Who needs a Leica lens?

Helios 44-2
I bought this lens years ago. I think I paid £15 with a Zenit camera. I had to throw away the camera as it was stinking! But I never took a photo, or at least I can’t remember taking it. The aperture ring was very stiff. The other day I remembered that I had it after I saw a social media post that featured the lens. I dismantled it partially and fixed the aperture ring, gave it a clean. I took a few photos today. Goodness me, I am very pleased with the colours and OoF transition.

I understand, it's really nice to take photos with those old Helios lenses. 👍

I like using them with various hybrid cameras

www.flickr.com/photos/maoby/albums/72177720329549275/

My Helios 44 models provide nice bokeh "swirl" even on my 1.7 crop Sigma Foveon cameras ...

I did not manage to get swirly bokeh yet but I am very happy with the colours and out of focus transition.

If you want to achieve the swirling effect, it is best to use a full-frame hybrid to utilize the entire lens glass and its imperfections.
Even though I personally generally like to use my Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II (micro Four Thirds) with the Helios lenses 💫

I’ll get an adapter for the L-mount but I find them ridiculously expensive. A simple non-electronic milled aluminium adapter costs over £20. I have plenty of PK mount lenses, I need to get an adapter for them too :)

Yep, Bubble Bokeh IS fun.
(Big crop, so on the IQ limit)

In the long run, you might end up with several adapters. 😉

Apparently, my Lumix S 35 mm & 50 mm f/1.8's are the same as the Leica versions. Perhaps a different coating and more stringent QC for the Leica versions, but the same otherwise.
No swirly Bokeh or anything, but there is something about the images they produce which I very much like. And that's all that matters.

Many Leica lenses are Panasonic lenses, or vice versa. It is hard to know how much of their design comes from Leica and how much comes from Panasonic. There are also Leica lenses that have exactly the same optical design and mechanics as Sigma lenses, but with different casing and probably, different coatings.

I found the Leitz 11mm to something autozoom margianlly better for "gegenlicht" than the Panasonic (?) 20-60zoom, .but the cheap japanese device can go quite close if set at its widest- ( if one is lucky, the focus point is not up in a corner and the camera has not decided to stop down 3 extra stops.: My CL does not have handling-proof buttonry), there is no hope for a firmware revision with a button- and dial- disable option since the CL is by now officially an orphan.

I also prefer "Brueghel-like" sharpness all over the picture, the unsharp bits are best when they are invisible.

Leitz fashion pricing and cramming electronics into its devices can tempt anyone to try other makes. Neoluddists such as I may even prefer older manual lenses.

The answer to the question above would be that anyone who prefers high quality and do not mind paying for it will need lenses fom Leitz (among others) as long as the risks of technological change are accepted.

p.