Any modern LTM lens left?

[giellaleafapmu]

The very first post I wrote, many year ago, was about a modern LTM lens for a Leica IIIG. Eventually I got several old lenses for my camera and never got the modern lens I asked about.

I again started thinking about getting a modern 50mm in LTM recently after realizing that I actually like the feeling of using a LTM Leica and went to the home-pages of several large Internet vendors only to discover that no LTM lens is available (I was thinking to get the Voigtlander 50mm f2.5 but could be happy with a 35mm too).

Not new nor used. Any of you know if there is anyone left out there or is there any plan from Kobayashi to come out with anything new in LTM in the near future?

GLF

[gb hill]

There all being made in M mount now. I don't see anything coming out ever again in LTM glass.

[david.elliott]

There are modern ltm lenses on ebay. Some recent summicrons were made in thread mount. The 35 UC hex is ltm too.

Other than that, I echo Greg's comment.

[Moriturii]

As long as you have the money virtually any lens can be an LTM lens.

[fuji645]

Suggest you check out cameraquest.com for supplies of Cosina/Voigtlander branded LTM lenses. Their site shows quite a few products, some of which are in screw mount. They are also a supporter (via Stephen Gandy--Head Bartender) of this forum.

[david.elliott]

Originally Posted by fuji645

Suggest you check out cameraquest.com for supplies of Cosina/Voigtlander branded LTM lenses. Their site shows quite a few products, some of which are in screw mount. They are also a supporter (via Stephen Gandy--Head Bartender) of this forum.

Yes, but I think that all the 35 and 50 screw mount lenses are sold out.

[venchka]

Konica. They made more than one L-mount (Konicaspeak for LTM) 50mm lens and of course the wonderful little black paint on brass, non-flaring, 35mm/2.0 UC-Hexanon with the best lens hood ever made.
You may think that I am prejudiced. I am. I own the UC-Hexanon.

Wayne

[KoNickon]

I am not aware of any new regular production LTM lenses being made -- though someone here has recently posted pictures of a very compact LTM lens made in Japan. I forget the name and focal length, though.

However, Cosina seems to have ceased making lenses in LTM entirely. (Are they making any lenses currently? It's been a while since I've heard of any new items.)

[david.elliott]

Originally Posted by venchka

Konica. They made more than one L-mount (Konicaspeak for LTM) 50mm lens and of course the wonderful little black paint on brass, non-flaring, 35mm/2.0 UC-Hexanon with the best lens hood ever made.
You may think that I am prejudiced. I am. I own the UC-Hexanon.

Wayne

I don't have the hood for mine. It was not included when I bought it some years ago. Sigh. I am hood-less.

[venchka]

By "modern", does the OP mean current production? Or production in the last decade or 2? Surely any lens designed & built in the 1990s through the 2000s could be considered modern. Leitz even made a limited run of the 35mm/2.0 Summicron in LTM. I know. I almost (and should have) bought one.
Konica LTM lenses from flickr:

Konica Hexanon LTM-Mount
Konica UC-Hexanon 35mm f2.0 LTM
Konica Hexanon 50mm f2.4 LTM
Konica Hexanon 60mm f1.2 LTM

David, I feel your pain. What a shame.

Wayne

[traveler_101]

Originally Posted by venchka

By "modern", does the OP mean current production? Or production in the last decade or 2? Surely any lens designed & built in the 1990s through the 2000s could be considered modern.

Yes, the Cosina-Voigtlander LTM lenses are modern in character and there are some still around new--if you look hard enough (here is a 35mm Ultron Aspherical f. 1.7 NEW--http://www.cambridgeworld.com/detail.php?item_id=15872); in any case they are widely available used. So the answer to the OP's question is that there are modern LTM lenses available, even if they are no longer in production. No problem--for now . . .
I wonder, nonetheless, why Mr. Kobayashi did not continue with LTM cameras and lenses. Screw mount is smaller and cheaper than M.

[buzzardkid]

Originally Posted by venchka

By "modern", does the OP mean current production? Or production in the last decade or 2? Surely any lens designed & built in the 1990s through the 2000s could be considered modern. Leitz even made a limited run of the 35mm/2.0 Summicron in LTM. I know. I almost (and should have) bought one.
Konica LTM lenses from flickr:

David, I feel your pain. What a shame.

Wayne

And this one, that gets forgotten all the time: http://portretteur.nl/index.php?opti...nses&Itemid=58

Leica are known to produce limited runs of their modern lenses in LTM. There are latest type Summicrons in LTM 50/2.0 to be had. Even a Summilux 50/1.4 in LTM, also latest type. These runs are mostly 2,000 pcs or even less, 500 pcs. Prices are in accordance with this number. Some of those are on eBay, mostly from JPN or HK sellers since these often are limited editions for Japan.

[Godfrey]

They're all discontinued now, but in the past year I was able to acquire new or "second hand - not used" by hunting through various dealers and on Ebay:

- Color Skopar 28mm f/3.5 :: a sweetheart of a lens.
- Color Skopar 50mm f/2.5 :: wonderful, small, light weight.
- Nokton 50mm f/1.5 ASPH :: to my eye, as good as a Summilux at a fraction the price.

They're all good and are "modern" in feel and quality, although the Skopars in particular have a rendering quality which harkens back to what I loved in the classic Elmar 28, 35 and 50 mm lenses from the '40s and '50s.

I suspect the issue is simple: Mr. Kobayashi feels that since the M-bayonet replaced LTM as the primary lens mount for Leica rangefinder cameras in 1953 or 1954, he feels he can do his company better by expanding their line of M-bayonet lenses rather than by continuing to design and manufacture LTM lenses.

Hunt and you will find what you're looking for. At least for a time yet. :-)

[venchka]

And now for something totally off topic:

I own a pair of early Nikkor lenses, 50/1.4 & 85/2.0, that I think are still very good even when judged against the latest and greatest Whiz-Bang Wunderoptiks. Edit: Removed D.R. Summicron.

Newer isn't always better.

Wayne

[jsrockit]

What new LTM bodies have come out lately? It's been over 10 years since a LTM body came out right? Also, wasn't LTM only used by CV (and others) because the patent hadn't run out on the M mount?

[rxmd]

Originally Posted by giellaleafapmu

I again started thinking about getting a modern 50mm in LTM recently after realizing that I actually like the feeling of using a LTM Leica and went to the home-pages of several large Internet vendors only to discover that no LTM lens is available (I was thinking to get the Voigtlander 50mm f2.5 but could be happy with a 35mm too).

Not new nor used. Any of you know if there is anyone left out there or is there any plan from Kobayashi to come out with anything new in LTM in the near future?

Cameraquest aka the head bartender has the 50/f3.5 and 50/f2 nickel Heliars in LTM new.
Not cheap at $649 and $799 respectively, but they are there.

As for new LTM lenses, I don't think that will happen, except maybe for some limited editions. Cosina has pretty much switched over to M-mount now, and for some reason customers prefer M-mount anyway - I dimly recall Stephen saying that his customers prefer M-mount versions of lenses over optically identical screw mount versions and that sales of the former are often several times higher.

[CameraQuest]

Originally Posted by Godfrey

They're all discontinued now

the Voigtlander Screw Mount 15 and 21 lenses remain in production and are in stock.

All other Voigtlander screw mount lenses have been discontinued, but time will tell if any might reappear as limited editions.

At the moment I also have new 50/3.5 and 50/2 screw mount Nickel Heliars, as well as my last few screw mount 50/1.5 and 75/2.5.

The public's buying habits were responsible for the demise of the Voigtlander Leica screw mount lenses. The M mount lenses just out sold the screw mount. Otherwise, all of the screw mount lenses would still be in production. Apparently a lot of newebies did not realize the screw mount lenses are fully 100% compatible with M cameras with the standard screw mount to M adapter.

Stephen

[giellaleafapmu]

First of all thank to you all for the answers. Thanks also to people sending me private message with lenses for sale (I'll check them out).

For "modern lenses" I meant lenses with modern coating which produce modern-looking crispy images. I know that old lenses are often as good as - or even better than - new ones and that's why I ended up always buying the old lenses and not the new ones, but sometimes I'd like to be able to get the small brick (it's heaaaavy) and go out to take just the better possible picture a 24x36 film can capture (sharpness- and contrast- wise).

I also know that if money was not an issues one can still find quite often some of the limited edition modern Leitz glasses for sale, I was however thinking to put some but not too much money on such a lens.

Finally, I also know that LTM lenses are not popular and I can easily understand that for most "The" Leica camera is the M3 and its hires but I like the small LTM cameras which can be put in the pocket and when taken out looks really like an old little camera (can you still find film for that thing?!). I would go as far as to dream someone would make a digital LTM camera with tilting screen a-la Epson...

Finally, looking at the pictures of the Leica with the Hexanon I was really glad to see that I am not the only one to put a dog leash to a camera, only I also added a protection to avoid that the rings scratch the camera itself.

Thanks again, I'll post something if I finally buy something.

GLF

[buzzardkid]

Ha, guess you're still alone, that's not a dog leash on my M2 but a neck strap that a fellow member on RFF made me!

I've got some nice dog leashes around though, and someday I'm gonna find me a camera that matches them

[venchka]

Did anyone mention the C/V 25mm/4.0? Available in LTM. Matsuiyastore has one listed.

Wayne

[Godfrey]

Originally Posted by CameraQuest

the Voigtlander Screw Mount 15 and 21 lenses remain in production and are in stock...

Hi Steve!
I meant of what I listed. I'm so tempted to buy the 75 too. :-)

[giellaleafapmu]

Originally Posted by buzzardkid

Ha, guess you're still alone, that's not a dog leash on my M2 but a neck strap that a fellow member on RFF made me!

I've got some nice dog leashes around though, and someday I'm gonna find me a camera that matches them

Well, well, now mine is a camera strap like your... It was converted into a camera strap by a Mechelaar (origin of the breed not too far from where you are) who decided to cut it just in the middle so I would have a camera strap matching his nice leashes...

GLF

[Bruno Gracia]

Mmmm...

I've fallen in love of LTM cameras, IIIf specially with a 50 Cron collapsible but miss my Summilux asph.. (I Don't need asph.) , and wondering if any of You know where can I get one Lux in LTM mount! or a good lens 1.4...

[buzzardkid]

Canon 1.4/50mm can be had for acceptable prices and IIRC there are at least 2 in the classifieds at this moment, if they haven't sold already.

Summicrons in LTM or even (gasp) Summiluxes in LTM can be had, even recent ones that were made in limited editions for the Japanese market, but at a collectors' price, yikes.

I recently decided on this beaty and received it today, a few are still available at CameraQuest:

Voigtlander Heliar 2.0/50mm in LTM, rigid nickel. Mounted on my beloved Leica II from 1932.

[Bruno Gracia]

So beautie... what about on film? good enough? Better than nikkor 1.4 and 50 1.4 Canon?