Lux 21 with M8 - Impressions & some pictures

[Ecar]

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For those of you who are contemplating the purchase of this latest, big and expensive engineering prowess from our friends in Solms (until such time as the new Nocti becomes available), I thought I'd post a few pictures taken during a recent trip to Florida.

All converted in LR, with standard adjustments (WB, curves and BW conversion - and, oh, yes, liberal use of the clone/heal tool to remove several small specks by courtesy of a dusty sensor...)

 

All in all, this lens a fantastic tool, and f/1.4 makes it highly versatile. I like the way colors and OOF areas are rendered, as well as its sharpness, although these are, as always, highly subjective factors. Distortion is very acceptable (to me at least) and you need to try really hard to start noticing some flare.

 

I'm also happy that I didn't upgrade the shutter, as I found myself hitting 1/8000s quite frequently even in moderate sunlight. ND filter may be the way to go with the new shutter or the M8.2 if one does not want to stop down when using the lens on sunny days.

 

I guess my biggest gripes are inherent to the fact that it's such an extreme design (but then, you can't have everything, can you?):

 

1- The lens is big - although handling is rather easy and it doesn't feel too disproportionate on the M8 - and so is the hood (not vented); in consequence, a fairly large portion of the viewfinder is blocked and a good dose of guesswork is required to include the lower right corner in the composition you are trying to achieve;

 

2- Fringing is very apparent when shooting wide open into a strong source of light (somewhat like the current f/1.0 Nocti in this respect); this improves somewhat as you stop down.

 

The above are just my impressions after a few days of real-life use.

I understand Sean Reid is working on a review of this lens: I'll be very interested to see what he thinks.

 

P.S.: for those who are interested, I have uploaded more on my zenfolio site (all the pictures currently in the Miami Beach set were taken with this lens)

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[guidomo]

Great contribution, thanks Ecar.

 

Any chance to have a photo of the lens on the M8 to get an impression of its size?

[Overgaard]

You didn't use an external viewfinder?

 

I find the contrast and bokeh rather dull, but perhaps that's because I would shoot in crowded place with low light, shadows and against light sources to have things happening in the foreground and background - but can't wait to get this lens to play with. I've always liked 21mm and I've always loved 1.4 - so a lens that combines them ought to be fantastic.

 

It helps to look in the portfolio, the diner shot out the window looks better in large size. I wonder how it could become more 'sparkling' as in 50/1.4 pre-asph bokeh.

 

I like the totally straight beach shots in your portfolio. And I admire a man who bring a brand new lens to a sandy beach and salty water. I would do the exactly same. Leica is for real life use.

[Ecar]

Great contribution, thanks Ecar.

 

Any chance to have a photo of the lens on the M8 to get an impression of its size?

 

Thanks. I'm currently on the road but should be able to do this in a few hours.

[sean_reid]

For those of you who are contemplating the purchase of this latest, big and expensive engineering prowess from our friends in Solms (until such time as the new Nocti becomes available), I thought I'd post a few pictures taken during a recent trip to Florida.

All converted in LR, with standard adjustments (WB, curves and BW conversion - and, oh, yes, liberal use of the clone/heal tool to remove several small specks by courtesy of a dusty sensor...)

 

All in all, this lens a fantastic tool, and f/1.4 makes it highly versatile. I like the way colors and OOF areas are rendered, as well as its sharpness, although these are, as always, highly subjective factors. Distortion is very acceptable (to me at least) and you need to try really hard to start noticing some flare.

 

I'm also happy that I didn't upgrade the shutter, as I found myself hitting 1/8000s quite frequently even in moderate sunlight. ND filter may be the way to go with the new shutter or the M8.2 if one does not want to stop down when using the lens on sunny days.

 

I guess my biggest gripes are inherent to the fact that it's such an extreme design (but then, you can't have everything, can you?):

 

1- The lens is big - although handling is rather easy and it doesn't feel too disproportionate on the M8 - and so is the hood (not vented); in consequence, a fairly large portion of the viewfinder is blocked and a good dose of guesswork is required to include the lower right corner in the composition you are trying to achieve;

 

2- Fringing is very apparent when shooting wide open into a strong source of light (somewhat like the current f/1.0 Nocti in this respect); this improves somewhat as you stop down.

 

The above are just my impressions after a few days of real-life use.

I understand Sean Reid is working on a review of this lens: I'll be very interested to see what he thinks.

 

P.S.: for those who are interested, I have uploaded more on my zenfolio site (all the pictures currently in the Miami Beach set were taken with this lens)

 

 

Hi Ecar,

 

Thanks very much for the report so far.

 

I'm confused about your framing using the viewfinder. Were you trying to estimate using the full frame (which about matches a 24 mm lens focused at infinity)? The hood isn't vented because none of the Leica cameras have frame lines for a 21. Are you also using an external finder?

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Ecar]

Thorsten and Sean - you're absolutely right: no, I didn't use an external viewfinder because I'd rather estimate the edges of the frame instead of going back and forth and I found that this is possible at this focal length. I learned to do that with a CV 21 and I'm quite pleased with the results in terms of framing accuracy. I only use an external viewfinder for the CV 15, which is the only wider lens I own.

 

Thorsten - right again: indeed, some of the pictures I posted here are somewhat dull and may not do the lens justice - but allow me to say that (a) the light was far from ideal when I was there (cloudy/milky sky, except in early morning or late evening - see the zenfolio set, where I got some more interesting light); ( I tried to minimise the amount of processing so that the pictures would be as faithful as possible and © I didn't get enough time during those few days to look for more interesting subjects.

[Ecar]

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Any chance to have a photo of the lens on the M8 to get an impression of its size?

 

Here are a couple of quick "kitchen table" pictures of the lens on the camera. Hope this helps.

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[sean_reid]

Thorsten and Sean - you're absolutely right: no, I didn't use an external viewfinder because I'd rather estimate the edges of the frame instead of going back and forth and I found that this is possible at this focal length. I learned to do that with a CV 21 and I'm quite pleased with the results in terms of framing accuracy. I only use an external viewfinder for the CV 15, which is the only wider lens I own.

 

Thorsten - right again: indeed, some of the pictures I posted here are somewhat dull and may not do the lens justice - but allow me to say that (a) the light was far from ideal when I was there (cloudy/milky sky, except in early morning or late evening - see the zenfolio set, where I got some more interesting light); ( I tried to minimise the amount of processing so that the pictures would be as faithful as possible and © I didn't get enough time during those few days to look for more interesting subjects.

 

Consider the external finder. The lens won't be in your way and you'll be able to see those edge areas that were hidden in the camera.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

[Ecar]

Thanks for the advice Sean. Actually, I ordered the new CV 16-35 finder from Stephen Gandy. I figured that if I really have to use an external finder, I might as well get one that works for more than one focal length. I hope it works well.

[steamboat]

Thanks for post. The photographs of the lens on camera were useful. I really hadn't seen how it looks. The 21 is a wonderful focal length - especially on the M8 - and the increased speed is something I've always wanted. Thanks again.

[guidomo]

Thanks for the helpful comments and the lens+M8 photos, Ecar. My feeling is that size and weight wise it compares to the Summilux 75?

[Ecar]

guidomo,

 

Can't compare it to the Lux 75, as I don't own one. My only 75 is a Summarit, which is substantially thinner I guess.

I'd say the handling of the 21 (overall feel, size, etc.) is a mix of the Nocti and the Cron 90, if that can make some sense.

[manolo]

I am impresed witht the pictures in the miami beach gallery; did you take most of the pictures of the far away quioscs in the beach (the first's in the Miami B set) at or near 1.4?

 

Gero

[stevem7]

Went to the gallery and those are some great images. My current dream lens is the 24 1.4 but this one isnt far behind. Thanks for posting.

[rsh]

Very Nice, and as much as I would like to get one, I am sticking with the 21 and 24 Elmarits.

[jaapv]

Looks to be a great lens, but a bit specialized, and somewhat bulky. If you need it it is probably worth every cent, but I have a feeling the 24 is more versatile, and certainly more ergonomic. Still: There is some drool splattered over my monitor.....

[yanidel]

Went to the gallery and those are some great images. My current dream lens is the 24 1.4 but this one isnt far behind. Thanks for posting.

Steve, you absolutely need one

[Ecar]

Thank you all for your comments!

 

Manolo,

Yes, they were wide open. It was early morning and there wasn't much light available. I had just flown in from Europe and woke up so early that taking pictures on the beach with my new lens seemed the best thing to do while waiting for the hotel restaurant to open for breakfast:p

 

Steve & Jaap,

I guess you're right: the 24 is probably more user-friendly, if only because you can see the whole frame in the viewfinder, without the need to guess (as I did) or to use an external finder. I just love the 28mm focal length in FF, so the 21 was my obvious choice for the M8. Now, if I won the lottery tomorrow, I suspect I'd be owning a 24 by the end of the week (subject to availability, of course:rolleyes:)

 

Rsh,

Although the only Elmarit I own is the 28, both the 21 and 24 are great lenses from what I've read/heard. Before I got this Lux, my only experience with a 21 on the M8 was the CV f/4, which is a very enjoyable little lens - and I really had to convince myself that I needed the (unbeliavably expensive) extra stops. If I had owned the Elmarit, I would probably have found a better use for the money... Hmm, the new Nocti perhaps?

[twittle]

Thanks for the helpful comments and the lens+M8 photos, Ecar. My feeling is that size and weight wise it compares to the Summilux 75?

 

They're almost exactly the same size, but the 75 is a bit heavier. My 75 weighs 601 grams (if my scales are accurate) and the 21 is supposed to be 580 according to the data sheet.

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[manolo]

Thank you all for your comments!

 

Manolo,

Yes, they were wide open. It was early morning and there wasn't much light available. I had just flown in from Europe and woke up so early that taking pictures on the beach with my new lens seemed the best thing to do while waiting for the hotel restaurant to open for breakfast:p

 

The pictures that I like the most in the group are the ones that are shot far away and at 1.4 then, they just seem to have something special without it being ovious. Did you focus on the quiosks? I also like how they are shot against the sun and the colours in the objects show very well.

 

I also use the 21 lenses without the external finder.