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18mm lenses for Leica M


Guest bwcolor

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Lars, I have the exact same Zuiko 16mm f/3.5.....and no wide-angle on my M8 yet!

How did you adapt it? Can you recommend a cheap source of OM to M adapters?

 

Zone focussing is fine by me - that's how I've always used it. It's a nice light lens for an SLR, but it does flare quite badly and is a low-contrast lens. Even so, I'm happy to give it a whirl if I can find a cheap OM-M adapter.:o

I got mine from Novoflex. It was not cheap (useless to quote prices during the present currancy turmoil) and I had a long wait, because these adapters are low volume items and manufactured in batches, and the last batch was obviously sold out. But one day it did appear in the mail.

 

On the other hand, my old Zuiko 50mm Macro does also work just fine on a BEOON macro copy stand with this adapter!

 

The old man from the Age of Extension Rings

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Thanks for the response Lars. I'll keep an eye open for one, but a quick search revealed that they are more costly than I am prepared to pay - I would rather put the money towards a CV wide..:(

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Thanks for the response Lars. I'll keep an eye open for one, but a quick search revealed that they are more costly than I am prepared to pay - I would rather put the money towards a CV wide..:(

Yes, that is indeed the sensible long term solution.

 

The old man

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For anyone it might interest, I've found a temporary solution to the lack of a lenshade for the Zeiss 18mm - cost £3.99 from: 58mm Crown-Shaped Hood for Canon Nikon Fuji lens: Amazon.co.uk: Electronics & Photo, which has to be good!

 

Looks a bit odd, but it works - minumum intrusion in the WATE viewfinder, no obscuring of the range-finder and it looks as if it will stop stray light + protect the filter from bangs. There's a locking ring that lets you position the hood once it's mostly screwed in to the filter.

 

Until I can get the Zeiss, it looks like a good-enough solution. A snap attached to give you an idea what it all looks like. It handles better than it looks!

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Not sure if anyone is interested, but we have just added the Leica 18mm Super-Elmar-M to our Test Drive program. In other words, you can use the lens for yourself and see how you like it, or compare it with what you already may have. Yes, we ship anywhere in the USA.

 

Just email me if interested.

 

Thanks,

 

David

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Not sure if anyone is interested, but we have just added the Leica 18mm Super-Elmar-M to our Test Drive program. In other words, you can use the lens for yourself and see how you like it, or compare it with what you already may have. Yes, we ship anywhere in the USA.

 

Just email me if interested.

 

Thanks,

 

David

 

 

wonder if anyone has compared out WATE against SE18. I am struggling between the two. my biggest concern is color retention on WATE (strictly speaking it is not a prime). the SE18 samples looks perfect, but WATE got 2 more focal lengths. tough choice indeed.

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Edward: Looks like the SE18 has better MTF performance, according to Leica's own charts, MORE vignetting, by a bit, and LESS distortion, again by a small amount - than the WATE at 18mm.

 

Not sure what "color retention" means - flare? Both the SE18 and the WATE have the same number of air/glass surfaces - the WATE has more glass elements (but more are cemented into groups).

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wonder if anyone has compared out WATE against SE18. I am struggling between the two. my biggest concern is color retention on WATE (strictly speaking it is not a prime). the SE18 samples looks perfect, but WATE got 2 more focal lengths. tough choice indeed.

 

I have and use the WATE on a fairly regular basis. I got a chance to try out the 18 SE and I'm personally struggling with whether to keep the WATE or to change over to the new 18. I find both lenses to be extremely good. The WATE is convenient with its ability to combine "three" focal lengths in one lens. I also find that I use 16mm quite a bit. But, the filter design on the WATE and the required menu selection when changing focal lengths are a bit less than perfect. The 18 is a bit more compact and the hood/filter arrangement is really nice. With the latest firmware, pop the lens on and shoot. I also found the 18 less prone to flare, reflections, and green IR filter blobs than the WATE.

 

Since I do most of my wide shooting at f/5.6-11, I can't see too much difference in IQ between the two. The 18 will perform better wide-open and possibly a touch sharper into the corners. But, both are really, really nice lenses.

 

I'm still on the fence myself, but... because I already have the WATE and enjoy using it at 16mm, I will probably just keep it. If I was starting from scratch with no extreme wide angle, I'd go for the 18mm in a heartbeat.

 

David

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