35mm & 50mm cron | Loving low contrast

[Dzongkha]

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Hey guys,

I currently own a 35mm Summaron (without goggles) and a 50mm Rigid and like both pretty much. Generally I like lenses with less contrast, because I shoot a lot with Portra on my M2/MP and favor pastel colors.
But since the M2 is for sale right now (to finance the black MP) I'm looking, even though I like silver on black as well, for a black 35mm as well as 50mm for the inconspicuous look ;-). 

Now the question is: which ones would be recommended as an alternative?
I have already read quite a few threads but lose something the overview in the jungle of lenses.

35mm candidates might be 11310 or 11879?
I had the 11309 before and thought it was pretty bad on the edges.

On 50mm i have no idea. Typ 3, 4 or 5?

Maybe you have some recommendations for me 

[grahamc]

I pair my 35 Summicron 8e with 50:2 v3 and love the combination.  I find the 8e to be the lowest contrast of the Summicrons and most beautiful rendering if you like classic look such as the 35 summaron  

So if you can handle keeping the 35 in silver then I’d highly recommend trying these 2 together.  If you are really serious about both in black try 35:2 v2 and 50:2 v3 .   But the 8e is just wonderful if you can concede about the colour of the finish  

The look starts to get more modern in the 35:2 v4 and 50:2 v4 and v5 and with greater contrast, so they may not be what you are looking for 

Edited April 18, 2023 by grahamc

[ianforber]

I have the 50mm v5. It’s a contrasty lens, like most of modern Leica lenses.
 

A wacky thought but how about going for a Single Coated Voigtländer 50mm Nokton? I don’t have the lens myself (and chose the multi coated version of the 35mm Nokton) but Voigtländer say the reason why they make single coated versions is for those who want a less contrasty, more vintage style look. 

[dpitt]

If it has to be black and not too modern, the Summicron 40C is one of my favorites. I love the 40 mm FL and the compactness compared to the 50mm. It is lower contrast compared to the Summicron 50 v3.

If you could live with an other silver lens, why not add the Summicron 50 collapsible. It is the softest Summicron 50 wide open, but that can be turned into a strong point for certain shots. And it is very compact and light compared to the others. I use my gear to take photo's, the camera is never on the photo it takes, so why bother how it looks? As long as the glass is good, it might as well be pink for all I care.

This is a bit harsh to make my point but bottom line of any set up is what the results look like. All the rest is just a bonus to me.

Edited April 18, 2023 by dpitt

[lct]

10 hours ago, Dzongkha said:

[...] Generally I like lenses with less contrast [...] 35mm candidates might be 11310 or 11879? -> None. For less contrast, i would choose an earlier lens.  eg 35/2 v1 or v2, possibly v3.
 

10 hours ago, Dzongkha said:

[...] On 50mm i have no idea. Typ 3, 4 or 5? -> v3 possibly but for less contrast i'd choose an earlier lens too, eg 50/2 v1 or v2.

Edited April 18, 2023 by lct