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Im thinking to buy a 500 C/M - Im nuts ?

carstenw

Active member
The F and FE lenses only work on 2000- and 200-series bodies. The FE lenses have electronic contacts and can communicate with the bodies for setting exposure. The FE lenses are best for 200-series bodies, but these bodies are still very expensive, so this increases your cost a lot, and the FE lenses are often twice as expensive as the optically identical F lenses. The F/FE lenses are more modern, and sharper in general than the older CF designs (although a few were updated and are very sharp, i.e. 40 and 180...). They also have one more stop of light, so if you need more light or a shallower depth of field for some use, they are worth considering. The 2000-series are otherwise like the 500-series, but the 200-series are more modern, some have built-in meters, and are very neat cameras. I will probably move to a 203FE or 205FCC one day, which is why I am collecting FE lenses, and selling the F.

I own 50/2.8 FE, 110/2 FE and 250/4 FE. The equivalent lenses for the 500-series are the 50/4, 100/3.5 or 150/4, and 250/5.6...

On the other hand, if you use flash, get CF/CFi/CFE lenses, due to the higher sync speed. These can also be used on 2000/200 bodies.

By the way, first came 500, then 2000, then 200. The 500-series kept going though, and I believe that the 503CW is the newest body, although the design is still old.

The CB lenses were budget lenses, although a few of these are also highly regarded. There is no CT lens to my knowledge. It must be C T*, where T* is the name for the famous Zeiss lens coating.
 
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sinwen

Member
Proenca,

I am in France, I have the 501CM with the 80 & 180mm & extender, all latest models, sold the 50 because I wanted to sell the full system to switch to digital. As I didn't sell the all thing I regret my 50mm, the lens I used most.
I also have a bunch of Leicas, M & R and was a long time LF owner of a 4x5.

Few notes you may get interested in :

-If you want to go big print with your Leica you can, depends of the film/treatment combination. I used the Kodak technical Pan in Technidol and get great results but go here :http://www.imx.nl/photo/Film/page166/page166.html

-Square framing is natural to me and I love it. The pict is inversed on the focusing screen but it never disturbed me at all, I don't even notice but it may be different for you and will force you to think at what you are doing, I see it more as an advantage in fact.

-Twelve frames may be going fast, not for me, I seldom snap more than a handful. That's the reason the Leica film last me a life time :) the development is always a surprise as I forgot what's on. So the 12 frames are very fine with me.

-The digital back CFV cost an arm & a leg, while I would like to get one the cropping factor is a pain, the wider lens is 40 far too long focal for these backs, so I don't miss it.

Michel
 

carstenw

Active member
One minor correction: the image on the ground glass is reversed (side-to-side), not inversed (upside-down) :)
 

Professional

Active member
I really really should try to find a lens for my 501CM as soon as possible, the more threads i read here and there about getting 500 series killing me that i have one and didn't use it at all yet, and i am confusing between buying a used lens which easy or wait to buy a new lens which is a bit pricey and not sure if it is worthy to buy new, but really i don't like to have a second hand or used gear even it is in excellent mint/condition, i always has a bug that i should get new so i never complain later if any issue there.

I was thinking a lot and i feel i should go with used lens but that 80mm one, because i will not use it that much maybe, i want to get that 50mm or 400mm as i love landscapes and i want to be in wide angle side so i may use this FL more, but i am again confused with the models available, C, CF, CFE/CFi,...
 

emmawest72

New member
Thanks Wjlapier. Glad I can be of some inspiration..hopefully. I have had my 500cm for almost 10 years with a 80mm lens and some of the pictures I value the most have been taken with this cam/lens. I find this combo really excellent as you can do more or less everything with it, from portraits to landscape. Infact, I have very seldom felt the need for an additional lens.

Enjoy the fun!
 

bensonga

Well-known member
I was thinking a lot and i feel i should go with used lens but that 80mm one, because i will not use it that much maybe, i want to get that 50mm or 400mm as i love landscapes and i want to be in wide angle side so i may use this FL more, but i am again confused with the models available, C, CF, CFE/CFi,...
Hard to beat the 50mm Distagon for wide angle....it's one of my favorites. I also have the 40mm CFE IF and it's a beauty.....but MUCH more expensive. I never would have bought it alone, but it was part of my 503CWD-II package.

I think if I was going to have a two lens setup it would be a 50mm and 100mm lens (or maybe the 120 Makro Planar). A three lens setup would be the 50, 100 and 180.

If you can afford them, buy the CFE/CFi versions.

Gary
 

Professional

Active member
The first one is in my list long time ago, i know about it, but pricey, not because i don't have the money, but because i also investing on something else [H3DII-39 lenses line, and now traded-in H3DII for H4D, Profoto lights,....etc]. So i hope i will save or get money somewhere to fund this lens, definitely 50mm is my top lens to buy for 501cm.

Hard to beat the 50mm Distagon for wide angle....it's one of my favorites. I also have the 40mm CFE IF and it's a beauty.....but MUCH more expensive. I never would have bought it alone, but it was part of my 503CWD-II package.

I think if I was going to have a two lens setup it would be a 50mm and 100mm lens (or maybe the 120 Makro Planar). A three lens setup would be the 50, 100 and 180.

If you can afford them, buy the CFE/CFi versions.

Gary
For this 500 series, i may agree with you, but, 50mm is definitely the top priority, and i may or may not get 80mm, but i will go with 150mm instead of 100mm, also i want to have 40mm but it is really crazy expensive, so i think i will limit myself with 50, 80, and 150.
Why i didn't go with 120 makro? because i will buy 120 macro for my H series camera [I have now H3DII and i traded-in for H4D].
 

pcunite

New member
...working with medium format (and even more so with large format) is really a different experience from shooting 35mm. Slows you down with time to think about each shot more so than when using 35mm...especially if you use a handheld light light meter etc.
I'll tell what slows me down, is having an important shoot you have spent months of preperation on. The size of the camera has nothing to do with it for me.
 
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