Zeiss 25mm F/2.8 Biogon T* noir ZM (-Leica)

The Zeiss 25mm ZM and my Summicron 50mm are all I carry when using my Leica MP. The focus is a bit tight but the build and image quality are very good.

This is a great lens. Color is good, resolution sharp, build is top notch. I like everything about this lens. I give it 4 stars only because it doesn't have the 6 bit coding for Leica (set manually for 24/2.8) and the lens cap could be improved. The glass itself is great. I'm glad I bought this lens instead of spending lots more on the Leica version. This will likely be my most used lens for this camera. I'm using on the Leica M-E and find it is a great combination.

I use Zeiss exclusively for my Leicas. (I have nothing against Leica lenses except the price.) The 25mm is a wonderful lens. I favor wides, so the 25 is like a 35 for me. If you not into wides very much the 25 may be a good choice for you. But for 'in your face' street shooting I use the Zeiss 18mm or 15mm. I love the manual controls Zeiss puts on the lenses. The fit and finish is superb. Only complaint is some of the 'Z' lensess have grease ooozing our the back and needs to be cleaned up.

This lens lives on my M8. Period. If you're used to any of the 35mm wides on a film Leica, Voigtlander Bessa, or Zeiss camera, you'll love this 25mm's coverage - slightly wider than a 35mm lens on a full-frame 35mm camera - on the Leica M8 with its 1.333X crop factor. Sharp corner-to-corner, with the usual wide-angle vignetting (corner-darkening). The lens lacks the sparkle, of, say, the 35mm f/2 Summicron-M ASPH, but the Zeiss lenses draw differently. Good macro-contrast, slightly less micro-contrast than Leica. At 1/3 the price for excellent build-quality and optical quality close to Leica's, I knew which lens I could afford to buy and use. The 25mm Biogon's coverage also matches the M8's too-narrow 24mm viewfinder frame very well at distances beyond a couple meters. Highly recommended.

The Carl Zeiss Biogon T* 2,8/25 ZM is a sharp wide-angle rangefinder lens. It's not perfect, but it's a solid performer and good value when compared with Leica glass.