In addition to a camera, I also needed a lens for the Leica Lessons project. In the rules I specified this had to be a Leica lens, and as I mentioned yesterday, I’ll be using a 50mm lens.
That still leaves a lot of options.
A site that was of much value to me was this one, which list pretty much all M lenses ever made.
With mount and focal length set, one parameter left was the maximum aperture. I’ve always had good experience with the `slightly slower’ fifty, the model just below the f1.4 mainstream lens, like my Canon 50mm f1.8 or my Pentax 50mm f1.7, which strike a nice bargain between light, size/weight, image quality and price. The Leica equivalent here is the fabled Summicron.
Vain as I am, I preferred a chrome lens to go with my chrome body ((Although I didn’t have the body yet when shopping for lenses, I was pretty sure the collectors’ premium on a black M3 would be pretty pointless, and out of my target price range.)). I also wanted a compact lens (one of the reasons I went for a Summicron over a Summilux).
My fondness of flower photography first had me looking seriously at the DR Summicron, but in the end I decided against that for several reasons ((Should, during the coming year, the lack of close-focus ability become too big a bother, I can always look around for a SOMKY adapter)):
- It’s too good. It’s often hailed as the best Leica 50mm. I felt using the best of the best contravenes the spirit of the project.
- It’s complex. The dual range aspect of the lens practically turns it into two lenses. As the assignment says one lens, that feels like cheating.
- It’s expensive. The high quality of the lens make good copies highly sought-after.
- It’s big. As I have to carry the camera everywhere, I wanted something compact. The DR is the biggest 50mm Summicron to date.
This led me back to a series of lenses that intrigued me even before I learned more about Leica lenses: Collapsible lenses. As an SLR shooter, this concept has always seemed genius to me: The ability to simply slide the lens back into the body of the camera, giving a near-flat package for transport.
Looking around, these are considered good, if slightly dated lenses, and available for reasonable prices as well. So here she is:
Leica lens 1192418, build in Wertzlar in 1954. Unlike the camera, I got this from a seller in the States, so I did get to pay a nice customs premium, but it’s in excellent condition, and came with original front and back caps ((Interestingly enough, the ad specified it only came with a rear cap. After I bought the lens, when it was still in transit, I contacted the seller if it really didn’t come with a front cap, since I was shopping for a lens hood and matching cap. The seller confirmed it didn’t come with one, yet when it arrived, there most definitely was a front cap on it. I’m not complaining though.)). Only downside of the American heritage is the fact that the distance scale is in feet instead of meters. However, I was always pretty good in guestimating distances in feet when I played (British) table-top games, so I don’t think it’ll really matter in the end.