Leica M 21/3.4 Super-Angulon on a M8?

[jpmac55]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Any information or comments on the M8 teamed up with a Leica M 21/3.4 Super-Angulon appreciated. I've not found much by way of searching, not coupled with a M8 anyway.

 

Thanks!

 

John

[luigi bertolotti]

Lot of time ago, when I took my Elmarit 21 asph, I posted some comparative pictures taken with it and my other two 21 (the Super Angulon 3,4 and 4) : well, I found that the 3,4 is still an EXCELLENT performer in any terms (sharpness - contrast - vignetting) : the crop factor of M8 surely is of help in this: if you have one, is definitely not to be thrown away, and if you have the chance to buy one at, say, half the price of the 21 asph, I'd say it can be a smart buy. There are two issues, anyway :

1) Metering : as stated by Leica, metering is UNCORRECT with the 21 3,4: in auto mode you get underexposure in the range of 1-2 stops.

2) UVIR filter correction : the 21 3,4 hasn't a code for it, and you have to code it by yourself, coding as another 21 (asph or unasph Elmarit, or maybe even the one for Elmar 18... I do not know which is the best).

 

The old Super Angulon 21 f4 is a delicious-"small jewel" item, but definitely a step behind.

[ajz]

I have been using the old 21mm Super Angulon that I bought in 1972 and have found it great. I even bought a new Zeiss 21mm when I bought the M8 but returned to using the Leica lens as it is smaller and under certain lighting it still seemed sharper than the Zeiss 21mm, The size and feel of the old Leica 21mm and its square hood just worked better. The Zeiss 21mm flange interrupts the viewfinder view.

 

You can see examples of this combo M8/21mm on my vacation picture pages: Picasa Web Albums - AJZ These are mostly straight images just altered for contrast occasionally by the picassa web tools...they are done on the run while traveling.

In fact I just put up some pictures from last weekend's trip to San Francisco.

 

I don't use a light meter but I do use the histogram if I am photographing in a particular light atmosphere.

 

One portfolio, called Irvington America, on Zelada.com has people images made with the M4/21mm and the background setting images of neighborhood are the M8/21mm. These are photoshopped as one would say. Kind of interesting as the 'shape' from the wide angle view treats the old images of the people and the new images of urban neighborhoods similarly such that they seem to be from the same angle. Perhaps that is just in my own delusions.

 

I recently had Leica NJ rehab my old lens and they did a terrific job (third time over all these years). I had my optical lab cut down a 55mm UV filter into the old 48mm filter holder so the blacks would be black.

 

Enjoy...would love to know what you think. ajz@zelada.com

z

[jpmac55]

Thanks folks, very helpful.

 

AJZ, glad to see a fellow folder bicyclist taking photos with a Leica.