Shutterbug Strasse

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Re: ok guys, if you could suffer me one more old Leica Q; what lenses for a IIIf ?

Posted by gwkatabatic on March 18, 2004 at 08:25:13:
You've got a number of choices. One thing to remember is that the III series' viewfinder shows the frame for the 50mm normal lens only, so if you add a wide-angle or a telephoto you'll need a viewfinder accessory (fits in the accessory shoe on top). The most prevalent is the Leitz Imarect, which shows 35, 50, 85, 90, and 135 frames (there were some variations, but that's what mine has). (There is also a rare, very expensive 28mm adapter for that finder, but I wouldn't recommend it or the also very expensive 28mm Leitz lenses, because of their price/performance ratio.) For any accessory Leitz lens, you're better off with a post-war lens, as it will be coated and (usually) a more modern formulation than the pre-war variants. For a basic wide angle, there's the 35mm f/3.5 Summaron, a nice, not too-expensive lens (that's what I have). The later f2.8 Summaron and f/2.0 Summacron are very expensive. For teles, you have a choice of 90mm or 135mm (yes, there are oddball 85's, and 200mm's, but the former are rare and expensive, and if you want to go longer than 135, you're better off with an SLR). Anyway, a nice 90mm Elmar would do the trick for a moderate-telephoto/portrait lens. Be aware that ALL Leitz stuff is rather expensive because of its reputation and because of collector interest, that is all is now rather old and you need to make sure the glass is unscratched and the focusing mechanism isn't worn out, and that it expects you to know what you're doing (no LCD's, microchips, or warning beeps). And of course just loading a III series is an adventure, as you need to trim the film leader (the film manufacturers shortened the leaders in the '80's, to the chagrin of Leicaphiles worldwide) and do a major Houdini-move to get the film in. Having said all that, the Leica screw-mount cameras are a joy to use...really. (BTW, a Japanese company, Cosina, I think, is now making screw-mount lenses under the Voightlander name which will fit your camera and are supposed to be of very high quality...just depends on whether you want "real" Leitz lenses or not.)
Sorry for the long, rambling post. Hope this helps.