p.2 #1 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
Oh also...I had a 9cm f/4 elmar, got it for $100. It was great on the monochrom. Those old Elmar/Hectors are probably the cheapest you can buy though they technically screw mount so not M mount.
p.2 #2 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
rscheffler wrote:
Wouldn't surprise me as the number 4 strikes 'fear' (German: vier - 'v' is pronounced like 'f' in English) in the hearts of many Asian cultures, so there would be a massive surplus available. No wonder those lenses were discontinued - Chinese lens collectors wouldn't touch them!
Joking aside, I believe the difference comes from a simple marketing perspective. 2.5 is seen in Germany rounded as "3" whereas 2.4 is seen as "2". Leica likely wanted to make it more a look-alike Summicron f/2.0 series. Leica claims that they discontinued the Summarit line due to less demand - which I doubt seeing how desirable they often are in the used market. More likely IMO that the Summarit lens line simply didn't fit the luxury brand agenda and led to in-house competition with Summicron lenses.
p.2 #3 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
My favorite "cheap" Leica M mount lens is the 90mm tele-elmarit "thin" that I got for about $500 in a minty condition some years ago. It's sharp and perhaps the smallest 90mm prime lens I have ever seen. Photo below is from my window on Fuji Across 100 II. Slightly cropped.
p.2 #4 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
ninadp wrote:
My favorite "cheap" Leica M mount lens is the 90mm tele-elmarit "thin" that I got for about $500 in a minty condition some years ago. It's sharp and perhaps the smallest 90mm prime lens I have ever seen. Photo below is from my window on Fuji Across 100 II. Slightly cropped.
I also have the Leica 90/2.8 Elmarit Version I lens - it is surprisingly good even on modern digital M and MLC cameras! I also have the corresponding hood and never had issues with lens flare. I got it used about 10 years ago for less than $250. Earlier mentioned in comments here I also have the collapsible 90/4.0 Elmar lens which I got as freebie in an auction for a IIIc camera - great lens also, but its chrome version is heavier than the much slimmer black Elmarit lens.
The issue I have had with Soviet LTM-M lenses that I tried is their focus calibration is always off. That's because the lens mount to film focal plane distance is different from a Leica compared to a Fedka or Zorki LTM camera that these lenses were built for.
The issue I have had with Soviet LTM-M lenses that I tried is their focus calibration is always off. That's because the lens mount to film focal plane distance is different from a Leica compared to a Fedka or Zorki LTM camera that these lenses were built for.
Ah. Are they consistently off just a smidge so it’d be like adjusting for focus shift?
p.2 #11 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
d.s. wrote:
Ah. Are they consistently off just a smidge so it’d be like adjusting for focus shift?
The amount off is consistent but with the ones I had it was a lot more than a smidge. Once you figure it out, you adjust for it but you can still be a smidge off. After a little bit you just wished you spent more money on a lens that doesn’t need smidging!
Some people shimmed their lenses to make them more compatible but I’m not sure how to do that. Just familiar with the expression!
p.2 #12 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
Desmolicious wrote:
The amount off is consistent but with the ones I had it was a lot more than a smidge. Once you figure it out, you adjust for it but you can still be a smidge off. After a little bit you just wished you spent more money on a lens that doesn’t need smidging!
Some people shimmed their lenses to make them more compatible but I’m not sure how to do that. Just familiar with the expression!
The issue I have had with Soviet LTM-M lenses that I tried is their focus calibration is always off. That's because the lens mount to film focal plane distance is different from a Leica compared to a Fedka or Zorki LTM camera that these lenses were built for.
Not only this - it is a gamble what kind of quality of a Russian LTM lens you can get. I made bad experience here in the past - purchased a Jupiter-12 (35/2.8) lens which likely was disassembled and wrongly put back together, severely decentered and blurry in image quality. Not too thrilled by the built style of the aluminum-based lens either. On the other hand I got an Industar N-61 (52/2.8) which is decent - a bit curved lines towards the borders of the frame but still okay.
p.2 #14 · What is the absolute cheapest Leica M mount lens
retrofocus wrote:
Not only this - it is a gamble what kind of quality of a Russian LTM lens you can get. I made bad experience here in the past - purchased a Jupiter-12 (35/2.8) lens which likely was disassembled and wrongly put back together, severely decentered and blurry in image quality. Not too thrilled by the built style of the aluminum-based lens either. On the other hand I got an Industar N-61 (52/2.8) which is decent - a bit curved lines towards the borders of the frame but still okay.
Yup I had two jupiter 12s which were exactly like yours!
I had a Jupiter 8 50mm f2 NOS which optically was very nice but the build was lacking. Clickless aperture ring that was so loose it would move off setting all the time. And of course it did not focus correctly.
I did have an Orion 15 28mm f6 that was just great. I should never have sold it. Problem with that lens is you can now buy the TTA 28 5.6 new for less.
