[Leica] M Lenses on GF-1

[henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff)]

I've also been quite pleased with the use of M lenses on the GF-1 and 
G1. The lens I tend to use mostly is the 50/1.4 ASPH; it balances 
well and complements the 20/1.7 nicely. Occasionally I've used the 
75/1.4 and 75/2 and even the 135's, but the 135/2.8 starts to look 
stooopid on the GF-1, and since I have the 45-200 with IS, that is 
usually the better choice.

What I do use quite a bit is the Leica Bellows II with various 
lenses, including the 65 and the lensheads of the 135/4 Tele-Elmar as 
well as more specialized macro lenses. These work quite well, and the 
bellows unit is fairly compact and good handling for what it is.

With respect to the wider lenses, the smearing in the corners with M 
focal lengths shorter than 35mm bothers me enough that I generally 
don't use them. The CV 12, 15 and 21 all suffer from this a fair bit. 
Also, I have the truly outstanding 7-14 so the wide angle options 
aren't generally that appealing. It'll be interesting to see how the 
new 9-18 Olympus collapsible lens performs as it will be a fair bit 
less expensive than the Panasonic wide zoom and also a lot smaller 
when collapsed.



At 1:55 PM -0400 4/13/10, David Rodgers wrote:
>My initial impressions of using M lenses on a GF-1 are more favorable
>than I anticipated. The camera feels really nice in my hands with Leica
>lenses attached. It might even feel better in some ways than it does
>with the Panasonic 20/1.7. However, I still really like the 20 and all
>it brings to the table.
>
>The Leica lenses are heavier and make the camera feel more substantial.
>I thought the Noctilux might overpower the camera body (feel like
>holding only a big lens) but it feels surprisingly well balanced.
>
>The fact that the 50/2.8 Elmar doesn't collapse when attached to the
>adapter makes it a little less compact. That eliminates one of 50/2.8's
>bigger virtues.
>
>My favorite lens on the GF-1 might actually be the 50/1.4 Summilux. It
>feels and handles very nicely on the body. Same for the 35/1.4 Summilux
>ASPH. I feel comfortable holding my left hand under the lens. That's the
>style I grew up with. It helps me to stabilize the camera. A lot of
>smallish lenses (the 20/1.7 included) are almost too small. The heavier
>Leica lenses offer a little more ballast, as well as more real estate
>for getting a solid grip. It makes the GF-1 feel even more like a CL.
>
>On the normal to wide end, the 21/2.8 ASPH is too close to the 20/1.7 in
>focal length and it doesn't have AF. For all those reasons I doubt I'll
>be using it all that much. I know that contradict whats I said about the
>"feel" aspect of larger lenses, but as I said, there are other things
>that I really like the 20/1.7.
>
>The 28 Elmarit (3rd Gen) feels much like the 50/1.4 and 35/1.4 (i.e.
>balances and handles well). However, the 28/3.5 VC Color Skopar could
>turn out to be my favorite in that focal length. The 28/3.5 is my only
>chrome lens. I like how it looks on the GF-1 body. Plus it's compact and
>easy to focus quickly.
>
>All the Leica lenses are relatively easy to focus. That was once concern
>I had before I tried using them. I've said it before, but I really like
>the EVF. It's convenient to zoom in for critical focus by merely pushing
>the thumbwheel. It's nice for framing. The "zoom to focus" worked well,
>particularly when using the Noctilux. People have expressed concerns
>about the GF-1 EVF but I'm a big fan of it.
>
>My one big complaint about the GF-1 and Leica lenses is the fact that
>the small sensor doubles the effective focal length of every lens. I
>don't mind that I have a 100mm f1 and 100mm 1.4 lens. And the 35/1.4
>ASPH is a nice 70/1.4 lens. They all make for nice medium tele's. I can
>see how the in-body IS of the Olympus Micro Four Thirds cameras might be
>advantageous with those. .
>
>I feel limited on the wide end. I have an 18 VC, but like the 21 Elmarit
>it's close to the 20/1.7. I may get a 12mm VC, or I may wait until
>Panasonic or Oly come out with a super-wide for micro four thirds. I'm
>in more of a normal lens than wide-angle lens phase of late, so I'm not
>in a hurry.
>
>Finally, I'll say that it's really nice be able to use my Leica M lenses
>on a digital body. The good news I that it seems more practical to do so
>than I thought it would be. IOW, I'm breathing a sigh of relief.
>
>Dave R
>
>
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