dchalfon Posted March 22, 2010 Share #1 Posted March 22, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) i have finally saved enough money to start in the DRF world, something i always wished. what is the best option of lenses to start? i think my funds will be enough for 2... i was thinking about a 35/1,4 and 90/2,8... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 22, 2010 Posted March 22, 2010 Hi dchalfon, Take a look here ready for my first DRF. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Peter Walker Posted March 22, 2010 Share #2 Posted March 22, 2010 i have finally saved enough money to start in the DRF world, something i always wished. what is the best option of lenses to start? i think my funds will be enough for 2... i was thinking about a 35/1,4 and 90/2,8... I am sure that you'll get better advice from almost everyone else on this forum. I am just a few weeks into my Leica / RF experience, having been a Hasselblad user for the last 20 years. But, anyway, I'll tell you my lens decision. My choice for the M9 was a pair of APSH Summicrons, the 35/2 and 75/2. On the 35mm end, my thinking was that, with digital having a broader ISO range, that extra aperture on the Summilux is not worth the price difference. I'm sure others will disagree. The Summicron 35/2 has excellent specs. For a portrait lens, I played with the 75 and 90. Not much difference but I found the APO-Summicron 75/2 ASPH a little easier to focus and able to do both face shots and, with a bit of room to move back, full length portraits. Once I started using the camera, while happy with both my lens choices, I realised the beauty of wide-angle lenses on this camera and stretched my credit card to get the Elmarit 21/2.8 APSH. Now I have stopped buying lenses. I'll stick with these three until I know them inside and out. (I am not a big buyer of equipment. I prefer to stick to a simple, quality kit and use it until I know how it behaves in most situations. My last major camera / lens purchase was 10 years ago...) Regards Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted March 22, 2010 Share #3 Posted March 22, 2010 I would wait a bit with the Summilux 35. There are rumors of a new one, which would push used prices down. I would buy a tide-me-over 35, like an older Summicron that can be sold easily. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchalfon Posted March 22, 2010 Author Share #4 Posted March 22, 2010 the problem is to find the M9 body. if i go for and m8/8.2 instead maybe i should go for a 24mm lens... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted March 22, 2010 Share #5 Posted March 22, 2010 If you start building your lens collection with one of the 'standard focal lengths', the 50mm 'long standard' or the 35mm 'short standard', you can easily take your while getting thoroughly acquainted with the camera and that single lens before you buy a new one. We do all build our lens kits gradually. A very good idea is to find a honest dealer and buy a good used lens (identifying it manually in the lens menu, if necessary, for the time being). A well-kept second hand lens can usually be sold off without much financial hardship, if you find that the focal length was not just what you wanted. Going this way will also make you a better photographer. The old man from the Age of Meniscus Lenses Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
matlep Posted March 22, 2010 Share #6 Posted March 22, 2010 If you start building your lens collection with one of the 'standard focal lengths', the 50mm 'long standard' or the 35mm 'short standard', you can easily take your while getting thoroughly acquainted with the camera and that single lens before you buy a new one. We do all build our lens kits gradually. A very good idea is to find a honest dealer and buy a good used lens (identifying it manually in the lens menu, if necessary, for the time being). A well-kept second hand lens can usually be sold off without much financial hardship, if you find that the focal length was not just what you wanted. Going this way will also make you a better photographer. The old man from the Age of Meniscus Lenses I agree completely. Good advice. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ccmsosse Posted March 23, 2010 Share #7 Posted March 23, 2010 Advertisement (gone after registration) If you start building your lens collection with one of the 'standard focal lengths', the 50mm 'long standard' or the 35mm 'short standard', you can easily take your while getting thoroughly acquainted with the camera and that single lens before you buy a new one. We do all build our lens kits gradually. A very good idea is to find a honest dealer and buy a good used lens (identifying it manually in the lens menu, if necessary, for the time being). A well-kept second hand lens can usually be sold off without much financial hardship, if you find that the focal length was not just what you wanted. Going this way will also make you a better photographer. The old man from the Age of Meniscus Lenses I concur - my favorite all usage lens is a 50mm Summilux pre-asph. Check out what Steve Huff has to say "... I must be insane because I have went through more Leica 50’s than anyone I know. I have owned or shot with the 50 Summilux ASPH, 50 Summilux Pre-ASPH, 50 Noctilux F1, 50 Noctilux F0.95, 50 Summarit, Zeiss 50 Sonnar, and the Zeiss 50 Planar. In my search for a somewhat fast and compact 50 I somehow neglected to try the 50 Summicron until late in the game. I did own one when I had an M7, but sold it when I sold the M7! When I tried this lens on the M9 I knew this was the one FOR ME. Most prefer the 50 Summilux ASPH at $3795 but I actually prefer the 50 Summicron, and its $1995. This is my 50 of choice for my M9...." My Gear – The gear I own and use on a daily basis | STEVE HUFF PHOTOS Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ccmsosse Posted March 23, 2010 Share #8 Posted March 23, 2010 To add to my prior reply - Dale Photo has a 50mm pre-asph Summilux - this is essentially my lens... Used Leica 50mm f1.4 Summilux-M - LNIB Greetings Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted March 23, 2010 Share #9 Posted March 23, 2010 Michael -- that 50mm pre-ASPH 'lux is a lovely lens. And the 'cron is a lovely lens. I owned both. The 'cron was for when I needed maximum quality, and light was non-problematical. The 'lux was for when the 'cron would have given me flare patches in the image, and other heathen effects. I needed both. (This was in film days -- M4-P). Came the 'lux ASPH and I bought it and sold both my other 50mm lenses. Superb definition, wonderful bokeh, great resistance to Old Devil Flare, and you have to work hard to provoke reflections. The v.4 35mm Summicron is also my only 35mm today. Its from 1983, but has been refurbished and coded. I sold my 'lux ASPH. Often a great lens, but I did never trust it one hundred percent. I am admittedly curious about the coming new version; I am in fact standing in line for one ... The old man from the Age of Meniscus Lenses Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted March 23, 2010 Share #10 Posted March 23, 2010 The 50 asph is unrivaled at f/1.4 and f/2 if one needs the sharpest lens but i prefer the latest pre-asph at other apertures for its smoother bokeh as well as at at wide aperture for portrait. The lesser contrast of the pre-asph is also easier to manage in PP. BTW $2,300 for a pre-asph 50 is too expensive IMO unless it is a special copy. Must be a 'Millenium' black paint at Dale presumably. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpattison Posted March 23, 2010 Share #11 Posted March 23, 2010 Must be a 'Millenium' black paint at Dale presumably. Yes, it is. John Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Lea Posted March 23, 2010 Share #12 Posted March 23, 2010 I agree with the suggestion that you start with (relatively) inexpensive second-hand lenses. You might find that a 35mm and 75mm is a combination that suits you better, and that you use a 50mm relatively less often. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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