M4 or M6 body better for Summicron 40-c?

[lenore_thierry]

<p>Hi all,<br>

I just acquired a Summicron 40mm-c and while I'm waiting for a case of film to arrive I'm wondering what your collective thoughts are on a few points:<br>

Should I alter the lens to bring up the 35 mm frame lines or leave it alone and over-compensate mentally when composing for the added space? How far off is it really? Will one body's viewfinder work better for the lens than the other's if I choose not to alter the frame lines?<br>

Feedback or information you guys have for the lens about these thoughts or any others is much appreciated.<br>

Happy New Year!</p>

[fred_c1]

<p>Just 3 of the many similar threads:<br>

<a href="/leica-rangefinders-forum/00DqbJ">http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00DqbJ</a><br>

<a href="/leica-rangefinders-forum/00KPdn">http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00KPdn</a><br>

<a href="/leica-rangefinders-forum/00Vx3K">http://www.photo.net/leica-rangefinders-forum/00Vx3K</a></p>

[paul_wheatland]

<p>I use an M3 and have found the outside limits of the frame represent the view of a 37mm wide angle lens, if this helps you guess at the view of your 40mm.</p>

[lenore_thierry]

<p>Ah, I guess I'll wander through the archives.<br>

Thanks Fred and Paul.</p>

[carbon_dragon]

Some reason you're not considering the Leica CL? The only bad issue is the battery (mercury battery) but the camera is

really great and very small and precise and it already has the right frame lines.

[lenore_thierry]

<p>Hi David, the M6 & M4 are the bodies I have and love so I don't think I'll be adding a CL. I was just curious to see if anyone had a preferred body between the two for the lens or if altering the framelines would be a good or bad call based on what I'm planning to mount the lens to. </p>

[aplumpton]

<p>If I remember (and I may well not have good recall), the 40mm C lens will bring up the 50mm framelines of both cameras. By shooting inside the 35mm frameline, that might be OK for most viewing, but you will need to have the lens flange modified. Another solution would be to buy a 40mm add on VF (169$) from Voigtlander (as from cameraquest.com), set distance via the M4 or M6 VF-RF and view with the shoe mount brightline VF. The magnification of the VF is likely similar to that of the M4 and M6, possibly a bit higher as their 35 and 50mm VFs go between 0.68 and 1:1 magnification. Not 100% convenient, but it depends on the type of photography you practice.</p>

[lenore_thierry]

<p>Huh, an additional viewfinder is an idea that had not occurred to me, thanks Arthur.</p>

[aplumpton]

<p>Lenore, you might be interested that they come up occasionally in used condition on eBay. Presently there is one at about 130$ (slight cracks in the show mount base, mentioned by the US seller, that are probably easily repairable) and an older Yashica 40+75mm VF at about 70 or 80$ from a Middle East seller. I have had neither, but can vouch for the qualities of most Voigtlander-Cosina VFs. The Cameraquest price for a new one seems also quite reasonable. </p>

[carbon_dragon]

<p>Indeed I just got out my M2 and my CL with it's 40/2 and I tried it on both cameras. The 40 brings up the 50 frame line. In the CL finder, both a 40mm and a 50mm frame line comes up since Leica doesn't know which lens you are using. On the M2 it's the 50mm line which means you'd have to go a bit outside the line. </p>

<p>Now I know that the 40/2 is an exceedingly good lens, very sharp, and very small and light. But on the cameras you name you'll have the issue of having to shoot without a perfect frame line but it will work. </p>

[aykut_karaca]

<p>I heard that 40mm Rokkor or Summicron wont have accurate focusing on a body other than CL. Is that true? I always thought getting one but this rumour prevented me to get one.</p>

[soeren_engelbrecht1]

<p>I use a Russian plastic 35 mm finder - kindly given to me by a fellow Pnet member here in Copenhagen. Since it is decidedly less than 100% view, I found it to suit the 40 mm Cron perfectly :-)</p><div></div>

[soeren_engelbrecht1]

<p>...and here is the camera. Apologies for using Instagram :-)</p><div></div>

[Gus Lazzari]

<blockquote>

<p>"I heard that 40mm Rokkor or Summicron wont have accurate focusing on a body other than CL" <em><strong>Aykut K.</strong></em></p>

</blockquote>

<p>Not necessarily so; you can make<strong> all</strong> including the 40mm units focus accurately.<br /> If the M3 or other non-CL or CLE units, aren't during the RF <strong>linearity stage calibration</strong>, carefully adjusted with dead-on accuracy, the 40mm lens will suffer from inaccuracy throughout the focus scale.</p>

[Robin Smith]

<p>If you get the second version Rokkor for the Minolta CLE (has a 40.5mm filter thread) then it will fit and work on an M Leica perfectly with no focus worries. It's all about the focusing cam steepness...Loved my 40mm Rokkor.</p>

[Rob F.]

<p>I use my 40mm Rokkor and 40mm CV primarily with my M6 and MP because its coverage is a good match for the 35mm framelines on those cameras; the framelines on which are downsized a bit from the M2 and M4. Of course, my 40mm lenses are modified to bring up the 35mm framelines.</p>