M8 with Zeiss 2.8/25mm

[blimey]

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I am new to rangefinders. I've always been fascinated with why Leica is highly regarded by many people. I did not know this company too well in the past except that their equipments are very expensive and arguably the best in photography.

 

The camera is a bit of a learning curve. Since purchasing it this past Friday, I been practicing how to focus better. I am quite slow at it and many of my pictures are blurry. It also didn't help that I am taking pictures indoor thanks to the storm. In do time, I hope to master it. In the mean time, I've ordered a couple of books that are suppose to help. Eg. Leica Manual and some really old book titled 35-Mm Photo Technique. I guess I am going back to the basics.

 

Here is a sample of my best(IMO) picture from the weekend. Taken in raw and imported to LR and then exported to JPG. No post-processing whatsoever, just the raw to jpeg conversion. Taken using Zeiss 25mm 2.8 Biogon; ISO 320.

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[ottocrat]

I have that lens and I really like it, a lot. I think it's my favourite lens.

 

That said, I'm selling it (together with my 35 Summicron) to finance a 28 Summicron. The 25 and 35 are too close together, I want a lens that lives on my M8 for 80% of the time.

 

Nice shot by the way. Enjoy your new camera! Reading about it is fun but there's nothing like using it and then using it some more to get to grips with its ways.

[blimey]

I have that lens and I really like it, a lot. I think it's my favourite lens.

 

That said, I'm selling it (together with my 35 Summicron) to finance a 28 Summicron. The 25 and 35 are too close together, I want a lens that lives on my M8 for 80% of the time.

 

Nice shot by the way. Enjoy your new camera! Reading about it is fun but there's nothing like using it and then using it some more to get to grips with its ways.

this is my current dilemma as i am browsing for more lense to purchase. i may go the 28mm 50mm route...

[henry lesesne]

:)For What It Is Worth Department-------

 

I have the 28mmElmarit as my sole lens on the m8. I wanted not a 80% lens but a 100% lens and it was a toss uo between a 35mm or 28mm lens.

 

I have been using the new m8 and new 28mm lens for about 3 months. I doubt I will bother adding another lens.

 

 

BTW-- take a look at the topic " zone focusing." At F8 on the 28mm lens, prefocused at 8-10 feet, I hardly bother with focusing unless my subject is closer than 10 feet.

 

Best Wishes !

:)

[Gerard]

Judging by the image posted the OP was a lot closer than 10ft, and indoor at 320, the aperture must be pretty wide to negate the need for a long exposure. Zone focusing or hyper-focal techniques won't really help in this situation (where focal point on the eye ((rather than the nose or ear)) is critical).

 

Seems to me, based on this one image (that I can't see in detail), you are doing well. Just keep shooting in as many situations as you can, get an SF24d at some point so you can shoot in low light without the need for wide-open apertures or high ISO and, when you feel ready, get a longer focal length and keep rolling on your journey; I'm sure you'll find it as rewarding as I do.

[blimey]

^ thanks for the advice. i'll look into the flash for indoor shooting.

[daleeman]

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^ thanks for the advice. i'll look into the flash for indoor shooting.

 

Welcome new Leica owner. I can only offer one piece of advice. Shoot, Shoot, Shoot. Maybe even shoot some more.

 

The rangefinder is a wonderful way to go. A lot more discreet in the public streets and you will beomce better at it every day/week.

 

I have a 21mm Zeiss 2.8 and find that very nice and wide. Out of my other lenses I have a Leitz 35mm F2.5 and that is usually my body cap lens. I grew up with one lens a 50mm and Dad taught me to get into the scene and move to where I need to be. Rangefinders are not zoom friendly like my D300 DSLR.

 

If you get to thinking you want a second lens maybe move into a 50 or 75mm so you can do portraits but the 25mm on the M8 does great for all types of shoots. Just keep shooting.

 

Lee

[shootinglulu]

I felt very out of my depth with the M8 at first but now i love using this camera. Good luck with it, i hope you will come to really enjoy it.

 

I had the 28 Summicron but i didn't love that lens. I like the 35mm for longer shots and want to get a 25 or 24 for wider shots. 28 was too iinbetweeny for me.

[Manolo Laguillo]

Regarding the use of a flash: IMHO the picture you show, Blimey, is very nice as it is! Available light is usually enough, and at the beginning it's important to acquire the capacity of seeing the subtle differences in light. I mean, even in an artificially lit interior there are differences in the final results depending from where you put the camera in relationship with the light source or sources. The flash-on-camera attitude works, of course, but in the case of the picture you show us, a flash-on-camera would destroy the atmosphere. There is always the possibility of bouncing it against the ceiling or a wall, or to soften it via an auxiliary attachment, of course, but I like very much that slight blurring that may happen when the person being photographed moves a little (you don't move, you are rock steady;)).

I went the 28mm route, but later I bought a 35'cron, and I use both: Mo, We, Fr the 28, Tu, Th, Sat the 35, and on Sun, the 50'cron (I'm joking, of course:)).

I would like to add another advice: you live in NYC, where the possibilities of visiting galleries, museums and collections of photography are endless. I would take profit of that possibilities, and would not miss any chance of looking at original prints. I would begin reading (in the web, or in books) on the history of photography as well.

Enjoy!

[ottocrat]

Well, as promised, I traded in my 35 Summicron and my 25 Biogon for a 28 Summicron and I must say I'm very pleased with it so far, it seems to have hit my sweet spot on the Leica. I say on the Leica because in the past I'd always found 28 (35 full frame) to be a bit too wide for my taste. Not now!

 

Couple of examples:

 

 

^^^

Taken in relatively low window light, this is practically straight out of the camera (DNG converted in Lightroom and exported to Flickr) - this definitely has the Leica look about it, to me (colours & contrast)

 

 

 

^^^

Can't be seen in this resized image but the sharpness bowled me over!

[Double Negative]

The 2,8/25 ZM is my favorite lens in the line-up, and IMO probably the sharpest. This lens never ceases to amaze me with the richness of detail it provides. All the usual "Zeissisms" as well; little to no distortion, high contrast/microcontrast, a bit of "pop" and essentially flare proof.

[roanjohn]

ottocrat - AMAZING samples of the 28 cron. That might be the next lens on my line-up :-)

[blimey]

wow ottocrat. color and contrast on the 28mm is fantastic.

 

Manolo - Thanks. I actually just found out there is a Leica gallery this past weekend in Broadway while shopping with the girlfriend. I never even paid attention to the area. I am going to visit it once it get a little warmer.

[rhom]

The 2,8/25 ZM is my favorite lens in the line-up, and IMO probably the sharpest. This lens never ceases to amaze me with the richness of detail it provides. All the usual "Zeissisms" as well; little to no distortion, high contrast/microcontrast, a bit of "pop" and essentially flare proof.

 

 

A question, please, from a newbie. Do you Zeiss 25mm owners manually code your lenses for your M8s or have them converted by a third party for 6 bit coding? Or do you just use them uncoded? If you use them uncoded, do you run into the cyan shift problems that some have described when using IR filters?

 

Thanks!

 

Rick

[ottocrat]

In the relatively short time that I had my 25mm I used it with a UVIR filter but uncoded and I can't say I observed any cyan drift to keep me awake at night. I would have happily kept using the lens uncoded had I not made it redundant by getting the 28 cron.

[khiromu]

A question, please, from a newbie. Do you Zeiss 25mm owners manually code your lenses for your M8s or have them converted by a third party for 6 bit coding? Or do you just use them uncoded? If you use them uncoded, do you run into the cyan shift problems that some have described when using IR filters?

 

Thanks!

 

Rick

 

I have my Biogon hand coded as Elmarit 24mm ASPH. However, that's not because of the correction, but for the exif data to have the focal length. (well, it shows 24mm instead of 25mm, though)

[ptarmigan]

I have that lens and I really like it, a lot. I think it's my favourite lens.

 

That said, I'm selling it (together with my 35 Summicron) to finance a 28 Summicron. The 25 and 35 are too close together, I want a lens that lives on my M8 for 80% of the time.

 

Nice shot by the way. Enjoy your new camera! Reading about it is fun but there's nothing like using it and then using it some more to get to grips with its ways.

 

I might be interested in the Zeiss depending on condition and price.

 

I see I missed the boat! Ah well……………...

[ottocrat]

Aww pity, I'm sure you'd have given me a better price than the one I got for it! Ah well, next time!

 

If you're interested, Red Dot Cameras in Old Street have got it.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[ptarmigan]

Aww pity, I'm sure you'd have given me a better price than the one I got for it! Ah well, next time!

 

If you're interested, Red Dot Cameras in Old Street have got it.

 

Is it the silver one on their website perhaps?

[ottocrat]

Haven't checked but that will be it. I don't want to look as I don't want to see how much he's asking for it! (don't tell me!) Once I've concluded a transaction I like to stick my head in the sand and shield myself from buyer's/seller's remorse...