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Most compact leica lens made...


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I've been looking for a compact travel lens that I can use with my M8 and have narrowed it down to 2 choices. Both the Elmarit 28mm F2.8 ASPH and the Summicron 35mm F2 Version 4 are one of the smallest lenses that I have come accross. I wanted to ask if anyone knows which lens is the smaller one and also if there is another lens out there that I missed that might be more compact.

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The smaller of the two in your Q is the Leica 35/2.0 IV. At infinity its protruding length is only 26mm excl. hood and filter. Weighing in at only 150g in black

 

The 28/2.8 ASPH is 30mm in length at infinity sans hood and filter. Weighing in at 180g

 

Other compact Leica lenses are:

 

1. 35/1.4 Pre-ASPH. This is probably the fastest most compact lense that Leica ever made. 28mm in length and only 195g Black late series. Titanium versions weigh more. 7 series filter. This is probably the best for shooting. But not as flare resistent as the ASPH lux's and night time shooting of lights produces swirling type effects. This lens is a venerable Leitz/leica classic. Produced for close to 34 years with a couple of optical adjustments along the way. This should tell you how good this lens is before it was replaced by the Aspherics. Nothing can touch this lens for its combination of speed, compactness and light weight. Get a late serial number, just prior to the release of the 35/1.4 ASPHERICAL

 

2. 40/2.0 Summicron C. This is a VERY compact lens. I don't have it to hand to measure the length. It weighs only 130g. It is probably the lightest f2.0 lens in the entire leica M line up. The hood is rubber and collapses in with snap on flat cap. This lens as a unit is the most compact of any Leica lens setup with the hood on collapsed (except the Leica 15/8 Hologon!)

 

3. 50/2.8 & 3.5 Elmar - In its vintage and new variants. When collapsed its pretty compact but not to everyones taste and style when you have to pull the lens out and lock it ready for shooting.

 

4. 90/2.8 Tele-Elmarit FAT - most compact non-retractible 90mm lens.

 

5. 90/4.0 Macro - 41mm collapsed 240g black

 

6. 21/4.0 SA - Most compact Leica 21mm. Slow at f4.0 and not meterable

 

7. 15/8.0 Hologon - This is definitely THE Most Compact & lightest lens ever made, bar none. It is practically flat, 12-15mm at the most from memory and weighs in at just 110g. Non-meterable

 

 

Non-Leica:

 

Are the CV lenses: CV15/4.5 - very compact and good wide angle though a bit slow

CV 35/2.5 Pancake II - VERY compact at just 22mm in length & just 134g. Moderate speed

CV 40/1.4 - fast lens, moderately compact for a semi standard FL

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...Both the Elmarit 28mm F2.8 ASPH and the Summicron 35mm F2 Version 4 are one of the smallest lenses that I have come accross. I wanted to ask if anyone knows which lens is the smaller one and also if there is another lens out there that I missed that might be more compact.

The 35/2 IV (middle) is smaller than the 28/2.8A (left).

Both are bigger than the Summicron-C 40/2 (right).

Photographer5.gif

 

DSC00784-afterweb.jpg

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How good is the CV35/2.5, centre and corner sharpness, colour and bokeh? That is really compact, and I might add one to my 35/1.4A.

 

Hi,

 

These were taken with my 35mm 2.5 Colour - Skopar. They were shot on my M8 without filter, or lenshood. Unmolested DNG's converted to .Jpeg in CS3.

 

angelaandgeorgia.jpg

 

Streetmusician.jpg

 

melodeon-1.jpg

 

alasdair-1.jpg

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How good is the CV35/2.5, centre and corner sharpness, colour and bokeh? That is really compact, and I might add one to my 35/1.4A.

 

Hi Carsten,

 

It's an outstanding lens. Go look at the 35 mm lens review again. The Skopar version is also very compact and you can code it with an LT-M8. I've owned both versions and kept the latter, for that reason.

 

I happen to love very compact lenses myself. The Leica lenses have been covered pretty well above but here are some others (pardon the overlap of my list with previous posts).

 

Canon 28/2.8 LTM

Canon 35/2.8 LTM

CV 12

CV 15

CV 21 (LTM or M)

CV 15 (LTM or M)

CV 28/3.5 (the great sleeper lens)

CV 35/2.5 (LTM or M)

Zeiss 21/4.5

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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I don't think they were oversharpened, just quite heavily cropped.

Look at the guy with the small accordion: his shirt's edge has a dark halo, and his black pants have a white halo. This doesn't come from cropping.

 

Sean, I didn't realise that this was that lens in your review. I will go back and re-check, thanks.

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LCT, you habe the 50/2.8 don't you? How does it compare with the others?...

Looks a bit shorter than the 40/2. Without hood & cap i mean, otherwise the 40/2 is the winner due to its collapsible rubber hood and snap-on cap.

(28/2.8A - 35/2 IV - 40/2 - 50/2.8)

 

DSC00789-aftercropweb.jpg

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Hi Carsten,

 

It's an outstanding lens. Go look at the 35 mm lens review again. The Skopar version is also very compact and you can code it with an LT-M8. I've owned both versions and kept the latter, for that reason.

 

I happen to love very compact lenses myself. The Leica lenses have been covered pretty well above but here are some others (pardon the overlap of my list with previous posts).

 

Canon 28/2.8 LTM

Canon 35/2.8 LTM

CV 12

CV 15

CV 21 (LTM or M)

CV 15 (LTM or M)

CV 28/3.5 (the great sleeper lens)

CV 35/2.5 (LTM or M)

Zeiss 21/4.5

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

 

 

Sean, are you suggesting its better to buy a 35mm Color Skopar in screw mount and buy like say a millich adapter so you can code it easily rather than buying an M mount version?

 

It looks like the 35/2.5 Color Skopar P II is only available in M-mount from robertwhite

http://robertwhite.co.uk/voigtlander.htm

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