Alternative lens for M6

[VincentPhotography]

Anyone using non-leica glass via adapters with M bodies? I was looking into getting a wide angle but can't afford leica glass right now. Voightlander maybe?

[Josh_Hawkins]

I've got a Voightlander 15mm. When I got this lens a few years back they were the only the choice (they may still be) to get this wide with M6. I have to say I was very impressed with the images, even when looking at them right next to my Leica 21mm. For the money, I'd definitely go that way again.

[Ed Albesi]

Most Voigtländer lenses are on par with their Leica equivalents image quality wise. The 21/4, 35/2.5 the 12/4.5 and the aforementioned 15/4.5 are incredibly good performers. Their price is tipically 1/7 to 1/10 of their Leica counterparts.

The ZM line of Zeiss lenses is another alternative, costing about half or a little less than the Leica price. This line starts from a very expensive 15/2.8 up to an 85/2.

I think all these rf lenses are of very similar optical performance (ie high resolution, very low distortion, controlled vignetting) with just very different signatures. Pictures of the same subject in similar conditions taken with a Voigtländer, a Zeiss ZM and a Leica M lens will not disappoint the user but I am sure they will not look the same.

Cheers

[Ed Albesi]

Originally Posted by VincentPhotography

Anyone using non-leica glass via adapters with M bodies?

Vincent,

Zeiss ZM lenses have already a Leica M bayonet mount, as some Voigtländer lenses do, while others are Leica Thread Mount, useable on the M6 with a threadmount-to-bayonet adapter, available new from Voigtländer and from some other online vendors. The best quality adapters though are the original Leitz ones, only available used.

Cheers

[Gerry_Walden]

When I was a Leica shooter I used the 15mm Voigtlaender lens and was very pleased indeed with it. I have also read very good reports of the other lenses in this series so I would not hesitate to recommend them. They are certainly well thought of in the Leica Users Group forum.

Gerry

[Guy_Mancuso]

The Voightlander lenses are very nice and also the Zeiss lenses . The CV 15mm is a very popular lens with the M8 . I had the zeiss 21mm and it was a steller performer and using the M6 you don't have to worry about coding and such. Many folks also like the CV Ultron 28mm 1.9

[Peter_White]

I have only one non Leica lens for my M cameras, the Voiglander 25mm f:4, which is a screw mount lens. It doesn't couple to the rangefinder, but it's a very good lens. I also have the 21 Elmarit-M, and while I haven't done any careful comparisons, the slides from the 25 look just as good when projected as those from the Elmarit-M.