gazoocam Posted January 23, 2023 Share #1 Posted January 23, 2023 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I'm looking at a few 35mm lens options for my first Leica M digital camera. 7artisans 35mm f2 first version 7artisans 35mm f2 new WEN version 7artisans 35mm 1.4 Voigtlander Nokton classic 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2.8 (also looking at the 28mm 1.4 7artisans but is too large/heavy). i'm not concerned about sharpness. my main concern is the bokeh, micro contrast and small size/weight. Edited January 23, 2023 by gazoocam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 23, 2023 Posted January 23, 2023 Hi gazoocam, Take a look here Budget 35mm lens for Leica. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Pyrogallol Posted January 23, 2023 Share #2 Posted January 23, 2023 Plenty of used Leica screw fit 35mm lenses out there for sale, just add a cheap Chinese screw to M adaptor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madNbad Posted January 23, 2023 Share #3 Posted January 23, 2023 Voigtlander 35 2.0 Ultron ASPH either the first version with the focusing stick or the newest. Great rendering, good size and not too expensive. The Biogon is a good choice too and since you're using digital, you won't be limited by the 2.8 maximum aperture. Welcome to the forum! Once you really start looking, there are a lot of choices. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmielx Posted January 23, 2023 Share #4 Posted January 23, 2023 (edited) Worth just confirming which Leica M you are getting. Were it an M9 for example then having a wider aperture is very useful as you have a limited ISO range. As I understand it with an M11 the high ISO performance is so good that this won’t be a problem. I currently have the Zeiss C-Biogon 35mm 2.8. It is tiny and is a really excellent performer. A modern, no nonsense lens. You’re not getting too much interesting bokeh at 2.8 I used to have a Voigtlander 35mm Nokton 1.4 Also tiny, some vintage vibes with the bokeh. To be honest this is a really great lens to have for general use, because of the size and aperture. I found that I like something more modern sometimes and it wasn’t fulfilling that. Plenty of pictures on my wall which I love taken with this lens though. Do get the version II and probably go with MC rather than SC, unless you’re going to be happy with the extra flare. I did briefly own the first version 7artisans 35 f/2. I was just fine, but I didn’t really love it. Personally for a first lens I’d go with a Voigtlander or Zeiss (or indeed a Leica) rather than one of the Chinese ones. Your mileage may vary of course. My current squeeze is a Zeiss Distagon 35mm which is wonderful, but going to be too big for your spec. It does have the most amazing draw, bokeh, 3D pop etc… I mention it because it would be worth saying what sort of bokeh you are after - very modern and smooth or a more swirly vintage thing. As mentioned above there are loads of excellent options and I’m sure you’ll get lots of great advice. Good luck and enjoy the new camera! Edited January 23, 2023 by jimmielx Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdmesa Posted January 23, 2023 Share #5 Posted January 23, 2023 2 hours ago, gazoocam said: I'm looking at a few 35mm lens options for my first Leica M digital camera. 7artisans 35mm f2 first version 7artisans 35mm f2 new WEN version 7artisans 35mm 1.4 Voigtlander Nokton classic 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2.8 (also looking at the 28mm 1.4 7artisans but is too large/heavy). i'm not concerned about sharpness. my main concern is the bokeh, micro contrast and small size/weight. What kind of subject matter, though? With the mention of bokeh, I would lean toward the CV and 7A 1.4 choices. For microcontrast (landscape for example), I would go with the ZM 2.8. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoocam Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share #6 Posted January 23, 2023 Hi all, Thanks for your advice. I'm using a Leica M240. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pippy Posted January 23, 2023 Share #7 Posted January 23, 2023 Advertisement (gone after registration) 4 hours ago, gazoocam said: ...I'm not concerned about sharpness. my main concern is the bokeh... P. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
madNbad Posted January 23, 2023 Share #8 Posted January 23, 2023 4 hours ago, gazoocam said: i'm not concerned about sharpness. my main concern is the bokeh, micro contrast and small size/weight. Then the Voigtlander 35 1.4 Nokton S.C is your best choice. The Biogon is sharp all the way through the range and you have to adjust the AA Artisans to your camera. The downside of not having a lot of camera shops to try gear is you have to rely on the internet. Good luck with your search. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Maclean Posted January 23, 2023 Share #9 Posted January 23, 2023 Ill add the CV Nokton 1.2 to the mix. Love it. 35mm How about the CV 35mm Nolkton 1.2? Great performance. 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! 2 Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/362962-budget-35mm-lens-for-leica/?do=findComment&comment=4655734'>More sharing options...
Huss Posted January 23, 2023 Share #10 Posted January 23, 2023 4 hours ago, gazoocam said: I'm looking at a few 35mm lens options for my first Leica M digital camera. 7artisans 35mm f2 first version 7artisans 35mm f2 new WEN version 7artisans 35mm 1.4 Voigtlander Nokton classic 35mm f1.4 Zeiss Biogon 35mm f2.8 (also looking at the 28mm 1.4 7artisans but is too large/heavy). i'm not concerned about sharpness. my main concern is the bokeh, micro contrast and small size/weight. Small size rules out the 7A 35 v2 and the 7A 35 1.4. I had the 7A 35 f2 v1 and it was very good but focused past infinity at the hard stop which was annoying. Also, while the build quality was fine, the finish was not very premium compared to it's Japanese rivals. The Voigltander 34 1.4 is super - tiny, fast and excellent. The v2 version is the one to get as they improved it to reduce/eliminate focus shift. The Biogon 35 2.8 is also excellent. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoocam Posted January 23, 2023 Author Share #11 Posted January 23, 2023 (edited) Thank you all. S Maclean: I like the Voigtlander 35mm 1.2 a lot from the examples you sent. I like the bokeh and the contrast. However, size is a concern. I also looked at the Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 and love the contrast/bokeh, as well as the size of it. I think that may be the winner here. There seems to be different versions of the 35mm 1.4 at various price points. Would you recommend the version 1? Bonus question: any of you have experience with the 7artisans 28 1.4? Edited January 23, 2023 by gazoocam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Maclean Posted January 24, 2023 Share #12 Posted January 24, 2023 9 minutes ago, gazoocam said: Thank you all. S Maclean: I like the Voigtlander 35mm 1.2 a lot from the examples you sent. I like the bokeh and the contrast. I think that may be the winner here. The weight/size is a concern. There seems to be different versions of the lens at various price points. Would you recommend the version 1? Bonus question: any of you have experience with the 7artisans 28 1.4? I have version 3 and absolutely love it. It does correct some of the flaws of previous versions although I am going on paper on that statement, not on practice. I also think the V3 is slightly smaller. The Bokeh is impecably creamy, just fades away. It renders like a 50 or 75. It is still sharp wide open as you can see on the images. All this said there is still a little CA on color images (Can be corrected easilly) and, yes, it is larger than the Cron or the 1.4. I have a Cron so when I am on the street I normally carry that one. I take the Nokton when I know I am going to use it at 1.2/1.4 Range. If I was only going to get one lens and I was new to the M Leica system I would probably get something smaller and more in line with the Leica M experience. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoocam Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share #13 Posted January 24, 2023 6 minutes ago, S Maclean said: I have version 3 and absolutely love it. It does correct some of the flaws of previous versions although I am going on paper on that statement, not on practice. I also think the V3 is slightly smaller. The Bokeh is impecably creamy, just fades away. It renders like a 50 or 75. It is still sharp wide open as you can see on the images. All this said there is still a little CA on color images (Can be corrected easilly) and, yes, it is larger than the Cron or the 1.4. I have a Cron so when I am on the street I normally carry that one. I take the Nokton when I know I am going to use it at 1.2/1.4 Range. If I was only going to get one lens and I was new to the M Leica system I would probably get something smaller and more in line with the Leica M experience. Thank you very much. I think I will get the 1.4 however due to the size/weight. It seems to be a big difference in size between the 1.4 and 1.2. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Maclean Posted January 24, 2023 Share #14 Posted January 24, 2023 I shuold add, Here is a fairly good and intersting write up from M Osborne. Good sample images too. https://mrleica.com/voigtlander-35mm-f1-4/ It does state the 1.2 is a more perfect lens but it's hard not to accept the results of the "less perfect lens". Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Maclean Posted January 24, 2023 Share #15 Posted January 24, 2023 2 minutes ago, gazoocam said: Thank you very much. I think I will get the 1.4 however due to the size/weight. It seems to be a big difference in size between the 1.4 and 1.2. I think that's the right decision. Heck, Now I'm thinking about getting one!😀😀 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoocam Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share #16 Posted January 24, 2023 13 minutes ago, S Maclean said: I think that's the right decision. Heck, Now I'm thinking about getting one!😀😀 Great! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazoocam Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share #17 Posted January 24, 2023 Thank you all four your help. You've been very helpful and I appreciate it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S Maclean Posted January 24, 2023 Share #18 Posted January 24, 2023 Post pics!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmielx Posted January 24, 2023 Share #19 Posted January 24, 2023 Great plan. I’d go with the version II if you can. The version I has a bit of focus shift which is corrected in the v.2 That said either will be great! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee S Posted January 24, 2023 Share #20 Posted January 24, 2023 Another vote for the Nokton Classic. I have the 35mm Nokton Classic F1.4 v2 & 35mm C-Biogon. The C-Biogon just does the job perfectly, razor sharp with nice bokeh but limited at F2.8. The 35mm F1.4 Nokton MC V2 is my most use lens, it looks great on camera and is a jack of all trades, is incredibly versatile and sharp stopped down. It does have some savage barrel distortion so if you shoot brick walls it might not be for you, although it can be corrected in post. Some say the bokeh is messy but I think it looks good in most situations apart from foliage. I’d strongly recommend V2 of the lens and most of the focus shift is eliminated. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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