Leica... which are the one??

[Chiti]

Hello guys.


I'm looking for one Leica lens to know this mythical company.

I read more information about Leica, but I have a lot of questions...


The first one is which lenses are the best.

Leica, Leica Canada or Leica Wetzlar??


I have seen the Leica (only with this nomenclature) a lot of times... 3 CAM, APO, etc... This lenses are always too expensive

Leica Canada... I read that they have a bit inferior quality than the "normal" Leica lenses; However, I also read than in some models, the really good are the lenses manufactured in Canada...

And in the other side, I found the Leica Wetzlar.
I have seen that these are lenses manufactured in Germany ( I supose that just at the "normally" Leica) but these lenses are normally cheaper than the other Leica objectives... and hard to find.



As you can seen, I have a lot of doubts...



Thank you and Regards

[Attila]

Buy Zeiss perhaps less mythical but all lens is superb I didn't find all Leica are superb.

[Chiti]

Thanks Attila.


I know that the Zeiss are amazing... for this reason I have this brand controlled


However, Leica bit me and i need buy one antidote




Regards

[Attila]

[kuuan]

this is very interesting...
Are there others who agree with Attila, or others that strongly disagree?

( I don't own any Leica lens but from input by Leica owners in forums have had the impression that they must be the very best..or is it really just the owners of expensive lenses justifying their expense? )

andreas

[Jesito]

[Krisgage]

Hello, I just upgrade my collection to Leica. I had heard they are the best. The reason I am getting it is because I want try some high quality lenses for a try and also for its re-sell value. It is sad that locally, manual lenses not that ''hot'' or demand for those unknown brands, thus value of it is low. So far I use the Leica, it had not disappoint me. I guess it is the feel of some form of ''status'' using expensive branded lens.

[madamasu]

Jesito wrote:

[Jesito]

[ChrisLilley]

[poilu]

Leica lens have nice smooth barrel and render beautiful colors
I tried Leica 70-180:2.8 APO and for me it was the best top optic from 135 to 180
Leica 60 is not to the level of the Zeiss 60 wide open and not so proof to CA but Trifox rate it good
anyway I want to buy the Leica 60 for it's size and smooth barrel but it is difficult to found for the 150 euros I am ready to give
I won a Leica 50 for 100 euros but seller never send it
I would like to have 1 or 2 Leica, not a whole collection too much for my pocket
Leica is the only brand I would like to get some extra lens

[Esox lucius]

[Jesito]

[kuuan]

[scsambrook]

Hi Chiti -

[Seele]

The "look" of a lens comes down to the designer's methodology and priorities; you can find 100 chefs to cook the same dish but you're going to get 100 different flavours. Every lens brand (provided it sticks to the same values) would give a different "signature", so there are Zeiss supporters, Leica supporters, Nikon supporters etc.

This is an interesting page giving something to think about:

http://www.dyxum.com/columns/dPhotoworld/Historical_perspective_Minolta_lens_design_philosophy.asp

For me, I use my Minolta kit for some work and Zeiss kit for others, for this reason; the Minolta look and Leica look are for all intent and purpose so close that they are the same. That should explain why Leitz sourced lenses from Minolta.

By the way, many Leica adherents say that the Minolta-sourced lenses sold as Leica lenses all went through better quality contol standards set by Leitz/Leica, as a way to justify their extra expenditure. I never believed this, and Olaf Ulrich agreed:

http://www.photography-forums.com/minolta-md-leica-t13977.html

Hope it is of some interest.

[zewrak]

Jesito wrote:

[estudleon]

I think that when we're talking about quality, we must take off the theme of the cost. Money is money, OK. Quality of the lenses is another thing. If not, purchase only russian lens, they are the best cost/quality lenses.

The Leica best, are in the M series. No more than this. The summiluxes 35, 50 and 75 are stunning lenses. Excelent image quality special at F/5,6. If you like or need the F/1,4 speed, they are the lenses.

If you doubt, see a 30 x 40 cm copy taken at F/5,6. Not words.

If you want, may look for any article of roger hicks in shutterbug. I learned very much in Leica M practical (not theoretician) use in this way.

The summicrons have more contrast and are very good/excelent in almost all the apertures range.

Not the summiluxes excelent F/5,6 . But great contrast (special the 1969 -6/5- version ).

135/4 Elmar. Almost apo lens. Excelent at all pertures. Great colors and contrast.

Super Wide lenses? Schenider 21/ 3,4.

All of my words are based in my personal experience with 20 years of Leica M use.

Rino.

[LucisPictor]

If a lens was really produces and built by Leitz, no matter if Germany or Canada, this lens will be excellent. Period!

Top Leica lenses for the use on a crop-DSLR? R-lenses:

- Elmarit 2.8/19
- Elmarit 2.8/28
- any 35mm (Summilux, Summicron, Elmarit, the later the better and the dearer)
- Summilux 1.4/50 post 1998
- Summicron 2/50 post 1976 (I think)
- Macro-Elmarit 2.8/60 (amazing also on fullframe)
- Elmarit 2.8/90
- Macro-Elmarit 2.8/100
- Elmarit 2.8/135
- any 180mm

Is any of these lenses worth several thousand €?
Well, it depends. I would never spend these exorbitant prices.

But still I own three Leica lenses. Here are the prices I have paid:

Leica Elmarit 2.8/35 (S6): €120,-
Leica Summicron 2/50 (latest Canada version): € 120,-
Leica Elmar 4/180 (early version): € 150,-

Are these lenses worth the money I have paid? Definitely!!!

You can find very good Leitz lenses if you are patient...

[Chiti]

Thanks to everyone for the answers


Regards

[madamasu]

Some fixed prices for the Summicron 50mm from German ebay:

Click here to see on Ebay.de 278€
Click here to see on Ebay.de 335€
Click here to see on Ebay.de 399€

There were also some decently priced at Ebay USA.

[peterm1]

I think of Leica as being a bit like Mercedes cars. German - beautifully made, solidly engineered, expensive, a little staid and conservative, a status symbol and they usually function flawlessly. But are they the best of the best in all cases? - Probably not, just as a Mercedes does not suit everyone or every purpose. Some cars are better for some people, and I would not really want to throw a Mercedes sedan around a racetrack for example.

I own a couple of M cameras and a screw mount Leica and several lenses (although none that are absolutely up to date - the latest lens I own is from the 1980s.) They are all well engineered and function beautifully. In the main they are designed to shoot wide open - this is partly why you pay the big bucks (most lenses shoot well if you stop them down to at least f5.6. These should perform well open.

I do not know what kind of camera you own or what kind of photography you like so its hard to advise you but in terms of price / performance, probably l a Summicron 35 mm or 50mm (f2) are a good bet. in either SLR mount or M mount.

Some specific lenses attract a premium from the collector - you will recognise these by the price asked. Avoid these. As to lenses made in Germany or Canada, this only matters to the collector. As a user they are identical in design an build. Buy the Canadian one for preference as its cheaper and does the same thing.

Go here to research Steve Gandy's assessment of the various lenses, cameras etc.
http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm

One of the pages has a short review of each main type of Leica lens.
http://www.cameraquest.com/mlenses.htm


Part of the attraction incidentally is their size - by comparison with most modern SLR lenses and cameras the M lenses and cameras are quite small and discrete.

[ChrisLilley]

[estudleon]

Perhaps another thing to thin about is why do you want (if you do that) a Leica.

The leica M tests don't say nothing interesant, because the great adventage of these lenses are the IQ. And to know that IQ you have to see the pic in front of you, face to face. I think that you will not see the best of the lens watching the monitor.

The well-known specialty of system M, is the activity in the streets. Any M cam is light, little, not very showy. And the lenses are within the same frame of reference.

If you want the M system for this intention, no matter if the lens is wetzlar or canada. If you dessambled the lens, you will find the exactly focal length of each lens taxed by hand in the interior of same by the QC man, canada and wetzlar lenses.

Don't think about the price, if you want to find a lens with almost the same Q than other of the same brand, with definitive great mechanical and optical quality, excelent build, light, little and with excelent IQ, I recommend LEICA M. Canada or wetzlar ones (discussion for about 40 years, only for collectors)

Rino.

[estudleon]

Ah.. I forget.


In SRL, I don't say nothing about R system, because here is Zeiss for me.

Rino