R 21-35 vs. 19mm prime

[troyfreund]

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Hey Guys, Gals,

Just wondering if any of you R-shooters have any opinions on the R 21-35/3.5-4. I currently have an older 19mm/f2.8 lens, but have been considering trying to get the 21-35 for convenience's and size's sake. Have any of you had these lenses and have opinions of whether or not there's a strong quality difference between the prime 19mm and the 21-35? I know there would be a difference of coverage with the 19mm. For the sake of reference, I'd be using this on a R8/DMR.

 

Thanks

Troy

[mgcd]

Hey Guys, Gals,

Just wondering if any of you R-shooters have any opinions on the R 21-35/3.5-4. I currently have an older 19mm/f2.8 lens, but have been considering trying to get the 21-35 for convenience's and size's sake. Have any of you had these lenses and have opinions of whether or not there's a strong quality difference between the prime 19mm and the 21-35? I know there would be a difference of coverage with the 19mm. For the sake of reference, I'd be using this on a R8/DMR.

 

Thanks

Troy

 

Troy, I've also thought about adding the Vario-Elmar_R 21-35mm f/3.5-4 ASPH for the very convenience you mention. I've heard from owners that it is indeed a superb lens. What makes me hesitate is the relatively slow maximum variable aperture in combination with the DMR. The 19mm is close to a 26mm lens coverage and I would suspect that the zoom is closer to 29mm coverage on the DMR. I must add I'm very happy with the 19mm. The optical range however is indeed very practical.

 

Cheers,

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[S. Wong]

check out 16-9.net for various lens tests on wide and superwide lenses.

 

He doesn't compare directly between 2 Leica Lenses, but he does compare both the zoom and the prime against others.

It sounds to me that it would be best to stick to the prime, but I've never owned anything this wide.

 

Leica Vario-Elmar 21-35/3.5-4 vs Zeiss Contax 19

Leica 21-35mm v Contax Zeiss 21mm

 

Leica 19 elmarit vs Canon 16-35/2.8 L

Canon 16-35mm f2.8 v Leica 19mm v Olympus 18mm: Introduction

 

Best 19-21 lenses (Top 10)

16-9.net: 19-21mm Lenses: Hall of Fame

 

-Steven

[troyfreund]

Thanks for the input, guys. I guess I'll stick with the wider-angle of view with the 19mm for now.

Troy

[leicapages]

From what I have been told by users, the vario is quite good but its downside is the dim viewfinder image and the resulting difficulty when focusing under adverse light conditions.

[masjah]

Troy

 

First of all, stating the totally obvious(!):

 

(1) 19 is wider than the 21 end of the 21-35

(2) the 19/2.8 is just half a stop wider than the zoom at the 21 end.

 

Only you can decide how important these factors are for your own need.

 

My experience with the zoom is positive. The image quality is very good. The days when a prime lens is very significantly better in performance than a contemporary design Leica zoom are, IMHO, over (maximum aperture apart of course). I have no direct experience of the earlier 19/2.8, but Brian Bower (in his book Leica Reflex Photography) asserts that the newer (1990) version is significantly superior to the earlier one. This would strongly suggest to me that the 21-35 zoom also would outperform the earlier 19/2.8 prime.

 

In your shoes, at the price of losing "only" half a stop, I would certainly go for the zoom.

[wizard]

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Troy, part of the answer will lie in the other lenses you own. If you have, as I do, the 28-90 zoom lens, the 19mm lens is IMHO the perfect choice to complement, whereas the 21-35 would have too much overlap. I am very happy with the 19 and 28-90 combo, complemented by the 180 at the upper end. That gives me all the versatility I need with just three lenses.

 

Best,

 

Andy