Wiki, this is called "II", https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Summicron_(II)_f%3D_5_cm_1:2

 

- "IV/V" with same optical in many types of mechanics to discover ( I use two very nice chrome models I keep after a dozen in black )

 

- and so on ...

...

then you have so many 50mm Summilux-M to try out 😉

 

Edited October 28, 2021 by a.noctilux

[elixxir]

13 minutes ago, a.noctilux said:

@elixxir,

your discovery journey can begin, then.

Curious for decades, I've purchased when I can one by one new lens to 'discover', with pleasure.

Your next 50mm can be whatever lens to discover, then if it does what you want, keep it, if not just sell.

Selling a Leica (or M/LTM mount) can be the price to pay (very small amount in general) for discovery.

Summicron 50mm come with different flavors,

- "I" collapsible can be the most difficult to accept it's lovely 'softness' wide open.

 

- "II" or Rigid/DR ( I use many of these ) can be a good challenger to Elmar-M

 

- " III" my prefered as first Leica lens I bought, so long ago, and I never use another Summicron "III", strange

in this forum Wiki, this is called "II", https://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-wiki.en/index.php/Summicron_(II)_f%3D_5_cm_1:2

 

- "IV/V" with same optical in many types of mechanics to discover ( I use two very nice chrome models I keep after a dozen in black )

 

- and so on ...

...

then you have so many 50mm Summilux-M to try out 😉

 

Thank you sir !!🙏

It is pretty weird that I want to try the new LLL Elcan replica 😂 since the original is such a rare item and it is technically a Mandler’s design(I’m lurking in this forum for about a couple weeks to know that his lenses are legendary)

The work horse might be a Sumilux which I am not sure about the right version for me yet. 😅

 

[a.noctilux]

For Summilux-M 50, I can NOT help much.

I'm on the way of discovery since many years.

I did love the Lux asph. as one of the best I used in 50mm to discover that the rendering too 'sharp' was not for me, so sold again (to a younger photog. at a lost but for him it was a big investisment).

Now I choose between my three Lux pre-asph. of different period with different character (very subtle indeed) on each.

The trio ...

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older chrome, black anodized, titanium coated (my first heavy one, why the other lighter Summilux)

to follow

...

Foolishly ...

Last week, I've seen selling on line 'a beauty' Summilux-M 50 the asph. (again ?), here ... in black chrome, but knowing the weight about 450g, I changed my mind

Edited October 28, 2021 by a.noctilux

[105012]

For a faster lens to compliment the Elmar 2.8, I would suggest to consider the Voigtlander 50mm f/1.2 Nokton. Superb quality and optics, more aperture blades (more rounded bokeh, if that matters). 2.5 stops faster. Very compact for this speed. I use mine when the light is low...

[farnz]

6 hours ago, elixxir said:

I've been using the 50 Elmar-M for almost a year ...

Is it a 50/2.8 Elmar-M or a 50/3.5 Elmar-M?  They are two very different lenses.

Pete.

[grahamc]

I really like my new to me Elmar-M 50:2.8.  As a sidetone to this discussion I'd be interested to hear what others think is the defining characteristics of this lens ? I've only shot a couple rolls with it so far, so hope to find out for myself in time but I'm wondering what this lens is famed for also from those more experienced in use  

With regards the pairing for OP ... are you looking for something to be noticeably different from it then, ie offering things that the Elmar doesn't ?  I wonder what makes a good pairing for you. 

 

Edited October 29, 2021 by grahamc

[mikemgb]

37 minutes ago, farnz said:

Is it a 50/2.8 Elmar-M or a 50/3.5 Elmar-M?  They are two very different lenses.

Pete.

I was wondering also which Elmar it was, but I’m wondering is it the original Elmar 2.8 discontinued in 1974, or the “new” Elmar-M introduced in 1994?

[farnz]

34 minutes ago, mikemgb said:

I was wondering also which Elmar it was, but I’m wondering is it the original Elmar 2.8 discontinued in 1974, or the “new” Elmar-M introduced in 1994?

To potentially complicate matters further there's the original 50/3.5 Elmar in LTM and the later 50/3.5 Elmar-M.

Pete.

[lct]

.

Edited October 29, 2021 by lct

[elixxir]

2 hours ago, farnz said:

Is it a 50/2.8 Elmar-M or a 50/3.5 Elmar-M?  They are two very different lenses.

Pete.

 

1 hour ago, mikemgb said:

I was wondering also which Elmar it was, but I’m wondering is it the original Elmar 2.8 discontinued in 1974, or the “new” Elmar-M introduced in 1994?

It’s the new 2.8 Elmar-M

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[grahamc]

18 minutes ago, elixxir said:

 

It’s the new 2.8 Elmar-M

 

nice !  So what would make a 'pair' for you .. something more modern ?

[elixxir]

1 hour ago, grahamc said:

I really like my new to me Elmar-M 50:2.8.  As a sidetone to this discussion I'd be interested to hear what others think is the defining characteristics of this lens ? I've only shot a couple rolls with it so far, so hope to find out for myself in time but I'm wondering what this lens is famed for also from those more experienced in use  

With regards the pairing for OP ... are you looking for something to be noticeably different from it then, ie offering things that the Elmar doesn't ?  I wonder what makes a good pairing for you. 

 

I can’t help much,since the only 50mm lenses I have tried from Leica are Rigid and cron V5.

For me,Rigid is a really solid choice for portrait but the price for a really good condition is too expensive in 2021.The rendering is lovely especially in B&W.It actually could be my compliment to my 50 Elmar-M 🤣

For the Elmar-M itself,I love the sharpness of it but not so much contrast as a V5 but from F 5.6 to 16 is almost identical to the cron.

I don’t know why but this lens renders more beautiful on B&W film than digital for my taste 🤣
 

 

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[elixxir]

8 minutes ago, grahamc said:

nice !  So what would make a 'pair' for you .. something more modern ?

That’s why it is really hard for me 🤣

Any exotic recommendations are welcome 😃