Best vintage 50mm lens for M10 Monochrom

[tony740607]

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Hi,

I am buying a M10 Monochrom and would like to pair it with one or several vintage 50mm Leica lenses (I have a Leica Q Typ116 already).

Which lenses have you tried and would recommend? I would like something that gives nice character to portraits and something that is a bit more sharp. I like when the lens is compact with a quite low weight. I could also consider a 35mm vintage lens of some sort.

Thanks.

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[evikne]

The 50mm Summilux pre-ASPH v2/v3 has a nice vintage rendering wide open, and is pretty sharp from f/2. They have some minor differences, which I can tell you more about if you are interested.

A re-issue version has also recently been launched, which is a bit like a mix of both.

[fil-m]

I recommend that you try a Summicron 50 Rigid if you can find one in good condition (the coatings are quite fragile).  

[Jeff S]

Well, the current v5 Summicron, introduced in 1994, is non-ASPH and its optical formula is essentially unchanged since the v4 was introduced in 1979.  Forty six (or 31) years is vintage enough for me, and it pairs very well with my M10 Monochrom.  I also have the larger and faster 50 Summilux ASPH v1, but the Summicron spends more time on my M10 M.

[mottykytu]

8 hours ago, fil-m said:

I recommend that you try a Summicron 50 Rigid if you can find one in good condition (the coatings are quite fragile).  

This , the rigid

Or you can try the LLL Cooke Panchro which I think will suit your Monochrome very well

[costa43]

You have a good bit of choice. I’ve not owned an M10M but I have used a lot of 50s on my M9M and colour cameras. The v2/v3 Summilux pre-ASPH is nice for portraits and the v3 is particularly small for its respective aperture. the 50mm Summicron v4/v5 is another great choice for all around photography. If you really want some character, the 50mm Summarit f1.5 will happily oblige! If you want sharp then the 50mm f2.8 Elmar will deliver that in spades too (2nd version) A very underrated lens. 

 

Edited May 25 by costa43

[Stef63]

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In the realm of non-RF-coupled lenses, there’s plenty to explore.  Two favourites of mine:

• Pentax Takumar 50mm f/1.4 – especially the 8-element version, which has a unique rendering and beautiful bokeh. It’s a cult classic for a reason.

• Canon FD 55mm f/1.2 SSC – fast, characterful, and a joy to use with the right adapter.

Both offer something special and are worth trying if you’re venturing beyond RF-coupled glass.  The Leica M10 Monochrom in particular is a camera that pairs beautifully with them. And considering the cost of these lenses, this would open up other possibilities in other focal ranges at a fraction of the cost of vintage Leica glass.

2 samples to demonstrate OOF rendering of the Takumar

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Edited May 25 by Stef63
Add sample images

[S/W]

If you want a brand new lens, I can only recommend the new Summilux 1.4/50 reissue (https://leica-camera.com/en-GB/photography/lenses/m/summilux-m-50-f1-4-silver-chrome-finish) from the classic series for the M10M. I use it on the M11M and am always satisfied with the results. Compared to the 1.4 Asph, it has a softer blur for my taste at 1.4. It is even reasonably priced by Leica standards. Here is a picture example at f/1.4:

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Leica M11M * Leica Summilux M 1.4/50 Reissue * ISO 125 * f/1.4 * 1/2500 sec ' CaptureOne

[JoshuaR]

My favorite lens to use with my M10M was the 50 Cron, either v4 or v5. 

[Jon Warwick]

1 hour ago, JoshuaR said:

My favorite lens to use with my M10M was the 50 Cron, either v4 or v5. 

Same here (v5 in my case) on my M10M, and continues to work very nicely with my M11M. Just a very pleasing rendering to my eyes.

Only downside for me is the large field curvature on my v5, I find I have to stop down significantly (say f11) to get the sides fully sharp. At f5.6, the field curvature on my v5s is like a horseshoe, meaning the sides that are close to me (say 10 metres away) are in perfect focus when the centre at infinity is also in perfect focus 

Edited May 25 by Jon Warwick

[GLAUMAX]

I really like the Canon 50mm 1.4 LTM on Monochrome cameras. Very nice classic rendering with nice bokeh. The lens is sharp at f2 and perfectly usable wide open. It is also quite light and compact for a 1.4 lens. 

[FrozenInTime]

Voigtländer Heliar 50mm f/1.5 - a new lens designed to look every bit the classic.

On M10M 

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[Keith (M)]

I enjoy using my '57 5cm Summicron Collapsible LTM.  Typical example below at f2 + orange filter.  Click for better view.

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[sinjun]

Some good suggestions above. It all depends on how vintage you want and how much you have to spend. At the budget end I'd suggest a Canon 50mm f1.8 which is really quite small and a pretty good performer. I have the silver version from the mid 50s and like it quite a lot. It often seems to be overlooked.

[tony740607]

On 5/24/2025 at 9:33 PM, fil-m said:

I recommend that you try a Summicron 50 Rigid if you can find one in good condition (the coatings are quite fragile).  

Thanks! I have seen several YT posts on vintage lenses and all of them recommend this lens. I will check when I go to a photo dealership next time. Many recommendations was also on the 50mm collapsible, also this very affordable.

[tony740607]

On 5/25/2025 at 12:17 PM, S/W said:

If you want a brand new lens, I can only recommend the new Summilux 1.4/50 reissue (https://leica-camera.com/en-GB/photography/lenses/m/summilux-m-50-f1-4-silver-chrome-finish) from the classic series for the M10M. I use it on the M11M and am always satisfied with the results. Compared to the 1.4 Asph, it has a softer blur for my taste at 1.4. It is even reasonably priced by Leica standards. Here is a picture example at f/1.4:

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Leica M11M * Leica Summilux M 1.4/50 Reissue * ISO 125 * f/1.4 * 1/2500 sec ' CaptureOne

Thanks! I actually looked at this lens but in the end I decided on another re-issue. The 35mm steel rim. I will buy a 50mm in the future but why I bought a 35mm now is that I see that pictures I have taken the last 10 years are 90% on a 35mm so I wanted to prioritise this focal length.

[tony740607]

Thanks for all the answers! Very nice.

As it turned out I switched my priorities due to different reasons. My plan was the M10M, and still is and then I thought I would buy a M6 in 2-3 years. And to buy a 50mm lens with that. As it became I suddenly saw a re-issue of the M6 at Leica Store Vienna and I could not resisting placing an order and while I was going at it I also bought the re-issue of 35mm steel rim. As I quoted above I see in my library I shoot majority of my pictures with 35mm, but for sure I will return to this post when I want to buy a 50mm.

It will be very interesting to see what I think about the minimum focus distance of 1m but looking at my pictures again this will seldom be an issue. So now I am pretty nervous what I have done and a new world of opportunity and mistakes with film will be made 🙂 . Luckily I have the Leica Q saving me.

Lets go to the film forum to post a question so I can get started.