Jump to content

Survey: Third-party Lenses for Leica M-mount


Recommended Posts

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I think an interesting YouTube video in relation to this survey that by "accident" could answer several behind thoughts of this survey.

By  MrLeica.com  --->  Matt Osborne  < Selling My LEICA Gear.. >  

Only selling his Leica lenses, (not camera's).  Replacing these lenses by Voigtländer lenses.  (Although he also do use some TTArtisan lenses).

Link to post
Share on other sites

Am 3.3.2023 um 18:20 schrieb lct:

I don't miss a compact CV 50/2 since my Nokton 50/1.5 SC v2 is shorter than my shortest 50/2 yet (Leica 50/2 v4) but i could be tempted by a little gem like that:

Which one is that? Is it still in production? 
 

I like collapsible lenses and with 2.0 this looks like an alternative to the Elmar-M, with its max . 2.8 aperture.

 

thanks.

Link to post
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, GVarano said:

Question; Is Leica feeling the heat?

Or Leica considers Cosina a kind of subsidiary for entry lenses. With its ZM and VM lenses, Cosina can do as well or better than Summarit's for significantly less so there is little point for Leica to bother with entry lenses anymore. Just a guess.

Link to post
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, simoncure said:

For what reason would you put a third party lens on your Leica? 

A:because it offers some aspect that Leica does not

B. Because it offers near-equal quality at a fraction of the price and you are not interested in chasing that last percent. 
C. Because you like the rendering. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

I think the market is pretty well balanced and healthy. Leica cannot possibly cover all needs. They specialize in the high end which leaves space for mid-range and budget options and lenses that are not available in the Leica lineup. Win-win for everybody. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, lct said:

I have no experience with it but it is the Heliar 50/2 for Bessa R2M and R3M 250th Voigtländer anniversary. Only 2,500 were produced in 2006 IINW. See https://cameraquest.com/voigt_250.htm

I own one. There's a thread in Collectables and Historica. It's mostly an oddity. It doesn't collapse very much and it has half stops between f2 and f11 but only full stops at 11 and 16. I have the rarer silver version and it's a brass body lens. I bought mine several years back for around $500 usd. Last time I looked they're considerably more. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

vor einer Stunde schrieb jaapv:

I think the market is pretty well balanced and healthy. Leica cannot possibly cover all needs. They specialize in the high end which leaves space for mid-range and budget options and lenses that are not available in the Leica lineup. Win-win for everybody. 

This sounds right. Leica to be high end : no doubt.

Would be interesting, which brands would fit midrange, budget and  cheap?

Voigtländer and Zeiss seem upper midrange to premium, not sure about the others…

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

For those with Leica lenses, I’d be curious how you treat them? Is the camera always in a case or around your neck (in front of your body)?

I bring my camera with me everywhere I go and it’s often swinging around, hitting random objects (brushing up) and definitely never babied.

I know that there’s reduced financial impact on paint loss, scratches etc. on my lenses that I often purchase mint and second-hand.

Leica lenses at their cost/performance ratio aren’t tools in my eyes. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
On 3/4/2023 at 11:02 AM, simoncure said:

For what reason would you put a third party lens on your Leica? 

Well, in some few cases, a relatively newly-introduced Voigtlander lens actually performs better than its Leica counterpart. (Leica may yet catch-up, of course.) 

In some cases, the Zeiss or Voigtlander options perform truly equivalently to their Leica counterparts. One of these, the Voigtlander Nokton 50mm f/1.0 VM, is somewhat smaller, more visually appealing to my eyes, and more ergonomic, than its Leica counterpart. Were they to sell for the same price, I would prefer the Nokton 50mm f/1.0, rather than the Nocitilux 50mm f/0.95.  

Cost. I do own some Leica lenses that cost ~$4K to ~$6K US, pre-owned. I will always treasure them. I bought them during a few prosperous years, starting in 2018, knowing that the good times would end in 2022. I may never be able to justify paying more than $2K US for a lens, again.

Leica has abandoned the 24mm focal length. Zeiss markets a quite nice 25mm f/2.8 ZM lens.

Voigtlander makes some truly unique lenses, in some focal lengths, for which Leica has no currently-produced counterpart. 

This is what comes to mind. It is not meant to be a complete, exhaustive list.

Edited to add: I was already using Zeiss and Voigtlander SLR-mount lenses, before I added the Leica M system, so, had already developed an affinity for some third-party lenses.

Edited by RexGig0
Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, intangiblethings said:

For those with Leica lenses, I’d be curious how you treat them? Is the camera always in a case or around your neck (in front of your body)?

I bring my camera with me everywhere I go and it’s often swinging around, hitting random objects (brushing up) and definitely never babied.

I know that there’s reduced financial impact on paint loss, scratches etc. on my lenses that I often purchase mint and second-hand.

Leica lenses at their cost/performance ratio aren’t tools in my eyes. 

I buy my lenses to be used. For instance my Summilux 24, which I bought new, looks pretty used and even has a small scratch on the front element. I don't care. I'm not selling it anyway and any value loss is amply compensated by the pleasure of using it over the years. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, intangiblethings said:

[...] Leica lenses at their cost/performance ratio aren’t tools in my eyes. 

Sounds a bit like Stradivari violins are not tools because they are more expensive than Yamaha's ;) They are tools or instruments for people who use them and nice things for collectors. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, intangiblethings said:

For those with Leica lenses, I’d be curious how you treat them? Is the camera always in a case or around your neck (in front of your body)?......I bring my camera with me everywhere I go and it’s often swinging around, hitting random objects (brushing up) and definitely never babied......Leica lenses at their cost/performance ratio aren’t tools in my eyes.

I'd give much the same answer as Jaap (post #55).

First-off Leica lenses very much are 'tools' in my eyes. They only serve one purpose.

To answer your question in a little bit more detail; if I'm heading out I'll usually take a small shoulder bag with two cameras (+ lenses) and probably another pair of lenses. When I get to where I'm going one camera will be put over one shoulder and what I expect to be the 'main' camera will be on a wrist-strap. This strap is solid enough to allow me to let the 'main' camera dangle when the second body is being used.

I don't baby my kit but, at the same time, neither do I treat it with negligence. All my lenses have filters and hoods. If a hood suffers paint-loss No Big deal. If a filter gets scratched No Big Deal.

Philip.

Link to post
Share on other sites

Posted (edited)
vor 15 Stunden schrieb jaapv:

I think the market is pretty well balanced and healthy. Leica cannot possibly cover all needs. They specialize in the high end which leaves space for mid-range and budget options and lenses that are not available in the Leica lineup. Win-win for everybody. 

I f you look at the Apo Lanthar asph. I´m not sure if "High End" is just about the price.

Edited by Fotoklaus
Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...