Leica Basics: In Need of Some Leica Education

bdial · Feb 13, 2016

The Japanese rangefinders are much more refined that the Russian ones. I've had a FED and currently have a Canon L2 as well as a Nicca (Barnack clone), and aside from the fact that they are all rangefinders and use 35mm film, there is nothing comparable Japanese cameras and the FED.

Ko.Fe. · Feb 13, 2016

Canon rangefinders are not as ugly as Zorki-4, but they have no appeal. Just boring tools to get boring pictures where only sharpness is important for the owner. FED-2 is sexy. And J-3 has soul, which Japanese optics has none.

cliveh · Dec 6, 2018

Tip 5 was something I had never considered, but how true if you use digital.

ph · Nov 23, 2023

In case anyone stumbles on this old thread and has the same question; the references given on the first page will still provide loads of information. Apart from blatant badge-engineering of camerabodies, any Leica lens of recent vintage is well worth using

cliveh · Nov 23, 2023

To understand the Leica concept, may I suggest you start with a Barnack camera? Either a Leica II with a 3.5 50mm Elmar, or a Leica IIIF with the same lens. Use one of these cameras for the next 10 years and you will understand how to walk on rice paper without leaving a mark. The art of Zen photography.

GregY · Nov 23, 2023

Leica The First 60 years by Rogliatti
The Leica M Compendium
The Leica Manual, Morgan
you should be able to find these at most libraries....

ph · Jan 21, 2024

i assume the original poster by now is thorougly confused,. Having to choose between actually taking pictures , parading wealth, showing superior knowwledge OR merely strolling along with a famous badge , good mechanical and optical device that may occasionally be used for its intended pupose.

p.

cliveh · Jan 21, 2024

Shooting with a LEICA is like a long tender kiss, like firing an automatic pistol, like an hour on the analysist's couch. - Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Don_ih · Jan 21, 2024

It's also a lot like using a camera.

BorHa · Jan 21, 2024

arealitystudios said:
Hello All

So Im relatively new to the wonderful wide world of Leica mount rangefinders and I swear its like being a kid in the candy store again. There are just soooo many goodies out there on the used market and though Im not the kind of photographer that just hoards all sorts of lenses and finders, its still fun to shop around and browse on KEH and Ebay and such, especially when Im hiding in my cubicle and avoiding work. 

My questions is, does anyone know of any good websites that give a breakdown or explain the difference between all the Leica M and Screwmount lenses? Whenever Im looking around I see names like Noctilux, Summilux, Summarit, Summicron, Elmar, etc. etc, some made in Canada, some made in Germany, all with huge variations in price. Its rather mind boggling. When you add in all the other brands that make Screwmount and M mount lenses it gets even worse! Hahaha.

Anyway, if anyone has a recommendation for me I would really appreciate it.

Take everything anyone says about Leica, good or bad, with a grain of salt. It’s mostly just opinions by opinionated people including me. Start with screwmount cameras and then see how you feel. Then invest in m mount if you like it. Then you’ll fall down the Leica rabbit hole. It’s expensive but fun. Contrary to some, you do not! Need to shoot Leica lenses on Leica cameras. Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander and heck even Russian knock offs are excellent contenders especially starting off. Have fun!

Alex Benjamin · Jan 22, 2024

BorHa said:
Take everything anyone says about Leica, good or bad, with a grain of salt. It’s mostly just opinions by opinionated people including me. Start with screwmount cameras and then see how you feel. Then invest in m mount if you like it. Then you’ll fall down the Leica rabbit hole. It’s expensive but fun. Contrary to some, you do not! Need to shoot Leica lenses on Leica cameras. Canon, Nikon, Voigtlander and heck even Russian knock offs are excellent contenders especially starting off. Have fun!

Post was from 2009 and OP hasn't been on this site since 2020.

Axelwik · Jul 1, 2024

Old thread, but I like nice quality tools that can be depended on, that can still be repaired and serviced even when they're 60-70+ years old. That's why I chose Leica over some of the others. And I like nice things. The others are copies of Leicas, some very good some bad, so why not get the original.

bags27 · Jul 1, 2024

Since we're resuscitating this, it is a very sad thing to note that Erwin Puts died fairly suddenly in 2021. I never knew him, but folks who did admired him greatly and were deeply fond of him. Toward the end, he seemed to grow impatient with the direction of Leica digital, at least judging from late blog entries, but his passion for film Leicas and the marvelous glass seemed unabated. His death was a huge loss.

LeicaGraphy

leica, photography, technique, vintage, analog, chemical film

photo.imx.nl

Gary Hamilton · Feb 21, 2025

Has anyone used, other lenses with their Leica's, with adapters. I have a canon fd 35-70, id like to try on my Leica M10

RalphLambrecht · Feb 21, 2025

arealitystudios said:
Hello All

So Im relatively new to the wonderful wide world of Leica mount rangefinders and I swear its like being a kid in the candy store again. There are just soooo many goodies out there on the used market and though Im not the kind of photographer that just hoards all sorts of lenses and finders, its still fun to shop around and browse on KEH and Ebay and such, especially when Im hiding in my cubicle and avoiding work. 

My questions is, does anyone know of any good websites that give a breakdown or explain the difference between all the Leica M and Screwmount lenses? Whenever Im looking around I see names like Noctilux, Summilux, Summarit, Summicron, Elmar, etc. etc, some made in Canada, some made in Germany, all with huge variations in price. Its rather mind boggling. When you add in all the other brands that make Screwmount and M mount lenses it gets even worse! Hahaha.

Anyway, if anyone has a recommendation for me I would really appreciate it.

I'd avoid Elmar, Elmarit, or Summarit since they are rather old. On the other hand, Summilux and Noctilux are Leica'sfastest lenses but pricey. IMO, Summicron, often f/2, is the best compromise of optical quality, speed, and price.

Don_ih · Feb 21, 2025

RalphLambrecht said:
IMO, Summicron, often f/2, is the best compromise of optical quality, speed, and price.

Summitar is pretty much every bit as good and a bit cheaper - and also a bit less likely to be scratched to oblivion.

Gary Hamilton · Feb 21, 2025

RalphLambrecht said:
I'd avoid Elmar, Elmarit, or Summarit since they are rather old. On the other hand, Summilux and Noctilux are Leica'sfastest lenses but pricey. IMO, Summicron, often f/2, is the best compromise of optical quality, speed, and price.

I have Summicron 35mm and 50mm, but just want to mess with a zoom

chuckroast · Feb 21, 2025

Gary Hamilton said:
Has anyone used, other lenses with their Leica's, with adapters. I have a canon fd 35-70, id like to try on my Leica M10

Yessir. I have Voigtlander Color-Skopars in LTM in 21mm, 35mm, and 50mm and use them on M film bodies with adapters - well, the 21mm anyway. Works just fine. (In the case of that particular lens, I use a auxiliary finder.)

Gary Hamilton · Feb 21, 2025

chuckroast said:
Yessir. I have Voigtlander Color-Skopars in LTM in 21mm, 35mm, and 50mm and use them on M film bodies with adapters - well, the 21mm anyway. Works just fine. (In the case of that particular lens, I use a auxiliary finder.)

Thank you

bags27 · Feb 21, 2025

I bought a couple of very old single coated Leica LTMs and that's all I seem to want to use these days, with my stupidly expensive modern Leica lenses sitting in the drawer. I'm doing something I swore I'd never do: sell a Leica lens. Already moved my 35 Lux FLE. The 50 Lux is next....Sure they render brilliantly. But after a while, they're just boring, at least to my eye.

The Canon 50 f/1.4 LTM is a legendary lens on film Leicas. I once had a chance to buy one that had been fitted with an M mount and passed on it. Have regretted it ever since. Nikon made some very nice lenses that can be fitted to Leica as well.

Pieter12 · Feb 21, 2025

Gary Hamilton said:
Has anyone used, other lenses with their Leica's, with adapters. I have a canon fd 35-70, id like to try on my Leica M10

If such an adapter for Canon FD lenses exists, you would lose any rangefinder capability, from focus to framing. I do not know if the M10 has live view, where you could use the rear monitor to focus and frame. You can use M-mount lenses from any manufacturer, as well as screw-mount with an M adapter. Some lenses may not work well with the digital sensor.

bags27 · Feb 21, 2025

Pieter12 said:
If such an adapter for Canon FD lenses exists, you would lose any rangefinder capability, from focus to framing. I do not know if the M10 has live view, where you could use the rear monitor to focus and frame. You can use M-mount lenses from any manufacturer, as well as screw-mount with an M adapter. Some lenses may not work well with the digital sensor.

M10 does have live view, and that's an acceptable way to focus non-linked lenses.

As to non-Leica M mount lenses, Voigtlander and Zeiss (more recently made in the same Cosina factory as Voigtlander) are considered best. Some Voigtlander lenses are made both single coated (SC) and multi-coated (MC), and some prefer the vintage look of the SC.

Gary Hamilton · Feb 21, 2025

Pieter12 said:
If such an adapter for Canon FD lenses exists, you would lose any rangefinder capability, from focus to framing. I do not know if the M10 has live view, where you could use the rear monitor to focus and frame. You can use M-mount lenses from any manufacturer, as well as screw-mount with an M adapter. Some lenses may not work well with the digital sensor.

Yeah, the m10 has live view, I've an FD adapter ordered so will see how it goes

pbromaghin · Feb 22, 2025

I like old threads coming back to life. There is always more to say about a subject. Just because a whole different crowd of people got tired of talking about it 10 years ago doesn't mean we shouldn't talk about it now.

logan2z · Feb 22, 2025

RalphLambrecht said:
I'd avoid Elmar, Elmarit, or Summarit since they are rather old. On the other hand, Summilux and Noctilux are Leica'sfastest lenses but pricey. IMO, Summicron, often f/2, is the best compromise of optical quality, speed, and price.

Not all Elmar, Elmarit and Summarit lenses are old. The 28mm/2.8 Elmarit ASPH, 21mm/3.4 Super Elmar, and 16-18-21 Tri-Elmar f4 are current lenses. The Summarit 35mm/2.4, 50mm/2.4, and 75mm/2.4 were released in 2014 (the f2.5 versions were released earlier) and only discontinued a handful of years ago.

Leica Basics: In Need of Some Leica Education

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