lens suggestion for M3

[msheppler]

Hello all,

I own a M3 with a 50MM collapsible Summicron. I am going to be scanning color slide film and would like to hear any suggestion for another 50mm lens choice which would compliment my collapsible. I assume if would probably be a lens of higher contrast.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[BillP]

Welcome!

I'd go for a DR. It's a beautiful piece of equipment, and should meet your needs.

Regards,

Bill

[msheppler]

Bill,

I've heard the DR is a great lens. I was also wondering if a later model summicron might be a good choice.

[drewbarb]

I use a DR 'cron on an M3 for probably half of my 35mm photography, and optically it's never given me any reason to look for another lens. It is a heavy combo, though, and I don't often use the close focus range, so I'm casually looking for another 50 to use with it. I'm considering a collapsable lens- possibly the Summicron- to use as a compliment to the DR for when I want a smaller/lighter weight outfit. You could do a lot worse than this pair.

OTOH, my low-light lens is the Canon 50 f1.2, which is another fine choice for an alternate 50mm lens.

[msheppler]

Thanks for your replies. I'll be checking the classifieds.

[Brian Sweeney]

The contrast on the DR and Type I rigid Summicron is about the same as the Collapsible. It might be a hair sharper, but not so much to differentiate the two.

The Type 2 and newer Summicrons have more contrast.

But, a Canon 50/1.8 or Nikkor 5cm F2 would give more contrast and a different look than the Summicrons. A Canon 50/1.4 would give more speed and more contrast. The Canon 50/1.8 is comparatively inexpensive, $100~$150.

[wlewisiii]

Does it have to be Leica? if not, have you considered the Zeiss ZM 50/1.5 Sonnar?

Edit: Brian is right. The 50/1.8 is probably the single highest bang for buck of any Leica compatable lens. I need another, alas...

William

[Rob-F]

What Brian said. If you want more contrast, go with a 6-element Summicron instead of the DR. The 11817, made from 1969 to 1979, will meet your needs better. Of course, also consider lenses from Zeiss and Cosina.

[Telewatt]

The contrast on the DR and Type I rigid Summicron is about the same as the Collapsible. It might be a hair sharper, but not so much to differentiate the two.

The Type 2 and newer Summicrons have more contrast.

But, a Canon 50/1.8 or Nikkor 5cm F2 would give more contrast and a different look than the Summicrons. A Canon 50/1.4 would give more speed and more contrast. The Canon 50/1.8 is comparatively inexpensive, $100~$150.
The Collapsible Summicron is different, the rigid is a improved optical glass (LaK9) in four of the seven glasses and has a differt optical cell.
I think the problem is the fog in most of this lenses now!..if you find a clean one, you will be surprised...:eek:

Sorry for my english..:o

Regards,
Jan

....this was my first posting here..so wellcome to everyone..:).....I just see BILL is in...i feel like home..

[msheppler]

No, it doesn't have to be a leica. I'm just looking for a good lens for color work to supplement my collapsible.

[peterm1]

A high quality relatively low cost option is either of the Canon standbys in screw mount - with adapter, of course. Both the black/ chrome 50mm f1.4 and the black / chrome 50mm f1.8 are excellent choices speaking from personal experience. They have quite good contrast and handle both black and white and color well. They are well made and of high quality.

[Vics]

I have a collapsible and a DR. I find the DR to be much sharper and more flare resistant. But if I could, I'd swap it for a nice comparable Rigid, which is the same optical cell, but no near focus and much lighter (I'm told.) Also the Rigid has the focusing tab like the collapsible has, while the DR does not. I love the collapsible in some situations. I think it has a very nice "old glass" kind of signature, especially at the wider apertures.
Best, Vic

[msheppler]

Thank you all very much for you replies. I'll be looking in the RFF classifieds and checking some other reputable sources. I really do appreciate all the information.

[Brian Sweeney]

I CLA'd my best collapsible Summicron myself, and replaced the front element with one that is near perfect. My Type I Rigid Summicron was professionally cleaned and is close to perfect. Neither lens has any internal haze.

Collapsible Summicron, wide-open at F2:

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/a01356859c574611286cf7da51c790ddf6d7a26.jpg

Type I Rigid Summicron, wide-open:

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/4453506a9d954f9c202cf7185d1eea7b00eac5e.jpg

Collapsible, Wide-Open

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/e1515d934e2bf1502f42db9a5d44d0cd8388e53.jpg

Type I Rigid Summicron, wide-open.


http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/750255e90b457228f9c5245a4070dc0dd4f4a38.jpg


The Rigid is sharper, and slightly more contrast. But it is not the "big Difference" that I would want if selecting a second 50mm lens to complement it.

Canon 50mm F1.8, wide-open

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/d2a353d89bf94fe42431f0775df37ea25e28394.jpg

Tight Crop:

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/d5d151984826f35d905408b604efc1c2016f2c2.jpg

Stopped down to F4:

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/fad158994420f656cb6adbc1db77a50df415a93.jpg


The Canon was $75.

Nikkor 5cm F2, wide-open:

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/5f725089ae433203f2a5ffa1a789518b63eb42a.jpg

Tight Crop:

http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/afe25f792c4bf265fca5a1100e0b59a9558bdc3.jpg

The Nikkor was 3x the cost of the Canon. It is a Sonnar formula lens, the Canon 50/1.8 is a Planar formula lens. Very different designs from each other. The Summicrons shown are variants of the Planar.

[msheppler]

Brian,
Thanks for posting those pictures! Like everyone else I really love the leica bokeh but
I really am after a different look for my second lens so the nikon and canon pictures were very helpful.

[JNewell]

The contrast on the DR and Type I rigid Summicron is about the same as the Collapsible. It might be a hair sharper, but not so much to differentiate the two

I own a collapsible and a DR. I'd point out that in terms of ergonomics (focusing ring and aperture ring), the DR is in my opinion much better than the collapsible, and that the rigid is better than either. IMO, FWIW, etc.

[payasam]

This is of special interest to me as I am soon to get a collapsible Summicron. Perhaps, when I have it, I shall not pine for the Summitar I sold some months back.

[Brian Sweeney]

Summitar... Another lens that I like. But more for black and white. And finding those filters was dumb-luck. $10 at a camera show for a set of those crazy fluted-filters.

How many lenses don't I like...hard question.

[msheppler]

Brian,
I'll also in the market for a scanner. Probably a coolscan. What are you using for your scans that were pictured here?

[Brian Sweeney]

I'm using an Epson 3170, several years old now. It is good for "batch scanning", and can do 12 negatives at once. It does a "decent enough' job, but I will be picking up something better. A Coolscan is a much better way to go.

[Joe Brugger]

I'm a little late to this and really appreciate the photos that were scanned in, but let me add my two cents.
The later M-Summicrons are an excellent choice and sometimes you can still find a bargain on the Canadian-made lenses.
Lately, I've been very happy with the results from the Voigtlander 50/2.5. It handles nicely on the M-body, is sharp edge to edge and is practically free compared to Leica and Zeiss glass. There are B&W examples in my gallery here. The lens seems to work best with moderate-contrast films like NPS or Delta 400.

[Telewatt]

This is of special interest to me as I am soon to get a collapsible Summicron. Perhaps, when I have it, I shall not pine for the Summitar I sold some months back.

my new Leica comes with the coll-Summiron and it is like new!...but you can see it in the pictures ...it is softer....

54404

regards,
Jan

[Brian Sweeney]

I'll have to do a comparison roll between the Summicrons and the Summitar.

[WoolenMammoth]

I find a very big difference between my rigid and col cron. The rigid has MUCH higher contrast and is absolutely NOT the portrait lens for women that the col cron is... If I had to have one cron however, it would be the one I have from the 70's, its simply the most versatile between it, the rigid and col.

If you can afford a new Zeiss, the planar appears to be outstanding for color and is generations sharper than the col cron for sure. If you are stuck on a leitz lens you really ought to check out the new 2.8 col elmar-m. If you can deal with the slow stop, its a positively amazing lens.

[Uncle Bill]

I have an M3 and I use both the Collapsable Summicron and the Canon LTM 50 f1.4 (black) lens. I would also look at the Zeiss Planar, and Voightlander has some nice glass too.

[msheppler]

Thanks to everyone for their replies.

[kalokeri]

Jan

....this was my first posting here..so wellcome to everyone..:).....I just see BILL is in...i feel like home..


Welcome to rff, Jan. Nice to see and read you here.

I thought of joining the l-camera-forum every now and then, but it´s not like it was in the old days when I discovered it after buying my Leica. So I stay over here ...

Anyway, welcome again.

Thomas

[msheppler]

Well, it's been about 7 months since I posted my original post asking for suggestions for a lens to compliment my collapsible summicron and I'm very happy to report that I bought a pristine canon 50mm 1.4 from the classifieds here. So if there's ever a lens your wanting just be patient.

Thanks again for all the help.

Michael

[Robin-T]

great insight. This was a thought I was having and glad to have found this thread

[sanmich]

I'll have to do a comparison roll between the Summicrons and the Summitar.

From a test I did a while ago, the summitar is clearly one small step below the cron in terms of pure resolution. the difference is more pronounced in the corner. The coll cron is surprisingly good, even when compared with modern lenses.
The one lens that blew my mind in terms of resolution and contrast was the canon 50 f1.4. excellent at full bore, even compared to Cron-M last version.

Of course, these where only small unprofessional tests.