Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2015/07/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]And, don't forget, some of us either love or hate the infinity lock. I
have a great Canon 50/1.4 which I have been threatening to mutilate to
remove the little nuisance.
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
On 7/21/2015 4:25 PM, Peter Klein wrote:
> Kyle: The 50 Nokton 1.1 is fine if you only use if wide open or nearly so.
> Significant focus shift otherwise. This wasn't quiet so bad on film (Tom A
> loves his). But said shift is not your friend on digital.. It's a
> specialty lens.
>
> It's too bad that used Leica lens prices have gone stupid-crazy since the
> M8 came out. I personally would recommend any of the last-formula classic
> non-asph 50 Summicrons--I have one with a focus tab that I got for $400
> around the year 2000. Remember, this design was THE 50 for years. They
> just deliver. But they are over $1,000 these days. The current Zeiss 50/2
> has a different look, but is very, very good as well. Either of those
> would probably be the last 50 you'd *need* to buy ("need" as opposed to
> "want").
>
> I have a 50/1.5 Nokton (screwmount, closest focus .9m). If I'm doing
> available dark, that's what I take, but I prefer the Summicron if f/2 will
> do. The Nokton is actually a very good lens. It does have the tendency to
> give very harsh bokeh if you're focusing close and there are bright
> highlights at medium distances.
>
> The Canon 50/1.8 is quiet good--very similar in rendering to the Dual Range
> or Rigid Summicrons. They do tend to have issues with the original
> lubricant outgassing and depositing itself on the inner elements. The
> 50/1.4 is also quite good. So getting another Canon is a possibility. If
> you like your current lens, you might consider sending it to DAG and
> getting it CLAed.
>
> Since you are a pro who travels to strange laboratories to photograph rock
> stars and rocket scientists, you gotta deliver when you get the call. Do
> you shoot a Leica M-anything for a significant part of you work? Then for
> my money, it would be worth it to just get a used 50 Summicron or Summilux,
> checked out by a good repairman. Keep it forever. (They also make great
> portrait lenses on micro 4/3, BTW). Maybe get your Canon CLAed for a
> couple hundred and keep it for an older look and as a spare.
>
> The good news is that there are very few bad rangefinder 50s. Picking the
> right one is a matter of what you shoot, what apertures you mostly use,
> price, build quality, and what feels good in your hand (the latter being
> much more important than most people realize).
>
> Hope this helps!
> --Peter
>
> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 12:33 PM, Jeffery Smith <jsmith342 at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> The 50/2 collapsible Summicron is a very nice lens if one can find it
>> without cleaning marks.
>>
>> An current alternative is also the Voigtlander 50/2 Heliar. Not as sharp
>> as the 50/1.5 Nokton, but more pleasing bokeh.
>>
>> Jeffery
>>
>>> On Jul 21, 2015, at 2:12 PM, Jeff Moore <jbmmllug at jbm.org> wrote:
>>>
>>> The Zeiss ZMs are good modern optics at very fair lower-than-Leica
>> prices.
>>> For a lovely classic-optic look (but with the possibility of getting
>>> chosen things quite nicely detailed, if you put them in the middle)
>>> I'm a fan of the pre-ASPH 50 Summilux. But I don't know where prices
>>> for those are these days.
>>>
>>> I also haven't done an extensive study of how mine focuses relative to
>>> where the rangefinder thinks it's focused, but I don't recall having
>>> been annoyed by it a lot.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 3:02 PM, Jeffery Smith <jsmith342 at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>> I agree that it isn?t very versatile, and exists only to give the 50s
>> Sonnar look. It is best for faces (which is Kyle?s favorite subject). As
>> Chris suggested, the Planar is sharper but maybe a little harsh.
>>>>
>>>>> On Jul 21, 2015, at 1:58 PM, Richard Man <richard at
>>>>> richardmanphoto.com>
>> wrote:
>>>>> But Jeff, if it is optimized for 1.5, then you have to rely on DoF to
>> get
>>>>> focus for other aperture. It just does not make sense to use this lens.
>>>>>
>>>>> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 11:52 AM, Jeffery Smith <jsmith342 at
>>>>> gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>>>>> They can optimize it for f/1.5 free of charge if it is still under
>>>>>> warranty. It's the same optical formula as the 50 1.5 Sonnar from the
>> 1950s.
>>>>>>> On Jul 21, 2015, at 1:49 PM, Richard Man <
>> richard at richardmanphoto.com>
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>> The Zeiss 50/1,5 makes no sense to me. If you need to use it @F
>> 2.8,, why
>>>>>>> not just get an Elmar?
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> On Tue, Jul 21, 2015 at 11:43 AM, Jeffery Smith <jsmith342 at
>>>>>>> gmail.com
>>>>>> wrote:
>>>>>>>> Or the Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar. It has some focus shift, so stop it
>> down to
>>>>>>>> 2.8. Optimized for f/2.8.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> http://tinyurl.com/b8wqqca
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> On Jul 21, 2015, at 1:17 PM, kyle cassidy on the LUG <
>>>>>>>> leicaslacker at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> Hi folks --
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> My trusty $100 Canon Serenar has picked up a slight wobble, I'm not
>>>>>> sure
>>>>>>>> if this is a portent of evil to come or if I just never noticed it
>>>>>> before --
>>>>>>>> but the front element section will move around a bit if you wiggle
>> it
>>>>>>>> ("stop wiggling it!" advice I thank you for in advance).
>>>>>>>>> I'm thinking of preemptively replacing it. I was going to go for a
>>>>>>>> Voigtlander 1.5, which seem to be about $900 in Leica M mount, but
>>>>>> noticed
>>>>>>>> that the Nokton 1.1 was going for about $650 -- any thoughts on
>> whether
>>>>>> the
>>>>>>>> nokton would work as my only 50 or is it too big for every day use?
>>>>>>>>> Suggestions of other 50's you have lying around in drawers and
>> want to
>>>>>>>> get rid of also taken.
>>>>>>>>> Priorities are:
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> 1) no slower than f2
>>>>>>>>> 2) focusing closer than 3 feet (which means any screwmount 50 is
>> in,
>>>>>>>> though I'd prefer an M mount that I could focus closer without
>> having to
>>>>>>>> resort to the penny-shim trick.)
>>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more
>> information
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more
>> information
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> --
>>>>>>> // richard <http://www.richardmanphoto.com>
>>>>>>> // http://facebook.com/richardmanphoto
>>>>>>> // https://instagram.com/richardmanphoto
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>>>
>>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> // richard <http://www.richardmanphoto.com>
>>>>> // http://facebook.com/richardmanphoto
>>>>> // https://instagram.com/richardmanphoto
>>>>>
>>>>> _______________________________________________
>>>>> Leica Users Group.
>>>>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>>>>
>>>> _______________________________________________
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>>> _______________________________________________
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>>
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