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Zeiss 50mm 1.5 sonnar, leica summiconr 2.0 or nokton 1.1?

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geronimo13

New member
I just got a good deal on a mint m7 which will be my first leica :)

I'm going to buy a 50mm for it but have no idea which one to get.

What about these three? Any pros an cons? Is the nokton to big and bulky?
 
B

Brian S

New member
The Nokton 50/1.1 is about as big as an SLR 50/1.2, smaller than an F2.8 35~70 zoom.

It's a good lens, if it is ever discontinued will get "cult status".



The 50/1.5 C-Sonnar much smaller, give up 1 f-Stop.

The Summicron- the "best behaved" in terms of focus shift- give up two stops.

So the question is: what type of photography will you use it for?
 
B

bruin

Guest
Do you need a certain speed, or are you after a particular 'look'?

The 'cron is close to optical perfection in a 50 - flat field, no focus shift, outstanding wide open, great sharpness across the field. The Zeiss Planar performs virtually the same, with a bit more contrast and flare resistance. If F2 is all you need, look no further.

The C-Sonnar is the most compact and has the most 'character' of the three. Lots of focus shift and field curvature at wide apertures. Some people love it for portraits... others can't stand its quirks. Stopped down to F8, it performs like any other modern 50. As a Sonnar with Zeiss coatings, it has the best flare resistance of the group. Most people like the bokeh from this lens.

The Nokton 1.1 has good sharpness wide open, though not very strong in the corners and noticeable vignetting. On film you'll be able to see focus shift at F2.8 to F4, so I usually avoid those. Moderate contrast, and good flare resistance. Lots of fun if you don't mind the bulk/weight and love shallow DOF or low-light shooting. Bokeh is a bit unpredictable; you'll see bright edges on the circles sometimes.

A good compromise is the Nokton 1.5, costs around $500, no focus shift, and good copies can rival a Summilux ASPH in performance. The M-Hexanon and Zeiss Planar are good alternatives to the Summicron (very close performance yet much cheaper).
 
glenerrolrd

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Since this is your first M camera ...you will have a learning curve to go thru especially with focusing . I would start with a used 50 summicron..the formula has been consistent it seems forever so most used ones are similar optically .

The other option is often the 35 summicron which will be a little more expensive . Getting a little closer and using a wide angle lens is style often used with the M .
 
akiralx

akiralx

New member
I have all three lenses and would recommend the Summicron for an M7 .

The alternatives are the Leica 50mm Summarit or the excellent and cheaper Zeiss 50mm Planar, as you don't need 6-bit coding with a film body.
 
S

sirimiri

Member
I concur on the Summicron 50. Optically it's probably the most "well-behaved" of the three and unless you need the extra light-gathering abilities of the others, you can't go wrong with a Summicron 50.

The Nokton is quite large but can see in the dark...as long as you are able to focus it properly.
 
thrice

thrice

Active member
I've own the C-Sonnar and owned the Nokton, now have the 50mm summilux-asph. If I was going to recommend one for film, it would be the C-Sonnar. My uses for film are either large format landscapes or impromptu portraits, and the C-Sonnar can really deliver. However, there is of course focus shift to contend with.
 
G

geronimo13

New member
Thanks for all the replys.

I shoot people/portraits. And i want a sharp lens with a great dof. Will mostly shoot black and white iso 400, 800 and 1600. Will use it alongside my digital equipment on diffrent assignments. Pls check my webpage :)

www.dkj.se

Size and sharpness whats the diffrence beteween 1,5 sonnar and 2.0 summicron? Is the summicrom dead sharp at 2.0? They handle focus as good?
 
R

retow

Member
For the price of a Summicron, you can get the excellent Planar, which is as good if not better in the "well behaved" or "no surprise" disciplines as well as the uniquely rendering Sonnar. Just my 2 cents.
 
thrice

thrice

Active member
with regards to sharpness and focus.
Sonnar less sharp
Sonnar has noticeable focus shift
Summicron is very sharp
Summicron has no focus shift

Summicron has nice neutral bokeh (similar to a planar design)
With a good background the Sonnar produces very nice slightly interesting but more painterly bokeh, at certain distances it can look nasty.
 
dude163

dude163

Active member
I use a 1964 summicron 50/2 and its excellent, I got it for 400 dollars . The lens has a few scratches and cleaning marks, but they dont affect the image quality at all.

check out my blog and/or flickr stream if you want to see what it can do at f2 etc

here is my flickr sorted to cron 50

http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=summicron&w=25065244%40N05&s=rec

my vintage lens blog is in my signature
 
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S

Stuart Richardson

Active member
Focus shift means that at certain apertures, the true point of focus is in different places. This is a problem, because the rangefinder is calibrated to put the focus only in one place.

How this looks in practice is that if you have a C sonnar and you focus on someone's eye at f/1.5, the focus point will be on their eye. If you stop down to f/2.8 and focus on the eye, the point of focus will be on their ear or nose (I can't remember if it back-focuses or front-focuses), even though you focused on their eye. Basically, at certain apertures it cannot be focused using the rangefinder. For some photos this will not matter, for others it will mean the photo does not work. It is something you either learn to work around, or sell the lens.

I will agree with most everyone else and say that, especially if this is your first rangefinder, get a 50mm summicron or 50mm Zeiss Planar. F/2 is still very fast and good in low light, and the lenses both perform extremely well at all apertures and distances. They will allow you to think about the photography, rather then how to work around your equipment. It will make learning a bit less difficult. Then, once you are very used to using rangefinders, you can decide if you need a more specialized lens like the C-Sonnar.
 
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