There’s an odd misconception about the use of Leica cameras that I often get challenged with – especially on social media. As someone who frequently uses 3rd-party lenses on my Leica cameras, and posts photos of them on my Instagram, I’m often told that what I am doing is somehow wrong. Apparently, the only reason to shoot a Leica camera is to give the photographer the ability to shoot with Leica lenses. Case in point, I recently posted a photo of a Leica M6 with a Voigtlander 35mm f/1.4 lens mounted and I was told: “Putting a Voigtlander lens on a M6 is like driving a Ferrari with retread tires”.
Personally, I really can’t get my head around where this idea comes from, and, to be frank, pretty much think it’s a load of nonsense. As such, I thought I’d pick this perspective apart a bit, as well as hopefully explaining why I think that it’s an entirely illogical conclusion to come to!
My personal preferences
I guess the place to start is to first explain my feelings toward Leica brand cameras and lenses. If you’re new to this website, you might not be aware that I’m a massive fan of Leica rangefinder cameras. They are, to me, the absolute peak of camera design!
Now, just for clarity, let me say that I don’t think they are the best cameras ever made, or that everyone should own and shoot them, or that they take better photos than other cameras. I’m well aware of their flaws; I’ve shot most of them now, so I know what about them works, and indeed what doesn’t.
All I’m saying is that, for me, and the way I use cameras, they do work – in fact, they suit me down to the ground. They’re small, they have a simple interface which I appreciate a great deal, they are rangefinders – which work better for me than SLRs – and I’d even add to those pros by saying I like the way they look. Call me shallow if you like, I don’t care! As a photographer, I think I’m well within my rights to appreciate the things in front of my eyes based on their aesthetic appeal!
As for the lenses though, I’m not so smitten. It’s not that I don’t like them, in fact I’ve had a lot of appreciation for all of the Leica lenses I’ve shot for one reason or another. They just don’t ever give me what I want from a lens that I can’t find elsewhere. In fact, more often than not, what I find elsewhere costs less money, and I like what I find slightly more.
But, before I get to some some of the realities of Leica lenses, I just want to touch on the odd fact that this sort of ideal doesn’t really exist in other brands – at least not to the same extent. What compounds the oddness here is that it would actually make more sense in some other brands.
Camera choice
For example, if someone were to purchase a Nikon SLR film camera, just to access the Nikkor lens range, I don’t think it would seem particularly unusual. This is primarily because to shoot a Nikon lens and retain full functionality, ideally a Nikon camera is required.
Things are different with Leica rangefinder cameras because their lens mounts are so universal. Many brands over the years have made lenses that fit Leica cameras too. In fact, Canon, Nikon, Zeiss, Voigtlander, Minolta, Konica, Fuji, Olympus and many more, have all at some point in their history made lenses that will – without compromise to functionality – work perfectly on the Leica mount camera systems.
Not only this, but many if not most of these brands have also made cameras that take advantage of the Leica lens mounts, meaning it’s just as viable for someone to buy a Leica camera just to shoot a Konica lens as it is valid to buy Konica camera just to shoot a Leica lens.
With Leica mount kit, it all comes down to subjective preferences for both camera and lens, but since the lens mounts are the same – and there’s no compromise to functionality with either combination – the choices made can be for subjective preferences for either or both camera and lens, and not just for technical compatibility.
Lens choices – by objective measures
So what about the arguments made that Leica lenses have always been objectively better? Well, given the fact that the likes of Voigtlander and Zeiss (all be it largely via Cosina) still make Leica Mount lenses today, and the fact that even very old Leica lenses demand a significant premium on the used market, there’s a good chance there’s a third-party lens that offers objectively more than what an equivalent Leica lens does at the same price point.
For example, if you’ve just bought a Leica M6 for £1200, and you want 50mm lens for it and have a budget of up to £800 to keep your total spend less than £2k, you could buy a brand new Zeiss 50mm f/2 Planar, a Voigtlander 50 f/1.2 or f/1.5 Nokton. Or you could buy a 1970’s version 3 Summicron – a great lens in its own right, but the modern third-party alternatives are – objectively speaking – better lenses (sharper, less flare, etc).
If you want a new, or at least modern Leica lens, you need to push that budget to at least £1000, if not more. A new 50mm Summicron will set you back £2000, and bring you very little, if any, objective advantage over the Zeiss Planar. And if you want something that’s as fast as some of the third-party lenses I’ve just mentioned, well you’re not likely to get much change from at least £2500, and that’s on the used market. In short, if you buy a Leica camera and want the best bang for buck in terms of your image quality, you’re probably better off buying a non-Leica lens.
Of course, for some, money is no problem. But even without the financial boundaries to entry, the third party alternatives from Zeiss, for example, often offer something that’s simply “different” rather than “worse” – and are sometimes in fact “better”. The Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 ZM for example is reputed to be sharper into the corners and have a flatter field than the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Summilux. The compromise being that it’s a bigger lens.
That said, it is fair to say that there are a couple of Leica lenses that are objectively “better” and offer something other lenses for the system don’t, at any price point. Take for example the Leica 50mm f/2 APO-Summicron – a snip at just clear of £6000. As great as I’m sure that lens is though, it seems to be designed for digital cameras, with one of its key selling points being good control over colour-aberrations on digital sensors. In short, you’d have to be looking pretty damned close to see any advantage over the Zeiss Planar if shooting one with a Leica M6 film camera.
Lens choices – by subjective measures
So maybe then the argument isn’t really an objective one, maybe it’s all all about the subjective quality of Leica lenses. It’s hard to argue that Walter Mandlers’ Leica lenses from the 1970’s don’t have a wonderful optical qualities. I loved my version 3 and 4 Summicrons, when I owned them, and got some great results too!
But, if it comes down to subjective preferences, why is it not just as viable that I’d have a subjective preference for a Zeiss or a Voigtlander lens? I do, in fact, prefer my ZM Sonnar to the 50mm Summicron that I owned prior to it.
Of course, there are some people out there who wax lyrical about the wonderful character traits of all Leica lenses. More power to them, if that’s what they like, thats fine by me. You won’t find me questioning other people’s subjective preferences when it comes to any lens – even ones that cost a great deal more, and to my eye aren’t as “good” as the ones I like. Because… it’s subjective!
Subjectively speaking, I think Zeiss lenses are better than Leica lenses. And suggesting I am wrong would be no different to suggesting I am wrong to prefer brown bread to white – it’s just personal taste!
It’s the outcome that counts
Of course, when comparing the likes of Zeiss and Leica, what’s subjective and what’s objective in terms of the ideas about what makes a lens “good” can blur. Both of these brands produce lenses that are designed to be optically optimal within the scope of the particular series of compromises they are designed. In photographers seeking to shoot with lenses like these – at least in most cases – there is likely some desire for high quality optics and results without aberrations.
But, not all photographers want high quality optics. Because lens choice is so subjective, it’s entirely viable that some photographers might find the most joy mounting the least expensive, lowest quality lenses to the most expensive Leica camera. The fact is, “good” photography is not simply about “good” optics.
I might think that Zeiss lenses are “better” than Leica lenses, but this doesn’t preclude me from a potential desire to shoot lenses that I know are “worse” once in a while. As I go to great pains to explain in my post about what defines the perfect lens, what counts is the end result – especially when considering that everything prior to the end result is meaningless to the third-party observer of a photo.
I for one, have a great deal of love for the Russian Sonnar-knockoff lens, the Jupiter-8M. A lens, that given the right light, has a wonderful propensity toward gentle rendering and flare:
Of course, I accept that the way that the image above looks might not to be everyone’s taste. But the point is, I like the way it looks, and it’s a look I achieved using a very inexpensive lens on a fairly expensive Leica. I might have been able to produce a similar look with Leitz lens of some sort – maybe an and 50mm Summarit for example – but would it be any more valid an image? Would my wife appreciate the image of our daughter more had I spent more money on the lens I took it with? Of course not, that’d be ludicrous – my wife doesn’t give a shit about the camera or lens I took the photo with, she just likes photos of her babies.
Affordability
Finally, once again touching on the subject of money, I just want to make a point in favour of those who do have a desire to shoot Leica lenses, for whatever reason, but can’t yet afford to.
A lot of what I’ve talked about in this post comes down to people with elitist attitudes sneering at people based on myopic ideals about how other people should do things. This is bad enough in the context of the arguments above, but it’s worst in the context of the affordability of Leica products.
Leica kit is expensive, but that doesn’t mean people with less resources shouldn’t be allowed to own it. If someone wants to buy a Leica camera, and then shoot it with a Voigtlander lens until they can afford a Leica lens, they are well within their rights to do so without people questioning them for any reason.
Now, to be fair, I don’t think the chap on Instagram that I highlighted at the top of this post was having a go at people who can’t afford to put Leica lenses on their Leica cameras. But, if you take his his opinion in the context of affordability… Well, to me, that sort of opinion leaves a funny taste in my mouth! In what world do we live it where it’s ok to look upon people with less financial resources and regard them with such disdain?!
In conclusion…
What makes a camera or lens right for the individual is, of course, down to the individual. There are many factors that determine the choices an individual might make about what camera or lens they choose to shoot – from price point, to potential image qualities, and everything in between.
It is therefore perfectly valid to buy a Leica just to gain the ability to shoot Leica lenses. What is not valid, is then claiming that everyone else should do the same! Photography is far too rich with creative options and possibilities to be so blinkered and narrow minded as this!
Ultimately, If you want to shoot a £2 lens on a £6500 Leica, then fill your boots, I say! It’s not a crime, and never will be – despite what some of the elitist morons on the internet might think!
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Rob Kent (jazzycamel) on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
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Steve on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
I've been lucky and not run into too much lens snobbery...but I like what works for me and an old enough to not really care what others think of my lens choices..
Owning Leica lenses should never be a barrier to owning a Leica....
I've recently after years with NIkons SLRs picked up a Leica M2 which was sub £600.
I did find a Summitar 5cm f2, with bags of character for only £150 ...but have no desire to spend a small fortune on anymore Leica glass.
I've shot and developed ten rolls since I got the M2 a few months ago, using a jupiter 8 (50mm) and a jupiter 12 (35mm) as well as the Summitar taking photos of my two little ones on family holidays etc.. and love photos I'm getting with Trix 400.
I think the reason to get a Leica is because it has such a wide selection of lenses.
All my lenses are screw mount adapted to M and picking up these old russian lenses is all part of the joy of Leica M ownership I reckon.
Steve
https://www.instagram.com/stevenamyah/
Adrian Rose on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Steve Ember on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Ian Dean on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Mr. Nigel Vernon on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Sroyon on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Having said that, on photography forums I also see an element of anti-Leica reverse snobbery, which I find as questionable as blind-faith Leica cultism.
A related dogma which I sometimes encounter on forums is that a camera is just a light-tight box, and it's all about the lens. I get the logic, and strictly speaking, as long as the camera is otherwise functional, it is the lens which forms the image and determines how it looks. But at least for me, photography (and by extension, camera and lens choices) is not all about the final image. The pleasure of using a beautifully-crafted piece of machinery is also a big part of it. It's easy to underestimate the importance of the camera body.
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Charles Morgan on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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BONNIN (Jean-François) on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Due to another G.A.S secondary tremor, my next purchase is likely to be a Voigtlander 75 mm.
I am not intending to be judged by any Photographic Police for treason.
Best regards, make great photos, enjoy !
JF Bonnin
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
JamesW on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
I enjoy playing with cameras, from 35mm to ULF cameras. It's part of the fun, and I use them to enjoy MYself. I could never decide for anyone else how they should enjoy themselves......
I bought/made them, I play how I want to, and if you don't like it, you don't have to play the way I do. They're my toys, not yours. Now off you go and have your fun. It's better to spend time enjoying yourself than it is to spend time looking an idiot by telling me how to enjoy myself.
Right. I'm off to stick my head under a blanket to expose a sheet of 10X8 FP4 using a 60 year old lens with a pneumatic shutter.
You have your fun, I have mine.
Flavio Colker on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Tom Sheppard on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Those of us who like to make images in the fashion in which we like to make them, will use whatever we have found to be the tools that allow us to create accordingly.
Too often I see the postings of elitists that contain nothing more than images of the cameras that they own.
It seems that they regard ownership of an expensive camera as an end in itself, rather than as a tool for allowing their image making to soar.
Now, if that ownership opens a door to creative image-making, then more power to them. But if it is simply another "look at me" moment, then all I can feel is pity.
Go make some images people, and be gladdened by the process.
Tom Sheppard
Crispin on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Nick Lyle on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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BC on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Kurt Ingham on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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George Appletree on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
That said, yes I sold my perfect Summicron, I refused the idea of a nearly 1 kilogram M10 when having a lightweight Fuji hanging from my neck. And at the end perceiving the arrogance of some Leica sellers and fans. And, to be honest, I finally bought another Leica camera (and lens), after a period of deep disappointment about the brand.
Obviously I happily keep a Voigtlander M mount lens
Terry B on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Interesting topic. I feel it was easier to assess a lens' characteristics using a slide film. I could see that my K25/64 and Ektachromes all looked slightly different depending upon which make lens I had used, and up until the point where I saw an expert nature photographer's original K25 shots using his Leica R4 and lenses, I just accepted this. But his K25/Leica slides opened my eyes, literally. They were so clean, it was though a veil had been lifted. As we both used K25, the difference could only be down to the lenses. That was it. My Nikon gear helped, only a little, to finance a demo, but mint, R3 and 3 new lenses, a 50 f2 Summicron and 28 and 90 Elmarits.
I wouldn't argue that the Leica lenses were sharper, but what I saw in how they rendered an image was far more to my liking. I suspect it was the same thing that you look for in a lens.
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
George Feucht on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
After testing 3 different samples of used 35mm Summicron ASPH (purchase contenders or just borrowed from friends), I found that my old Voigtlander out resolved them all wide open. PLUS, every Summicron had significant focus shift. The Voigtlander had none.
I still wanted .7M focus, so I tested the Zeiss f2 Biogon. It was razor sharp with no focus shift. It had a miniscule edge over my Voigtlander and beat all of the Summicrons in sharpness.
I FULLY planned on buying a nice used 35mm 'cron. But objectively and subjectively I just didn't like it. I now have a stellar 35mm f2 Biogon and a sharp-but-painterly Voigtlander Ultron. I have friends who would never buy an "off-brand" Leica lens (and I have nothing but love for my 50mm Summilux ASPH) but there are so many choices on the pallet for us that it would be a shame to turn a blind eye to some remarkable lenses we might truly love.
Joe Van Cleave on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Karl on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Dave on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
I’m using a Canon 1.8 ltm with it at the moment, & I’m happy as a pig in s**t with the results.
I can’t imagine buying a Leica lens would make any happier than I am now!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Daniel Castelli on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
Brits are faced with Brexit, we've got Trump and the French (and the world) are dealing with a horrific tragedy with the near destruction of Notre Dame Cathedral. And some people are upset because you or I may not get perfect out of focus highlights?
The Leica M4-2 helped revive Leica. Voigtlander helped fuel an interest in film/rangefinder photography when it was lagging in the late 1990's. And now, people bash both camera & lenses?
When I see someone with a (film) Leica, what goes through my head is that 'here's someone with more than just a passing interest' in shooting film. Then, if they have fitted to the camera a non-Leica lens, I'm thinking 'this person has done some research' and found something out of the ordinary that meets their way of looking at the world. Now, just for the record, I really don't run those exact words through my noggin, but you get the idea.
To quote Steve: "...but I like what works for me and an old enough to not really care what others think of my lens choices..." well, that's me. I've mounted on my m2 & m4p the tiny, 40mm M-Rokkor. It's not everyone's cup of tea, but it works for me. I've tested it against the viewfinder lines, and I know where the limits of the angle of view of the lens as it relates to the camera. I like the weight, the size and I can get filters that fit (the Summicron-C has the weird thread pitch which makes it almost impossible to get filters & shades.) . With it on my CL, I can see the 40mm viewfinder lines.
So lets the snobs rant. We'll be out taking pics.
Neil on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 15/04/2019
What’s this Leica glow people always refer to? Can anyone explain it? This might be what the snobs are getting at.
Peter on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
M on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
Graham Line on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
I was with you all the way until you mentioned the Mandler lenses. Everyone should experience shooting with that lens series if they can possibly arrange to do so.
In my opinion (which doesn't amount to anything in most circles, the best M-mount lenses are the Minolta M-Rokkors and the slower Voigtlander products of 50mm or less.
Putting other-brand lenses on Leica bodies hasn't been a crime since DDD and other war shooters discovered L39-mount Nikkors during the Korean War, and there were creditable English (Reid) and various German lenses earlier. Probably French, too, and maybe Italian.
eric on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
This is a question of rendering and personal test.
Actually, my favorite lens with the M3 is the Canon Ltm 50/1'4 ! The rendering is superb, sharpness is here, not top, but really enough, and this lens works very well with a lot of digital camera. And, ... this is an inexpensive lens ! The difference of price enter this lens and the Summilux, does not give a very big difference in the images !!!
This lens in one hand is beautiful with her vintage look ! Not maybe as beautiful than the Summilux, ...
I am very happy with it ...This is the most important point. But, if someone wants to offer me the Summilux in a special edition vintage, OK ;-)
Andrew Pemberton on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
Greg on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
Happier with my M6 and several Voitlander lenses than I would be with my M6 and one 50mm 'Cron.
Saying that, you'd have to tear my Q from my dying arms as the lens on that is spectacular for what I want it for.
Martin Smith on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
I do love what people publish online without checking their spelling!
Unless your a ardent collector or money is no object, I don't think it really matters what glass you use. After all, we are all about image making, are we not?
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
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martin bruntnell on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Martin Smith on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
Clever, I thought him slow-witted myself.
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Adam on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Daniel Fjäll on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Laurence Kesterson on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
I love my Leica glass, it's one of the reasons I use the system. I also enjoy what I can do with the cheap Russian glass that's so readily available to experiment with. Oh yeah, and the 7Artisans lenses are the bomb! The 50mm f1.1 and the 28 f1.4 are incredible for the money.
Keep up the good work, Hamish. I really enjoy your blog.
Comment posted: 16/04/2019
jeremy north on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
The reason that most second hand Leica kit is in such good condition is that the people who own them never use them. Much like their Ferrari cars. Fan boys are just collectors with p3n1§ envy
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
Brian Sweeney on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
I have a lot lenses in Leica mount. Many that I adapted in RF-coupled Leica mount. The point of shooting a camera with a "universal mount" such as LTM is to have a lot of choice in lenses. Most real Leica users know this. Those that don't are usually compensating for some photographic inadequacy by hiding behind a brand name as being the magic sauce of making a good photograph.
Since you have an M10, and have "An Electronic Viewfinder"- pick up a Konica 50mm F1.7 AR-Hexanon. It matches the type 2 Rigid Summicron, but costs about $30. I use mine on the M8, made a custom Cam for it. My M8 gets all the cool lenses.
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
Eric on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
I like too the Summicron-C 40/2, this is an excellent lens. The sharpness is high, bokeh is average, at 5'6/8 f no big difference with other Summicron. Just this special little rendering of this Leica 50/60/1970 history great material.
About the Zeiss ZM 35-1'4, for me it is the same rendering when I had the Contax 2 with all lenses ! I miss a black box with the 4 lenses to exchange with my M7, I have sold later. Just 2 things have stopped me : Contax G2 will not survived and these Zeiss lenses I have used before are too pop for me, this my thought about the ZM 35/1'4. too pop, too sharp, despite it is better than the Summilux.
We have to hunt old lens there are a few gems, and for me, I do not care to mount on my Leica !!! ;-) it is not a crime, this is an honorific for my Leica to wear so great lenses.
David Wignall on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
I'm currently shooting mostly with a Leica M6 and Voigtlander 35/1.4 and I have to say that I love this combination! In my opinion this is ergonimacally the best MF lens I have ever used and with the exception of a touch of flare (which often looks cool) the IQ is fantastic.
Rollin Banderob on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
Well said. Within color digital photography do you think there is a unique "Leica look" in images with current cameras and software?
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Dan on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
Leica glass is optional - the bodies kick ass.
Comment posted: 17/04/2019
Brandon on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
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Nick on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 26/04/2019
Patrick Carosone on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 14/05/2020
Leica M10-P Review - A Brilliantly Underwhelming Digital Rangefinder on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 07/07/2020
Bill on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 29/07/2021
First, I think such an argument falls apart when one attempts to inject the concept of affordability into the equation of any conversation involving Leica gear. Note that this has nothing to do with value, quality, etc.. Those that can afford to buy a Leica camera but not Leica lenses aren't likely going to receive much sympathy from the few who can afford Leica-everything, nor from the vast majority of everyone else in the world. This is all the more true ever since Leica reinvented itself as a lifestyle brand. (Which has kept the company alive, seeing their prices far outpacing inflation.)
Second, if you really didn't care what others think you probably wouldn't have gone to the effort to write this entry to begin with. My observation is that most Leica owners could stand to develop thicker skin (myself included). My guess is that the first point made above comes into play here as well, resulting in abnormal levels of self-consciousness. Understand that when it comes to online comments, logic is worthless (yes, I understand the irony of my comments here). Thicker skin is usually the single best solution. Sure, this is offered tongue-in-cheek, but there is a lot of truth in it.
NOTE: The reality is that if you're truly happy with both the experience of using the gear you own along with the resulting images you create with that gear, then you won't be any better off than the average person using their smartphone these days. However, you likely have the majority of people who constantly spend money on photo gear beat. Enjoy the experience and know that I've enjoyed the content you create whenever I've taken the time to read it. Just never forget that the Internet can be brutal. Such behavior isn't reserved just for elitists or morons, and certainly not just elitist morons.
Comment posted: 29/07/2021
Bill on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 01/08/2021
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karm francois on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 06/11/2021
People were looking à me strangely .
I love this lens , it is a Lomo rendering, it is very very small like the japanese MS optics I love too , it is rangefinder couple plus the lomo has 3 detend for short, medium and long distance wich is so usefull for street photography.
Today I am using a 35 Mm 7 artisan on my M7 as it is perfect like a summicron in term of haptic ( did not click with the small zeiss tab) .
Love the summicron IV too, with his plastic hood wich is so usefull!
Gary Smith on Shooting Leica Rangefinder Cameras with Third-Party Lenses is not a Crime!
Comment posted: 26/02/2024
Comment posted: 26/02/2024