Leica Glass They Use

[Driver8]

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The online “24 x 36" Leica M photography portfolio lists what's in the kit bag of some prominent film photographers:

 

PHILIPPE BORDAS

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35 mm f/2 ASPH

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 50 mm f/2

 

JOHAN WILLNER

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35 mm f/2 ASPH

 

ALEX WEBB

LEICA ELMARIT-M 28 mm f/2.8

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35 mm f/2 ASPH

 

RAGNAR AXELSSON

LEICA ELMARIT-M 28 mm f/2.8

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 50 mm f/2

 

ANDREA HOYER

LEICA ELMARIT-M 24 mm f/2.8 ASPH

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35 mm f/2 ASPH

 

BRUCE GILDEN

LEICA ELMARIT-M 28 mm f/2.8

 

JEFF MERMELSTEIN

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35 mm f/2 ASPH

 

BERND ARNOLD

LEICA ELMARIT-M 28 mm f/2.8

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 35 mm f/2 ASPH

 

TOMASZ TOMASZEWSKI

LEICA SUMMICRON-M 28mm f/2 ASPH

LEICA SUMMILUX-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH

LEICA APO-SUMMICRON-M 90mm f/2 ASPH

 

Though this is a small sample of only nine photographers, a few things strike me:

 

1. Only one photographer shoots anything longer than 50mm.

 

2. Only one photographer shoots anything shorter than 28mm.

 

3. The lack of exotic glass: no 50mm Noctilux, no 50mm Summilux ASPH, and only one favors the 35mm Summilux ASPH over the 35mm Summicron ASPH.

 

4. The most popular lens is the 35mm Summicron ASPH - used by six photographers; followed by the pre-ASPH 28mm Elmarit used by four.

[Xmas]

Hi

 

This means that Winograd, HCB, and E Smith were working at a serious disadvantage and are thereby real giants?

 

Noel

[ndjambrose]

I suspect the list may not be very accurate. For instance, I have Ragnar Axelsson's 'Faces from the North', and there are a couple of images in there that were shot with a Summilux, and several with a Pentax 67. (One of his summilux images is in the Leica lens catalog). So the "what I have in the kitbag list" is unlikely to be exclusive.

 

But, ignoring the detail for a moment, it might show that successful photographers invest time mastering the equipment they have, and tend to spend their resources on making images rather than buying gear.

 

You could also conclude that they're all documentary photographers, hence they work within a similar genre and have similar demands for subject/camera distance, which translates into shared preference for focal lengths.

 

And then there's the practical side.... documentary photography doesn't tend to be generously paid, which might lead to a more practical view on which lenses are really needed.

[Walt Calahan]

This is what I try to drum into my students' brains that one does not need a bag full of exotica to make quality images.

[wilfredo]

I've narrowed my lens choices on the M8 to two: 35mm and 50mm, so it looks like I'm in good company. In the last year I sold my 18mm and 90mm lenses, they mostly sat in my bag. I'm not a pro but the documentary and especially the Magnum genre resonate with me.

[ampguy]

It's clear that they do not want to highlight current photographers using non-current M lenses.