[Leica] Old and cheaper lenses

[lrzeitlin at aol.com (lrzeitlin at aol.com)]

 I pulled out my half century old 50 mm Canon f1.2 lens and took some 
pictures with it on an equally old M3 Leica. The Canon lens surprised me 
because it is almost a match for a first edition Summicron at smaller 
apertures. It is extremely difficult to tell which lens took which picture 
at f4.0 and down. The Summicron is better than the Canon at f2.0 but not by 
much. Both are clearly better than the Elmar, Leica's mainstay for several 
decades. Naturally lenses bearing the Summicron name have improved since the 
'60s and the results of my informal tests have decreasing relevance today. 
Except for the conclusion that the Canon f1.2, while not a Noctilux, is not 
such a dog as some photographers make it out to be.


Some Leicaholics find it hard to admit that Canon RF lenses function 
superbly on screw mount and M series Leicas and are available at about one 
third to half the price of comparable used Leica lenses. Canon, as you will 
recall, was one of the four professional quality RF camera makers during the 
early post WW2 period; the others being Nikon with the SP3 & 4, Contax with 
the IIa & IIIa, and, of course, Leica.? During this period the yen was cheap 
and the Canon importer, Bell and Howell, flooded the professional market 
with high quality equipment at a low price in an attempt to overtake Nikon. 
All Canon RF lenses, except the 50mm F.95, were equipped with 39 mm screw 
mounts and rangefinder cams which coupled with Leica rangefinders. When 
fitted with screw to bayonet adapters, they all work on the M series 
cameras. The lenses were manufactured to the highest specifications and most 
were quite sharp, even by today's standards.?


Here are my personal Canon lens favorites:
25mm F3.5 - This is a unique Gauss-type lens similar to the Zeiss Hologon 
and uses a special optical glass plate to minimize falloff and distortion. 
It delivers crisp and sharp results to the edges of the negative. Use any 
LTM to M adapter since you will have to get an accessory finder. One came 
with my lens but any superwide finder will do. It is hard to find but worth 
the search.


35mm F2.8 - This older lens is similar to the Summaron and produces results 
almost identical to the Leitz optic. I use it on both screw mount Leicas and 
a CL. The full frame of the CL finder matches the lens picture area pretty 
well. Use a 35mm adapter. Canon also made a 35mm F2 and a 35mm F1.5 which I 
never tried. I have heard that they are both quite good though.


50mm F1.4 - I bought this lens when I couldn't afford a Summilux. I've never 
compared side by side enlargements with the Leica lens but I have matched it 
with a seven element F2 Summicron.? From F2 to F16 the results are almost 
identical with the Leica lens having the edge only on enlargements greater 
than 11x14. For half the price and the extra stop, this lens is a great buy 
for the Leica user.


50mm F1.2 - I was given this saucer sized piece of glass by a colleague who 
had his Canon 7 body stolen. Most users (me included) have a love/hate 
relationship with the Canon 50mm 1.2. This mammoth sized optic has a screw 
mount but the lens is so wide that it is visible in the view finder of the M 
camera. It is fairly soft at full aperture, but sharpens up nicely at f4. It 
is not quite as good as the F2 Summicron but better than the 50mm Elmar. At 
F1.2 it gives a mysterious quality to the image, a sharp core with a soft 
halo. It takes very flattering low light portraits and makes an excellent 
natural light wedding lens since everyone looks beautiful. Available light 
photos, for which this lens was intended tend to be very contrasty and the 
full opening softness is suitable. It is a BIG hunk of glass to hang on your 
camera and it is impressive as hell mounted on an M3. The M2, M4, and .72 
viewfinder M6 don't have enough RF equivalent baseline to critically focus 
this lens at short distances (under 2 meters). The screwmount Leicas do, 
however.


100mm F3.5 - This is my favorite short telephoto, bar none! It is razor 
sharp and beats every similar focal length Leitz optic I have tried. It is 
also extremely compact. If you need a short telephoto, beg, buy, or steal 
this lens. I use it with both M series and the CL. Its picture area is 
fractionally smaller than the M finder field but matches that of the CL 
perfectly. It and the Leica 40mm make a great travel package for the CL. Use 
a 90mm adapter.


135mm F3.5 - This is a solidly built telephoto that weighs almost a pound. 
It works fine with my M3s but is a bit too much focal length to focus 
accurately with later models. It is sharp to the edges and has little flare. 
Use a 35mm adapter on the M3.


Larry Z