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lens suggestions please :)

pingu666

New member
Soo im pondering getting a decent rangefinder that works, and a couple of lenses, or perhaps a fixed lens camera

short list at the moment is CL,CLE, (small size and weight), m8 (leica, ccd, 1.3 crop, ir sensisitivity), r-d1 (viewfinder, have a bunch of 2gb sd cards, those sexy top dials)

Ive tried the modern digital M's on a demo day and i loved the sharp viewfinder, very clear, contrasty focus patch too :), feel of them and the lenses, and the results where extremely good, and i do like that leica look alot :)


lens wise im looking for low end with personality and that leica look / feel, if possible, and a 90mm or so, as i really like that focal length :), and im meh on 28mm

I dont need super amazing sharp, as i get that with my sigma DP's :), but i do fancy using a good range finder too
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Soo im pondering getting a decent rangefinder that works, and a couple of lenses, or perhaps a fixed lens camera

short list at the moment is CL,CLE, (small size and weight), m8 (leica, ccd, 1.3 crop, ir sensisitivity), r-d1 (viewfinder, have a bunch of 2gb sd cards, those sexy top dials)

Ive tried the modern digital M's on a demo day and i loved the sharp viewfinder, very clear, contrasty focus patch too :), feel of them and the lenses, and the results where extremely good, and i do like that leica look alot :)


lens wise im looking for low end with personality and that leica look / feel, if possible, and a 90mm or so, as i really like that focal length :), and im meh on 28mm

I dont need super amazing sharp, as i get that with my sigma DP's :), but i do fancy using a good range finder too
If you are interested in a Leica CL, get a 40mm lens. I've got a CL that I'd be willing to part with along with a Voigtländer Nokton 40mm f/1.4 lens. ...

G
 

pingu666

New member
sadly import duty would probably make that uneconomical, and doubt i can justify the cost of a 1.4 :(

I live in the uk....

I do like 40mm or so, my dp2 is around that in equivilency, id quite like a ultrawide, but i expect those are beyond my budget for now
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
sadly import duty would probably make that uneconomical, and doubt i can justify the cost of a 1.4 :(

I live in the uk....

I do like 40mm or so, my dp2 is around that in equivilency, id quite like a ultrawide, but i expect those are beyond my budget for now
The UK's VAT and import duty from the US do make things more expensive. :-\

Some more info:

If you do go for a CL, the lens pair that Leica designed for it were the Summicron-C 40mm f/2 and Elmar-C 90mm f/4. Both of these are excellent lenses, and really suit the camera very well. Neither is particularly expensive.

The CL was a collaborative effort with Minolta and in some markets was sold as the Leitz/Minolta CL. Minolta sold it with the M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 and M-Rokkor 90mm f/4 in bundles branded that way. The M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 was identical in design to the Summicron-C 40mm (with a JIS standard 40.5mm filter thread), manufactured by Minolta in Japan, and produces nearly indistinguishable quality photos. The M-Rokkor 90mm, at least through the first couple of production runs, was the exact same lens as the Elmar-C 90mm made by Leitz in Wetzlar, manufactured on the same production line; all they did was change the bezel to the Minolta branded version and use the JIS 40.5mm filter threads. Later production of this lens moved to Japan (I believe when the CL was discontinued and the CLE was released). Anyway, these M-Rokkors are generally available at prices a bit lower than the Leica branded models and perform identically, for all intents and purposes.

When the CLE was released, an upgraded version of the M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 was released with it. This "II" version included multicoating and exhibits less flare than the earlier single-coated Summicron-C and M-Rokkor 40mm lenses. Its imaging is otherwise identical.

I have used the M-Rokkor 90/4 (Germany) and M-Rokkor 40mm f/2 II on my M9 (as well as my CL) quite a bit with excellent results. I think I paid $320 and $265 for them, respectively.

I had the Nokton 40/1.4 MC before I obtained the M-Rokkor 40, and paid more for it ... The Nokton has the obvious advantage of an additional stop in speed, but wide open its bokeh is a bit harsh. Stopped down to f/2-f/2.8, though, it produces imaging quality right on par with the M-Rokkor 40.

Used at their best performing aperture (f/2.8-f/4 and smaller), Nokton and M-Rokkor (and Summicron-C as well) are just about indistinguishable from one another.

For a wide on the CL, I like the Color Skopar 21mm f/4 most. New they run just over $400, but I've seen them used for as low as $250 occasionally in good condition.

G
 

pingu666

New member
thankyou for your advice :)

theres a 90mm f4 elmar screw thread on ffordes for £59, says marked front element, but i cant see anything in the low res pics, and oil on iris, but as long as the blades move it doesnt matter? i thought they stayed at f8 or whatever you set it to, and didnt open and close slr style?
 

segedi

Member
The possible problem with oil on the blades, it may get on the lens elements. I'm not sure if being in the sun would trigger some internal humidity in the lens or not, but from what I've read, oil can be a problem down the road.
 

pingu666

New member
i found a better condition one from elsewhere for not much more, just need to decide if to pull the trigger...

and on another forum someone put up some dev kit which i might go for, so shooting with a film rf seems more tempting, but im sure my dad would prefer a digital :/
 
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