Good (and affordable) standard lens for a Leica IIIb

[tim_bradshaw1]

<p>I have (well, I have borrowed) what I'm fairly sure is a Leica IIIb

(I know it's a III, serial number &c make me fairly sure it's a b).

It has a 50/3.5 Elmar lens which is fairly scratched from cleaning.

</p>

<p>What other reasonable standard lens could I get for this?

Requirements:</p>

<ul>

<li>50mm ish, wider aperture the better;</li>

<li>not stupidly priced, no requirement to be German, original, or

anything.</li>

</ul>

<p>Thanks.</p>

<address>

Tim<br>

(I'm deliberately asking here rather than the Leica forum as I'm

hoping for more practical answers.)

</address>

[h._p.]

The obvious candidate is the Jupiter 8 (50/f2) of which there are generally lots around cheaply in screw mount. I paid 12GBP for a nice one with the black paint finish.

 

It's basically a pre-war Zeiss Sonnar with a simple coating. I've owned several over the years and I've never come across one that wasn't capable of good results. Earlier ones with the plain aluminium finish can look a bit rough but even they seem to work well.<div></div>

[gib]

there is a Cosina Voigtlander 50mm f2.5, see www.cameraquest.com for information on all the CV LTM lenses.

[tim_bradshaw1]

H.P: that looks like a good option, especially for the price. I found various on a well-known auction site: is there anything I should look for in particular? I guess given the price is under �15 I should just take my chances!

 

Thanks

 

--tim

[donald_brewster]

I can't top HP's sensible answer, but I'll pretend to stand in for the Leica Forum.

 

The Summaron 35/3.5 is a frequently mentioned screwmount favorite for being compact and having good resolution. Those who sell it usually regret it. As with all screwmount lenses use a lens hood and make sure you get the correct one. If I picked only one Leica screwmount lens, this would be it.

 

The Summar 50/2.0 is possibly the best buy of the LTM's. Not the best contrast and prone to flare (get the lens hood). The uncoated ones are notoriously soft, so watch for cleaning marks. If not out of your budget, consider picking up a Summitar, while heavier is a more modern lens design.

[chris_accetta]

Tim,

 

You could also look for the 50/2.8 Industar-26M, -61 or -61L/D. These lenses can all be bought cheaply -- sometimes with a camera attached. While a little slower than the Jupiter 8 they are good performers for the money.

 

Have fun.

[furcafe]

Canon 50s for their LTM RFs are usually pretty reasonably-priced, particularly the earlier "Serenar"-labeled models.

[daniel_iggers]

You might consider bidding on a FSU camera that comes with a Jupiter-8 or an Industar-61 2,8/55mm lens, as the price of camera and lens often is not all that much more than lens alone.

[daniel_iggers]

You might consider bidding on a FSU camera that comes with a Jupiter-8 or an Industar-61 2,8/55mm lens, as the price of camera and lens often is not all that much more than lens alone.

[nickc1]

I love my FSU cameras - I have far too many to use as much as I would like to (somewhere between 'Not another camera' <and> 'I'm leaving you' on the domestic front :-)The sharpest, most contrasty ones of the lot appear to be the Industar 61 L/D BUT!!!!! even when new FSU lenses can be out of register - and that register is slightly different to the Leica one. Not enough to be out of focus, but enough to make every picture need depth of field (or more rightly depth of focus) to appear sharp. I would suggest you pick up an Industar or Jupiter lens and confirm it focusses OK on your body. I have a Leica IIIa and Summitar - but use 35/85/135 and occasionally 50mm FSU lenses on it as well.

 

Nick

[mskovacs]

There is a place in Russia that does very inexpensive repolishing of lens elements (and recoating if you want for coated lenses). Only catch is that you have to send the glass only.

 

Hoping to try them out soon for a couple of prewar Zeiss lenses of mine with hazy cleaning marks.

[alex_lofquist]

I have always liked the Summaron 35mm f/3.5, but it really requires an additional viewfinder. (The Leica bright-line finder is rediculously expensive on the used market.) The 50mm Summitar is pretty good but is soft at full aperture. I feel that the best 50mm choices are the Elmar and the Summicron (if you can afford it).

[fabio b]

imho, a canon 50mm would be a nice choice. a 1.8/50 is relatively cheap, not as a jupiter, but far cheaper than every summi-leica. i have one, and i'm sure it's one of the nicest 50s i have used. another chance is the cv 2.5/50, or the same made 2.5/35. sorry to tell, but i strongly believe the best way to take pics is trade the IIIb for a bessa r (r2 better).

[pensacolaphoto]

It has been posted above that the Canon 50mm rangefinder lens is relatively unexpensive. This is not true anymore. Its price has been increasing a lot the past few years, reaching $200-$250 in many cases.

[Andrew in Austin]

If you are shooting for inexpensive, the humble Soviet collapsible Industar 22, 50mm, f/3.5 is plenty sharp on a Barnack. There is a collapsible version of the Industar 50 as well. The collapsible 50's make for a compact, well balanced, camera.

[richard_oleson]

The Industars are very good lenses for a tiny amount of money; basically the equivalent of your Elmar but with coating and without scratches.

 

The original high speed lens on the IIIb was the Summar, which can be had for not too much money.... this would give the combined advantage of being fast, fairly cheap AND original all in one. It is much more satisfying with black & white than with color film.... try to get one as scratch-free as possible.

[morthcam]

I'll second (third? fourth?) the Canon recommendation. A few go in the $200's, like Raid said, but generally those are the 1.4's. If you can wait a while, you should be able to get a decent 50/1.8 on ebay for under $150.

[john_shriver]

If you're really patient, or lucky, you can even get great Leica glass for cheap on eBay. Just be sure that the seller has VERY liberal return policies. I got a mint coated Summitar for $79, from "Auction Drop". (They actually know something about cameras.)

 

Also, don't knock the Elmar that's on it without trying it. The front glass is fairly hard, it's pretty hard to make it really bad.

 

The Canon 50/1.9 remains very cheap. Not a very favored lens. Probably comprable in quality to the Summitar, styling is a copy, but the optics are a straight double Gauss design. All are coated, with a good hard coating. The Canon 50/1.8 and 50/1.5 are more desirable, but more pricey. Biggest downside to all three is the 40mm filter ring.

[Rob_the_waste]

The Industar 61 gives nice results. I had some shots of my cat, and not only was the cat's fur sharp, so was the lint on the carpet.

[danny_zahner]

Hey,

I'd go for the Summitar. I have found it to be a great lens, though it is definitely soft at wide apertures. However, saying that the Elmar lenses perform better is truly unfair... the Elmar can't take a picture at f2.0!!! When the Summitar is stopped down a bit to the Elmar's largest aperture, many users have reported that the Summitar actually performs BETTER. Heck, a useable Summitar just sold for $100 in the Leica forum a few weeks back. I have found that whenever I try to find inexpensive alternatives to expensive items, I usually end up buying the expensive item anyway (just later on down the road, and after wasting money on the other "fluff"). That is why I now just buy the cameras/lenses I want from the start, instead of wasting time buying mediocre equipment. If you want vintage Leica or Canon lenses, I suggest you buy them. If you want inexpensive, quality, modern optics, I suggest you take a look at the Cosina LTM offerings. If you want cheap, but acceptable results, go for a gamble and look at the Russian glass.

[kaiblanke]

I would try the Elmar first. They are not that bad, and even a scratched lens can give nice results. I was surprised when I got the pictures back from my Summar which was had a kind of 'sand paper' front element.

<p>

For trying out the russian lenses are quite nice and optically they are good performers, although close up and wide open there seems to be a focusing error. All of the above russian lenses are worth more than they coat, esp. the Jupiter-8 and the Industar 61 (L/D). Second choice would be a nice older 50's lens like a Canon or a Summitar. Expect to pay around USD 150, which is about ten times as much as for a russian example. These lenes are nice and hard to beat even with most new glass.

<p>

As an alternative I would try and get a Jupiter-12 with finder (35mm lens), which is also a nice performer and has a classic look on the LTM Leica. Another nice LTM option is the classic skopar now on sale at cameraquest.com.

[ole_tjugen]

The FED collapsible Elmar-copy (similar to the IN-22) isn't bad...<div></div>

[nickc1]

What a lot of responses - and I can't disagree with anyone of them. Although I have not tried the cano lenses - I agree that if you want a top quailty picture you buy a top quality lens, and that it is false economy to buy cheap and have to upgrade later, however I feel that for the 'Elmar effect' the Elmar wil still produce the goods, but for fun and trying things out FSU leneses are a barrel of laughs. The quality, as has been mentioned is variable, but if you get a good one it is not acceptable - it can be superb, and the bargain of the year. On eother small point - the Fed lens is not (other in appearance) an Elmar copy - it is a Tesar copy with the usual Tessar virtues. buy any of the suggestiosn and have fun taking pictures with the IIIb - the feel of my Leica is the only thing I envy with my Feds and Zorkis.

 

Nick

[alex_lofquist]

I agree that the Elmar (50mm, not the 35mm) is a fine lens. I bench-tested mine when I was in college, and when stopped down to about f/8 gave aerial resolutions of close to 112 lp/mm on-axis. Off-axis was not bad but did show the characteristic astigmatism associated with "Tessar" lenses. All in all, an excellent lens!

[nicolas_douez]

2/50 Jupiter-8 or 1.5/50 Jupiter-3 are your best options. There are plenty of them on *b** in LTM. Get one from a reliable FSU seller.

 

Regarding your very question - wider aperture the better - the best answer is <a href=http://cgi.ebay.fr/Jupiter-3-1-5-50-EXC-Leica-Fed-FREE-SHIPPING_W0QQitemZ7546630770QQcategoryZ30063QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem>this lens</a>.