agent-Jon wrote:
Looks like a 50mm would be a good start then as I have both the wide and tele mostly covered. Seeing that the 50/2 is strongly voiced (within my parameters), I'll look for one of those. But if I decide to upgrade and go with the 50/1.4 summilux version, will that lens also fit onto the 5D without mirror issues like the 35/1.4 ?
This website is a guide to which Canon bodies and Leica lenses are compatible.
With the 50/2, does it matter whether it actually says "E55" on the front of the lens, or as long as it's the later version with 55mm thread mount?
And does it make much difference made in Canada versus made in Germany?
German and Canadian versions of the same model sport the same optical formula and quality. I've seen the Germans sell for more. The market knocks Canadians unfairly.
and who mentioned slipping into addiction and ruin? as I've heard, man is an escalating beast. what are you going to do?
Starts with a simple 50 Summicron and you promise you'll stop but somehow ending up with a 280 Telyt APO and a few others along the way. Sordid tale...
Personally found my 50 Cron to be very good and "special." About as good as a 50 can get. Bokeh is significantly better at f2.2 than wide open.
>>As good as the 50 Cron is, I'm not sure that it stands head and shoulders over any of it's peers. The Cron has great colours, sharpness and Bokeh is good when slightly stopped down, but not great. I have the 50 Cron (E55) and tend to use the Contax 50/1.4 instead. The Contax 50/1.4 has softer Bokeh at F2 than the Cron at F2. Sharpness is about the same, as most 50's are in about the same ball park.
What's about the 3.5/35-70 zoom lens ? In fact an old Minolta calculation but still a fine lens with good 3D capabilities. Price between 200 and 300 €, the original Minolta lens will be cheaper.
ssshhhhhh, you can pick up the minolta version for around $45, no one's supposed to know.
I started my Leica journey with a 50/2 (e55), very nice lens and a pretty good all rounder, I ended up selling the 50 and getting a 60 macro. The 60/2.8 is also a great all rounder, very low distortion, and equally good at macro or infinity setting.
I've also been down the road of Leica 28/2.8 (e55). It's been a long and winding road, I've found it's one of the hardest to adapt and get good infinity performance, my copy went to Solms for CLA and it's been doing battle with the Zf25/2.8 which is very close in focal range (the Zf is 26mm). On my last outing with the two I started getting better results with the Leica by focussing it almost right at the infinity stop.
I don't know where the road will lead but right now I'm pretty happy with both the ZF25 and the R28, but in the end there can be only one ;-)
I'd also like to try a 35mm Elmarit, I've heard that infinity resolution is right up there with the best but it lacks the contrast (or micro contrast) typical of the Zeiss gear.
Any comments on the 35mm Elmarit would be greatly appreciated.
j.liam wrote:
German and Canadian versions of the same model sport the same optical formula and quality. I've seen the Germans sell for more. The market knocks Canadians unfairly.
There is a noticeable difference between the Canadian Summicrons (E55 35, 50 and 90) when compared to the output after production moved back to Germany. I don't know if it's a difference in coatings or a change in the glass supplier or both, but the Germans tend to draw with a slightly more accurate (and less "punchy") color balance, and with slight improvements in sharpness (especially the 35 and 90 centers) and CA (mostly the 50 and the 90, but the 35 to a degree) at wide apertures.
agent-Jon wrote:
I think I have some homework to digest the Leica terms... like 3-cam, E55, etc... Is there a website that summarizes some of these terms, versions, and may be of some help?
Also quite a variance in used prices which makes it harder to sort.
The L-Camera Forum Wiki provides specifications, serial numbers, and links to forum posts for all of the R-series lenses. I found it invaluable when I was trying to decide which Leica R lenses would best suit my needs.
I don't care for the 50mm focal length but my copy of the 35mm Elmarit-R is superb (as is the 60mm Macro-Elmarit-R).
agent-Jon wrote:
I would like to try a Leica R series lens on a Canon 5D (using a Leitax adapter).
Familiar with Canon L and Zeiss ZE/ZF lenses (such as 100/f2 mp), but wanted to sample the look and flavor of Leica lenses for the first time. I'm looking at used, hopefully under $1k lenses, though may consider stretching.
Which specific lens might give me a good taste of what Leica may offer?
Focal lengths I would find most useful currently would be 35, 50, or 80mm.
I tend to shoot more often at wider apertures rather than max DOF.
Not necessarily looking for ultimate sharpness corner-to-corner so much as an overall balance of strengths.
I would appreciate any suggestions and insights. Thanks!...Show more →
The Summicron 50 is a great place to start if you like 50s. Personally, I don't think you can really go wrong (depending on your expectations) with any of the versions. The original (with detachable hood) is center sharp with loads of character, but flare and CA correction are pretty weak. The Canadian E55 isn't as sharp wide open (it catches up quickly) but it's a very distinctive draw, very much what I think people identify as being a "Leica draw." The German E55, as I noted previously, is slightly better behaved but sacrifices a little bit of the glow. The first two versions are readily available and very affordable.
Skip the 35-70/3.5s. One is a straight Minolta rebrand and the other manufactured by Leica based on roughly the same design, and both are good, but neither really give you a reason to use them. The Kyocera-manufactured 35-70/4 is pleasure to use if you can live with the maximum aperture and limited zoom. Nice and light but very well built and truly impressive wide-open performance. And the close-focus "macro" setting comes in very handy. Copies can be found for under $600.
The Summilux 80 is great, but has a split personality in stopping down from wide open to f/2.8 that's akin to changing from watercolors to fine-tiped sharpies. The MFD's a little long for the traditional portrait range, but it's really well-suited for astrophotography. My gateway Leica R was a Canadian Summicron 90 (which, if I remember correctly, has the same MFD as the 80). Then I switched to the 80 and really enjoyed it, but eventually went back to a 90. I think it's a better portrait lens and the E55 version can take the Elpro 3 close-focus lens with no perceptible loss in quality. You can find Canadians easily between six and seven hundred, cheaper if you're patient.
The German E55 Summicron 35 is gem, and such an improvement over the previous versions that I'd say it's worth seeking it out over them. It's a little harder to find and would probably brake your budget, but with patience you should be able to find one under a grand.
The Macro-Elmarit 60 is a great general-purpose lens, and while the last model (with a retractable hood) is a bit more refined, the older models won't give you any problems. And I'm pretty sure tanks aren't as well built. In fact, I think a tank could roll over it without rendering it unusable. If you're not afraid of a little pre-love scuffing, you can find optically excellent copies under $500.
thanks so much to all for sharing suggestions and for the links, it's much appreciated : )
I have indeed been looking over image samples from the mentioned threads, still have some pages to go... but shy of seeing actual raw files with direct comparisons, seems little can be drawn from most of the pics that's relatively small and post-processed. But it's enough I think. I can at least get a sense of the bokeh and overall feel.
Combined with the suggestions, and from reading between the lines, I'll just have to try 1 or 2 of these pricey things. No promises that I'll stop after that though. But I do promise I'll make use of them!
"freaklikeme," thanks for taking the time-- I owe you a beer.
I started using leica lenses on canon 5d with the 50 and 90 summicron (both recommended). Then i sold them for 35 summicron and the summilux 80. In these days I'm thinking about selling the 35 for a 35-70 (the f4 version) for portable landscape use and buying in future a faster wide angle prime between 24 and 35 for street / low light / wa landscape or eventually an af zoom if canon would make us the grace to crank out a non-flat lens. The summicron 35 f2 is excellent in low light and at medium / short distance but like other 35 isn't the best at infinity...
I have several Leica R lenses that I've used on my canon cameras.
One, I like to know what you'll be shooting? Portraits or landscape?
Most of my work is landscape and a lot of pano shots. So my lenses were purchased for that intent mainly.
Also, after I upgraded from 5d to 5d II and was able to use live view for critical focusing I found a huge difference in image quality.
That being said, my favorite R lens or actually any lens is the 180/2.8 apo. It's the pinnacle of optical engineering.
After that the 100/2.8 apo is my next choice. These lenses are discontinued. So if you hunt for a while and get a good deal on the 100/2.8 Buy it. It will only appreciate in price.
I also use my 60/2.8 It flares too easily for night shots sadly I shoot it at f/8 when I need a wider range for my pano shots. Because it has very little distortion it stitches easily.
semorg, thanks for the note and suggestions.
To answer your question, I shoot a variety of subjects: people, places, abstracts, or whatever catches my eye... mostly city urban life stuff though.
Not sure if you read my earlier posts, but I've narrowed my selection down to either a 35 or 50mm at this time. I have the longer tele end covered and am happy with it (mostly the Canon 70-200/2.8 II IS & the Zeiss 100/2 MP). More often than not, I use no longer than an 85mm.
Another big/small reason I find the Leica lenses attractive is their relative smaller size (along with their IQ reputation of course). This being important as I plan to also use it on a smaller more portable camera platform soon --most likely a Nex for starters.
Having said that, a fast f/1.4 Summilux seems ideal for both DSLR & Nex platforms given that I favor narrow DOF for subject isolation.
(keeping in mind the 1.5x factor with the Nex)
If you want a Zeiss like all-of-frame performance, the oft-overlooked 60/2.8 macro.
If you want the huge central impact effect, try a good Summicron 50/2. 'Good' because these lenses are often 20 years old and some are suffering the consequences, although most Leica lenses are cared for better than most, and build quality is very high. Agree with FLM, as I have read the same elsewhere; I got lucky with a demo grade German Summ 50/2, and it is spectacular for what it does well. Colour balance is phenomenal right out of the camera.
I don't know what to think of the 35mm Rs, apart from the specialty f1.4 Summilux-R. The others seem underwhelming and overpriced. People talk them up, but you see few sstandout images.
Here is a little on the genesis of the 35-70 range:
'Later Leitz cooperated with Minolta and offered from 1983 the LEICA VARIO-ELMAR-R 35-70 mm f/3.5 as a Leica branded lens. In 1990 Leica added the LEICA VARIO-ELMAR-R 28-70 mm f/3.5-4.5 to it lens range. This Sigma design displayed the same performance profile as the earlier Nikkor lens and as the Minolta design: medium to high contrast, limited definition of fine detail and fairly large distortion at
the extreme positions of the focal range.
..in 1997, Leica had introduced a lens with a maximum aperture of 1:4 and the same range (35-70 mm) that offered almost identical image quality (to the 35-70/2.8) in a more convenient package: the LEICA VARIO-ELMAR-R 35-70 mm f/4. For some reason Leica omitted the designation ’ASPH’ for this lens, although it has an aspherical surface.'
The latter zoom is in another league to the earlier ones, obviously.
I recommend three lenses, depending on what you do with them
90/2 or 50/1.4 - E60 version for portraiture (optional 2x APO converter)
OR
28/2.8 for landscape and PJ.
5d: Mirror needs to be cut for using 50/1.4 and 28/2.8
1ds mark Ii: all lenses work fine
I shoot it at f/8 when I need a wider range for my pano shots. Because it has very little distortion it stitches easily.