Leica Basics: In Need of Some Leica Education

[arealitystudios]

Hello All

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

 

[cmo]

www.rangefinderforum.com - there are many, many experts.

 

[Pinholemaster]

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/

 

[rjr]

In short, the lens names state the speed of the lens, the maximum aperture. A Summicron is always a lens with f2, a Summilux has f1,4 etc.pp.

Erwin Puts used to host a free (and limited) copy of his Leica Lens Compendium:
http://www.amazon.com/Leica-Lens-Compendium-Erwin-Puts/dp/189780217X

He removed it while he is working on a new edition, but Archive.org has it archived:
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.imx.nl/photosite/comments/llcforweb.pdf

It will help you a bit with your endavour.

 

[Paolita]

A very interesting French site
/www.summilux.net, with a lot of infos, PDF files of brochures and manuals for almost all LEICA models

 

[Xmas]

Well It is a lot cheaper getting a Canon P and the equivalent Canon lenses.

Unless you swap lenses more then you use film the P is a lot faster then any leica M body, and I dont count the M8 - nasty digital rubbish.

Noel

P.S. I do have an M or two...

 

[Tim Gray]

I second the Cameraquest pages for screw mount and M mount lens info.
LTM
M

 

[arealitystudios]

oh thank you everyone. More reading material than I could have hoped for!

 

[luvcameras]

Leica M Lens Price & Info Guide = Dead Link Removed

Leica M Camera Price & Info Guide = Dead Link Removed

Leica Screw Camera Price & Info Guide = Dead Link Removed

Leica Screw Lens Price & Info Guide = Dead Link Removed

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

Lots of good links here in the first ten posts for people who want the basics, so I've made this a sticky thread and updated the title.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I am not in the market for a Leica yet, but this is great information. I have been sorting out Leica information for years. Thanks.

Steve

 

[arealitystudios]

Lots of good links here in the first ten posts for people who want the basics, so I've made this a sticky thread and updated the title.

Hahahaha, now my ignorance can be remembered forever!

Seriously though. Thank you everyone for all the great links. A lot of my questions and confusion has been cleared.

 

[Steve Bellayr]

Go to Leica Forum and click on Leica Wiki at top.

 

[elekm]

There's also the Leica Users Group. Bring a hard hat, from what I understand.

 

[Brad Maestas]

+1 on the antiquecameras site. The first time I visited it, Google had curiously flagged it as a malicious site but I ignored it and kept reading. I learned the first chunk at cameraquest but antiquecameras went into further detail regarding the various versions of lenses. Before I bought a 50 Summicron, I did my homework and that site helped me out a lot.

Another one that I found very useful over the years is mir.com which can be found at:
http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/companies/Leica/index.htm

He doesn't have a dedicated lens section yet but it is always being updated so perhaps we can expect it in the future. I found it while looking for info on my Contax RTS system and the site has lots of information about it as well including many other makes and models. Happy learning!

 

[Xmas]

There's also the Leica Users Group. Bring a hard hat, from what I understand.

Naaa asbestos fire persons suit and helmet with cold air 'tail' normally all you need

 

[35mmDelux]

LEICA Pocket Book, by Hove. Analysis of almost all lenses and camera bodies. Prices constantly change, check here for latest jumping off point: Dead Link Removed

 

[Jim Jones]

For detailed information I refer to The Leica: A History Illustrating every Model and Accessory by Paul-Henry van Hasbroeck. Another good resource is Leica Manual by Willard D. Morgan and Henry M. Lester, published over many years in several editions.

 

[pantelis adiavastos]

well i dont think that you can ever make some rules categorizing by mount. - i declare that i dont own any leica equipment, only soviet stuff -

talking about leica lenses you should know that they change their patents all the time trying to get the 3d-est picture. same labeled lenses differ usually much in practice. earlier m39 lenses dont have coating, or some others have some coating which seems to atract cleaning marks. some of these have been coated afterwards by their owners. other usual problems are haze and fungus in some particular models. anyway some versions like say "red focusing scale" are more sought after by photographers, because they say they have better results than the normal say "black label" lens and the hunt goes on....

Later Ms seem to have abolish the "old look" of m39 lenses that people loved or hated.
gandy's list should educate you, but is it again subjective.

generally today's voightlanders and Ms seem to be closer to the contemporary pictorial standards.

but again i can't find the reason why most leica people buy the expensive leica stuff and dont look on the canon and serenar stuff. i think that most leica people are stuck on the perfectness that leica carries in the name, like the popal what you call it... unmistakeable whatever. even gandy too...i dont think that everything is so perfect anyway

hope i helped. my opinion comes from reading rather than experiencing leica gear. good luck

 

[fotch]

.........
but again i can't find the reason why most leica people buy the expensive leica stuff and dont look on the canon and serenar stuff.....

Maybe the same reason Mercedes Benz owners don't take their prize to Walmart for an oil change.

 

[Atlo]

I second rangefinderforum, lots of leica love over there.

 

[RobertV]

Leica-M, Advanced Photo School from Günter Osterloh

All explained from early Leica's to the recent ones (non-digitals).
ISBN 1-57990-637-0

 

[T42]

For detailed information I refer to ... Another good resource is Leica Manual by Willard D. Morgan and Henry M. Lester, published over many years in several editions.

Ditto.

I also have found that the Morgan and Lester book has some very useful information about fundamentals and techniques of 35mm rangefinder photography. It would probably be of considerable interest to those who shoot with FSU Leica inspired cameras too.

 

[zeta3]

The things you learn the hard way:-
Always check the lens cover is in your pocket
When loading a film, check the rewind knob moves as you wind the film on
Check you have set the right exposure
- and if coming directly from a SLR; dont forget to focus

 

[diser]

Another good Leica info resource is http://www.butkus.org/chinon/leica.htm - a lot of manuals and instructions. I bet most of you are familiar with this one though

Also, here are the very extensive on-line price guides for Leica cameras and lenses. They aren't as good as McKeown's or Kadlubek's, but not everyone has McKeown's guide at home
http://collectiblend.com/Lenses/Leitz/
http://collectiblend.com/Cameras/Leitz/