First lens

[Mark_L]

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For my new Leica M8 I plan to buy the summarit 2.5, 50mm. Nicoleica pointed out that a better choice would be the 35 mm as a first lens. I am looking for a lens that, as addition to the 24 to 60 mm I have on the D-lux, gives me the possibility for portret photography, because that is what I currently lack on the D-lux 4. The 35 mm equivalent of the 50mm on the M8 is of course about 67 mm. Perhaps I would better choose a 75 or 90 summarit for portret and an wide angle lens for landscape, 35 or below. I thought the 50 mm would be a good all purpose lens, you might have some landscape photography, but not the wide areas, and it might work for portret if you are close enough. Does the 50 mm lens has a specific purpose on the M8, it seems now that I would better invest in a specific wide angle lens and a 75 or 90 mm portret lens?

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[01af]

On a 35-mm full-frame camera I can hardly decide which lens I like better—35 mm or 50 mm. On a Leica M8 most likely I'd prefer the 35 mm. But DO NOT let other people tell you which lens to prefer! That's a highly personal thing. If you feel 50 mm on M8 (i. e. 67 mm-e) is right for you then go ahead! There's absolutely nothing wrong with a slightly longish standard lens as a first lens. However, do consider which lens is going to be your next one. 35+75 or 28+75 would make nice two-lens outfits. So would 28+50 or 24+50. I guess most people wouldn't consider 35+50 or 50+75 ... but if any of these combos happen to match your style of photography then why not?

 

Technically, both the Summarit-M 35 mm and Summarit-M 50 mm are very fine lenses; you'll love any of the two. They are cheap (by Leica standards, that is) and hence, often underrated, but they are sharp and have a lovely rendition.

[luigi bertolotti]

As a 3-years M8 user, and for "historical" reasons with a very big set of focals, I admit that 50mm is one that I find no so satisfactory on M8 (personally, I use it only when I want 1,4, having a preasph Summilux) ; for portrait, 75mm is really a very good one, and I consider my Summarit as a very good acquisition. Ok, 90 is not so different... preferring one of the two is a matter of taste... (keeping in mind that 90 is the smallest frame in the VF).

Generally speaking, 35+75 is a fine duo, but if you prefer to have a wide, then starts the hair splitting discussion on 24 vs. 28... ; a good advice, for me, is to buy a Leica 75 (if you can afford the Summicron... so better) and a wide from CV (28 or 25) to assess which WA you like better : a CV lens has always the advantage that, in case, can be resold with little waste of money.

Always about CV lenses... an interesting duo could be the Leica 75 plus the CV 35 1,2, which has a specific appeal

[farnz]

Mark,

 

Beware of using too wide a lens for head-and-shoulders portraits because they can make noses look bigger and noone will thank you for that. My advice is to stick to 50 mm and above for portraits unless you're intending to include contextual surroundings.

 

Pete.

[Mark_L]

Thanks, I like portret with larger surroundings that are a bit vague (blokeh is the term?). wide angle with low aperture to 2.0 or below are welcome then. Of course I also like a real portret and I have seen big noses with wide angle lenses.

A little bit like this one shot with a Leica D-Lux 4

[tbarker13]

Really, the only purpose I've been able to find for the 50mm lens is portraits. It's wonderful for those - though it's not the best option for head and shoulder shots.

 

My favorite 50 is a Zeiss Planar. And a few examples:

 

 

 

 

 

[Goombah6]

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I'm an amateur, so take this with a grain of salt. I have a CV35 1.2 which i LOVE. Great lense, although heavy/bulky, but great for indoor shots and low-light. Also have a leica 40mm sumicron C, which I really appreciate for its low profile, small size. I have a 2X converter, and a Leica 90m Summicron, which I think I have used once in the past two years. Having some focal issues with the 90m, and don't prefer to use it. Also have a CV 15mm rangefinder coupled. Seems to be a great lense, but haven't done much with it yet. If I had to do it over again, I would NOT purchase the 90mm or the 2x converter...just don't have a need for longer lenses on M8. ---Dave

[Big T]

Technically, both the Summarit-M 35 mm and Summarit-M 50 mm are very fine lenses; you'll love any of the two. They are cheap (by Leica standards, that is) and hence, often underrated, but they are sharp and have a lovely rendition.

 

I have the Summarit 35mm f2.5 and the 90mm f2.5 and love them both.

 

They are very underrated lens and will provide you with great pics even at f2.5. Very sharp.

 

The 35mm is on my M8.2 80% of the time.

 

Summarit 35mm f2.5 DNG converted to JPG (No processing)