Help me find a Lens for my M8!

[usccharles]

any recommendations on a lens betwee 35mm and 50mm that creates soft snapshop like images? older lenses or new lenses, preferrably small.

most of all my new lenses are the newer generation Asph lens which are nice and sharp, but sometimes just too sharp and technical, if that makes any sense.

i've been kinda going back to film these days, doing alot of snap shots with my Rollei 35. just purchases a lomo too. its so fun to just snap around and not worry about images being too sharp to look good. it feels like with these modern lenses, while they make excellant life-like images, images look horrible if they are alittle off focus and blurry.

i want to put a lens on my M8 that has a lomo/rollei35-ish look to it. not technical and demanding, just fun snapping.

i hope that makes sense. thanks in advance for you comments :)

[Zen-shooter]

Here's my recommendation...
Try those lenses from the 50's such as the,
35mm = 3.5/1.8 Nikkor LTM
50mm = 5.0/1.4 or 2.0 Nikkor LTM

The older 35mm Summarons and 50 'crons are nice too.

I have both and use them on my R-D1S. Granted it's not a M8 but lenses that has medium contrast appears more "natural"/"film-like" than the more modern lenses. In fact I sold my ZI and Leica lenses to achieve a certain "look" on my prints.

Still, you won't get Lomo-like images though...

[erikhaugsby]

the 35/3.5 Summaron is a nice old-look lens; it flares relatively easily, and is pretty low in contrast. It isn't terribly soft, but it won't perform pixel-peeping miracles.

Have you thought about picking up a FSU lens, like the 35/2.8 J-12?

[usccharles]

the 35/3.5 Summaron is a nice old-look lens; it flares relatively easily, and is pretty low in contrast. It isn't terribly soft, but it won't perform pixel-peeping miracles.

Have you thought about picking up a FSU lens, like the 35/2.8 J-12?

I've never tried or owned a FSU lens. any tips/links/revies i can go to learn more? googling away right now...

thanks

[usccharles]

Here's my recommendation...
Try those lenses from the 50's such as the,
35mm = 3.5/1.8 Nikkor LTM
50mm = 5.0/1.4 or 2.0 Nikkor LTM

The older 35mm Summarons and 50 'crons are nice too.

I have both and use them on my R-D1S. Granted it's not a M8 but lenses that has medium contrast appears more "natural"/"film-like" than the more modern lenses. In fact I sold my ZI and Leica lenses to achieve a certain "look" on my prints.

Still, you won't get Lomo-like images though...


thanks for your recommends. i will research these :)

[wlewisiii]

FSU lenses are a good choice (& the Jupiter 12 35/2.8 is a utter gem. The best place stateside to look for one is here: http://www.fedka.com/catalog/ ) but another option is older Canon lenses. My 35/1.8 gives me much of what you seem to be looking for. Some samples are here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44344

Hope this helps,

William

[Ken Ford]

A collapsible Summicron, perhaps?

I have two different small lens kits for this very reason. The 40 Cron and 90 Elmar-C have more "traditional" rendering, and the 35 Cron ASPH anchors the "modern" kit which will eventually be all Leica ASPHs (a pair of CVs are stand-ins for now).

[greggebhardt]

You can buy my 50mm!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160141881441&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT&ih=006

Auction ends tonight!

[usccharles]

FSU lenses are a good choice (& the Jupiter 12 35/2.8 is a utter gem. The best place stateside to look for one is here: http://www.fedka.com/catalog/ ) but another option is older Canon lenses. My 35/1.8 gives me much of what you seem to be looking for. Some samples are here: http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44344

Hope this helps,

William

thanks for the link to fedka. very informative site :)

[StuartR]

I feel the 50mm f/1.4 pre asph fits this niche, but it is a bit better than you are describing I think...

http://www.stuartrichardson.com/stilts.jpg

[usccharles]

another question: if i get an LTM lens, say a J12 35mm, what adaptor do i use to mount this on my M8, and does the focus work? or will this be like my 15mm heliar where i have to guess focus? can i use the same CV adaptor i'm using for my 15mm heliar?

thanks

[Gabriel M.A.]

any recommendations on a lens betwee 35mm and 50mm that creates soft snapshop like images?
I think you want a Kodak EasyShare P&S digicam.

But if you must do this with your M8, then get a Canon 35mm f/1.8 LTM lens. Or a Jupiter-3 (50mm f/1.5)

[sepiareverb]

I'll suggest the 40 'cron also- the drawing this lens does is crisp, yet not harsh by any means, rather a very pleasing smoothness to tones.

[Terao]

another question: if i get an LTM lens, say a J12 35mm, what adaptor do i use to mount this on my M8, and does the focus work? or will this be like my 15mm heliar where i have to guess focus? can i use the same CV adaptor i'm using for my 15mm heliar?

thanks

You can use the same adapter (probably). Only thing to consider is whether it will bring up the right framelines on the M8 for the lens you buy (there are three different adapters, each which bring up different pairs of framelines)
Providing the lens is rangefinder-coupled (and virtually anything you buy will be) you won't have to guess focus.

As to options:

Canon 35mm f/2.8
Nikon 35mm in LTM
Minolta Chiyoko Super Rokkor 45mm

All are from the 50s, all will be low contrast and perhaps prone to flare, all will be interesting. Same would go for the older Leica lenses.

[dseelig]

It is a nice lens and I have one for sale hope this is not in bad taste. I am selling my zeiss 50 too but it is more of a modern lens . dseelig7@gmail.com

[usccharles]

WHOAAaa so many choices! Thanks for all your comments~

i'm gonna have to go to a vintage shop and window shop awhile :)

[peterc]

i want to put a lens on my M8 that has a lomo/rollei35-ish look to it. not technical and demanding, just fun snapping.
Why not use the lenses you have and change the look in post processing?

Peter

[usccharles]

Why not use the lenses you have and change the look in post processing?

Peter

its just not the same you know...

lomo and rollei shots are just something you can't get with modern lenses. with proper postprocessing (which i'm very lacking in) i guess you can get the same tone/color/contrast to look the same, but the pictures come out different. i guess its because i handle the cameras differently. lomo and rollei, i'm just more off-hand snap snap, but with my M8 and my lenses, either i need to focus it right or the pictures don't come out right... i don't know if that makes sense...

sometimes i want to be alittle more snapsnap with my m8 and use it like my rollei and get that fun snappy picture i get with them without having to process it to look like it in post

[eon]

Those collapsible lenses loses much of their appeal as Leica warns that they cannot be collapsed whithout damaging the shutter.

The J-12 can be mounted. Just use a 35/135 M-adapter and the focus will work fine.
The rear element will almost touch the shutter and therefore it will affect the meter accuracy as it gets in the way of the reflected light from the shutter. The meter works better than expected though.

/Erik