M8 - Advice on lens

[amod]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Dear forum members,

I am planning to buy a second hand M8 and 2 lens.

I was thinking one would be a 35mm lens for street photography and the other one would be either a 75 or 90 for portraiture photography ( I love taking photographs of my family and especially my 15 month old daughter)

I am pretty impressed with the new Summarit M range with the quick focus etc but at F 2,5 will it be too slow for taking photographs of unposed spur of the moment kinds as well as kids who run around like a whirlwind?

Can the forum members advice on this?

Regards,

Amod

[Jeff S]

If you've never used an M, or rangefinder, I suggest starting with just one lens and get to know it well.

 

For your dual purposes, you might consider a 50mm, which on the M8 will give you approximately a 67mm FOV. This can be sufficient for portraits depending how tight you wish to get, and still serve as a versatile lens for other purposes. Your feet can cover the difference in many cases between it and a 35.

 

You can use the frame preview lever to see alternate FOVs and help decide on a second lens. A 28 lens would get you to a 37mm FOV, which also works well on the M8 as a general purpose lens.

 

These things are very personal, which is why I suggest going slowly. If you can get a loaner from a dealer, that may help with your decision.

 

Of course, if you eventually move to a full frame M, then your effective FOVs will change. Depends on how far out you want to think.

 

The Summarits, by the way, are very underrated. If you don't need the speed, you'll be quite happy. (I note that you have a dLux 4...you'll get less DOF from your M, so shooting wide open may not be best for moving kids in any event.)

 

Jeff

[giordano]

I am pretty impressed with the new Summarit M range with the quick focus etc but at F 2,5 will it be too slow for taking photographs of unposed spur of the moment kinds as well as kids who run around like a whirlwind?

 

Definitely not, unless you want the best possible low-light capability or the shallowest possible depth of field as you do it. I'm very happy with my Summarit 75; there are some examples at Broome Bos Indicus Sale - jn's Photos.

[khiromu]

90mm on M8 is pretty long. I would go with 75mm if you are not set on 90mm. Summarit 75mm is what I like for long shots.

 

For 35mm, Summarit is a fine lens which you can buy new one for reasonable amount of money. But at that price point, you can also get a used Summicron ver IV or III, which is a bit faster and with the lens hood attached, smaller than Summarit (with the lens hood). You might find 35mm on M8 a bit too long for indoor snap shots, but then, 28mm will be a bit more expensive especially if you want Summicron.

[Guest Chris M]

I think the 28 cron and a 90APO ASPH is the best starter kit to go with. The 90 apo is a remarkable lens and probably the sharpest M lens ever made to date, its fantastic as a short tele and portrait lens, and of course for the 28 cron, well that lens speaks for it self in it wonderful draw and low light conditions, and no wierd stuff like the 35 lux I sold because of known focusing issues and lack of sharpness wide open, (at least with mine after several trips back and forth to Leica NJ.) I just had to dump it. I'm a stickler anyways for (Perfect quality and function). If its not rite fix it, and thats it, I hope this helps.

 

chris m.

[trs]

Given that everybody has their taste, I like my 28/75 combo. I use 50mm when I can't choose one of the first two when taking the camera out. I prefer single lens setup. So, only time I have extra lens with me is either when I am traveling or I know for sure I will be photographing two extreme ends (28 vs 75).

 

So, I like Jeff's suggestion of starting with one lens, probably 50mm, then adding second one down the line. But, 35mm also works great I think as you are already thinking about it. My first lens was 28mm.

[dchalfon]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

i was in the same doubt one month ago. ended up buying an used boxed m8 + 28mm summicron + 90mm summarit.

 

probably one day you will want to go full frame, so my advice is to buy something that will make sense without the crop in the future.

 

bodies come and go. good lenses usually not.

 

the 28 is my 35 with the m8, but the 90 i think ended being too long for my taste because it ends up at almost 120mm.

 

i would go for a 28 + 50, or 35 + 50. it depends how "wide" kind of guy you are. both options are definitely something wonderful for the crop sensor and the full frame in the future.

[Islandmike]

I bought the Summarit 35/2.5 and it has been a source of photographic delight from day one.

 

Well constructed and an excellent performer. f/2.5 has not yet been a problem for low light shooting and the lens performs well at full aperture.

[Big T]

I bought the Summarit 35/2.5 and it has been a source of photographic delight from day one.

 

Well constructed and an excellent performer. f/2.5 has not yet been a problem for low light shooting and the lens performs well at full aperture.

 

+1,000......

 

I also have the Summarit 90mm f2.5 and I am very happy with my "120mm lnes"...

[luigi bertolotti]

Dear forum members,

I am planning to buy a second hand M8 and 2 lens.

I was thinking one would be a 35mm lens for street photography and the other one would be either a 75 or 90 for portraiture photography ( I love taking photographs of my family and especially my 15 month old daughter)

I am pretty impressed with the new Summarit M range with the quick focus etc but at F 2,5 will it be too slow for taking photographs of unposed spur of the moment kinds as well as kids who run around like a whirlwind?

Can the forum members advice on this?

Regards,

Amod

 

In those situations, a 75 is anyway rather critical to focus... and at 2,5 and below you'd easily risk OOF : so the Summarit can be good : I have one and never regretted to have bought it (btw, of all my Leica lenses is the only one that I bought brand new... )

[mjw]

amod,

 

i was in a similar situation as you are and can tell you what i did. my first lens was the 35 summarit. i used this for 6 months before purchasing another lens. i knew that i was going to get a portrait lens and opted for the 75 summicron.

 

the 35 fits all of my needs for an all-around lens. it made me consider my approach by shooting one focal length. i also found this suitable for portraits until i could afford the 75. i never had a problem with the speed of the lens capturing "spur of the moment" shots.

 

regarding the option between 75 and 90, i think that you will find 90 far too long on the m8. i find that the 75 is perfect for portraits as well as for certain reportage shots. there is a nice balance in having a 35 + 75 combo. i really love the 75 summicron, but you have a child to think about and if money is an issue then the summarit option should work nicely.

 

i recently picked up a used 28 summicron and find that i am using that as my main lens on my m8. my 35 seems to be permanently mounted to my m6 now. i was never unhappy with the 35, i just found a great deal on the 28 cron and jumped on it.

 

so, my advice is get either a 28 or 35 first and then get a 75. i too have a baby daughter (4 months) and find that these lenses meet all of my needs for photographing family life as well as personal work.

[jimleicam3]

I have a 35 mm Cron, and 50 mm Lux. I seem to go back an forth about which I like more. Right now I only use the 50 mm. I tried the 24 mm 3.8, but just did not like the FOV. You can't go wrong with Leica glass.

[wilfredo]

I've narrowed it down to two focal length lenses on the M8, 35mm and 50mm. I ditched my 18mm and 90mm, but I should mention that I also use other gear with other lenses.

[tbarker13]

I've narrowed it down to two focal length lenses on the M8, 35mm and 50mm. I ditched my 18mm and 90mm, but I should mention that I also use other gear with other lenses.

 

Funny, I've done almost the same thing Wilfredo. Except that I do keep a CV 28/1.9 around for those times when I want to go a little wider with the M8.

Other than than, pretty much the only thing I put on it is a 35mm or 50mm. For anything longer or much wider, I use a full frame DSLR.

[morgants]

I currently have a CV 28 f2 and an old Canon 50 f1.8. I would like to add a 35 cron non-asph and trade the Canon for a Nikon f1.4 (no uv cut filters for 40mm thread size). I would like to see some images with the Nikon, any input?

[BshopB]

Amod --

 

I just picked-up a very slightly use M8.2 (actually will get it the first of the week...can't wait!) and faced the same decision as you. I was torn on lenses due to the crop factor but opted to go with two lenses -- the 28mm, 2.8 ASPH and the 50mm 2.0 Summicron. I would have likely gone with one lens to start but the 28mm was used but in excellent shape for a good price. My intent is to use primarily the 28mm with the 50mm being my portrait lens. Anyway hope this helps!

 

Best regards -- Bishop

[jimleicam3]

I have not tried the 18 mm, why did other members dump this lens? thanks

[!Nomad64]

Dear Amod,

 

I'd say that Jeff S' is the most balanced advice. Proceed by steps. A 50mm is however useful. Then you'll see what you'll need most. f2.5 is definitely not slow. During the day there's always plenty of light and at night or with artificial light you can always push the speed up to 640 or 1250 ISO.

I have three lenses, whose apertures are f4, f2 and f2.8, but speed wise I never felt limited.

Time ago I realized that my very personal rule of thumb is to have the focal lengths roughly doubling, so I have a 25, a 50 and a 90. But that's just me. Someone else might argue - and with good reasons - that there's a hole between 25 and 50, but I never felt compelled to fill it and I wouldn't even know how.

Besides, the less time I waste on picking up gear the most I can concentrate on shooting and the lighter my bag, the happier I travel.

 

Cheers,

Bruno