Shortage of Leica M Lenses?

[Hacker]

Seems to be a shortage worldwide. Even the regular online stores have the ASPH M lenses listed as Out of Stock, e.g. 28 Cron, 35 Cron, 50 Lux, 24 Elmarit. Is the situation really so bad?

[gommy]

It's true. Been following Leica Users Forum-some waited for months for their lens.

[KLCHUA]

Yeah, seems like it. For instance, i think cathay now only has the 21 and 50 elmar...

btw, where can i find the prices of new leica m lenses in Singapore. Its hard to tell the whether the price quoted by the local shops are reasonable.

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by KLCHUA Yeah, seems like it. For instance, i think cathay now only has the 21 and 50 elmar... btw, where can i find the prices of new leica m lenses in Singapore. Its hard to tell the whether the price quoted by the local shops are reasonable.

I've compiled a list of the ASPH lenses. At CP, it depends on the person. I think the 50 Elmarit is not so good, but the Lux is brilliant. Even considered the Zeiss 50 (different than the Cron), but will not be as good as the Lux.

[KLCHUA]

Hacker, is it possible for you to send be the list you compiled?

Thanks in advance...

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by KLCHUA Hacker, is it possible for you to send be the list you compiled? Thanks in advance...

I was wondering whether it would be good to have a sticky on the lenses, new, used, Leica, CV, ZM, etc. BTW, do you have a specific model in question?

[JamesW]

Best is to read Sean Reid's review. It's amazing how the Voigtlanders stack up against the Leicas and CZ's offerings.

That been said, I was lucky to purchase an Elmarit 28mm when someone who reserved it backed out at the last minute.

[gommy]

Get them while you can. Prices are going up, even second prices are creeping up........
If intending to get M8, send lenses 35mm & wider for coding while it's still $200+GST. You don't have to own M8 to qualify I was told there is a budget for coding & once budget is reached, prices for 6 bits coding will go up. However, it takes about 3 months for coding.

[KLCHUA]

Originally Posted by Hacker I was wondering whether it would be good to have a sticky on the lenses, new, used, Leica, CV, ZM, etc. BTW, do you have a specific model in question?

Price is obviously an important consideration when deciding which lens to purchase. That's the difficulty I have - I don't know how much these lenses costs. Unlike the canon lenses where there is a thread which basically lists all the local prices.

I am interested in the 24 elmarit but hv absolutely no clue what the price i should be paying for it.

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by JamesW Best is to read Sean Reid's review. It's amazing how the Voigtlanders stack up against the Leicas and CZ's offerings. That been said, I was lucky to purchase an Elmarit 28mm when someone who reserved it backed out at the last minute.

THe 28 Cron which I'm looking for has been backordered for more than 3 months with no ETA in sight.

[Hacker]

Max Photo has a 35 Cron ASPH and a 50 Cron ASPH available. However, they are not 6-bit coded.

[cocoa]

saw a nice little lens at Prime Camera. It states summicron-40mm f2-C. The condition looks very clean and nice, and the asking price is below $700. How come?

anyone knows if this lens is useable with Leica M6?

TIA.
cocoa

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by cocoa saw a nice little lens at Prime Camera. It states summicron-40mm f2-C. The condition looks very clean and nice, and the asking price is below $700. How come? anyone knows if this lens is useable with Leica M6? TIA. cocoa

The 40mm will bring up the 50mm frame in M bodies unless you start modifying it to bring up the 35mm instead.

[nsng]

Hi,

You can blame the M lenses shortage on the success of the M8. I managed to receive my 28 Cron after 1.5 months. I sent 3 lenses to Solms for encoding and it took 2 months.

With the impending launch of the Summarit series, the shortage will not improve. Expect lenses such as the Noctilux and WATE to have a longer waiting period.

N.S. Ng

[cocoa]

Originally Posted by Hacker The 40mm will bring up the 50mm frame in M bodies unless you start modifying it to bring up the 35mm instead.

I suppose one could just shoot away using the 50mm frame lines, but just frame "tightly", rite?

If this is the only issue, then this lens may be a good bargain. It is a Summicron after all.

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by cocoa I suppose one could just shoot away using the 50mm frame lines, but just frame "tightly", rite? If this is the only issue, then this lens may be a good bargain. It is a Summicron after all.

May be a steal:

http://nemeng.com/leica/012bb.shtml
Leica 40mm ƒ2.0 Summicron-C

#11542 is regarded as one of Leica's better lenses. Sharp, low flare, compact, beautiful bokeh. Despite being originally designed as a kit lens for the Leica CL, the 40mm is easily the equal of its '70s era Summicron-M stable-mates, such as the 35mm ƒ2.0 or 50mm ƒ2.0.
The 40mm 'cron comes with a Series 5.5 rubber hood (#12518). Don't lose this, as it's used to hold filters in place!

[gommy]

Originally Posted by cocoa saw a nice little lens at Prime Camera. It states summicron-40mm f2-C. The condition looks very clean and nice, and the asking price is below $700. How come? anyone knows if this lens is useable with Leica M6? TIA. cocoa

The last time I saw on ebay for a like new one, it went for about US$320. There is one on ebay right now.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Leica-40mm-Summi...QQcmdZViewItem
The filter thread (pitch) is different from usual filter. It seems a 39mm filter can't screw all the way but usable.

[szekiat]

the 50lux asph has been back ordered since the day it was released due to its great edge sharpness. As for the rest, i think u just need to check around. Certainly i've seen 35 cron asph in some of the shops in london as well as the 28 cron. In terms of quality, its widely accepted that the 50 elmar is every bit as good as the 50 cron at the same apertures but is a much smaller lens.

[KLCHUA]

Originally Posted by cocoa I suppose one could just shoot away using the 50mm frame lines, but just frame "tightly", rite? If this is the only issue, then this lens may be a good bargain. It is a Summicron after all.

The M8 framelines are horrendously inaccurate. With a 50mm lens on, the framelines are tighter than the actual image recorded. Perhaps with a 40 mm, the 50 mm framelines would be spot on??? I would not be surprised!

[Hacker]

Originally Posted by szekiat the 50lux asph has been back ordered since the day it was released due to its great edge sharpness. As for the rest, i think u just need to check around. Certainly i've seen 35 cron asph in some of the shops in london as well as the 28 cron. In terms of quality, its widely accepted that the 50 elmar is every bit as good as the 50 cron at the same apertures but is a much smaller lens.

This is no longer an issue for me .