Best M mount lenses for bokeh, separation, and character

[Al Brown]

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5 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

Hero lens: Summicron 35mm 8e, Summicron 35mm v4,

Indeed, as many (and even the AI bots) have mentioned, various summicrons 35 go as hero lenses in real world. For some it is the summicron 35 ASPH, even 35 summarit, for some it is the 35 IV, for others 35 APO.... for me (like for the poster above) the golden "hero" mean between my super clinical 35 and my super character 35 will always be the summicron 35 v1 8-element. Just the proper amount of everything.

Edited November 30, 2024 by Al Brown

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[shirubadanieru]

I agree; if I had to pick one single lens forever it’d be the 8 elements. Unfortunately the price increased too much and mint copies are quite hard to find 

Edited November 30, 2024 by shirubadanieru

[Al Brown]

16 minutes ago, shirubadanieru said:

I agree; if I had to pick one single lens forever it’d be the 8 elements. Unfortunately the price increased too much and mint copies are quite hard to find 

I am completely unbothered with flawless copy of the LLL 35. According to my testing a properly centered and solidly manufactured copy is even a few percent better than the original 8e while retaining the exact same character. If. ound it to be the perfect lens for my Japan travels. Here an image from Kumano Kodo done with LLL wide open.

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[costa43]

These are the lenses I’ve tried

Bokeh - Noctilux f1

separation - 50mm Apo

character - Noctilux f1 & 35mm Summilux v2

hero lens - 35mm Summilux v2 

The 8e is my next lens to try as this one really interests me and could challenge 

[hansvons]

2 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I am completely unbothered with flawless copy of the LLL 35.

Looks like an old, yet sharp (relatively) classic 35mm Summicron. Nice!

In my above post about super speed lenses etc. I forgot to mentioned that the medium—whether film or digital—plays a significant role on how one perceives at lens’ character and what that particular lens can do for you. I use my 35mm Summicron ASPH and 35mm Summarit on film.

But the chances are high that I’ll get an M10 for an upcoming 4-year project where I need a camera that welcomes me to work with it but also allows for short turnarounds for campaigns, social media, etc. As this is a digital M my current assessment on 35mm lenses will be challenged.

I have a Nokton 35mm 1.4 SC v2 on my shelf waiting to be used. On film it’s too soft for me from f/1.4 to f/2.4, as this medium loves distinct sharpness to get the best out of it. However, with digital sensors that’s quite different. So, on an M10 the Nokton could satisfy my taste at f/2, as it’s basically a Summilux v1 copy (and nicely machined).

But I must admit that I’m a sucker for Leica lenses in terms of colour rendition and flare shapes. And the Nokton renders colder and the flares look different. Also, there seems to be something going on in vignetting that looks like a subtle shift from a not-so-cold centre to cooler corners. Leica lenses of some vintage render also relatively cool compared to modern designs (and skin tone can benefit) but not as cold as this particular Nokton (or the 35mm Color Scopar, which I tried to like but sold relatively quickly, another story). I tried the Nokton on an SL2-S and the images looked outright ugly. All of the above is amplified to the worse and a strange micro contrast at f/1.4-f/2.0 appears that can be best described as granular or sandy. On an M sensor that is different, so there is hope.

I feel there is no shortcut in M land when it comes to lenses and budget. LLL seems to be an exception of the rule (I’m not dissing Voigtländer here!) but I’m not sure whether I want to take the risk again bothering months with a suboptimal solution. So a 35mm Summilux v2 could be high on the list. 

Edited November 30, 2024 by hansvons

[FrozenInTime]

Bokeh: 40mm f/1.2 Nokton - a very smooth transition, much more practical than a Noctilux.

Separation: 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux - really shines wide open in the sun with a ND.

Character: 50mm f/1.5 Heliar - old school look, glow with outlining ( 35mm f/.4 MS Apoqualia as runner up ).

Hero: 35mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH - if I was forced to keep only one lens.

[SoarFM]

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On 11/28/2024 at 1:54 PM, RexGig0 said:

Bokeh: Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. 

Separation: Well, I have been so satisfied with the overall performance of my Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, I have not looked further into this specific factor.

Character: Summilux-M 50mm ASPH.

Hero: Summilux-M 50mm ASPH.

More on Bokeh: I like smooth bokeh. This means the entire character of the background blur, not simply “bokeh balls,” or other limited aspects of background blur. I do not normally like images with “busy” or “swirly” bokeh, or “soap bubbles,” though in limited doses, in the right setting, these can be nicely done.

On this “hero lens” thing, well, I feel that I started at the top, when I added the Leica M system, with a pre-owned Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, and, a new M10, in April 2018, a post-retirement self-gift. I had done the on-line research, looking at sample images, over a period of several years. I had looked into multiple lenses, and multiple camera systems. There had been a conflict, whether to buy a “character” lens, or a “super-telephoto” lens, for serious bird photography, on Nikon DSLR cameras, which my wife and I both used. A right rotator cuff injury, while moving heavy debris after Hurricane Harvey, in late 2017, had caused me to indefinitely suspend shooting with long, heavy lenses, so, it made no sense to continue shopping for 600mm f/4 or 400mm f/2.8 “hero” DSLR lenses. This created the budgetary opportunity to buy into the Leica M system. My pre-owned Summilux, and a new M10, cost considerably less than either of the super-telephoto Nikon lenses I/we had been considering.

So, at age 56.5, I started using the Leica M system. By age 57, my shoulder had healed, and was being re-strengthened, but, I felt no urge to buy either of those heavy, expensive Nikon lenses, to chase birds. Now, at age 63, I still use DSLRs, for nature photography, but, we do not need the “super telephoto” class of lenses, and have aged-out of wanting to carry their weight. I still favor the Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, as my “hero” lens, and do not believe that I “settled for less.” Those super-telephoto lenses would have shot technically “perfect” images, but, I was ready to shoot images with “character.”

Money cannot buy a “more heroic” M-mount lens, for me, than the Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. A Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH would have a similar Peter Karbe design team “character,” would render a reasonably similar background blur, and would provide another stop of available light, in low-light conditions, but, would not be “better,” or more heroic, just a supplement/complement. The Close Focus of a Version II of the Summilux-M ASPH would not really be more useful, because I already have an APO Summicron-M 75mm ASPH, which has a Maximum Magnification specification that lets it do, at 0.7m, what the 50 ASPH II does at its Minimum Focusing Distance.

 

I believe the Summilux-M 50 ASPH to be one of the finest deals in Leica lenses. It is a superb lens in every way. To put it in perspective, I also have a Noctilux 1.0 v4, Noctilux .95, and a Noctilux 1.2 (reissue) which are all great lenses with their own character. All the Noctiluxes clean up very nicely by f 2.0, meaning all the character is to be found in the wide open settings. I also have a 50 APO, which at 2.0 is better than all the other 50’s at 2.0 and smaller. My inexact feeling is that the Summilux at 1.4 has a just perfect combination of “sharpness” and a very pleasing look in out of focus areas and its size is wonderfully small compared to the Noctiluxes. I could keep only one 50mm lens, without a doubt it would be the Summilux-M ASPH 

[sometimesmaybe]

On 11/29/2024 at 10:16 AM, FrozenInTime said:

AI chatbot as a solution ?

i hope not... who else is going to listen to me pontificate with a bunch of other (presumably) middle aged men over the merits or otherwise of some out of focus rendering 😅