Leica lens with more soul

[jaeger]

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10 hours ago, Terin said:

I have only recently entered the Leica world. but I have always been drawn to photographs that have the typical Leica "flavor, timbre, character, soul". Regardless of the focal length, I ask you, among the many lens

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es that Leica has produced and produces, which is the one that embodies the above? Would you understand that the photograph was taken with this lens?

Go master lightroom and photoshop, you can make any lens look like leica.  Mostly unsharp, add vignette anything that counter perfect will do.  You must think I am joking. 

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[Terin]

11 minutes ago, jaeger said:

Go master lightroom and photoshop, you can make any lens look like leica.  Mostly unsharp, add vignette anything that counter perfect will do.  You must think I am joking. 

Interesting but not for me.

  Apart from a few, the others didn't take my post seriously.  Thank you all the same

[Olaf_ZG]

To me, soul is about rendering… I have three non-leica’s with so-called soul:

the nokton 35/1.4 m2 sc, sonnar50 and nokton 75/1.5. Love those lenses for their classic look, especially on portraits. For sure, each has their Leica equivalent, but for now, I couldn’t afford them.

question is: why do you need soul? To me it is portraits and still life, so the sonnar is my fav.

for all other a asph lens will do.

[lct]

I see at least 3 "souls" among my Leica M lenses: pre-Mandler, Mandler and Karbe.

[pgk]

3 minutes ago, lct said:

I see at least 3 "souls" among my Leica M lenses: pre-Mandler, Mandler and Karbe.

And they tend to 'converge' as they are stopped down with differences diminishing. So to determine appropriate 'soul' requires both lens era and working apertures to be defined ..... .

[rsolomon]

What would be interesting ….

You take some photographs , share here and then discuss lens characteristics.
 

Go out, explore, experiment, have fun and share results, and continue your journey 

 

 

[Casey Jefferson]

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I like the more "disciplined" soul of the earlier ASPH lenses, like 35/28 summicron ASPH V1, 35 Summilux ASPH pre-fle, to name a few.

 

[rustyrus]

What is your Soul budget like?

If maximum "Soul" is what you are after, just grab a Noctilux 1.0 or .95 and call it day.   

Seriously there are so many options its hard to pair it down. My favorite Lens is the 50 Lux. Has all the "soul" I could ever ask for. Beautiful in Black and white, beautiful in color, amazing on film etc. 

A lens is just that, you don't know until you use it. 

 

 

[hansvons]

Leica aficionados typically tend to collect Summilux and Noctilux lenses for their speed and soul/character. I prefer the unspectacular regulars. The 35mm Summicron Ms, any of them, including the ASPH, show a distinct personality. The same, even more subtle, can be said about the 50mm Summicrons. 

I prefer the ASPH 35mm, as it's the sharpest of its kind and can be used for high-resolving landscape photography when stopped down. But don't get fooled by the ASPH tag. Its focal plane is nicely bent at full aperture, with some experience that can be used for tons of soul/character in your images. It also flares super-nicely. The 50mm Summicron V4 is the most unspectacular Leica M lens. But it renders faces flatter than the typical modern 50 and, thus, at full aperture, flatters your subject like a 70mm lens while offering a field of view of 50mm. And the flares!

[Ko.Fe.]

I have studied Winogrand a lot. Reviewed his thousands of pictures in Arizona U archive. Watched video with him, read articles about him and I'm aware which lenses he used.

One day I went to see his own prints for real. I knew them via on-line and I knew which lens period it was.

I put glasses on and examined rendering closely. The difference was obvious. Was it matter? Not at all. Content was matter and prints were good regadless.

 

Do Leica lenses rendering different, yes. And with less flaws. I don't use soul term, character, yes.  

To me Leica should win by ergonomics and by quality rendering, without been boring.

As usual for posts like this, I have to mention what it depends if digital (bw or color) and film (bw or color).

One Leica/Leitz lens I have tried is good at all of it. And I'm keeping only this lens for now. Summarit-M 35 2.5. Sharp, with super microcontrast on darkroom prints. And superior ergonomics for fast photography.  

Mandler's Elmarit-M 28 2.8 III was same rendering across digital and film. But cheap plastic focus tab and optics are prone to separation. 

Cron Rigid (Same optics as DR) was impressive on color digital, also on color film, but on bw darkroom prints is was not impressive, just sharp.

 

Some likes flaws of rendering from older Lenses on digital. To me it is special effects like Holga. Some likes to repeat it, have the same. To me lens rendering should not dominate the content. 

 

  

 

 

 

 

[tsleica]

Quote

Cron Rigid (Same optics as DR) was impressive on color digital, also on color film, but on bw darkroom prints is was not impressive, just sharp.

I had a different experience w/my DR Summicron.

On digital..it was...blah..

But back in the day w/Kodak Tech Pan B&W on a sunny day at 25 iso...incredible control of contrast and unbelievabley high resolution to 4x5 quality hand held. 11x14 prints w/no grain.

It was my go to sunny day B&W lens. Nothing else compared. Great on Panatomic X too and any other high contrast film.

On cloudy days..it stayed at home as it was just dull for B&W. But for color on a cloudy day w/film..just beautiful!

Edited May 12, 2023 by tsleica

[otto.f]

On 5/11/2023 at 11:28 AM, Al Brown said:

Summilux 35 Steel Rim. It hardly gets more "soul" wide open. And any Walter Mandler lens (google him).

IMO Mandler’s lenses have the most soul indeed. In fact he was an artist, just like the guys at Agfa who made Record Rapid en Portriga fibre based papers. On the top of his list is the Summilux 75. Denying

 

On 5/11/2023 at 10:44 AM, wda said:

Pardon me but how can an inanimate object, made by man and machine, have a 'soul'? Much of a lens' output has to do with the photographer and the way he produces an image. It has less to do with the lens, per se.

that lenses can have a soul can be maintained until you start discovering that almost all your photo’s made with for instance a Summilux 75 can count on Oh and Ahh by your public. 

Outside Mandler’s park however there are some beauties too, but relatively speaking not that much. Although I use it not often, the APO Summicron 90 has a place in the Hall of Fame too.

Edited May 12, 2023 by otto.f

[KFo]

It’s really difficult to know what is in your mind with this question.  There are nearly an infinity of ways to achieve images with “soul” (whatever that means) with Leica.  You have about a 100 years of lenses to choose from.  Both Leica and other makers that will mount on a Leica.

I suggest you subscribe to Reid Reviews and begin studying his reviews of Leica, LTM, and other makers M-mount lenses.  You’ll find clear headed information that covers both analytical aspects of lenses but also the image making process with particular lenses.  I really value his qualitative discussions of lenses and their imaging qualities.