M Mount 50/2.0 Lens Similar in Size to Minolta CLE 40/2

Richard Jepsen

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A new to me M3 is currently sporting my favorite lens, the Minolta CLE 40/2. That lens is soo small, light and a perfect ergonomic match for the M3. Great all day lens but I don’t expect accurate framing using it.

For accurate framing on the M3 I have a M-Hex 50/2. But its as large/heavy as a Leica 50/2 version 5.

A more reasonable sized optic to the 40/2 but about 90 gm heavier is my 1956 collapsible 50/2. Its a great character lens but not as sharp as the Hex. However the 1956 optic has the classic Leitz OOF rendering I love.

I would exchange the Hex for a 50mm with similar dimensions, contrast and sharpness to the 40/2.

The only lens I can think of is the post 2000 50/2.8 collapsible. Anything else out there?
 
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BradS

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skahde

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The Summicron 2/50 ver. IV without hood is considerably smaller than ver. V (owned both) and also a bit smaller than ver. III.
 
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Richard Jepsen

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I need to do a deep dive on the Voigtlander optics. I’ve never held a cron v4. It does have a nice shape and a tab. I got the Hex for its low price and reported less flair than the cron v4. The Lens Lab Elcan is nice looking but comes in at 225g and has a reported focus shift.
 
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250swb

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When using a 40mm on M cameras people usually use the outer edges of the 50mm viewfinder frame. It's not a massive difference considering the cost of getting a closer tolerance in a system where exact framing tolerances are vague at best. I use a 40mm f/1.4 Nokton with my M bodies and the width of the frameline is as accurate as you need to go.
 

chuckroast

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skahde said:
The Summicron 2/50 ver. IV without hood is considerably smaller than ver. V (owned both) and also a bit smaller than ver. III.
Click to expand...

How does the performance compare among these three lenses in your experience?

I have a collapsible LTM Summicron 50mm f/2 that I use on both a IIIf and M bodies. I am considering a rigid M Summi but unsure whether: A) It's worth it and B) Which of the many versions is the best price-performance tradeoff.
 

shom

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250swb said:
I use a 40mm f/1.4 Nokton with my M bodies and the width of the frameline is as accurate as you need to go.
Click to expand...
That's a great tip, thank you. I have been curious about the 40mm f/1.4 Nokton specifically but hadn't considered it at all since I only have 35 and 50mm frame lines. Based on your comment, I'm guessing you're a happy user and would recommend it?
 

250swb

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shom said:
That's a great tip, thank you. I have been curious about the 40mm f/1.4 Nokton specifically but hadn't considered it at all since I only have 35 and 50mm frame lines. Based on your comment, I'm guessing you're a happy user and would recommend it?
Click to expand...

It's one of the older M mount lenses from Voigtlander but is a close copy of the pre-Aspherical 35mm Summilux, right down to the softness and glow wide open. At all the other apertures it sharpens up and behaves nicely. If you do have 35mm framelines Voigtlander do a 35mm Nokton which you can get in both multi-coated or single coated versions. The same image characteristics from the 40mm apply with the 35mm MC version but the SC version glows at any aperture in strong light. To throw a spanner in the works and make things more complicated in choosing lenses nowadays there is also a plethora of Chinese made lenses on the market now that are direct copies or 'better' than the original Leica lenses on which they are based, nearly all excellent quality and possibly even cheaper than a Voigtlander.
 
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Richard Jepsen

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A complete guide on Understanding Voigtländer Lenses, their model names, designs and overall philosophy

Welcome to our blog on Voigtländer range of exceptional quality manual focus prime lenses, passionately hand crafted in Japan
www.mysticfocus.in

I found this link when researching Voigtlander optics. Concerning Chuckroast‘s question if a rigid, type 2, is worth it.

After 50 plus years its hard to find clean glass. Condition is a X factor. I have a 1956 collapsible with no marks getting a Mr. Ye CLA. Leica Historical Society writeup claims the ridged gains a stop with higher center contrast over the 50/2 collapsible.

I have not owned a ridged but most older f/2 optics work best 2 stops down at f/4. My collapsible renders beautiful, rounded, contrasty enough images at f/4. I love it for up close portraits and as an all around lens. Compared to the Hex 50/2 it is not as contrasty at the wide apertures or at f/8-f/11.
 
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skahde

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I'm sorry to disappoint you twice, first with a belated response and now when I have to say that I only have a direct comparison of v4 versus v5. I prefer v4 as I do not think that the short hood of v5 has any effect worth mentioning. Other than that and the different handling I found them to perform identical as should be expected. Otoh I was lucky enough to try a over a dozen different normal lenses over the years and considering price vs. performance a Nikkor 2/50 is hard to beat in the bang-per-buck department and I got some very nice keepers from the family with it where you could not tell they weren't taken with a Summicron. I'm picking fifties more as a matter of taste than performance these days, and for this reason I keep buying them. With respect to sharpness and contrast there is hardly any lens which will disappoint but look at bokeh and the picture starts to shift, add resisitance to straylight and the Summicron looses quite some of its kegendayr status compared to some alternatives. Aso...

I'm afraid there hardly is an easy solution. You either buy one and just keep shooting it or end up like me and keep chasing for some kind of holy grail.
 

GregY

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For a small light 50mm the Voigtlander Color Skopar f2.5 is a real gem.
 
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