Guy Mancuso
Administrator, Instructor
Some of the best Leica R lenses i owned at one point or another. I shot them years ago on Canon and the DMR.
Leica 19 R. One of the best wides around todays rate about 3400.00 You WANT version II
Leica 28mm Elmarit with sliding hood, don't get one without totally different design the older ones. 2400 today.
Leica 35m 1.4 Lux mandler design. Beautiful rendering
Leica 35mm Cron F2. Really nice lens and very sharp
Leica 50mm Lux 1.4. Outstanding lens same design as the M
Leica 80mm Lux 1.4 Mandler design. Beautiful rendering. At 1.4 it has a veiling look
Leica 90mm F2 Cron. Outstanding sharpness. On the clinical side
Leica 180 F2 Cron. One of the best around in this focal length. Big , heavy expensive
Leica 180 F2.8 Apo almost as good as the Cron. Smaller , lighter cheaper
Leica 21-35 I think F4. Really a nice lens. Again zoom better at 24mm up than 21-up. But it will outclass many others. Again expensive.
Leica 35-70 2.8 Unbelievable but forget it you can't afford it today its 10k upwards. Big heavy and very rare. Only 600 made. Leica lost money on this lens. Take my word for it I was scared to shoot the dang thing it cost so much. I paid 6k back than
Leica 35-70 F4. This is a nice all around zoom and see some members have this. Really not a bad choice at all as it is a good overall performer. Make sure you get the F4
Leica 28-90 2.8 basically this replaced the 35-70 2.8 but it is extremely good and sharp. Little clinical and again expensive , heavy and big. If you have it great buying it will set you back around 5-6k.
They have some other longer zooms but again very big , heavy glass.
There Telyt lenses again big heavy, long glass . I don't know all the models but the modular heads are very very expensive.
60 Macro. I don't remember what version I had but very sharp and still can find used.
Now many Leica lenses are still very good but don't expect to be saving any weight compared to Nikon/Canon glass. Some are more compact and the leica 28mm R i would give my front teeth for today. I still want that lens and a member just bought one on my recommendation. He shoots it this weekend. Hope he loves it. The 19mm I can't recommend enough and i have been through every damn super wide on the market. This maybe the best ever. You may see some softness in the very very extreme corners but renders like no other. Love it
Okay jumping to Zeiss in DSLR mounts Nikon ZF.2 and Canon ZE both the same glass.
Zeiss 15mm really great outstanding lens but the Samyang 14mm is a dollar short and 8 times less money. Buy the Samyang fix the distortion unless you shoot this lens a lot than get the Zeiss. Its simple you won't shoot it a lot trust me its very wide.
Zeiss 18mm . Small lens comparable and its also very good . Its the sister to the legendary Zeiss 21mm 2.8 but still a very good lens and a lot of people really like it. Distortion easy to fix in post and a normal distortion.
Zeiss 21mm 2.8 its a legendary lens and super nice but big , heavy and a older design. Has bad mustache distortion but profiles out there to fix it.
Zeiss 25mm F2 do not confuse this with the 2.8 which is a good lens but the F2 is the newer design and outstanding. I owned this lens twice now and its a keeper. I highly recommend this.
Zeiss 28mm F2 is the sleeper lens. Its a really nice lens but has field curvature and gets a bad rap for it but its very good.
Zeiss 35mm F2 again a lens most don't go to but it is really one of the best 35mm lenses around. very sharp and a great infinity lens. I owned several of them
Zeiss 35mm 1.4 well its a beast big and heavy but again really sweet.
Zeiss 50 1.4 not rated that great as wide open it has lens aberrations
Zeiss 50mm Planar F2 macro. Outstanding lens and one of the better 50's around.
Zeiss 85mm 1.4 a legendary lens but has that nice veiling look wide open. Stopped down it is very sharp. Sony has one in the ZA model and its pretty much exactly the same thing. I have the Sony today
Zeiss 135mm F2 I just sold mine to get the Sony 135mm 1.8 but these two lenses just about nothing can touch them in his focal length. Big , heavy but well worth it. Love them and love the focal length. Throw it is crop mode and you get a 190mm F2 or 1.8. Also the Zeiss 135mm like the Sigma 1.4 extender
Zeiss 100 macro is another outstanding lens. Okay Im done and going to go test the Voightlander 40mm and some other tests. Post later
I want to put a disclaimer in here. Many of you see me sell a lens and maybe think I don't like it , not the case at all. I may sell a lens purely for the only reason is to get a different focal length I may need. Case in point I just sold my 3rd yes 3rd copy of the Zeiss 35mm F2. That lens is outstanding but I wanted the 25mm F2 more and thats the only reason. So don't get mislead by my buying and selling practices. Im a freaking lens whore at the word go. I buy anything that will give me a edge. Just thought it may help. I know folks watch what I am buying and selling so please don't get mislead. All the lenses i mentioned above I would like to have all of them, of course i would not stay married and my house would be in foreclosure if i did and most likely taken more hits to the head with a baseball bat that any human can withstand. I maybe crazy but I'm not stupid. LOL
Leica 19 R. One of the best wides around todays rate about 3400.00 You WANT version II
Leica 28mm Elmarit with sliding hood, don't get one without totally different design the older ones. 2400 today.
Leica 35m 1.4 Lux mandler design. Beautiful rendering
Leica 35mm Cron F2. Really nice lens and very sharp
Leica 50mm Lux 1.4. Outstanding lens same design as the M
Leica 80mm Lux 1.4 Mandler design. Beautiful rendering. At 1.4 it has a veiling look
Leica 90mm F2 Cron. Outstanding sharpness. On the clinical side
Leica 180 F2 Cron. One of the best around in this focal length. Big , heavy expensive
Leica 180 F2.8 Apo almost as good as the Cron. Smaller , lighter cheaper
Leica 21-35 I think F4. Really a nice lens. Again zoom better at 24mm up than 21-up. But it will outclass many others. Again expensive.
Leica 35-70 2.8 Unbelievable but forget it you can't afford it today its 10k upwards. Big heavy and very rare. Only 600 made. Leica lost money on this lens. Take my word for it I was scared to shoot the dang thing it cost so much. I paid 6k back than
Leica 35-70 F4. This is a nice all around zoom and see some members have this. Really not a bad choice at all as it is a good overall performer. Make sure you get the F4
Leica 28-90 2.8 basically this replaced the 35-70 2.8 but it is extremely good and sharp. Little clinical and again expensive , heavy and big. If you have it great buying it will set you back around 5-6k.
They have some other longer zooms but again very big , heavy glass.
There Telyt lenses again big heavy, long glass . I don't know all the models but the modular heads are very very expensive.
60 Macro. I don't remember what version I had but very sharp and still can find used.
Now many Leica lenses are still very good but don't expect to be saving any weight compared to Nikon/Canon glass. Some are more compact and the leica 28mm R i would give my front teeth for today. I still want that lens and a member just bought one on my recommendation. He shoots it this weekend. Hope he loves it. The 19mm I can't recommend enough and i have been through every damn super wide on the market. This maybe the best ever. You may see some softness in the very very extreme corners but renders like no other. Love it
Okay jumping to Zeiss in DSLR mounts Nikon ZF.2 and Canon ZE both the same glass.
Zeiss 15mm really great outstanding lens but the Samyang 14mm is a dollar short and 8 times less money. Buy the Samyang fix the distortion unless you shoot this lens a lot than get the Zeiss. Its simple you won't shoot it a lot trust me its very wide.
Zeiss 18mm . Small lens comparable and its also very good . Its the sister to the legendary Zeiss 21mm 2.8 but still a very good lens and a lot of people really like it. Distortion easy to fix in post and a normal distortion.
Zeiss 21mm 2.8 its a legendary lens and super nice but big , heavy and a older design. Has bad mustache distortion but profiles out there to fix it.
Zeiss 25mm F2 do not confuse this with the 2.8 which is a good lens but the F2 is the newer design and outstanding. I owned this lens twice now and its a keeper. I highly recommend this.
Zeiss 28mm F2 is the sleeper lens. Its a really nice lens but has field curvature and gets a bad rap for it but its very good.
Zeiss 35mm F2 again a lens most don't go to but it is really one of the best 35mm lenses around. very sharp and a great infinity lens. I owned several of them
Zeiss 35mm 1.4 well its a beast big and heavy but again really sweet.
Zeiss 50 1.4 not rated that great as wide open it has lens aberrations
Zeiss 50mm Planar F2 macro. Outstanding lens and one of the better 50's around.
Zeiss 85mm 1.4 a legendary lens but has that nice veiling look wide open. Stopped down it is very sharp. Sony has one in the ZA model and its pretty much exactly the same thing. I have the Sony today
Zeiss 135mm F2 I just sold mine to get the Sony 135mm 1.8 but these two lenses just about nothing can touch them in his focal length. Big , heavy but well worth it. Love them and love the focal length. Throw it is crop mode and you get a 190mm F2 or 1.8. Also the Zeiss 135mm like the Sigma 1.4 extender
Zeiss 100 macro is another outstanding lens. Okay Im done and going to go test the Voightlander 40mm and some other tests. Post later
I want to put a disclaimer in here. Many of you see me sell a lens and maybe think I don't like it , not the case at all. I may sell a lens purely for the only reason is to get a different focal length I may need. Case in point I just sold my 3rd yes 3rd copy of the Zeiss 35mm F2. That lens is outstanding but I wanted the 25mm F2 more and thats the only reason. So don't get mislead by my buying and selling practices. Im a freaking lens whore at the word go. I buy anything that will give me a edge. Just thought it may help. I know folks watch what I am buying and selling so please don't get mislead. All the lenses i mentioned above I would like to have all of them, of course i would not stay married and my house would be in foreclosure if i did and most likely taken more hits to the head with a baseball bat that any human can withstand. I maybe crazy but I'm not stupid. LOL