Scenes Seen/Vintage Digital: Rangefinder Edition – Leica M Type 240 – ZEISS Planar T* 50mm f/2 ZM

I recently stated that I would not be discussing newer gear as much going forward, but two categories would remain.

Vintage Digital
Scenes Seen

There is yet another category that stands alone regardless of vintage. Rangefinders. I have discussed this older variant of this camera over a few posts.

But a camera I had treated like a specialty solution that is ill suited to daily use has changed in short order with a recent acquisition.

After a few days I found myself having a good time with this setup. I refer you to the link above for more background but this is one of the best lenses I have ever used.

Had thought this might tempt me to go down a ZM rabbit hole. But, I am good. In an odd fit of reason I am standing down. As I communicated to Hamish of 35mmc:

The GAS mist has settled and I am good for now. There was a slightly different result than I expected.

I will not likely be buying any more Zeiss ZM glass. Not because they are not good. I know that they are great lenses. But because I do not use wide and long focal length lenses with rangefinders often enough (almost never) to make sense of any additional expense. The exceptions are the TTartisans 28mm f/5.6 and 7Artisans 35mm f/1.4 which are far better than they have any right to be and see a fair bit of use. The goggle-ified Leica 135mm is staying because it is a goggle-ified Leica lens that cost me barely more than $200 and takes a fine pic. That leaves the TTArtisand 21mm f/1.4 and 7Artisans 75mm f/1.25 which are almost never used, but cost me peanuts used, and are worth more to me than what I would get for them. In short, I would have additional, better, more expensive ZM glass that will also sit in my camera bag unused.

An odd fit of reason if that word can ever be used to describe rangefinder lens purchases.

Hamish’s response made me laugh out loud:

Hello mate,

This all sounds like sensible, well rounded – non-gas – thinking.

Are you feeling ok?

A valid concern. It did not stop there. I rambled further:

The surprise? After going on about the 7Artisans for so long as the value choice, which I still contend it is, the ZEISS has so soundly kicked it in the teeth (No surprise there, but the pummeling was more savage than I expected.) I do not see myself using it again regardless of the use case. The one remaining 7Artisans f/1.1 party piece was subject isolation and by way of some manner of ZEISS sorcery, the ZEISS has plenty background blur and subject isolation for my purposes even with a humble f/2 aperture spec.

So.. a lens I expected to be a compliment to the 7Artisans 50mm f/1.1 has effectively replaced it.

Why a rangefinder in this year of our Lord 2024?

I have no rational answer to offer you. I will not set your eyes rolling mumbling about feel and “the moment” and simply say this.

I like rangefinders.

That is it. That is all I have got. If you are looking for reason and/or logic you have wandered on to the wrong web page.

Enough of that for now. On to the photos.

Carried this rig along with me as I went about my day this week. As I always say, nothing Earth shattering. Just some scenes seen.