peterpappas Posted November 23, 2008 Share #1 Posted November 23, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) As I sort though my options regarding film or digital, I have a question regarding lenses. Are M lenses for film cameras applicable to M8's, or vice versa? I would think film being full frame would be different than M8 digital array being smaller than full frame. Appreciate any comments. I am trying to get the most options out of what direction I go in, both with body and lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 23, 2008 Posted November 23, 2008 Hi peterpappas, Take a look here M lenses. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
timd. Posted November 23, 2008 Share #2 Posted November 23, 2008 yes, film m-lenses are compatible. you don't have to buy two sets of lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted November 23, 2008 Share #3 Posted November 23, 2008 M cameras are part if a system and as such, they all use the same lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
abrewer Posted November 24, 2008 Share #4 Posted November 24, 2008 Hi Peter Welcome to the Forum M lenses are compatible all the way back to the first generation (what now? fifty years ago with the bayonet mount?) Just remember the small sensor on the digital magnifies the lens by one third: a 28 mm effectively shoots at 35mm frame on the M8 One thing that is undeniable: it costs a whole lot less to pick up a used M6TTL and shoot film than an M8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest noah_addis Posted November 24, 2008 Share #5 Posted November 24, 2008 As others have said, the lenses are fully compatible. Wider lenses benefit from 6-bit coding which can be retrofitted by Leica. With film my favorite lens was 35mm with 28mm a close second. With M8, my favorite was at first the 28mm, but I decided to add a 24mm and 21mm to round out my wideangle options. Now I think the 24mm is my favorite. So depending on your needs and current lenses, you might need to add another lens at the wide end. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted November 24, 2008 Share #6 Posted November 24, 2008 Don't forget you can use any Leica thread mount lens on any M camera too (with an M adaptor). So that 1930's Elmar will still work as well on a new M8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amoebahydra Posted December 29, 2008 Share #7 Posted December 29, 2008 Advertisement (gone after registration) All M lenses are compatible with M8 except the following three: 1. Summicron 1:2/50 Dual Range; 2. Elmar 1:4/90 retractable; and 3. Hologon-M 1:8/15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted December 29, 2008 Share #8 Posted December 29, 2008 All M lenses are compatible with M8 except the following three: .... Elmar 1:4/90 retractable... Are you sure? Mine works fine with the R-D1. Collapses less deeply than the Elmar 50/2.8 actually. Never tried it with the M8 though 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! 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/69403-m-lenses/?do=findComment&comment=760518'>More sharing options...
doubledan Posted December 29, 2008 Share #9 Posted December 29, 2008 Most M lenses are compatible not only with the M8 and Epson rd1, but also (via an adapter) with the new Panasonic G1 "micro 4/3rds" camera and the soon-to-come (one hopes) Olympus version of the m4/3. If you're not certain you want to make the major investment in an M8, the G1 is an ingenious and relatively cheap digital alternative, and its use with M-lenses has been a hot topic of discussion in this forum and others. Of course, the G1 has an even smaller sensor than the M8's, so that the focal length of any lens is effectively doubled -- 35mm becomes 70mm, eg. But the image quality is pretty amazing, considering. So much so, that I just recently gave in and bought a G1 after vowing to hold off in favor of Olympus's eventual m4/3 offering, which looks like a more appealing option. I bought the G1 from a Canadian dealer on eBay for $600, including the more-than-decent-kit lens -- about $150 less than the lowest US price at the time. And I have on order from a British dealer (speedgraphic.co.uk) the necessary Novoflex converter (mft/lem) that will let me fit my Leica M and Zeiss ZM lenses to the little Panasonic body . The adapter cost about $175 including shipping. Still, I still prefer film for the most part -- and if you want another slightly offbeat solution that covers your film needs, you might look into the Leica M5. It has always been considered the big ugly duckling of the M family. It is indeed heavy and ergonomically less friendly than its brethren, but slipping it into a leather half-case makes it much easier to handle. Technically, I have found it to be just about the finest mechanical camera I've ever used, with its quiet shutter and ttl meter and smart film uptake system. You can always find a good M5 for less than $1000. Bottom line: Along with the G1, this would give you both film and digital cameras of very high quality for well under $2000 total, plus of course the cost of M lenses. And when it comes to M lenses there's a lot of wonderful glass on the used market that won't cost you a fortune either. Good luck! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pleeson Posted December 30, 2008 Share #10 Posted December 30, 2008 Hi Peter Welcome to the Forum M lenses are compatible all the way back to the first generation (what now? fifty years ago with the bayonet mount?) Just remember the small sensor on the digital magnifies the lens by one third: a 28 mm effectively shoots at 35mm frame on the M8 One thing that is undeniable: it costs a whole lot less to pick up a used M6TTL and shoot film than an M8 And spend the $$ on lenses; waiting for the beta testers to work the bugs out of the M8 ;-) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amoebahydra Posted January 1, 2009 Share #11 Posted January 1, 2009 Are you sure? Mine works fine with the R-D1. Collapses less deeply than the Elmar 50/2.8 actually. Never tried it with the M8 though My Summicron 1:2/50 DR as well as Elmar 1:4/90 retractable work fine with my RD-1 but not on M8 or M8.2. In fact, this is also highlighted in page 3 of "Leica M8, Leica M lenses", the document accompanying M8 at time of purchase. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 1, 2009 Share #12 Posted January 1, 2009 Thank you amoebahydra. According to Leica USA (http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/digital-forum/6994-will-collapsible-lens-really-work-m8-2.html#post67622), QUOTE Elmar 90 mm f/4 with collapsible tube (production period 1954 -1968) Can be used, but risks damaging the camera. Lenses with retractable tubes can only be used with their tubes extended, i. e. their tubes must never be retracted into the Leica M8. UNQUOTE In fact my current Elmar 50/2.8 could be retracted on the M8 when i tried it 2 years ago. Hence my question given that the 90/4 collapses less deeply than the current 50/2.8. But again, i've never tried my 90/4 on a M8 so far. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
amoebahydra Posted January 1, 2009 Share #13 Posted January 1, 2009 Thank you amoebahydra.According to Leica USA (http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/digital-forum/6994-will-collapsible-lens-really-work-m8-2.html#post67622), QUOTE Elmar 90 mm f/4 with collapsible tube (production period 1954 -1968) Can be used, but risks damaging the camera. Lenses with retractable tubes can only be used with their tubes extended, i. e. their tubes must never be retracted into the Leica M8. UNQUOTE In fact my current Elmar 50/2.8 could be retracted on the M8 when i tried it 2 years ago. Hence my question given that the 90/4 collapses less deeply than the current 50/2.8. But again, i've never tried my 90/4 on a M8 so far. Thank you for your information, I had tried fitting an extended retractable Elmar 90 to my M8 but cannot twist the lens for securing to the M8 body, though I did take a few pictures at infinity without locking the lens and thence no rangefinder coupling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym911 Posted January 1, 2009 Share #14 Posted January 1, 2009 my 90/4 works fine on m8...just as any other M...don't collapse though as already mentioned. andy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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