seriously considering leica cl/summicron 40/2

[rbelyell]

ive been reading a lot about this combo and i really think i want it. i'm much more at home with a sharp 40 as opposed to the 'atmospheric' 50 i have now. i am very curious about two things:

1) members opinions of this combo, positive or negative.

2) if anyone knows someone who wants to trade theirs, i have a lot of high quality RF, slr and medium format equipment to offer.

thanks!
tony

[scsambrook]

The CL is a really nice camera which never quite caught the public's fancy when it was being made. That was shame, because in many ways it went back to the 1930s concept of the Leica - a small "take it anywhere and not notice it camera". I suppose the Leica fans were upset because it was made in Japan . . . but that didn't affect how it worked, which was pretty good.

Having been kind to it, the next thing to say is that it doesn't have the same feel as the smaller screw thread Leicas, or the bonus of the M viewfinder. Much depends on the size of your hand and thickness of your fingers, I suppose, when it comes to handling. And the viewfinder is fine if you don't also have an M camera.

The 40mm Summicron-C lens has now acquired a cult following that it never had when it was being made. That's not to say it isn't an excellent lens, just that modern enthusiasm seems to have elevated its status. By all accounts it's better than the old 8-element 35mm f2, but despite its seeming inferiority when you look at MTF curves, I always thought my 35mm made more pleasing Kodachromes. But digital is a different game, so maybe that doesn't mean too much now.

The Minolta CLE was, in my opinion, a far better working tool. It fitted the hand better, had a better viewfinder layout and the option of auto exposure control. I liked mine but persuaded myself I didn't need/want/love it enough and sold it to buy something else. The 40mm Minolta lens is the same design as the Summicron but, according to Erwin Puts, used different glasses. To my eyes, the results from both were the same. Maybe the CLE is a less safe buy because of its greater dependence on elelctronics from an era when they weren't as reliable as they are now.

Prices for the Leica CL body have gone up recently, the cost of the 40mm has skyrocketed, maybe because it works nicely on an M8 (=53mm), maybe because people have remembered that it actually exists.

If you're drawn to the idea, and if you can find one at a suitable price, I'd say go ahead and get it. Even if you find it doesn't live up to your hopes or expectations, you'll almost certainly be able to sell it on without losing money. You might even make a profit.

[iangreenhalgh1]

There's the Minolta version of the 40/2 here for 399 euros:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Minolta-M-Rokkor-40-40mm-F-2-sunshade-and-both-caps-Leica-M-CL-CLE-/140656528600?pt=Obiettivi&hash=item20bfc84cd8#ht_6927wt_1396

[rbelyell]

stephan, thank you so much for your thoughts, they are very valuable to my decision making and are much appreciated!

ian, thanks so much. however i am now thinking i want to try to trade some of my gear for this combo as opposed to buying. i have some really valuable RF gear that this ombo would replace, plus ive got a lot of other top notch stuff, like zeiss lenses, fuji mf cam etc that i need to relinquish.

recently, instead of buying the x100 i really wanted, i ended up trading some gear with some ebay seller. i think i'd like to pursue that avenue first, so if you know anyone....

[Attila]

A Sony NEX + a Jupiter-8 my tipp