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Leica M for E-P1 suggestions

nostatic

New member
OK, you all forced me into it. I picked up the E-P1 w/17mm kit today. So far I'm pretty impressed - it is what I had hoped for: a middle ground between the K20d and Dlux4. Very interesting as they all "draw" differently.

I'm going to get the K-mount adapter so I can run my FA ltd lenses but am interested in buying on "real" Leica lens so I'm entertaining suggesting. Cheaper is better, but I'd like something relatively fast and with "the look." Comments here indicate that wide angles aren't playing nice, so I was thinking maybe a 50 to give me 100mm equivalent portrait/tele? Summarit? Summicron? Or just spend way less on some Voight?
 

Y.B.Hudson III

New member
hint...m@nual focusing at arms-length sucks...unless your into weight training and have 20/20 vision...even then I'd go for something lite...Like a Jupiter3 or a Kern Pailard 26mm macro 1.1, the Leitz 35mm 1.4 would fit too...if your into that sort of glow thing:)*




* it's Like enough of those steriLe sharp thingies...
 

nostatic

New member
Actually I'm getting the hang of MF at arms length. I end up using my left index finger tip holding the camera from underneath, just rolling it around with the tip of the finger. Obviously that won't work with a heavy throw lens. Unless I do some fingertip pushups...
 

nostatic

New member
To be honest, I find it a lot easier to MF using the LCD than I do an OVF unless I'm standing on the sun. The magnification helps a lot. And if I was standing on the sun I'd be dead so focus wouldn't matter.

But I find AF even easier. I'm lazy...
 

tashley

Subscriber Member
You really have to be careful here. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record...

1) Every M mount lens of less than 50mm I have tried has had pronounced softness at and towards the edges
2) Even the hallowed 50 lux, the finest lens I have ever owned, shows pronounced CA when shooting against the light. It also is a tiny bit soft at the edges.
3) Only longer lenses really give great results.

Plenty of people will tell you I am wrong but I am deeply suspicious of how carefully they have looked at their files. Sean Reid first found this phenomenon (and explains why it might be: www.reidreviews.com and the subscription is really worth paying) and I tested it on a wider variety of glass.

Don't buy an M mount lens without testing it extensively on the Pen first!

Best

Tim
 

gDallasK

New member
You really have to be careful here. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record...

1) Every M mount lens of less than 50mm I have tried has had pronounced softness at and towards the edges
2) Even the hallowed 50 lux, the finest lens I have ever owned, shows pronounced CA when shooting against the light. It also is a tiny bit soft at the edges.
3) Only longer lenses really give great results.

Plenty of people will tell you I am wrong but I am deeply suspicious of how carefully they have looked at their files. Sean Reid first found this phenomenon (and explains why it might be: www.reidreviews.com and the subscription is really worth paying) and I tested it on a wider variety of glass.

Don't buy an M mount lens without testing it extensively on the Pen first!

Best

Tim
Based on my own experience, this is certainly true of the G1 when used with < 50mm Leica M bayonet lenses and I have contributed to a number of threads in this and other forums on the subject. However, perhaps in hope rather than any real expectation, I had been waiting to hear reports from E-P1 users before deciding whether or not to buy. Can you confirm that you have seen this phenonomen with the E-P1 too?
 

jonoslack

Active member
HI There

I quite agree with Tim on this one, and I suspect it's something that won't be fixed (let's face it, the Kodak sensor on the M8 has special angled microlenses to deal with this issue).

If you want wides that work with the E-P1, then you can spend gazillions on the wonderful panasonic 7-14, or a much lesser amount of money on the Olympus 9-18 (which is small and light and works really well).

If you want a brilliantly sharp 50, then the Zuiko f2 macro is already there (and really not very big). The 35 f2.8 macro is sharp too, and cheap as chips into the bargain.

For me the exception is the longer lenses - my 75 'cron is great on the E-P1, and I image the 90 elmarit would also be good (although I haven't tried it yet).
 

jonoslack

Active member
Based on my own experience, this is certainly true of the G1 when used with < 50mm Leica M bayonet lenses and I have contributed to a number of threads in this and other forums on the subject. However, perhaps in hope rather than any real expectation, I had been waiting to hear reports from E-P1 users before deciding whether or not to buy. Can you confirm that you have seen this phenonomen with the E-P1 too?
I had the G1, and now I have the E-P1, and, yes, the problem is the same (no better, no worse I'd say).
 

gDallasK

New member
I had the G1, and now I have the E-P1, and, yes, the problem is the same (no better, no worse I'd say).
Thanks Jono - you have probably just saved me £600. I am very attracted to the smaller (than G1) form factor of the E-P1 but the lack of an EVL and same-as-G1-corner-sharpness problem with wider M-bayonet lenses are the deal breakers for me.
 
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G

Gakuranman

Guest
Have you considered other 50mm lenses to try out first? You can get the OM 50mm 1.8 lenses on ebay for between $20-40. I read a proper review of this lens mounted on the EP-1, and apparently it would work well as a portrait lens. Soft in the corners at smaller apertures (but sharp in the centre), but sharp all round by about 5.6.

I keep reading about all these expensive Leica lenses, but in reality, is there really that much difference in quality? (Not to say I wouldn't like one though :p)
 

monza

Active member
There are many lenses <50mm that don't have edge problems.

The 40mm f/2 Summicron-C shines. A better choice is the 38/1.8 Pen F lens, it's cheaper and focuses to half the distance than the 40/2 does. There are umpteen 50mm rangefinder lenses, several for every rendering taste. My most-used is the Sonnar 50/1.5 in Contax RF mount (yes, there is a Contax RF/Nikon RF adapter available.)


My recommendation is that if you already own M glass, get an adapter; if you don't, stick with other adapted lenses.
 
H

hsertic

Guest
Based on my own experience, this is certainly true of the G1 when used with < 50mm Leica M bayonet lenses and I have contributed to a number of threads in this and other forums on the subject. However, perhaps in hope rather than any real expectation, I had been waiting to hear reports from E-P1 users before deciding whether or not to buy. Can you confirm that you have seen this phenonomen with the E-P1 too?
I disagree, or maybe I have exception to the rule. I've tried Lux ASPH 35 on G1 and it works great, it is brilliant (razor sharp and great contrast, did not investigate PF and CA) at all apertures (all in this case means up to F4 or F5,6 due to max. shutter speed on G1, who would use such lens stopped down more?). I have not noticed any soft corners or smearing that was reported on other wide lenses.

I've tried using this lens with LCD and EVF on G1 (trying to decide if E-P1 is worth due to stabilization system in body), and I find LCD much more difficult to use than EVF, so I would not be getting E-P1.

Hope this helps,

Hrvoje
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
... am interested in buying on "real" Leica lens so I'm entertaining suggesting. Cheaper is better, but I'd like something relatively fast and with "the look." ...
I've not used any Leica M lenses on either E-P1 or G1, other than when Terry was in town and we met for coffee I played with her E-P1 fitted with Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4. That said, I've seen a lot of nice photos posted that were purportedly made with the Elmarit-M 24/2.8, Summilux-M 35, Nokton 40/1.4, Nokton 50/1.5, Elmarit-M 90/2.8, Heliar Aspheric 15/4.5 and a few other M-mount lenses.

I've used mostly SLR lenses on my G1 : Pentax 17/4FE, Nikkor 20/3.5AI, Olympus Pen F 40/1.4, Konica 40/1.8, Pentax M50/1.4, Olympus Pen F 70/2, and Nikkor 105/2.5AI (amongst others, and in addition to my FourThirds SLR lenses, particularly the ZD 25/2.8). The one exception is my Cosmicar 12.5mm f/1.4 TV camera lens.

Of the adapted manual lenses I've used, the Cosmicar, Nikkor 20, both 40s, Pen 70 and Nikkor 105 have all performed brilliantly. The Cosmicar does not cover the entire FourThirds format but is crisp and sharp right to the edges of its image circle.

When I purchase an E-P1 (or a follow-on similar camera from either Olympus or Panasonic), I'll likely use it with the Cosmicar 12.5, M.Zuiko 17, and a 35-50 mm lens most of the time. The E-P1's LCD and clip-on optical viewfinder setup seems ideally suited to me for that trio of lens options: the 17 with its OVF, the 35-40 with my Voigtländer Viewfinder 75, and the Cosmicar using just the LCD.

(BTW, I tried the Olympus ZD 35 Macro with the E-P1 using the Viewfinder 25 at the store. I locked the AF to center spot only and just targeted frame center with the OVF when focusing. It worked very well and very reliably ... it's a very good lens for not a huge amount of money. Would be nice if it were a stop faster ... f/2 to 2.5 would be great ... but it's great as is.)

It will be nice when both Panasonic and Olympus flesh out the micro-FourThirds lens line to include more options.
 

monza

Active member
I have used the 40/1.4. Size-wise, it's a great match. Excellent build quality, I'm not a fan of the bokeh, rather have the 40/2 Summicron C and give up the extra stop. Close focus is no match for the Pen F 40/1.4 which has much superior bokeh as well.
 

helenhill

Senior Member
I;m not sure how it would work on EP1
and YOU did Request a LEICA.... :D
How about the tres small, Compact, 35 pre asph lux
1.4 speed / lovely SIGNATURE....
its probably the tiniest 1.4 out there
though not the sharpest /no slouch either
the nokton 1.4 is sharper ...LOVELY INDEED
but perhaps abit less character

Cheers!- H
 

e_dawg

New member
You really have to be careful here. At the risk of sounding like a stuck record...

1) Every M mount lens of less than 50mm I have tried has had pronounced softness at and towards the edges
2) Even the hallowed 50 lux, the finest lens I have ever owned, shows pronounced CA when shooting against the light. It also is a tiny bit soft at the edges.
3) Only longer lenses really give great results.

Plenty of people will tell you I am wrong but I am deeply suspicious of how carefully they have looked at their files. Sean Reid first found this phenomenon (and explains why it might be: www.reidreviews.com and the subscription is really worth paying) and I tested it on a wider variety of glass.

Don't buy an M mount lens without testing it extensively on the Pen first!

Best

Tim
Quite true, Tim.

I can recommend the CV Nokton 50/1.5 Asph (LTM/L39SM). Need to stop it down to sharpen up the corners a bit, but generally a sharp and contrasty lens with great bokeh. Ergonomically excellent with a wonderfully damped focus ring and decent aperture ring. One of the best adapted lenses I have used on m4/3.

I wrote down some notes on various lenses I tested on m4/3 in another thread. If you're interested, here is the link:

http://forum.getdpi.com/forum/showpost.php?p=121981&postcount=70

---------

Regarding the CV Nokton 35/1.4 and 40/1.4, what I've seen from samples is that there is some corner smearing wide-open and the bokeh can be a little rough and edgy. I did order a 35/1.4 to see if I could live with it. We will see...
 
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