35mm - This is the way!

[Capuccino-Muffin]

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I own over 15 35mm Leica  lenses. I use the all. I’m happy with all of them. Even the one with haze elements. 
They all sing a very good song and all my prints look fantastic.

It’s all about living a velvety life and indulging into pure image making with lovely instruments. I let my lenses draw as they like over my compositions. 

[a.noctilux]

[Can you imagine a modern digital M where, according to the mounted focal length, the single frame line can be manually selected? A paradise for composition and cleanness. ]

 

future is here

 

...

 

..

liveview or Visoflex

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[shirubadanieru]

I think 35mm is the best focal length for a Leica…even though every time I pick up a 50mm I love that unique 50mm pop, somehow the 35mm always feels right. It has the perfect frame lines too, and fits perfectly in the 0.73x rangefinder window. It also has some of the most interesting options available in the Leica world. Now, given you are considering something below a certain price, my suggestion is, if you want to use Leica glass (which I think you should), you might be able to find the below lenses at a price that pleases you:

• Summicron 35mm V2 / V3 (this lens is still underrated and therefore cheaper; it’s a great performer and better built than the V4). See here
• Summaron 35mm f2.8 (a lot of threads on this one if you do a quick search; it has a lot of fans)
• LLL 35mm f2 (although not made by Leica, it’s an exact remake of the 8 elements summicron, and if Leica themselves ever made a remake of that lens this is how it would look like. You can buy them online easily, they are available to purchase through some Leica dealers such as mapcamera or Joe Geier )

Outside of Leica, there are some interesting 35mm such as:

• Hexanon-UC 35mm f2 (a remake of the Nikkor 35mm f1.8 LTM) ; great lens, hard to find though and price may have increased beyond what you’re looking for
• Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 V2 (Version 2 apparently is much better than the original one, so just make sure you get the V2)
• Voigtlander Ultron 35mm (never tried it, but only hear great things)
• Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2.8 (very sharp and clinical from what I hear)
• Nikkor 35mm f2.5 LTM (great little lens, super tiny, and performs very closely to the summaron f2.8)

[Capuccino-Muffin]

A super sweet, and I mean SUPER SWEET, 35mm lens is the 35mm summaron ltm.

No lens comes as close to a Jewel than this one (and the summaron 28mm M/LTM).

And it’s like 500$. The bargain of bargains.

[Dennis]

1 hour ago, Capuccino-Muffin said:

I own over 15 35mm Leica  lenses. I use the all. I’m happy with all of them. Even the one with haze elements. 
They all sing a very good song and all my prints look fantastic.

15 x 35 ... wow ... Interesting. Any favorite or desert island 35?

Edited: I saw ii in post #24... 35 Summaron LTM

I will check it for sure online.. Is there a difference between Summaron and Summaron LTM? Or do they are the same lens? Sorry, no experience at all with LTM. But would love to know.

1 hour ago, a.noctilux said:

[Can you imagine a modern digital M where, according to the mounted focal length, the single frame line can be manually selected? A paradise for composition and cleanness. ]

 

future is here

 

...

 

..

liveview or Visoflex

I'm ready to embrace new (better) technologies, such a LV or VSFLX.

But long life to the OVF, especially for Leica M.

A la carte frame lines for each lens, oh yes!

 

 

[Dennis]

1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

I think 35mm is the best focal length for a Leica…

You started perfectly! 

1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

 

• Summicron 35mm V2 / V3 (this lens is still underrated and therefore cheaper; it’s a great performer and better built than the V4). See here

Thank you for sharing links!

Maybe v2 and v3 are underdogs? 

1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

• LLL 35mm f2 (although not made by Leica, it’s an exact remake of the 8 elements summicron, and if Leica themselves ever made a remake of that lens this is how it would look like. You can buy them online easily, they are available to purchase through some Leica dealers such as mapcamera or Joe Geier )

 

I was reading earlier the thread of the comparison. I will check the links, thanks!

It looks like the price is around  $1,000 usd

1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

Nikkor 35mm f2.5 LTM (great little lens, super tiny, and performs very closely to the summaron f2.8)

Rarely, I use a Nikkor 50/1.4 AI-S with LV, and it's fun. I just use Nikon and Leica, so I'm very familiar with the F-mount. But no idea or a 35 Nikkor LTM... I already saved it in my search lenses list. 🙏

 

 

Edited February 6, 2022 by Dennis

[Dennis]

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1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

• Voigtlander 35mm f1.4 V2 (Version 2 apparently is much better than the original one, so just make sure you get the V2)
• Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2.8 (very sharp and clinical from what I hear)
•  

They are already in my Pelican. Glad you mentioned them.

[grahamc]

1 hour ago, shirubadanieru said:

I think 35mm is the best focal length for a Leica…even though every time I pick up a 50mm I love that unique 50mm pop, somehow the 35mm always feels right.

I agree completely with this although love both 

[shirubadanieru]

20 minutes ago, grahamc said:

I agree completely with this although love both 

me too! only focal lengths I have..but 35 is just the sweet spot for me! Although when I know I'll only shoot portraits I'll bring the 50 (even though I also love portraits with the lux/cron 35)

[grahamc]

11 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

me too! only focal lengths I have..but 35 is just the sweet spot for me! Although when I know I'll only shoot portraits I'll bring the 50 (even though I also love portraits with the lux/cron 35)

That's exactly how I use my M ...My preference is street / documentary photography and 35 is the permanent fixture, but when I think I will shoot a portrait then I will bring the 50 also.  But I don't always swap over.

The exception would be a lens such as 50:1.4 v3 which I love and so would happily just take that to shoot street with despite it not being my favourite FL 

Day to day I often grab my Minolta CLE because it is light, small and convenient and considering my enjoyment of 35 and 50 the 40mm is perfect

 

 

[grahamc]

35:2 v4 taken this morning since we have been chatting (M10-D) 

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[Dennis]

49 minutes ago, grahamc said:

2 hours ago, shirubadanieru said:

I think 35mm is the best focal length for a Leica…even though every time I pick up a 50mm I love that unique 50mm pop, somehow the 35mm always feels right.

I agree completely with this although love both 

9 minutes ago, grahamc said:

That's exactly how I use my M ...

+1

😎

[shirubadanieru]

12 minutes ago, grahamc said:

35:2 v4 taken this morning since we have been chatting (M10-D) 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

ahah same here but to me that one lens is the summilux 35mm f1.4 pre asph.

[grahamc]

Just now, shirubadanieru said:

ahah same here but to me that one lens is the summilux 35mm f1.4 pre asph.

Same ! Sorry what I meant is that it takes a special lens like the 50 pre-asph Lux for me to leave the 35 for a day     But normally it’s the 35:1.4 v2 that’s on my camera with the 50 as a secondary carry 

[Dennis]

Any idea about the estimated price of a Lux v2? 

[grahamc]

Btw @Dennis I think you will enjoy the 35:2 v4.  I slipped into the bad habit of giving the lens a bad rap, I think it’s because it seems to me a little “unspectacular” compared to my 35:1.4 v2 - less character perhaps. 
 

But having just spent 2 months with only the v4 cron (my Lux was away for repair) I am really growing to understand the cron more - it’s extremely consistent and still has a classical look.  I think coming from the Lux I didn’t really understand this previously and thought it was a little bland.  
 

of course the size is lovely.  Today I picked it up instead of my 35:1.4 v2, which surprised me - and I was happy to get this shot. 
 

I think I’m going to break my habit of talking negatively about it and am appreciating it for what it is - Great colours, very consistent , dependable friend, sharp but reasonable gentle (“organic” ?) ... much like the 50:2v4/v5 in that way 😁

Edited February 6, 2022 by grahamc

[grahamc]

6 minutes ago, Dennis said:

Any idea about the estimated price of a Lux v2? 

Canada version certainly <$3000 and maybe Germany too if looking in the right places 

(Leica classifieds on Facebook. 
fred Miranda forum) 

Edited February 6, 2022 by grahamc

[Dennis]

10 minutes ago, grahamc said:

Btw @Dennis I think you will enjoy the 35:2 v4.  I slipped into the bad habit of giving the lens a bad rap, I think it’s because it seems to me a little “unspectacular” compared to my 35:1.4 v2 - less character perhaps. 
 

But having just spent 2 months with only the v4 cron (my Lux was away for repair) I am really growing to understand the cron more - it’s extremely consistent and still has a classical look.  I think coming from the Lux I didn’t really understand this previously and thought it was a little bland.  
 

of course the size is lovely.  Today I picked it up instead of my 35:1.4 v2, which surprised me - and I was happy to get this shot. 
 

I think I’m going to break my habit of talking negatively about it and am appreciating it for what it is - Great colours, very consistent , dependable friend, sharp but reasonable gentle (“organic” ?) ... much like the 50:2v4/v5 in that way 😁

Yes, the v4 whispers me from time to time haha. I always thought it could be a great match, especially loving the asph I.

I like you used the word "consistent". Like it. It's key

 

[grahamc]

14 minutes ago, Dennis said:

Yes, the v4 whispers me from time to time haha. I always thought it could be a great match, especially loving the asph I.

I like you used the word "consistent". Like it. It's key

 

It is really nice. I used to think it was a little bland but I’ve come to realise that I was probably under-appreciating it’s qualities 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[kivis]

Tried a lot of 35mm lenses. Current love is the CV Ultron II 35/2