lens for leica IIIc

[james_kennedy2]

Answering a dream of nearly a lifetime, I will be receiving this week

a Leica IIIc body (from B&H). I will want to rush out and take

photos but will need a lens. If I can't find a reasonable Leica lens

in the Seattle US area, are there good substitues from other makers?

Can anyone point me to sources of how to load film (I have heard that

it can be challenging) and other aspects of using this camera?

 

Thank you

[charles barcellona www.bl]

For a lens... you may want to consider one of the C/V lenses. They have several 50mm lenses now - an Ultron f/1.5 and a Skopar f/2.5. The Ultron has been generally praised as being a better performer than the current 50mm f/1.4 Summilux-M from Leica. The Skopar is supposed to be very highly corrected and a real joy on the smaller screwmount bodies.

 

As for film loading - it takes a little bit to get used to, but its not that bad. It CAN be done without trimming the modern leader, but its far easier if you trim the leader to Leica specs (more or less). There is a good "how to" on the Leica FAQ page

 

http://www.nemeng.com/leica/003d.shtml

 

Also, at www.cameraquest.com there is a how to on film loading someplace in the classic camera profiles section.

[mark_scheuern]

<P>Steve Gandy's <A HREF="http://www.cameraquest.com/classics.htm"> CameraQuest</A> is a great place to start. Enjoy your IIIc!

[alex_lofquist]

Since it is a screw mount, your selection will be somewhat limited. If you don't mind adjusting the aperture at the front of the lens, the excellent 50mm Elmar f/3.5 is an inexpensive way to start out. One lens that I liked a lot was the 35mm Summaron f/3.5, but that required an auxilliary viewfinder, which is not easy to find. The best of these was the bright-line finder which is very expensive on the used market. Otherwise, the "Imarect" universal finder is the way to go.) If you stick with the 50mm FL, see if you can find a Summicron f/2. They get a bit pricey, but the additional light gathering capacity, and overall quality, will justify it. Stay away from the Summar f/2 or Hektor f/2.5 (they would be uncoated anyway).

 

I would also recommend a shade for the front of the lens to minimize flare on these earlier designs.

 

Alex

[mark_scheuern]

Actually, the 50 f/1.5 is the Nokton. I have it and find it a bit large for the IIIf and better suited to my Bessa-R. I'd be tempted to get the Skopar if you want a 50 and don't need the extra speed. Anyway, you'll find loads of info on Gandy's site and will have a fun time reading and choosing from the huge number of LTM lenses available.

[kelly_flanigan1]

The Leica Thread mount has more lenses made than any other lens mount on the planet. The Russians made 10 times the quanity that Leica made. <BR><BR>A collapsable Leica 50mm lens would be a good setup.

[charles barcellona www.bl]

Mike you're right... I've got "broken 35 Ultron" on the brain it seems. Not to discourage James, my Ultron is a victem of vibration, having unscrewed itself internally. Its off for repair in a day or two.

[Troll]

Any coated 50mm lens should work nicely for you. My own favorite is the f:3.5/50mm collapsible Elmar.

[ed_balko3]

I suggest that the first lens to purchase might be the Skopar 50mm f2.5; you will be getting a modern multicoated lens. There is little point in buying a 1950's era Leitz product when equal or better lenses are available for less money. Go out and shoot hundreds of pictures without worrying if you have purchased some else's problem lens.

 

Having said that, your next purchases might be the Russian LSM 35mm and 90 or 135mm lenses so abundant on Ebay just now. The 35mm and 135mm can be had for as little as $25 at the moment and can be a real bargain.

 

Go out and use your new Leica. My first camera, 40 years ago, was a IIIc (f1.8 Canon Serenar); you will get a lot of enjoyment from this camera. Just get a normal lens which you can rely on and start shooting.

[Rob F.]

"There is little point in buying a 1950's era Leitz product when equal or better lenses are available for less money."

 

---Oh, I don't know. I'm pretty partial to the collapsible Summicron. Properly cleaned up, they are fine performers. Not quite the contrast of the current model, but that's not always a disadvantage. I'll never let go of mine, even though I have the current formula. If it's a dream of nearly a lifetime, it might be best to get the lens that really belongs with it; in fact, the IIIc slightly antedates the Summicron. Only slightly.

[feli]

Elmar 50/3.5 and 2.8 - THE classic LTM Leica lens.

 

Summitar 50/2 - Solid lens. Good bang for your buck.

 

Summicron 50/2 Collapsible - Very nice lens!

 

Summicron 50/2 rigid - The best of the lot, but EXPENSIVE.

 

Summilux 5/1.4 - Current design in LTM mount for Jap. market. VERY

expensive.

 

I would stay away from the 50/2.5Hecktor. They are expensive and not very

good. The Summar 50/2, Xenon 50/1.5 and Summarit 50/1.5 are very flare

prone and not exactly great at full aperture, so I would also stay away from

them.

 

Jupiter 50/1.5 - A Russian Zeiss Sonnar kock-off. Very sharp and cheap, but

quality control at the factory can be a little "creative". I have one which is

embarrassingly good.

 

 

New Voigtlander lenses. These are modern lenses and they perform

accordingly.

 

Nocton 50/1.5 - Very sharp, some say as good as a Summilux, others say it

has a harsh bokeh. Maybe a little big for a LTM?

 

50/2.5 - Sorry, no experience, but a modern lens.

 

 

No matter what lens you choose I would get a external finder like the SBOOI

(or Voigtlander knock-off, cheaper) or a VIOOH to compensate for parallax

issues. I have chopped peoples foreheads off without one. They are also less

'squinty'.

 

Look here:

 

 

www.ritzcam. com for gear.

 

Cheers,

 

feli

[harry_soletsky1]

My response is that there is an embarrisment of riches. There are many lenses to choose from although the finder issue needs to be considered with lenses of larger barrels. A coated collapsible Elmar would be the classic lens to use. However you really need to decide how much you want to spend.

[kelly_flanigan1]

One could always sell ones car ; or get a second Mortgage and purchase E*bay 1393848726 !!!!!!!!!! Jeeeeepers!!!!!!!!!

[jsbc]

I think which lens to get will depend primarily on how you intend to use your Leica. Given that it comes with a 50mm viewfinder, your default lens should be a 5cm one.

 

If this is for fun/factor, ultimately coolness, satisfying lifetime aspirations, then why dilute the pleasure to be derived by using offbrand lens? Nothing matches a Leica 5cm Elmar for true pocketability, slow deliberation since you have to pre-set the aperture, and authentic b&w. And most Elmars, though slow, produces acceptable pictures, and b&w have sufficient latitude for most usages. yes, the collapsible Summicron takes much better pictures (but still not as good as modern lens), but it makes the camera front-heavy .

 

If you intend to use this camera as a primary photo-taking device, because you relish the immediacy of using a rangefinder etc, then get a skopar 50F2.5. Quality may not be the best , but it will definitely beat all the Leica lens of the 1950's era or earlier, and you will have good pictures that justify your investments. Then you can pick up a Russian Industar collapsible for as little as $20 to find out what it may be like with an Elmar.

 

For wider angles such as 35mm, you will have some choices (including the Russian ones) but for 25mm or wider nothing touches the quality Cosina Voigtlaender on an absolute or price-adjusted basis.

 

Johnson

[ray_moth]

I agree with those who say it's a shame not to use a Leica lens and the 5cm f/3.5 Elmar collapsible makes a very nice addition to an LTM body. The post-war lenses were coated and the best version is reckoned to be the "red scale" from the mid fifties. The glass in the one I have is clear but shows signs of careless cleaning, lots of tiny scratches on the front element and the coating on the rear element is patchy. The aperture control is quite stiff. It's very prone to flare and colours are murky, with a greenish cast. If you get one of these or another Leica lens of similar vintage, there may be times when you will appreciate a sharp image with no flare and true colours. For that, you need a more modern lens, such as one of the reasonably-priced CV screw-mount lenses. Be aware, though, that the 50/1.5 Nokton obscures a large proportion of the viewfinder.

[tom_burke3]

One possible issue with the collapsible lenses - if you're not used to them, it's very easy to forget to extend them when actually taking a picture! There's no indication at all in the viewfinder, of course, as to what state the lens is in, and there's nothing to prevent you from taking the shot when it's still collapsed. I had a new 50mm Elmar on an M2 for a while, and I was always forgetting to extend it; once I wasted almost a complete roll of film before I realised.

 

I'd second the comments about the quality of the CV (Voigtlander) lenses. I've got a 35mm Ultron and a 90, and they're excellent. The 25mm is a good cheap lens, & the lower-cost 35s (Classic & Pancake) are also reckoned to be pretty good - certainly as good as screw-mount Leica lenses, though maybe not as good as Leica M mount lenses. You need to realise that Leica stopped development of the screw-mount lenses when the M3 was released, or shortly thereafter, so the only Leica lenses available in this mount are all old physically and based on very old technology. Go the CV way until you're familiar with the camera & then explore the world of genuine Leica glass.