The JCH top 10 M-mount lenses

I have seen a few ‘top’ posts recently on other sites, and I thought to myself “I should do something like that”, so I did. And this is the result.

I often see posts on other sites ‘the top 38 bestest lenses for HDR’ and ‘the ultimate 23 50mm lenses’, and to be honest with you, I rarely agree with them completely. But then lens choice is a really personal thing in my opinion. One man’s meat is another man’s poison as they say. Despite this I feel the need to share with you my favourite lenses for M-mount cameras.

So, I have compiled a list of my ten favourite M-mount lenses that I have used over the years. You will see that my list is actually fairly biased in terms of focal lengths, as I don’t really shoot all that much wide stuff. The list is in no particular order, as I think that each one of these lenses has its own spot, and because I found grading them to be really really hard.

Canon LTM 50mm f/1.4



Some call this lens ‘The Japanese Summilux’, which is fairly fitting I guess. It is the same focal length and aperture, but that is where the similarities end. But that is not to say this is a poor man’s Summilux, it is far more than that. Canon made some great lenses in the past and this was one of them. They also made some truly rubbish lenses, the 1.2 50mm being a case in point. I like the 1.4 because is has the sharpness and still manages to be of a reasonable size. The 1.2 is cumbersome and the 0.95 is just a pain in the bum.

The lens is also easy to handle. And it gives you a delightful bokeh without being too frantic around the edges. Of all the Canon lenses this and the 35mm f2 (also known as the Japanese Summicron) are my favourites. They are cheap and easy to find, as Canon made tons of them. The only things you need to watch for are separation of the elements (a common issue with Canon LTM), mould and haze, which is common in older lenses. You will often see cleaning marks on them too, as the coating was not all that tough.

A great lens for a great price. This is a definite on the list.

Minolta Rokkor 40mm F/2



Another great Japanese lens. I first got my hands on one when I bought a CLE from my old boss and it had the 40mm attached. I love the sharpness of this lens and the size. It is tiny and very very easy to use. The unusual focal length, between 35mm and 50mm makes it less popular than many lenses but I feel that is should not really be overlooked. You can guess the framing if you have enough experience and this lens should not be missed.

The lens does have a couple of drawback points though. It has a minimum focus of 80cm, which is kind of far compared to many lenses and can be a bit frustrating at times. And it is prone to haze, so you have to make sure that you get a good one. The Leitz 40mm summicron is basically exactly the same lens, with a much higher price tag. So go for the Minolta branded one, you will not be disappointed.

Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH



This is my ‘go-to’ lens. Whenever I want to shoot and really feel like I am part of the street this is the lens I shoot. Some people ask why not the Summilux, but I prefer the Summicron. It is compact, fast enough and so sharp it is offensive. Seriously, this lens is absurdly sharp.

I have tried all of the Summicron versions over time and I have found each one to be fantastic. And each one comes with its own character. From version 1 through to the ‘bokeh king’, they all have slight differences in sharpness and colour rendition. But for me, when I am shooting black and white there can be no other choice. The aspherical elements in the lens bring the sharpness to another level and the contrast is fantastic. When I am buried, I will be buried with this lens (You will have to find my grave if you want the lens).

Zeiss Biogon 35mm F/2



Now normally I am not a big fan of modern third party lenses. They are often pretty crappy in comparison (not always, but some of them are) to their Leica counterparts. But this one from the Zeiss stable is not. The ZM lenses which were ‘officially’ for the Zeiss Ikon camera are well made, well designed and extremely capable lenses for a very good price. I would personally go for these over the Voigtlander lenses every time, which is funny seeing as they are made in the same factory.

The Zeiss 35mm is not going to match the Summicron, but it is going to get so damned close that you would barely be able to tell. It is sharp and easy to use. The only thing I don’t like so much is the size. It is a little bit larger than the Summicron and feels sometimes like it is going to overbalance the camera. But aside from this, it is a strong lens for a great price and should be a serious consideration for anyone looking to get into shooting M-mount.

MS-Optical Apoqualia 50mm f/3.5



This lens could possibly be my favourite portrait lens of all time. Miyazaki san makes some fascinating lenses. Many of them are quirky and full of magic, but a bit of a bugger to shoot. They are handmade artisanal lenses, and they do have design quirks. But the Apoqualia does not. It is a standard collapsible lens, much like the early Summicrons or Elmars, but it is not struggling to be the fastest lens on the block. In fact it is pretty slow. This is definitely not a street lens. It is a portrait lens and this is where it really shines. The rendering is stunning. It is sharp and has just enough bokeh to make it pretty without being too much. It retains sharpness right up to the edges too. But it is the character of the lens that I love the most. It is sharp, but it is that ‘1930’s lens’ sharpness, with fall off at the edges and strong contrast that makes this lens for me.

The only trouble is finding one. Around 300 or so were made and they sold out a long time ago. I rarely see them on the market and if I do I snap them up as I think that once people discover how good this lens is they are all going to want one.

Voigtlander 50mm f/1.5 Aspherical



Now I know that I said earlier in this piece that Voigtlander are not well made, and for the most part I feel that is true. Some of their lenses are just not very good. But this one, this is an exception to the rule. I have been through a massive amount of different 50mm lenses in the past, and few of them sit with me well. Maybe I am picky, or maybe they just don’t fit my needs, but I rarely keep them. That is until this lens came along. It is based on the classic screw mount design Voigtlander from the 50’s, but it has been rebuilt using modern standards, including chucking some lovely aspherical elements in the lens to sharpen it up. And they have really done a great job. The lens is managable even at 1.5, and had a very smooth bokeh that doesn’t look frantic. But up the aperture into the 2.8 – 4 range and this lens shines, it is sharp and precise. I am definitely happy with mine. It is one of the few lenses I kept.

Saying that there are some drawbacks. It is reasonably big, and doesn’t have a focus knob (using a knurled barrel instead), which is not to everyones liking. It is also hard to find now, as they only made limited amounts and they all sold out, so if you have not got one, then get one, otherwise the price is just going to rise.

Leica Noctilux 50mm F/1.2 Aspherical



OK, we have had a few nice lenses so far, but it is about time we put in a completely absurd lens. It wouldn’t really be JCH without one would it? And this is that lens. The Noctilux f/1.2 Aspherical.

This is the daddy of the Noctilux lenses, and a great many people consider it to be the best. It was insanely hard to produce because of the two aspherical elements, and not even slightly cost effective, so only a small amount (under 2000) were made before it was replaced with its forgettable sibling the 50mm f1. This is a rare lens and pricey lens. In fact it is rare that you will even see one, as people buy them and then never ever use them.

But I have used one, and I found it to be beautiful. It has that super creamy noctilux feeling, but still has real sharpness even when open. The contrast is stunning and the lens looks amazing too. This is the real ‘dream’ lens. Shame I will never own one.

Avenon Super wide 21mm f/2.8



I don’t usually shoot a lot of wide angle lenses and I don’t really like the feeling of many of them. But this lens I did like. It comes with a whopping great big finder and it looks smashing. But not only that it performs way about its class.

The lens was made by a small company operating out of Yokohama, and not all that many of the lenses were made. But the ones that were made, were produced to a very high standard. They are sharp and well balanced lenses, that don’t cost the earth. In fact, many believe they out perform the Leica angulon.

The lens is not overly heavy and doesn’t overbalance the camera, but the throw on it can be a bit long for some.

My only problem is that they are hard to find and many people have not kept them well, so there are many with haze.

Still, my favourite wide angle for a Leica.

Leica Summarit 50mm f/1.5



Another 1.5 lens, this time a Leica. I like the Summarit. It was the first fast Leica lens that I got and I immediately fell in love with the great contrast and the character of the lens. True, it is a bit soft wide open, but get it at f2 and it looks lovely. The bokeh is swirly and interesting. This is an arty lens in my opinion, I wouldn’t consider it a street lens.

But the main this I like about the summarit is that you can get into the Leica 50mm range without ‘working’ at the docks. It is inexpensive for one of these and they are plentiful. I consider it to be a great lens.

MS Optical M Conversion Contax G45mm F/2 Planar



And last but not least, this beaty. This is actually a bit of a cheat, as it is not and has never been a Leica lens, but it bloody well should have been. I think this could possibly be one of the sharpest lenses ever made in the history of 35mm camera lenses.

This lens was made for the Contax G system cameras, a wonderful but tragically overlooks camera system. The 45mm Planar was considered by many to be one of the sharpest lenses made, and it most certainly is. It also has this beautiful contax ‘curve’ on the bokeh, which makes it seem less frantic.

But the lens was made by Contax, so to get it on your Leica you either need an adapter or a Japanese lens maker who can convert it for you. Which is what I had done. And I am so very very glad that I did. A truly stunning lens.

So that is it. That is my top ten favourite lenses for the M-mount system. This is based on the lenses I have used for any significant amount of time. There are others that I would have loved to add to the list, but were either too expensive, or they just didn’t quite make the cut.

I hope you enjoyed this. Let me know if you are looking for any of these lenses, I can help.

Cheers

JCH