Canon 50mm f3.5 Serenar LTM vs Canon 50mm f3.5 non-Serenar LTM vs Leica 50mm f3.5 Elmar LTM

[John Wiegerink]

I just picked up a mint Canon 7 with a spotless, no fog 50mm f1.1 lens. I'd like to get an older 50mm f3.5 to use on it to keep the 50mm f1.1 from getting used and abused. I'm just curious as to how the 50mm f3.5 Canon lenses compare to the legendary 50mm f3.5 Elmar.

 

[Mackinaw]

Both are 4 element, 3 group lenses. The Canon 50/3.5 is a true Tessar while the Leica is almost a Tessar. I have the Canon and it's very sharp and contrasty. I don't own the Leica.

Jim B.

 

[davela]

I've owned and shot with both. They are both excellent lenses. The Canon's seem slightly bulkier, more modern overall, yet very well-made. The Elmar is a bit more lightly made as I recall. The Canon's usually cost less, as they are not as in demand by collectors. As far as I know, all the Canon's had coated optics, while coated optics on Elmar's are found mostly only on post-war models.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

There is also the Voigtlander Heliar f/3.5 if you want something really modern and super sharp. If you want something cheap, the Industar-50 has worked fine for me over the years. It is a Tessar that looks like an old Elmar.

I've always liked images out of the post war Elmars, especially the later larger ones.

Congrats on the 7. Incredibly underrated camera.

 

[John Wiegerink]

There is also the Voigtlander Heliar f/3.5 if you want something really modern and super sharp. If you want something cheap, the Industar-50 has worked fine for me over the years. It is a Tessar that looks like an old Elmar.

I've always liked images out of the post war Elmars, especially the later larger ones.

Congrats on the 7. Incredibly underrated camera.

Years ago I had a Leica IIIf and used a 50mm f3.5 Elmar (uncoated) with it. It was a good little lens, but I sold the lens and bought a 50mm f2 Summitar. The Summitar was outstanding in my opinion. Later I had a couple of M3's and my favorite, an M2 with a 50mm f2.8 Elmar. I really liked the 50mm f2.8 Elmar also. Now to Canon rangefinders.......I have owned a Canon P and 7s before, but used the later Canon rigid black nose 50mm f1.8 lenses on those. The reason I ask the question about each of these lenses was to get and idea how the two Canon 50mm f3.5 lenses stacked up against the Leica Elmar. I'd like to stick to a Canon brand 50mm lens on this Canon 7 camera if they are close to what the 50mm f3.5 Elmar is in output.

 

[LtDave]

i have the Canon 50mm f1.4 for use on my 7, P, and IV SB.

the meter in my 7 either died or the needle got stuck, in the middle of a trip so i used the meter in my 5D4 to determine exposure before shooting the film. kind of the way the Nat Geo photographer did with the last roll of Kodachrome 64. he would shoot a dozen frames on a digital, check for the exposure that he liked and then shot a frame of film.