I have the 50mm f/2.8 collapsible Elmar and it is indeed tiny. Lovely lens. And yeah, like you mentioned in regards of older 90mm lenses, they are quite long and thin. At least my 9cm f/4 Elmar is.
I know I get a lot of flak from friends that I use more non-Leica lenses on my Leica body, and while I do love my 50 Dual Range, and 90 Summicron, there is something to be said for the other offerings out there. The Voigtländer 40mm Nokton Classic S.C. is one of my favourites to use for everyday carry, great image quality and compact size to boot. Great video Matt, keep it up.
“I get a lot of flak from friends that I use more non-Leica lenses on my Leica body” - why don’t you try hanging out with some actual photographers, then?
The CL with a Voigt 15, Canon 25 and Leica 40 are my standard kit for travel and have been for 40 years. I usually take the 90 but it almost always get left in the hotel by day 3.
The canon 25 is soft wide open, but at 5.6 it’s amazing. Plus it’s what I have and I’m poor. I do have the voigt 25 on my Nikon S2 kit and you are right about it.
I tried the Voigtländer Super Wide-Heliar 15 mm f/4.5, Color-Skopar 21 mm f/3.5, and Nokton Classic-M 35 mm f/1.4. They are clearly vintage lenses, but I wasn’t happy with them on my CL or SL2. I now also have an M11, and I think those lenses would be even less functional on it. I recently picked up a used Voigtländer 35 mm f/1.2 Nokton v.1. It’s funky, but a keeper. It’s a lot different than my Leica Summilux-M 35 FLE I.
Image quality and maximum aperture are most important to me for my shooting style and subject matter. When I need a small size, lightweight, and expendable camera for travel, I leave my Leica at home and carry a fixed-lens compact camera or a micro 4/3 camera with up to three small lenses or I just take my cell phone. However, this video is very informative. I will keep it for future reference.
Thanks! I probably need to make an update version as I now have smaller lenses. I have M43 cameras but don't really value the images sadly (call me a snob.. I don't value phone photos either.. but they are useful to document etc)
There is an M mount version of the Summaron 35mm f3.5 which has a different appearance to the one shown by Matt. It has the same optical design but is made in native M mount. It was the first 35mm Summaron made for Leica M mount cameras and unlike the later version of this lens does NOT have goggles (which converts the 50mm frame-lines of the M3 to effective 35mm frame-lines). It is slightly larger than the LTM version shown by Matt but even so, I believe it is still smaller than the Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 shown. It is a nice lens with very pleasant rendering. Its only slight negative is that because it was intended for use on a Leica M3 with an accessory finder in the hot shoe, it does not bring up the 35mm frame-lines on any other M mount camera. Having said this, this is a simple modification which can be achieved by filing of the relevant flange on the lens mount so it activates the correct frame-line (but I just use the frame selection lever instead, or occasionally a hot-shoe mounted 35mm finder).
I have the Summaron 1:2.8/35mm. 2 examples: one with goggles for the M3 and the other without goggles, for the M2. As with the early Summicron 1:2/35mm, the out of focus rendering is beautiful. I will never swap them for anything else.
Hi, Just for your info Zeiss makes a smaller 21mm zm lens and it is the 21mm f4.5 C. I own this lens and I bought it because it is tiny. Actually I bought a Zeiss 35mm (M7 like) Camera Zi (sometimes called the ZM) and proceeded to buy Zeiss’s smallest lenses for it. They are designated C for classic and compact (I believe). And they are the Zeiss zm 21mm f4.5c, 35mm f2.8c and the 50mm F 1.5c sonnar. They cover everything I need and are terrific.
Bingsby1033 thanks! I wasn’t aware of the 21mm 4.5 C so I appreciate you writing. I know the Sonnar well (if you’ve not seen my 50mm video I mention it as one lens I sold and wished I hadn’t! Yes like a little short fat barrel (smaller than the Lux which I kept instead). Many thanks!
Thank you for the great review, you should get your hands on Lomo Minitar it's a 32mm 2.8 but quite small and fun, some purple fringe on digital cameras though. Then there are all the MS-Optical lenses by Miyazaki San, very quirky to use but interesting...
7artisans Photoelectric 35mm f/5.6 Lens for Leica M, I thought I throw this lens in because of the Q"s focal length but fits on the M; Brightin Star 28mm F2.8 Camera Lens Black Lacquer Ultra-Thin Pancake Lens Wide-Angle Lens and finally You got to put a 75mm in the mix, Voitland Skopar 7.5CM 75mm f1.3.5 M42 lens. Cheers!
Great review! Have you ever looked at the Tele Elmarit 90mm 2.8? I own it. It's small (225g), light, sharp and affordable. Not sure if it's smaller (in terms of length) than the Macro Elmar 90mm, but it's really very small and portable.
Thanks Daniel, yes I looked at them when getting the MacroElmar. They are bigger but obviously smaller and lighter than my Cron. More like a short 135mm f4 I think.. those are also light and narrow. Big advantage of the Tele is much cheaper than the Macro version.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom I've been watching your playlists for the last three days and I'm still not through all those I'm focussing on. That's a huge archive and lots of brain food. I have this super light Fuji XE2 that I want to put some small RF glass on. Currently I can't seem to decide between a Voigtländer Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 and a Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35mm F2,5 . Does the 35mm on a crop get me decent bokeh or should I be better off w. the 40mm 1.4? I'm on a tight budget so those two lenses are reachable for me
My most used lens is my 35mm Color Skopar love it, as you said the lens cap is useless so I have a UV filter on it, I have a lens hood but I never use it makes the lens bigger.
Matt, I am a huge fan of everything you do here. I am taking my Leica M10 on a trip to Mexico and everyone says to do portraits I need an 85mm or better. I have a 90 Elmarit 2.8, though I'd rather not take it because of the weight.... I was thinking to shoot portraits with my 50mm Leica lenses, a Summicron f/2 and a little Voigtlander, and with my 35mm 1.4. They all say I will get spatula noses if I shoot portraits that wide... let me just ask, what are your favorite focal lengths for portraits? You may have a video addressing just this concern, and if so. sorry for the redundancy. A lot fo these folks going are using zooms, etc., and so they don't even think of primes really. At any rate, thank you so much for the great work.
Thank you Mark! Your trip sounds like it will be amazing! I'm a 50mm guys but shoot portraits with 28mm and 35mm without too much worry. Your question is well timed though.. see the 90mm video I posted a few days ago and pick yourself up a 90mm/9cm f4 LTM Elmar lens (make sure you have/ get the LTM -M adapter too. It is nice to have a longer lens too and for travel and that is both cheap but also small and very light. £100 ish, their is link under the video.
Well, since you asked, I think in 40 mm the Rollei Sonnar might be smaller. It’s 2.8, but you were only considering size… Also, it’s m39, but it does come with an adapter.
Thanks! Yes I did look at the little Rollei lens a few times in the past. I now use small lenses like the new 40 Heliar and 28mm Skopar + TTA 28mm and LLL 35/2
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom My turn, to thank you… I had missed that Heliar and will have a look at it. Been a fan of 40mm ever since they were regular lenses on seventies (fixed lens-)rangefinders.
I’ve always found the elmar a frustrating answer when searching for small 50mm lenses because if you want a small 50mm lens you probably want a small camera so I have been searching for a small 50 for my CL which cannot use the Elmar
there's an M mount version of the Summaron 35mm f3.5. Its slightly different than the screw mount version, more robust. The image is nice, it has good microcontrast.
Thanks Jerome, yes in hindsight I should have included 28mm but I didn't as the M mount ones I use are nothing especially small. Elmarit ASPH and the usual. I do have a small 28mm but it's not M mount. You will see it in the next video.. hopefully later depending if I can get fasting at editing ha! :)
Hi Matt, I enjoy your videos. I have a 21mm f/3.4 Super-Angulon that is fairly small. I use it as an everyday kens on my M9. Is the Super-Angulon f/3.4 smaller than the Voigtlander 21mm f/4?
Yes, I only use big heavy lenses if the are optically MUCH better than anything similar. That lenses, the Noctilux and Voigtlander 35 1.2 are all great portrait lenses. See the 90mm shootout video and the specific 90 Cron review.
Great and inspiring review! I have the Voigtländer 35mm f2.5 and I'm very happy with it. I have the collapsing 50mm f2.8 in two versions a 1958 LTM and a 1994 M-mount black - both of them very nice but different due to their difference in age. The most recent version is the best but not as well build as the old one. I have just purchased a Minolta M-Rokkor C 90mm f4 but not used it yet. It must be longer than the 90mm macro collapsed. I have often considered the CL but not dared to buy it :-)
Thanks John! Interesting to hear about the newer Elmar as I haven't used that version. Congrats on the 90mm! You might find my next video very helpful for that if you use an M body. Out later today. As for the CL if you need tempting - ruclips.net/video/G1vWGOA3-GE/видео.html :)
Hello Matt, well done - with overall meaning related to everything you present. Using (just yet ...*) SL-S with Voigtländer and Zeiss lenses. Of 21 color-skop f/4 / 28mm ultron / biogons 35 (both 2,0 & (better) 2,8 / nokton 40 1,2/ nokton 50 f/1 / apo 50 / nokton 75 & apo-skop 90, the 21 f/4 is - only IMO, obv. - the sole one not usable. I consider its abberations way way above acceptable amount, I let it go after some 3 to 4M tbh, and do not regret not having it. Still though, I have cureently nothing wider than 28 … & would like to / am curios whether the biogon 25 is a overal better lens than 21 f 3,5 II skop?? ((Off topic - both 50 & 75 noktons are a beauty / sadly the 50 f/1,0 is toooo huge to have been kept, but I might be tempted to return to it once I get my hands on M (though : in Yes, Minister! line, it is more of a question of IF rather than WHEN …) 🙂). Regards from Prague / CZ, all the best!
Thanks! 21 Biogon (and 25 Biogon) beats 21 Voigtlander. I have/used all of them. Yes the Nokton lenses are good. I love my 75 (see the video vs the 75 Noctilux!)
Great presentation. I had the 35mm pre-asph Summilux modified to accept all 46mm filters and it is very small and a great lens. I love my 90mm Tele Elmarit 2.8 which is very small and light but the photos are crisp and detailed. I use these lenses on my M10-R. My favorite other lenses are my Canon 0.95, the 50mm APO and the Tri-Elmer 28-35-50. I sold my Noctilux 0.95 as it was too heavy.
Matt! I have just acted on your advice and have bought the 2.5f Color Skopar and a cheap 35mm viewfinder for use on my IIIf. Question re focusing: Does this lens couple to the on-board focus system or must I estimate the distance to my subject? Thank you!
Hey mate! I'm looking to purchase an affordable Leica lens for my M11. 35mm. I already looked into the screw one 3.5 aperture and I'm trying to stay away from that screw focus ring. Any other lens you can think of vintage or modern but leica brand... thanks in advance!
Thanks Daniel.. in my head I was thinking the MS Optical was LTM mount. Thanks for pointing that out. I appreciate your feedback. More lens videos soon! :)
Wow this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm thinking about buying a Sigma Fp and pairing it with a tiny M-mount lens for having the smallest full frame digital camera. It's funny I already have most of the lenses you show including the 21mm F4, 35mm F1.4, 40mm F2, 50mm F1.4. One focal length you are not showing is the 28mm. I think the smallest Leica lens is the Leica Summaron 28mm F5.6. It maybe smallest of them all made by Leica
Thanks, sounds like you will have a great setup! :) To see the tiny 28mm lens I use see my Canon LTM lens video. Great lenses! ..and yes Summaron is a nice lookking lens but i've not had the chance to test yet. I will try!
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Hi Matt I just saw your Canon LTM lens video. Great job on that. I had the 50/1.4 Canon LTM but I wasn't super happy with bit of the flaring. I was shooting it adapted on a Sony camera. It was a mistake for me to have sold it because I read that Leica LTM/M mount lenses dont perform on adapted systems as well as on their native bodies. I had not purchased the Leica M8 then (you and I must be on some similar wavelength for camera/lens choices). My latest generation 50mm Summilux gives mushy results on a A7III but gives really nice keeper photos (as you mention) on the M8. I'm going to look for the 28mm LTM lens this week. Have you considered the Sigma FP? It's not a serious photographer's camera (lacking the EVF) but I am excited to try it with adapted M/LTM lenses.
Far East Survival Hi sorry to hear you sold your Canon and interesting stuff about Sony. I’m sure others reading you comment will be thankful you shared that too. The 28mm unlike the 50s are quite difficult to find, even before my videos haha, and they cost more but keep looking, they are well worth the wait. I’ve not tried the FP as my main interest is film but I use a Voigtlander Bessa L (see video if interested) which sounds like a similar concept. Amazing camera! :)
Thanks is that an M mount lenses? (I have a follow up video to do for non-M mount lenses so I was trying to keep this strictly M mount. (I don't have the Leica Summaron 28mm f5.6 but that is tiny). Hopefully i've included most others! Matt
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom it is the M version of the lens of the Lomo LC-A. I guess many would not consider it because of lomographys bad name, but it is tiny.
Robert Stacy Thanks yes I was only able to review lenses I actually own but yes I think you are correct, the MS Optical lenses are some of the smallest I know of too.. but optically not that amazing as I understand.
What are your thoughts on the 21mm F2.8 ASPH? would you pick that over the F1.4 ASPH on the same focal length? mostly for street and low light photography on a film Leica. Would love to know what your thoughts are. Thanks
Normally yes I’d go for 2.8 as smaller but if you shoot an old M8, M9 or film you need the light so you’d need the faster lens. This is the reason I have the Noctilux.
Vers interesting, trank you. Check out the new 28mm Elmarit ASPH and for the 90mm the old Elmarit M 1:2.8 a great lense and very tiny for 90mm. Regards
Thanks Christian, yes see my video on the Elmarit 28mm ASPH and full video on the super small 90mm Macro Elmar-M (That is the smallest 90 by quite a bit as I understand).
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom The old ltm w nikkor-c 25/4 makes the Skopar appear huge in comparison. Less than 100 gm and hardly larger than a collapsed 50/3.5 ltm on the body. Good luck finding one....
@@AGL93311 Thanks Adam! Yes the only W Nikkor LTM wide i've seen was about £4000+, the 21mm if I remember. Also crazy small. So.. I did the next best thing! I bought a W Nikkor S mount 28mm lens for my S2 / Contax mount cameras. (This is a new chapter i'm just getting into in recent months so all that to come!) :)
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom just testing the FP with some Leica lenses, absolutely great. The weirdest thing was the CL lenses, namely the 18mm which is aps actually works
Hi, one irrelevant question: Will [M39 lens + M39-M Adapter] provide rangefinder coupling? And would these kind of combo be the cheap Leica lens solution? (I use M9) Thanks
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom :D Yes I meant the FF CL ;) But I could also use a very compact APSC camera with a small 2" (or smaller) black and white LCD monitor, just for the menu and a large EVF with 10Mp resolution, same for the FF.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thank you, I just keep my Sony A7RIV, it have a better sensor and are one of the most compact FF mirrorless cameras, so I will keep using my Leica R Lenses on the Sony, excellent combo ;) What I meant with a classic looking Leica CL digital camera was that with a Leica M mount it would be near perfect :D Maybe Leica should take a meating with Sony, so there can be made both a FF Leica CL and a Minolta CLE, you know Sony bought Minolta :)
Thank you! Yes I only mentioned lenses I own. 50mm Heliar... nice!!! I have the M mount 50 3.5 Heliar but it is not as small as the LTM version. I will review it in a future video. :)
@@MrMauriziomazzoni Thanks, I probably don't need an excuse to buy more lenses yet.. wait to see the videos to come.. I have too many already..but it's useful for making videos I guess haha :) Thanks for info!
Hi Giles, I would if I shot Sony. There must be loads of Sony shooters out there using M mount glass? If I ever get a Sony I can but i'm not planning it in the near future.
@@gilesjazzguitar64 Nice! I need to do a poll at some point for what percentage of viewers use digital Leicas compared to say Sony/ Fuji etc! The community board for subscribed users is quite good for that. See M9 vid for M9 samples.. will gives very different photos to a modern CMOS sensor.
Matt Osborne Hi Matt, yes they are very similar, I have wondered if the Voitlander lens was patterned after the Leica lens. My copy of the 35/1.4 Summilux is the Titanium version.
Thanks Marc.. yes there are a few small 28mm, the Summaron f5.6 is small vs. some of the lenses I shared too but I skipped 28mm as I didn't own anything smaller than the Elmarit-ASPH. Thanks for pointing that out. (In the original video I mention MS Optics thinking they made the smallest 50mm but then checked after and the lens wasn't 50mm so I cut that out in editing! :)
If you’re looking for the absolute smallest lens I’ve ever used on the M, the l39 Elmar 35mm 3.5 is literally smaller than most lens caps. It’s almost comical.
I was also going to mention this lens, which is by far the smallest M mount lens I have. It is not the most convenient lens to use, given its odd method for adjusting aperture and it is of course and old design (mine in from around 1946), but it is definitely small.
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Thanks for writing. This is one of my first videos so after making 450+ now I finally found my voice (literally). Teeth are not the best. Noted thanks.
Thx Matt！ These lens all are my love lens. Now my travel kits are Leica cl (rangefinder)& nokton 40mm f1.4 & elmar-c 90mm. And I'm looking for a Zeiss c-biogon 21mm f4.5 or skopar 21mm for wide angle. If I need digital，I'll bring a Lumix LX10 or just use smart phone. I hate the heavy DSLR or mirrorless. (>﹏
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Sure. These days I think to change Lumix LX10 to Ricoh gr3 or just buy a new one because I prefer prime lens. So maybe a Ricoh 21/28 viewfinder is the best choice, so that 21mm or 28mm(equal) lens all suit me. Thank you, Matt！
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I have the 50mm f/2.8 collapsible Elmar and it is indeed tiny. Lovely lens. And yeah, like you mentioned in regards of older 90mm lenses, they are quite long and thin. At least my 9cm f/4 Elmar is.
Hey Jesse! Ah great, yes lovely little lenses. Yes I think for the tele lenses that was the design back then, like my 135mm (in the macro video)
I know I get a lot of flak from friends that I use more non-Leica lenses on my Leica body, and while I do love my 50 Dual Range, and 90 Summicron, there is something to be said for the other offerings out there. The Voigtländer 40mm Nokton Classic S.C. is one of my favourites to use for everyday carry, great image quality and compact size to boot. Great video Matt, keep it up.
Thanks John! Agreed the 40 is a great lens. My second lens video isn’t quite finished so I’ll share it tomorrow 👍🏻
“I get a lot of flak from friends that I use more non-Leica lenses on my Leica body” - why don’t you try hanging out with some actual photographers, then?
The CL with a Voigt 15, Canon 25 and Leica 40 are my standard kit for travel and have been for 40 years. I usually take the 90 but it almost always get left in the hotel by day 3.
I recommend the 25mm Snapshot Skopar.. I found the beautiful Canon lens a bit too soft for me.
The canon 25 is soft wide open, but at 5.6 it’s amazing. Plus it’s what I have and I’m poor. I do have the voigt 25 on my Nikon S2 kit and you are right about it.
I’ve got the voigtlander 15, 21 and 40... Leica summaron 35mm and elmar collapsible. Loving tiny lenses at the moment
Nice setup! I recommend the 90 macro if you find one cheap! Amazing lens!
I tried the Voigtländer Super Wide-Heliar 15 mm f/4.5, Color-Skopar 21 mm f/3.5, and Nokton Classic-M 35 mm f/1.4. They are clearly vintage lenses, but I wasn’t happy with them on my CL or SL2. I now also have an M11, and I think those lenses would be even less functional on it.
I recently picked up a used Voigtländer 35 mm f/1.2 Nokton v.1. It’s funky, but a keeper. It’s a lot different than my Leica Summilux-M 35 FLE I.
Image quality and maximum aperture are most important to me for my shooting style and subject matter.
When I need a small size, lightweight, and expendable camera for travel, I leave my Leica at home and carry a fixed-lens compact camera or a micro 4/3 camera with up to three small lenses or I just take my cell phone.
However, this video is very informative. I will keep it for future reference.
Thanks! I probably need to make an update version as I now have smaller lenses. I have M43 cameras but don't really value the images sadly (call me a snob.. I don't value phone photos either.. but they are useful to document etc)
There is an M mount version of the Summaron 35mm f3.5 which has a different appearance to the one shown by Matt. It has the same optical design but is made in native M mount. It was the first 35mm Summaron made for Leica M mount cameras and unlike the later version of this lens does NOT have goggles (which converts the 50mm frame-lines of the M3 to effective 35mm frame-lines). It is slightly larger than the LTM version shown by Matt but even so, I believe it is still smaller than the Voigtlander 35mm f2.5 shown. It is a nice lens with very pleasant rendering. Its only slight negative is that because it was intended for use on a Leica M3 with an accessory finder in the hot shoe, it does not bring up the 35mm frame-lines on any other M mount camera. Having said this, this is a simple modification which can be achieved by filing of the relevant flange on the lens mount so it activates the correct frame-line (but I just use the frame selection lever instead, or occasionally a hot-shoe mounted 35mm finder).
Thanks Peter, great info!
I have the Summaron 1:2.8/35mm. 2 examples: one with goggles for the M3 and the other without goggles, for the M2.
As with the early Summicron 1:2/35mm, the out of focus rendering is beautiful. I will never swap them for anything else.
Hi, Just for your info Zeiss makes a smaller 21mm zm lens and it is the 21mm f4.5 C. I own this lens and I bought it because it is tiny. Actually I bought a Zeiss 35mm (M7 like) Camera Zi (sometimes called the ZM) and proceeded to buy Zeiss’s smallest lenses for it. They are designated C for classic and compact (I believe). And they are the Zeiss zm 21mm f4.5c, 35mm f2.8c and the 50mm F 1.5c sonnar. They cover everything I need and are terrific.
Bingsby1033 thanks! I wasn’t aware of the 21mm 4.5 C so I appreciate you writing. I know the Sonnar well (if you’ve not seen my 50mm video I mention it as one lens I sold and wished I hadn’t! Yes like a little short fat barrel (smaller than the Lux which I kept instead). Many thanks!
Thank you for the great review, you should get your hands on Lomo Minitar it's a 32mm 2.8 but quite small and fun, some purple fringe on digital cameras though. Then there are all the MS-Optical lenses by Miyazaki San, very quirky to use but interesting...
Kyros Moutsouris Thanks Kyoto’s, Yes I think MS-Optical make some of the smallest lenses! Thanks regarding the Lomo, good to know, many thanks!
7artisans Photoelectric 35mm f/5.6 Lens for Leica M, I thought I throw this lens in because of the Q"s focal length but fits on the M; Brightin Star 28mm F2.8 Camera Lens Black Lacquer Ultra-Thin Pancake Lens Wide-Angle Lens and finally You got to put a 75mm in the mix, Voitland Skopar 7.5CM 75mm f1.3.5 M42 lens. Cheers!
Thanks, yes quite a few lenses have come out since this video. Perhaps I need to make an update. There are many more that you’ve not mentioned.
Great review! Have you ever looked at the Tele Elmarit 90mm 2.8? I own it. It's small (225g), light, sharp and affordable. Not sure if it's smaller (in terms of length) than the Macro Elmar 90mm, but it's really very small and portable.
Thanks Daniel, yes I looked at them when getting the MacroElmar. They are bigger but obviously smaller and lighter than my Cron. More like a short 135mm f4 I think.. those are also light and narrow. Big advantage of the Tele is much cheaper than the Macro version.
The Canon 100/3.5 is tiny and optically superb.
@@AGL93311 Thanks Adam, I don't use long lenses so much but noted thanks!
Thank you for industriously sharing your in depth views of lenses under real world conditions. Much appreciated.
Thank you, I have since done individual reviews for most of those shown here if interested. Just see my playlists.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom I've been watching your playlists for the last three days and I'm still not through all those I'm focussing on. That's a huge archive and lots of brain food. I have this super light Fuji XE2 that I want to put some small RF glass on. Currently I can't seem to decide between a Voigtländer Nokton Classic 40mm f1.4 and a Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35mm F2,5 . Does the 35mm on a crop get me decent bokeh or should I be better off w. the 40mm 1.4? I'm on a tight budget so those two lenses are reachable for me
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Today I decided to decide and purchased the Nokton 40mm 1,4 mc. Thank you for the inspiration.
@@TheoDahlemPickups Congrats!
@@TheoDahlemPickups sorry I missed this, you did well with the 40mm if want bokeh. Good choice 👍🏻
My most used lens is my 35mm Color Skopar love it, as you said the lens cap is useless so I have a UV filter on it, I have a lens hood but I never use it makes the lens bigger.
Thanks Barrie, yes a great little lens. You may appreciate the Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f2 lens (see that video!) :)
Matt, I am a huge fan of everything you do here. I am taking my Leica M10 on a trip to Mexico and everyone says to do portraits I need an 85mm or better. I have a 90 Elmarit 2.8, though I'd rather not take it because of the weight.... I was thinking to shoot portraits with my 50mm Leica lenses, a Summicron f/2 and a little Voigtlander, and with my 35mm 1.4. They all say I will get spatula noses if I shoot portraits that wide... let me just ask, what are your favorite focal lengths for portraits? You may have a video addressing just this concern, and if so. sorry for the redundancy. A lot fo these folks going are using zooms, etc., and so they don't even think of primes really. At any rate, thank you so much for the great work.
Thank you Mark! Your trip sounds like it will be amazing! I'm a 50mm guys but shoot portraits with 28mm and 35mm without too much worry. Your question is well timed though.. see the 90mm video I posted a few days ago and pick yourself up a 90mm/9cm f4 LTM Elmar lens (make sure you have/ get the LTM -M adapter too. It is nice to have a longer lens too and for travel and that is both cheap but also small and very light. £100 ish, their is link under the video.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thank you! Such a kind, thoughtful reply; mindful of how busy you likely stay. Again, many thanks.
@@Markkdolan thanks, I answer all the comments I get notifications for and try to get to a lot of the replies.
Well, since you asked, I think in 40 mm the Rollei Sonnar might be smaller. It’s 2.8, but you were only considering size… Also, it’s m39, but it does come with an adapter.
Thanks! Yes I did look at the little Rollei lens a few times in the past. I now use small lenses like the new 40 Heliar and 28mm Skopar + TTA 28mm and LLL 35/2
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom My turn, to thank you… I had missed that Heliar and will have a look at it. Been a fan of 40mm ever since they were regular lenses on seventies (fixed lens-)rangefinders.
I’ve always found the elmar a frustrating answer when searching for small 50mm lenses because if you want a small 50mm lens you probably want a small camera so I have been searching for a small 50 for my CL which cannot use the Elmar
You can use on the CL but not collapsed. See my 50mm Skopar video as another option
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom thanks! Will do
there's an M mount version of the Summaron 35mm f3.5. Its slightly different than the screw mount version, more robust. The image is nice, it has good microcontrast.
Thanks Andre! I know there is the M 28mm Summaron too.. thanks for info, i'm always learning! :)
Very interesting to be opened to body and lense cousins😊
Thanks Paco!
HI Matt super video ... too bad you did not have any 28 mm to do the review with ...
Thanks Jerome, yes in hindsight I should have included 28mm but I didn't as the M mount ones I use are nothing especially small. Elmarit ASPH and the usual. I do have a small 28mm but it's not M mount. You will see it in the next video.. hopefully later depending if I can get fasting at editing ha! :)
Hi Matt, I enjoy your videos. I have a 21mm f/3.4 Super-Angulon that is fairly small. I use it as an everyday kens on my M9. Is the Super-Angulon f/3.4 smaller than the Voigtlander 21mm f/4?
Hi, ah nice. Hmm I’m not sure but I doubt the Leica is smaller. The Voigtlander is tiny.
Dame , you are so good . Tell the all the real photography lovers the truth 😀
Thanks TT, i'm not sure if you are joking or not but either way thanks! :)
Any particular reasons, other than its price, you like that heavy and bulky 90 mm Summicron lens?
Yes, I only use big heavy lenses if the are optically MUCH better than anything similar. That lenses, the Noctilux and Voigtlander 35 1.2 are all great portrait lenses. See the 90mm shootout video and the specific 90 Cron review.
The Zeiss Biogon ZM 21mm f4.5 is much smaller than the f2.8
Thanks and yes a good mention. Similar to the f2.8 vs f2 for 35mm
Do you have an opinion re the Minolta Rokkor 90mm? It does not collapse, but is still quite compact and light.
D Lyon hi I’ve not looked into the Minolta 90mm so I can’t give my opinion. I did look at Leica 90mm LTM lenses (There are more lens videos coming)
D Lyon .thanks for noting though. I imagine it would be a great 90mm to consider 👍🏻
my go to is a 40mm Summicron-C, its small and might be the best deal on a leica made lens
Thanks Mike, yes for sure one of the best priced M lenses and tiny
Very interesting video, as usual. How do the Zeiss and Voigtlander 21mm's perform on digital CL (ignoring the 1.5x crop factor)?
Thank you.. both are fine (meaning no issues).. they are OK on the M240 too. Only the 15mm has the issues on the digital M bodies.
Great and inspiring review! I have the Voigtländer 35mm f2.5 and I'm very happy with it. I have the collapsing 50mm f2.8 in two versions a 1958 LTM and a 1994 M-mount black - both of them very nice but different due to their difference in age. The most recent version is the best but not as well build as the old one. I have just purchased a Minolta M-Rokkor C 90mm f4 but not used it yet. It must be longer than the 90mm macro collapsed. I have often considered the CL but not dared to buy it :-)
Thanks John! Interesting to hear about the newer Elmar as I haven't used that version. Congrats on the 90mm! You might find my next video very helpful for that if you use an M body. Out later today. As for the CL if you need tempting - ruclips.net/video/G1vWGOA3-GE/видео.html :)
Hello Matt, well done - with overall meaning related to everything you present.
Using (just yet ...*) SL-S with Voigtländer and Zeiss lenses. Of 21 color-skop f/4 / 28mm ultron / biogons 35 (both 2,0 & (better) 2,8 / nokton 40 1,2/ nokton 50 f/1 / apo 50 / nokton 75 & apo-skop 90, the 21 f/4 is - only IMO, obv. - the sole one not usable. I consider its abberations way way above acceptable amount, I let it go after some 3 to 4M tbh, and do not regret not having it. Still though, I have cureently nothing wider than 28 … & would like to / am curios whether the biogon 25 is a overal better lens than 21 f 3,5 II skop??
((Off topic - both 50 & 75 noktons are a beauty / sadly the 50 f/1,0 is toooo huge to have been kept, but I might be tempted to return to it once I get my hands on M (though : in Yes, Minister! line, it is more of a question of IF rather than WHEN …) 🙂).
Regards from Prague / CZ, all the best!
Thanks! 21 Biogon (and 25 Biogon) beats 21 Voigtlander. I have/used all of them. Yes the Nokton lenses are good. I love my 75 (see the video vs the 75 Noctilux!)
Great presentation. I had the 35mm pre-asph Summilux modified to accept all 46mm filters and it is very small and a great lens. I love my 90mm Tele Elmarit 2.8 which is very small and light but the photos are crisp and detailed. I use these lenses on my M10-R. My favorite other lenses are my Canon 0.95, the 50mm APO and the Tri-Elmer 28-35-50. I sold my Noctilux 0.95 as it was too heavy.
Thanks Stephen! Nice lenses.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thank you great video
Matt! I have just acted on your advice and have bought the 2.5f Color Skopar and a cheap 35mm viewfinder for use on my IIIf. Question re focusing: Does this lens couple to the on-board focus system or must I estimate the distance to my subject? Thank you!
Hi Jeremy, congrats! Yes most lenses are RF coupled. 25mm Skopar doesn’t.
I realy appreciate your videos
Thank you Marcus! This is one of my old video, see the latest lens test videos for side by side comparisons.
Its like MS Optics doesn’t exist to this guy. Needs to level up the small lens addiction.
Ha thanks Peter! Sorry I was only reviewing lenses I owned at that time.
Hey mate! I'm looking to purchase an affordable Leica lens for my M11. 35mm. I already looked into the screw one 3.5 aperture and I'm trying to stay away from that screw focus ring. Any other lens you can think of vintage or modern but leica brand... thanks in advance!
Hi, Leica brand doesn't equal affordable. See lat night's video - 35 Cron v3. If you want cheaper see my 35mm Ultron video
Great review!! But I think Triplet Perar 21mm and 35 mm from MS Optical are even smaller
Thanks Daniel.. in my head I was thinking the MS Optical was LTM mount. Thanks for pointing that out. I appreciate your feedback. More lens videos soon! :)
Wow this was exactly what I was looking for. I'm thinking about buying a Sigma Fp and pairing it with a tiny M-mount lens for having the smallest full frame digital camera. It's funny I already have most of the lenses you show including the 21mm F4, 35mm F1.4, 40mm F2, 50mm F1.4. One focal length you are not showing is the 28mm. I think the smallest Leica lens is the Leica Summaron 28mm F5.6. It maybe smallest of them all made by Leica
Thanks, sounds like you will have a great setup! :) To see the tiny 28mm lens I use see my Canon LTM lens video. Great lenses! ..and yes Summaron is a nice lookking lens but i've not had the chance to test yet. I will try!
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Hi Matt I just saw your Canon LTM lens video. Great job on that. I had the 50/1.4 Canon LTM but I wasn't super happy with bit of the flaring. I was shooting it adapted on a Sony camera. It was a mistake for me to have sold it because I read that Leica LTM/M mount lenses dont perform on adapted systems as well as on their native bodies. I had not purchased the Leica M8 then (you and I must be on some similar wavelength for camera/lens choices). My latest generation 50mm Summilux gives mushy results on a A7III but gives really nice keeper photos (as you mention) on the M8. I'm going to look for the 28mm LTM lens this week. Have you considered the Sigma FP? It's not a serious photographer's camera (lacking the EVF) but I am excited to try it with adapted M/LTM lenses.
Far East Survival Hi sorry to hear you sold your Canon and interesting stuff about Sony. I’m sure others reading you comment will be thankful you shared that too. The 28mm unlike the 50s are quite difficult to find, even before my videos haha, and they cost more but keep looking, they are well worth the wait. I’ve not tried the FP as my main interest is film but I use a Voigtlander Bessa L (see video if interested) which sounds like a similar concept. Amazing camera! :)
Going a little wider than 35mm there is a M Version of the Minitar-1 32/2.8 that is ridiculously flat
Thanks is that an M mount lenses? (I have a follow up video to do for non-M mount lenses so I was trying to keep this strictly M mount. (I don't have the Leica Summaron 28mm f5.6 but that is tiny). Hopefully i've included most others! Matt
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom it is the M version of the lens of the Lomo LC-A. I guess many would not consider it because of lomographys bad name, but it is tiny.
@@ARSAnalog Thanks for pointing it out. Good to know for me and other reading this. Thanks Matt
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom ruclips.net/video/Ok2OBO0Kn0M/видео.html
Ah perfect thanks!
smallest 35mm I know of is actually the MS OPTICAL PERAR 35MM F/3.5 SUPER TRIPLET MK II, which is a super slim pancake 35mm.
Robert Stacy Thanks yes I was only able to review lenses I actually own but yes I think you are correct, the MS Optical lenses are some of the smallest I know of too.. but optically not that amazing as I understand.
That's really cool video, Thank you Mr.Leica
Thanks Ernest, I appreciate your continued support! More lens videos soon! :)
What are your thoughts on the 21mm F2.8 ASPH? would you pick that over the F1.4 ASPH on the same focal length? mostly for street and low light photography on a film Leica. Would love to know what your thoughts are. Thanks
Normally yes I’d go for 2.8 as smaller but if you shoot an old M8, M9 or film you need the light so you’d need the faster lens. This is the reason I have the Noctilux.
Vers interesting, trank you. Check out the new 28mm Elmarit ASPH and for the 90mm the old Elmarit M 1:2.8 a great lense and very tiny for 90mm.
Regards
Thanks Christian, yes see my video on the Elmarit 28mm ASPH and full video on the super small 90mm Macro Elmar-M (That is the smallest 90 by quite a bit as I understand).
CV 25/4 Snapshot-Skopar LTM. Record in smallest 25 mm lens and fantastic image quality, just no rangefinder coupling because it is so small.
Thanks Martin. Ssssh! That lens is in follow up video! Hehe..coming soon! :)
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom The old ltm w nikkor-c 25/4 makes the Skopar appear huge in comparison. Less than 100 gm and hardly larger than a collapsed 50/3.5 ltm on the body. Good luck finding one....
@@AGL93311 Thanks Adam! Yes the only W Nikkor LTM wide i've seen was about £4000+, the 21mm if I remember. Also crazy small. So.. I did the next best thing! I bought a W Nikkor S mount 28mm lens for my S2 / Contax mount cameras. (This is a new chapter i'm just getting into in recent months so all that to come!) :)
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Although I havent seen one, supposedly the Canon 25/3.5 is also tiny and alot less expensive.
@@AGL93311 thanks Adam, i'm not so sure, yes tiny, but crazy expensive.. I keep looking ;) £650-£760 cheapest if can find one it seems.
May I ask how much Leica equipment you actually own? I'm so impressed (jealous!) everytime you hold up some new equipment.
Squapity see the blog as I review a lot of the kit I use / have used. You can find stuff cheap if watch eBay 👍🏻
thanks for this video. looking at mini lenses for the sigma Fp fitting
Ah yes that will make a great setup!
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom just testing the FP with some Leica lenses, absolutely great. The weirdest thing was the CL lenses, namely the 18mm which is aps actually works
@@chouandsherrie Great to hear, thanks! I have that lens. super sharp and I love the size. Perfect for the FP! :)
Hi, one irrelevant question: Will [M39 lens + M39-M Adapter] provide rangefinder coupling? And would these kind of combo be the cheap Leica lens solution? (I use M9) Thanks
Hello yes and yes :) ..IF it is a RF lens. You can get SLR lenses in M39 mount. If the lens is RF coupled it will work.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thanks！
I would love to see a modern digital version of the Leica CL with an EVF !
The digital Leica CL? :D Like I use.. I guess you want FF..
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom :D Yes I meant the FF CL ;) But I could also use a very compact APSC camera with a small 2" (or smaller) black and white LCD monitor, just for the menu and a large EVF with 10Mp resolution, same for the FF.
@@cameraprepper7938 Lumix S5 for cheaper FF, not super small though..
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Thank you, I just keep my Sony A7RIV, it have a better sensor and are one of the most compact FF mirrorless cameras, so I will keep using my Leica R Lenses on the Sony, excellent combo ;)
What I meant with a classic looking Leica CL digital camera was that with a Leica M mount it would be near perfect :D Maybe Leica should take a meating with Sony, so there can be made both a FF Leica CL and a Minolta CLE, you know Sony bought Minolta :)
Great video. By the way, voigtlander 50mm f2 heliar is also a small lens in 50mm category.
Thank you! Yes I only mentioned lenses I own. 50mm Heliar... nice!!! I have the M mount 50 3.5 Heliar but it is not as small as the LTM version. I will review it in a future video. :)
Have considered MS Optics?
Thanks, I know them but don't own them. They tend to be quite pricey. If I ever get one i'll be sure to share a video.
Wonder if the Hexanon 40/1.8 (Konica), known as very sharp, could find a home in an M body.....
Hi Maurizio, ah yes did Konica make M mount lenses too? Thanks!
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom I don't know if Konica ever built M lenses, but AR to M mount adapters exist (by Fotodiox, e.g.). Could be worth a try...
@@MrMauriziomazzoni Thanks, I probably don't need an excuse to buy more lenses yet.. wait to see the videos to come.. I have too many already..but it's useful for making videos I guess haha :) Thanks for info!
Could you do a review regarding using M lenses on a Sony A7 ? if possible ?
Hi Giles, I would if I shot Sony. There must be loads of Sony shooters out there using M mount glass? If I ever get a Sony I can but i'm not planning it in the near future.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Sure I understand. I have a film Leica M2 with some m lenses I think ill either get a Sony or a leica m 9
@@gilesjazzguitar64 Nice! I need to do a poll at some point for what percentage of viewers use digital Leicas compared to say Sony/ Fuji etc! The community board for subscribed users is quite good for that. See M9 vid for M9 samples.. will gives very different photos to a modern CMOS sensor.
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom thanks , yes ive seen that. You are putting out useful videos.
Is it possible to use the collapsible 50mm on a digital Leica? Won’t it hit the shutter curtain? Thanks in advance.
Hologon 15mm f8 is smaller when it comes to the wide end :)
Thanks Tomasz, the only 15mm I have is the Voigtlander Heliar. Good to know, thanks for commenting! More lens videos soon! :)
@Chris Great lens for wides!
What about the Leica 35/1.4 pre- Asph?
Hi Gene, I've not used that lens but it is most similar to the Nokton 35mm f1.4 - ruclips.net/video/SRIQbAp9v_c/видео.html
Matt Osborne Hi Matt, yes they are very similar, I have wondered if the Voitlander lens was patterned after the Leica lens. My copy of the 35/1.4 Summilux is the Titanium version.
@@geneduprey6938 Hi Gene, thanks for confirming that. It will be useful for others i'm sure. Ti version Nice!! :)
Smallest leica lens period i know of is 28mm apoqualia by ms optics...basically a body cap lol
Thanks Marc.. yes there are a few small 28mm, the Summaron f5.6 is small vs. some of the lenses I shared too but I skipped 28mm as I didn't own anything smaller than the Elmarit-ASPH. Thanks for pointing that out. (In the original video I mention MS Optics thinking they made the smallest 50mm but then checked after and the lens wasn't 50mm so I cut that out in editing! :)
If you’re looking for the absolute smallest lens I’ve ever used on the M, the l39 Elmar 35mm 3.5 is literally smaller than most lens caps. It’s almost comical.
Thanks Christopher, ah yes great lens. I did look at one. Thanks!
I was also going to mention this lens, which is by far the smallest M mount lens I have. It is not the most convenient lens to use, given its odd method for adjusting aperture and it is of course and old design (mine in from around 1946), but it is definitely small.
Afaik vooigtlander 35/2.5 is even smaller
Thanks!
I noticed that your voice sounds quite hoarse, and given that we work closely with many ENT specialists through our advanced imaging technology, I would highly recommend consulting one of our experts. They can help you find an effective therapy to improve your vocal quality. Pairing this with a dental treatment could significantly enhance your appearance and presence on RUclips. It would be a crucial step toward improving both your voice and overall impact. 💕
Thanks for writing. This is one of my first videos so after making 450+ now I finally found my voice (literally). Teeth are not the best. Noted thanks.
MS Optical 35mm 1.4 is the smallest
王思洋 thanks yes. Sorry I could only review lenses I own
Thx Matt！
These lens all are my love lens. Now my travel kits are Leica cl (rangefinder)& nokton 40mm f1.4 & elmar-c 90mm. And I'm looking for a Zeiss c-biogon 21mm f4.5 or skopar 21mm for wide angle. If I need digital，I'll bring a Lumix LX10 or just use smart phone.
I hate the heavy DSLR or mirrorless. (>﹏
Thanks! It sounds like you have the perfect setup! :) ..I can recommend the 21mm Skopar (see that video in my RUclips lenses playlist) - Tiny :)
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Yes, and I'll try to shot at super wide angle！
@@chenglinliu3624 If you get a Skopar make sure you buy with the 21mm finder. 1) they are amazing 2) if you buy after they are expensive!!
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom Sure. These days I think to change Lumix LX10 to Ricoh gr3 or just buy a new one because I prefer prime lens. So maybe a Ricoh 21/28 viewfinder is the best choice, so that 21mm or 28mm(equal) lens all suit me. Thank you, Matt！
@@chenglinliu3624 Ah yes, my go to setup seems to get smaller year on year too! :) (Even if I use big cameras aswell). Ricoh stuff should be cheaper.
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You forgot the Leica 28mm 2.8 Asfherical..This is the smallest Leica lens on the market.
Hi yes I have the 28mm Leica Elmarit (see specific video on that). There was a recent I excluded it but I can't remember why now!
@@MattOsborne-MrLeicaCom 28mm summaron - smallest for the M leica
@@gustavomonasterios6083 thanks yes agreed! Sadly I don't own that lovely lens so I could only show those I have.