A Leica At Long Last!

ohnewton35 · Nov 9, 2015

After saving for over two years and exhibiting sheer determination I have finally purchased a near mint Leica m6 from tokyo. It has been a long time coming. I'm a 17 year old and I have to state that after wanting a leica for my collection and to shoot with for more than two years I feel so great to finally consider myself among the world of Leica users. Now with the Leica in the mail I'm faced with such a large collection of lenses. Finally having purchased the Leica body I hardly wanna wait another 3 years to fund a lens for it. So with that in mind whats the best lens to start out with? I've read alot about the differences between a 35mm vs 50mm lens and after all the overwhelming information I'm not quite sure I've come up with an answer. I kind of want to start with a Voigtlander but I'm not quite sure I have been fully awakened to the many options that a Leica m mount has to offer. Any suggestions?

cliveh · Nov 9, 2015

Leica 50mm 1.4 summilux and you have the ultimate machine. Best wishes for your photography with such a beautiful machine.

Helinophoto · Nov 9, 2015

Dude, that's another 2 years for him to save, don't Leica have any reasonable but great lenses, or are they all priced at "give me your blood and soul" level?

Mustafa Umut Sarac · Nov 9, 2015

May be answer is not what you want to hear but you are not a leica user without using leica lens. I call this expensive bodies with japanese lenses , bastartized leicas. I am using my 9th leica and 6 of them were barnacks , two minis and one sl. I dont know what were you thinking when waiting 2 years to buy a very expensive body but you could invest in barnack and a lens of half of your investment.

I will try to help , if you can use a screw mount on m6 with adapter , here you go.

Saudi people are buying rolls royces and removing engine and put a ford engine and race on desert.
This is murder. No different to use a voig something lens on leica.

Another option , if you are stil in tokyo , investing in nikon 50 mm screw mount lens and put on m6 , this is forgivable and lots of people did at 50s.

If you have less than 100 dollars , buy a 90 mm or 135mm hektor elmar leitz and work with it on architecture in atlanta or portraits.

OptiKen · Nov 9, 2015

Wow! And congratulations.

John Koehrer · Nov 9, 2015

Something like a 50/3.5 Elmar is a fair starting point if you want a Leitz lens. Quite a few folks start out with a Russian(-$100) ltm lens and a ltm->M adapter. The results won't be the same but you can shoot the M6.

summicron1 · Nov 9, 2015

You can find many quite affordable lenses -- a 3.5 elmar can be had for a few hundred dollars, a 35mm summaron ditto.

Don't worry about summilux or those ultra-fast lenses, you rarely use them wide-open anyway.

And don't sweat if it is 50 years old -- Leica made very little bad glass, vintage lenses don't perform on the optical bench as well as a modern one does, but you aren't taking pictures on an optical bench, you are shooting in real life, and for that the lens is only a very small part of the equation.

Older Canon lenses that are Leica mount are very good. The more modern Voigtlander lenses made for Leica either sm with an adaptor or M mount, do a great job.

Sirius Glass · Nov 9, 2015

Enjoy your camera, but take your time to choose and buy the lens that you really want. Check out KEH.com for lenses, they are in your neighborhood [Atlanta], they have a great return policy and they do camera and lens service and repair.

nanthor · Nov 9, 2015

The Voigtlander 50mm 1.5 Nokton in LTM mount with an M-mount adapter is one of the best starter lenses you could get for the camera. IMO, of course but it's relatively inexpensive, fast, and with the right image quality to be deserving of the Leica mount. Good luck, Bob.

FujiLove · Nov 9, 2015

Step 1: Get a Canon 50mm 1.8 screw thread + adapter for $100 and go and enjoy your Leica while you save up for a Summicron or something equally beautiful and shiny.

Step 2: Buy the mega expensive lens and shoot that for a year or two (whilst worrying it will be stolen or damaged).

Step 3: Compare the shots of the two lenses by mixing up random prints.

Step 4: Curse loudly.

Jim Jones · Nov 9, 2015

I've owned Leica rangefinder cameras since 1953. Probably half the photos with them were taken with a 50mm Summicron, despite also having for much of that time Leitz 21, 35, 90, and 135 lenses. I did use a Canon 50mm f/1.4 for some indoor sports until Kodak introduced T-Max 3200. Then the Summicron produced far superior photos.

ohnewton35 · Nov 9, 2015

With that in mind which leica lens constitutes as a fairly good short term investment until another can be bought? From what I read voigtlander color skopars produce really nice images as well, no?

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

Theo Sulphate · Nov 9, 2015

Congratulations on saving your money over a long period of time for your camera. At age 11, I saved nickels and dimes for six months to buy a movie camera for $19 - a lot of money back then. I still have it.

The most critical choice for you now is 35mm vs. 50mm -- it depends on the photos you like to make. Look at what you've shot before and think carefully about how you've composed it and from there it will help you decide.

I'm a fan of the 50/2 Summicron - faster is nice if you really need it and can justify the cost. In 30 years I've never regretted having "just" a 50/2 Summicron.

From sample shots I've seen, the "Voigtländer" (Cosina) lenses are very good. I've heard that the Voigtländer 35mm intrudes on the viewfinder image more than the Leica lenses - however, I have no direct experience with the Voigtländer lenses.

Brian Legge · Nov 9, 2015

As I see it, you have three options:

1) Save for a long time to buy your ideal lens (likely a Leica). That means going an extended period without using or testing the body you just bought - and if nothing else, you should shoot a test roll asap.

2) Buy the cheapest thing you can to get up and shooting. Thats likely either a Canon 50/1.8 or FSU lens like the Jupiter 8. Both require an adapter. There is a bunch of risk here related to the condition of the lenses. Canons are generally reliable but some are prone to fog. The FSU lenses can be great but have erratic construction (some are manufactured badly, some messed up by poor service, early models built with different rangefinder distances, etc). If at all possible, buy for someone who has tested the lens and knows that it works well. I'd put early Leica lenses in this category of riskier buys as they're prone to fog and scratches. They can be great but are risky to buy blind.

3) Stretch for a Voigtlander lens (or Zeiss, though they're generally double the price of the Voigtlanders). There is a $300 50/2.5 for sale over at rangefinderforum.com for example. Voigtlander/Zeiss are generally safer from an age/scratch/haze standpoint and hold up reasonably well at a fraction of the price of a semi-'modern' Leica lens.

summicron1 · Nov 9, 2015

ohnewton35 said:
With that in mind which leica lens constitutes as a fairly good short term investment until another can be bought? From what I read voigtlander color skopars produce really nice images as well, no?

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

if ur thinking in terms of investment ur thinking wrong.

Look, any lens will be good. Repeat that after me: Any lens will be good.

The lens is 5 percent of your picture, what you see and how you control the light is 95 percent. So don't get caught up on names.

A vintage Summicron or Elmar will do you wonders. The modern Voigtlanders will do you wonders. I've done most of my recent photography with just a 50 summicron, done great stuff.

Buy what you can afford, go take pictures, if you are any good at all that's all you will need and won't need to "upgrade" later.

Rook · Nov 9, 2015

Mustafa Umut Sarac said:
May be answer is not what you want to hear but you are not a leica user without using leica lens. I call this expensive bodies with japanese lenses , bastartized leicas. I am using my 9th leica and 6 of them were barnacks , two minis and one sl. I dont know what were you thinking when waiting 2 years to buy a very expensive body but you could invest in barnack and a lens of half of your investment.

At age 17, there's plenty of time to wait and save up for a good deal on the Leica lens. Meanwhile, one can familiarize onself with the handling of the Leica body, and become completely comfortable using it. Bastardized Leica? You make it sound as if the non-Leica lens is permanently fused to the body!

Ko.Fe. · Nov 9, 2015

You could get clean working Jupiter-8 and adapter for under 100.
You would have to test it for focus accuracy and re-shim it if necessary. It isn't difficult and info is on-line.
it is very good lens to start with.
For 250 you could get Color Skopar 35 2.5 in LTM with adapter as well. Fine, modern lens to use while you save for something more interesting.

Fixcinater · Nov 10, 2015

I vote for a Jupiter-8 if you like softer more vintage look, a Canon 50/1.8 or 1.4 if you want more modern look.

ColColt · Nov 10, 2015

The lens is 5 percent of your picture, what you see and how you control the light is 95 percent. So don't get caught up on names.

I have to agree with this 100%. If you can train your eye to see what film does you've won part of the battle. That only comes with practice and lots of it. Putting sharpness and composition aside the type of lighting, quality and quantity, not to mention direction, has a profound effect on your photographs and sets the mood.

ohnewton35 · Nov 10, 2015

I ended up getting a 35mm color skopar for 275$. I read a couple reviews showing the sharpness of the lens. Good investment?

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

Dali · Nov 10, 2015

ohnewton35 said:
I ended up getting a 35mm color skopar for 275$. I read a couple reviews showing the sharpness of the lens. Good investment?

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

It is too late to me anxious... Mount the lens on your camera, get out and shoot. The most interesting is ahead of you!

Ian Grant · Nov 10, 2015

A stop gap lens while you save up would be a 50mm f2 Jupiter 8 as others have suggested, I've been picking them up at a Camera fair at very low prices in excellent condition, I've 5 I think now (all allocated to Fed or Zorki camera bodies). I'm talking sub $10 not sup $100 a screw to bayonet adapter will cost a little more.

Personally I'd suggest saving for a 50mm f2 Summicron, mine's from the early 60s roughly the same age as my M3 body and a superb lens even wide open, get one that's contemporary to the M6 camera (similar age) if you can.

Ian

MattKing · Nov 10, 2015

ohnewton35 said:
I ended up getting a 35mm color skopar for 275$. I read a couple reviews showing the sharpness of the lens. Good investment?

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

I guess when you are 17, buying a lens can be a good investment, because you have a lot of time to look forward to a realizing a return.

If you use it a lot, most likely you will benefit a lot from it. And that will make it a good choice.

ColColt · Nov 10, 2015

If it were me I'd search for a good 50 f2 DR Summicron. One of the best lens ever for the M Leicas. I had one with just a bit of haze in it, sent it to Youxin Ye and it came back as new. One of Leica's sharpest lens and won't cost as much as a used car.

ciniframe · Nov 10, 2015

ohnewton35 said:
After saving for over two years and exhibiting sheer determination I have finally purchased a near mint Leica m6 from tokyo. It has been a long time coming. I'm a 17 year old and I have to state that after wanting a leica for my collection and to shoot with for more than two years I feel so great to finally consider myself among the world of Leica users. Now with the Leica in the mail I'm faced with such a large collection of lenses. Finally having purchased the Leica body I hardly wanna wait another 3 years to fund a lens for it. So with that in mind whats the best lens to start out with? I've read alot about the differences between a 35mm vs 50mm lens and after all the overwhelming information I'm not quite sure I've come up with an answer. I kind of want to start with a Voigtlander but I'm not quite sure I have been fully awakened to the many options that a Leica m mount has to offer. Any suggestions?

Before you make any decision do a search online for 'the 50mm lens and metaphysical doubt',
read this essay by Mike Johnston and relax as you realize that your personal vision and a modicum of talent will be far far more important than what lens you stick on that M6.

A Leica At Long Last!

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency