Looking for a 50mm lens

[triers]

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thank you stuart for your detailed explaination,

i know its a very low bar but as i said im new to leica system, im still not very sure if i would be attracted by these classic lenses, so 200 pounds is a first try. 

fortunately i have just collected a helios-44m with only 30 pounds (really affordable if it would work well!). i think i would add budget if i have fun with it.

and as you mentioned, m42 as helios lenses have, i found an interesting m42 to lm adapter which announced to support rangefinder function on leica, however, it costs 100 pounds, not sure if it would be a good deal.

i agree with what you said, Voigtländer offers excellent lenses with reasonable price, my 28f1.5 nokton really works well on m10 and i shot many good pics with it, hope this helios would be another good lense

[triers]

12 minutes ago, jaapv said:

The coating on the Canons is much better than that of Leica of the period. I would advise against  very fast old lenses.  The rendering at large aperture can be interesting but they are best regarded are specialist lenses for occasional use. If you get a bit higher on the price ladder, I am very much impressed by the Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5. 

yes Voigtländer is always a good choice, i may pick one into my 2025 plan. but the brand made too many 50mm lenses and made me hard to decide. now im wondering among 50/1, 50/1,2 nokton, 50/1.5 nokton ii and 50/2 apo, can big aperture keep pics clean in low-light conditions like indoor place or night? or should i focus on sharpness and image quality thus 50/2 apo?

[spydrxx]

There is usually a fair amount of hyperbolic language as people describe the flaws and strengths of various lenses, when in reality most of the differences are rather nuanced. If one is shooting for viewing on the web the nuances will be less noticeable than if one is making large exhibition prints, same if one is pixel peeping or viewing the image as a whole. It is great to be able to establish a stable of Leica lenses, but IMHO even greater to have just a few which one uses all the time and understands their full capabilities, and that comes with time and lots of usage. Other than uncovering an unusually great deal, I encourage new users to purchase their first lenses not at the extreme ends of the offerings in a given focal length, but rather somewhere in the middle so they have a solid basis at a later date for choosing a particular feature which they will use. For instance I fell into the trap early in my Leica journey of lusting after a Noctilux and the 0.95 Canon "Dream lens". After owning both for a year or so, I sold them...they didn't fulfill my needs or my expectations and both were too heavy to lug around all day - lesson learned. I found that, although I often enjoy high contrast prints of certain subjects, but didn't want my lenses to ALWAYS deliver that, I was better served by lenses which didn't max out on the contrast scale (although I still have a few for special occasions). Avoiding flare was usually accomplished by the use of hoods or judiciously placing my shots to minimize it, or incorporate it as desired. So don't be enticed by the sirens calling for perfection...you can save a lot of money, time and frustration by going with tried but true pedestrian lens examples and good post processing skills. My thoughts FWIW.

[costa43]

The Canon lenses recommended are a great shout. I will also recommend the Voigtlander 50mm F1.5 Nokton LTM. I have a soft spot for this lens. Lovely image quality but it may be a little more than 200. I think for around 350 you might find one if you can stretch.

 

Edited December 5, 2024 by costa43

[TomB_tx]

Sounds like you have a good plan. I needed a budget 50 for the M3 I gave my son, and stumbled on a used TTArtisan 50mm f/1.4 - which has amazing quality and performance for the price. but is pretty long for an M 50mm. Even trying it on my M10 the size was my only complaint. My son is used to dSLRs and has large hands, so it will be great for him. I had given a collapsible Summicron - but the TTA is easier for him to adapt to, and has more modern rendering.

I've had the Nokton 50mm lenses (ltm & M) and loved the performance, but their first M version had unusual ergonomics, but better build quality. I finally got the 50/1.5 Nokton ii that you mentioned, and highly recommend it. Love the smaller size, and still great build. Double the price of the TTA though - but still cheap by Leica standards.

[Stuart Richardson]

6 hours ago, triers said:

thank you stuart for your detailed explaination,

i know its a very low bar but as i said im new to leica system, im still not very sure if i would be attracted by these classic lenses, so 200 pounds is a first try. 

fortunately i have just collected a helios-44m with only 30 pounds (really affordable if it would work well!). i think i would add budget if i have fun with it.

and as you mentioned, m42 as helios lenses have, i found an interesting m42 to lm adapter which announced to support rangefinder function on leica, however, it costs 100 pounds, not sure if it would be a good deal.

i agree with what you said, Voigtländer offers excellent lenses with reasonable price, my 28f1.5 nokton really works well on m10 and i shot many good pics with it, hope this helios would be another good lense

Just make sure you know that you can’t use the rangefinder with m42 lenses. You will have to focus with live view or an EVF. I think any LTM or M mount lens will be a better option.