Don Flynn Posted March 9 Share #1 Posted March 9 Advertisement (gone after registration) I bought a excellent condition M5 this week and have a couple of questions [URL=https://public.fotki.com/Don-Flynn/leica-m5/04715731-d6c3-46ad.html][IMG]https://images12.fotki.com/v1690/photos/9/4114449/16688263/photo-vi.jpg[/IMG][/URL] This is the sales shot from Roberts Photo. It looked even better when I got it in this week. I flipped it out to DAG Camera as soon as I got it for a CLA and battery conversion. My question is does anyone have experience the Zeiss 35mm f/2 ZM Biogon T* Lens or 2,8 model? I'm thinking of getting that as the entry level lens for this. Down the road I'll see what I can afford but I'm also looking to get a M6 as funds allow (my furnace died this week so the M6 fund went to that, the M5 I got as a consolation) For those M5 haters I also have this [URL=https://public.fotki.com/Don-Flynn/leica/dsc-4017-jpg.html][IMG]https://images14.fotki.com/v1689/photos/9/4114449/16688262/photo-vi.jpg[/IMG][/URL] M3 "Transitional" I got a great deal on last year. The meter didn't work but I use a Keks KM02 and might get that new M series for it. Lens is a Summerit 50mm 1.5 that came with the camera, $1200 for both and it's been CLA'd by DAG already 😁 Thoughts. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 9 Posted March 9 Hi Don Flynn, Take a look here Leica M5 Questions (and a M3 for someone to love on). I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ktmrider2 Posted March 9 Share #2 Posted March 9 (edited) The 35f2.8 Zeiss C-Biogon lives on my MP. It may be the sharpest 35mm in current production. If you can live with f2.8, get it and you will not regret it. I use it for half my travel kit with the other lens being the 90f2.8 Elmar M. The C-Biogon may be too sharp for some but I love mine and it has a beautiful pop. Don’t worry about replacing it down the road as Leica does not make anything as good. Edited March 9 by ktmrider2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieter12 Posted March 9 Share #3 Posted March 9 (edited) I love my M5, maybe even more than my M6. Although it is marginally larger, it has better ergonomics and the viewfinder meter display is better and shows the shutter speed, quite convenient. I have the 35mm f2.8 ZM lens and it is a stellar performer, on a par with anything Leica offers. The 50mm f2 ZM is no slouch either. The only downside I have experienced with the M5 was a light leak that would occur when bright light hit the rangefinder window. It was repaired by Zack's Camera in Providence, RI, following a 1975 technical note from Leica. Edited March 9 by Pieter12 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 9 Share #4 Posted March 9 I would not call Zeiss lenses entry level Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 9 Author Share #5 Posted March 9 10 minutes ago, Pieter12 said: I love my M5, maybe even more than my M6. Although it is marginally larger, it has better ergonomics and the viewfinder meter display is better and shows the shutter speed, quite convenient. I have the 35mm f2.8 ZM lens and it is a stellar performer, on a par with anything Leica offers. The 50mm f2 ZM is no slouch either. The only downside I have experienced with the M5 was a light leak that would occur when bright light hit the rangefinder window. It was repaired by Zack's Camera in Providence, RI, following a 1975 technical note from Leica. No issues with the metering stalk? My #2 choice for a 35mm lens is a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.7 Ultron. It gets good reviews from what I see. I'm actually tempted to buy a 2nd M5 I see listed online to go with the 1 I just bought. I'm telling myself I don't need 2 of them but then I have 5 Nikon F-2's, 3 from my days trying to earn a living with 1 and 2 I snagged cheap when people switched to digital in the 21st Century. I did that also but kept my "old school" stuff and find I like using those more. Film has "soul" IMO. Digital doesn't 7 minutes ago, jaapv said: I would not call Zeiss lenses entry level I'm not sure how non Leitz lens are viewed here. I owned a M3 briefly in the 80's when I was trying to earn a living at using a camera but sold it. I got the "new" M3 last fall and it got me interested in them again. Now if my furnace hadn't taken a dump maybe both the M5 and a M6 would be here in the house 😃 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 9 Author Share #6 Posted March 9 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/419751-leica-m5-questions-and-a-m3-for-someone-to-love-on/?do=findComment&comment=5769737'>More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 9 Author Share #7 Posted March 9 Advertisement (gone after registration) Here's the M5. New forum, need to figure out how to load photo's 😃 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/419751-leica-m5-questions-and-a-m3-for-someone-to-love-on/?do=findComment&comment=5769743'>More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 9 Share #8 Posted March 9 15 minutes ago, Don Flynn said: I'm not sure how non Leitz lens are viewed here. I owned a M3 briefly in the 80's when I was trying to earn a living at using a camera but sold it. I got the "new" M3 last fall and it got me interested in them again. Now if my furnace hadn't taken a dump maybe both the M5 and a M6 would be here in the house 😃 Most of us use a mix of lens brands, mostly Leica, Voigtländer and Zeiss, with some alternatives thrown in, according to the lens character we need. I see very little brand snobbery if any. Nor any film/digital controversy. Both mediums produce great photographs. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
costa43 Posted March 9 Share #9 Posted March 9 (edited) I own an M5 and an MP and I honestly think the M5 is the better user camera. Being able to see the shutter speed and change it so easily whilst looking through the rangefinder is awesome. It also has an almost spot like meter. It’s such a good camera. I used to own the 35mm f2.8 Biogon but this was before the M5 came along. That lens was so sharp with vivid colours. One of the sharpest M mount lens I’ve ever owned. My only grievance with Zeiss glass are the three stage aperture clicks between stops. I much prefer the Leica and Voigtlander two clicks. Edited March 9 by costa43 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieter12 Posted March 9 Share #10 Posted March 9 36 minutes ago, Don Flynn said: Here's the M5. New forum, need to figure out how to load photo's 😃 Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! 2-lug or 3-lug? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 9 Author Share #11 Posted March 9 3 minutes ago, Pieter12 said: 2-lug or 3-lug? This 1 is 3 lug. I actually passed on a 2 lug black one at KEH Camera same price a couple months ago because I thought I would prefer 3 lug so the camera would hang more "naturally". There is a chrome 3 lug listed on another sale site that's tempting me but I figure best to wait, get this back from DAG and get a 35mm and 90mm lenses for it. Here it is the day I got it. I had DAG give me a quote for service already so I packed it back up and mailed it off Friday. I think I held it for 15 minutes before I wrapped it back up but I figured until I get the battery converted best not to play with it 😁 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 9 Author Share #12 Posted March 9 43 minutes ago, jaapv said: Most of us use a mix of lens brands, mostly Leica, Voigtländer and Zeiss, with some alternatives thrown in, according to the lens character we need. I see very little brand snobbery if any. Nor any film/digital controversy. Both mediums produce great photographs. I'm leaning towards getting the Voigtlander 35mm 1.7 to play it safe on the metering stalk. I'm waiting until next weekend to pull the trigger. I get a profit sharing check from my employer this week that I was planning on using for a M6 and using what I had saved for lenses for that. Plan B is I used the lens fund for the M5, seeing how much I have left after I pay myself back for the new furnace then getting more lenses for this. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted March 9 Share #13 Posted March 9 The Zeiss 35 f2.0 Biogon is also a very nice lens. I found it a bit too large on my M9, but it feels just right on my M5, and the metering works fine - no interference. Same situation with an older Voigtlander Nokton 50 f1.5 in ltm mount - to large on smaller bodies, but it is my main lens (with adapter) on my M5. DAG did a full service on my M5 years ago and did a great job. I left the meter calibration "stock" for mercury cells but use an voltage reducing adapter for mercury cell on mine. I have Ms 1 through 7, and the M5 is special. (Although now I prefer the LED arrows meter readout on the M6/7/P as it is faster for me.) I do like the M5 true spot meter though - easy to read a small area. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 9 Author Share #14 Posted March 9 52 minutes ago, TomB_tx said: The Zeiss 35 f2.0 Biogon is also a very nice lens. I found it a bit too large on my M9, but it feels just right on my M5, and the metering works fine - no interference. Same situation with an older Voigtlander Nokton 50 f1.5 in ltm mount - to large on smaller bodies, but it is my main lens (with adapter) on my M5. DAG did a full service on my M5 years ago and did a great job. I left the meter calibration "stock" for mercury cells but use an voltage reducing adapter for mercury cell on mine. I have Ms 1 through 7, and the M5 is special. (Although now I prefer the LED arrows meter readout on the M6/7/P as it is faster for me.) I do like the M5 true spot meter though - easy to read a small area. Excellent. I'll keep that in mind and hopefully KEH will have the 1 I've been looking at in stock in a few days when I'm surer what the money is going to be like. I could just take the dough from savings but my policy is that's for emergencies and between the furnace and a recent car repair I'm tempting fate if I take money out of that. Besides, it'll be several weeks before DAG gets the M5 done so there might be something else there I can get also, like a nice 90mm to fill out the Leica bag Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieter12 Posted March 10 Share #15 Posted March 10 I tend to favor wide angles on the M. I have and use a 21, 28, 35. And a 40 and a couple of 50s. I also have a 90, but beyond some test shots, I’ve never used it. Part of that is the tiny frame lines in the viewfinder. If I want to use a long lens, I’ll reach for an SLR. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 10 Author Share #16 Posted March 10 4 minutes ago, Pieter12 said: I tend to favor wide angles on the M. I have and use a 21, 28, 35. And a 40 and a couple of 50s. I also have a 90, but beyond some test shots, I’ve never used it. Part of that is the tiny frame lines in the viewfinder. If I want to use a long lens, I’ll reach for an SLR. Yeah, I'm debating whether I really need a 90mm. KEH has had this on hand for awhile https://www.keh.com/shop/leica-90mm-f-2-8-tele-elmarit-black-heavy-m-mount-lens-39.html The price is right and it has a decent rep. But how often would I use it?. I have a 35-85 Nikkor for my Nikons and normally use a 105mm for short tele work. Same with wider than 35mm, I have a nice Nikkor 28/F2 and plan on getting another 20 or 24mm for the F2/3's I use. I'm planning on going "old school" when I do film, M5 with the 35mm or 50, F3 with the 105 and F2 with the 28mm (or vice versa depending 😄). If I decide to mix digital with film I'll lose 1 of the F bodies and use my D7500 with a 28-85mm 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fotoklaus Posted March 10 Share #17 Posted March 10 I bought a Voigtlander Ultron 2/35 last year. Absolutely bargain for that quality. Almost too much for a film camera. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hansvons Posted March 10 Share #18 Posted March 10 5 hours ago, Don Flynn said: I'm planning on going "old school" when I do film, M5 with the 35mm or 50, F3 with the 105 and F2 with the 28mm (or vice versa depending 😄). If I decide to mix digital with film I'll lose 1 of the F bodies and use my D7500 with a 28-85mm Leica M’s range finder excels at wide angle lenses (28mm and 35mm). In that range, it’s more precise and quicker than focusing via ground glass in SLRs. I find 50mm a tie at sharpness, and above 50mm SLRs better. 54 minutes ago, Fotoklaus said: I bought a Voigtlander Ultron 2/35 last year. Absolutely bargain for that quality. Almost too much for a film camera. The 35mm Ultron f/2 is Voigtlander’s answer to Leica’s Summicron ASPH. It’s a very good lens with some soul despite its modern aspherical design. I don’t have it anymore and went with the original because the Leica lens renders faces a tad flatter. This is the reason why I parted with the brilliant Colour Skopar and never bought the Biogon. That said, I find sharp lenses not to be waisted on film. On the contrary. Sharp and high-resolving B&W stock like Delta 100 benefit much from sharp glass, so does Tri-X because its acutance is relatively high. All of what I say in the last three paragraphs is based on taste, YMMV. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted March 10 Share #19 Posted March 10 10 hours ago, Don Flynn said: Yeah, I'm debating whether I really need a 90mm. KEH has had this on hand for awhile The TeleElmarit model you found at KEH was the first lens I bought for my new M4 in 1968, and was my only M lens for 6 months, - I thought it was great on the M4 and would be fine on the M5. I loved shooting action sports with it as I could see so much around the 90 frame so I could shift the frame with the action. I added a Summarit 90 2.5 a few years ago, and even on my M10 my old 90 TE has equal image quality, but the Summarit has a shorter (faster) focus throw. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Flynn Posted March 10 Author Share #20 Posted March 10 8 hours ago, Fotoklaus said: I bought a Voigtlander Ultron 2/35 last year. Absolutely bargain for that quality. Almost too much for a film camera. Voigtlander is going to be my 2nd choice for the 35mm lens. I plan on getting it from KEH since I'm wanting another lens for my Nikons and they have those also 6 hours ago, hansvons said: Leica M’s range finder excels at wide angle lenses (28mm and 35mm). In that range, it’s more precise and quicker than focusing via ground glass in SLRs. I find 50mm a tie at sharpness, and above 50mm SLRs better. The 35mm Ultron f/2 is Voigtlander’s answer to Leica’s Summicron ASPH. It’s a very good lens with some soul despite its modern aspherical design. I don’t have it anymore and went with the original because the Leica lens renders faces a tad flatter. This is the reason why I parted with the brilliant Colour Skopar and never bought the Biogon. That said, I find sharp lenses not to be waisted on film. On the contrary. Sharp and high-resolving B&W stock like Delta 100 benefit much from sharp glass, so does Tri-X because its acutance is relatively high. All of what I say in the last three paragraphs is based on taste, YMMV. Since i plan on using the M5 for B/W I think sharpness is key. The only thing with the M5 is it doesn't have the framelines for a 28 but I'm still hoping I can swing a M6 before I retire 2026. I still need to set up how I'm going to process and scan film yet so after I get the M5 set up I should get that set up. Right now, I'm in no hurry because where I work (local Ford plant) hits me with working Saturdays every chance they can so free time is something I don't get allot of 1 hour ago, TomB_tx said: The TeleElmarit model you found at KEH was the first lens I bought for my new M4 in 1968, and was my only M lens for 6 months, - I thought it was great on the M4 and would be fine on the M5. I loved shooting action sports with it as I could see so much around the 90 frame so I could shift the frame with the action. I added a Summarit 90 2.5 a few years ago, and even on my M10 my old 90 TE has equal image quality, but the Summarit has a shorter (faster) focus throw. I plan on doing street candid's when I use the Leica's so I'm not sure I would use the 90mm much. What's good about that 90mm at KEH is for a Leica made lens its cheap (compared to others) so if I do get it and end up not using it I'm not tying up allot of cash in a paperweight. Now if this were the 1980's I think I would use 1 allot. I did allot of "band shooting" in clubs in the day and used a 85mm on my Nikons as my "long indoor lens" That was 1/2 the reason I got my 1st M3 back then. Wasn't using the M3 as much as I should and the studio I was working at as a darkroom lab rat (our bowling team was even named "The Lab Rats 😁) needed wedding shooters. I did mainly high school sports for them since I had a couple Nikon F2's and a decent 180mm lens so I sold the M3 and got into 645 format on a Mamiya Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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