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Starter lens for M8 / M6


monkstown

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I would suggest a 35mm "starter" lens - a used summicron if you can find one. That gives you

a "35mm" on the m6 and a "~52mm" on the m8. While the 75mm summarit may make a nice combination finding a used one on your budget may be a problem. You should be able to

pick up an older 90mm f2.8 to complement your other lens and not break the bank.

Of course an alternative would be to look at the voigtlander lens where a satisfactory combination of focal lengths could be purchased new.

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Welcome Monkstown to the Forum and M-ownership!

 

I wonder why you have split your funds in a slightly irrational way. I would have thought that one body and two lenses would have given you more for your budget. After all, film and digital are almost two different disciplines. But you are where you are with two bodies and a slender budget for two lenses. That means going for a pair of elderly lenses which could be a good investment. You will just get a slightly different rendering compared with the latest cutting edge products. If you don't like them you can always upgrade once you have got a feel for the focal lengths which serve you best and you have the required budget.

 

While Summicrons have considerable merits, why not consider a good used 50mm f/2.8 Elmar, the younger the better. Your second lens depends on whether you favour wider angle or short telephoto photography. You could go for a used 28mm or 90mm Elmarit lens. Eventually you might like both. But the final choice depends on which of your two M cameras you regard as you main instrument. One is full-frame, while the other has a crop factor to consider. This issue of coverage should bear heavily on your choice of lenses. do let us know what you decide to do.

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Hi,

 

Thanks for all the responses so far, a lot to consider. I would like the option to shoot in low light (I live in Ireland and the winters are long and dark), I expect mostly to shoot b/w on the "street" with maybe some landscape / seascape. It would be good to have more than one lens so I imagine with my budget that means Zeiss or Voigtlander. I've had some good local feedback on voigtlander 28mm f2 ultron and 35mm f2.5 color skopar. Any comments ?

 

Thanks,

 

Monkstown

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Monkstown, being a student does matter. May I suggest an older Leica lens like the 5c Summicron, which I purchashed for about 100 US. It's a collapsible lens with a very lovely signature. Not super sharp, but it renders a very lovely image, especially with an M8. It's cheap & will allow you to a 50mm lens, which is a very important focal length. The 35 is theother focal length that one should master. There are several lens available from Leica, Zeiss & others. I'd tend to buy an older lens at a very low price to get a chance to try the lens out & see what you think. If it isn't suitable, it's not difficult to resell the lens on Ebay. Good Luck.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hi All, thanks again for all the replies. I've decided, after lots of reading and a sub to Sean Reids reviews, to go for a VC 35/2.5 Color-Skopar P Type II as my first lens for the M8. I'm still trying to decide on a second lens, maybe a VC 28/2 Ultron or show I be looking at a 25mm lens to give me more of a range. I've also been looking at the 75mm VC Helier but can't make up my mind. I suppose I'm looking for lens to give me maximum range on a minimum budget. Any comments or advice welcome.

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  • 2 months later...
Hi All, thanks again for all the replies. I've decided, after lots of reading and a sub to Sean Reids reviews, to go for a VC 35/2.5 Color-Skopar P Type II as my first lens for the M8. I'm still trying to decide on a second lens, maybe a VC 28/2 Ultron or show I be looking at a 25mm lens to give me more of a range. I've also been looking at the 75mm VC Helier but can't make up my mind. I suppose I'm looking for lens to give me maximum range on a minimum budget. Any comments or advice welcome.

Hi Monkstown,

 

I too just bought a M8 and have been using my old m-mount lenses - VC 28mm skopar and VC 40mm 1.4 - both are really good. But, I have to admit I'm very use to shooting with at 75 - 90mm focal range on my SLRs and Oly E-P2. 75mm is really good for portraits and situations where you want to get in tight. I'll probably pick up a used 75mm VC Heliar soon. There are some really good deals on used ones on eBay and at Photo Village (in New York).

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I suppose I'm looking for lens to give me maximum range on a minimum budget. Any comments or advice welcome.

If you want one lens for use on M6 and M8 both then I'd strongly recommend a 35 mm lens. The Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35 mm 1:2.5 sure is a good choice; viable alternatives would be the, possibly used, Zeiss C-Biogon 35 mm 1:2.8 or Leica Summarit-M 35 mm 1:2.5. In particular the latter is appealing not only to those on a tight budget but to anybody who is looking for a light and small yet high-performance 35 mm lens, even when money was no object.

 

However if it's two lenses with maximum range you're after then I'd recommend against a 35 mm lens. In this case, better get a 28 mm lens plus either a 50 mm or a 75 mm lens.

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To modified that not problem at all, but coded? This is not a wide angle lens, work very well without, and faster than coded on M8:)

I found strong vignetting on mine, certainly on the M9 but also on the M8 if left uncoded. On the M8 you have the additional problem that it has a non-standard filter thread (series 5.5)

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If I had an M8 and a FF such as the M6, my first lens would be a 35mm. With your budget, I think Leica versions (Cron or Lux) are too expensive.

It need not be a new lens. Any of the older versions, even an old Summaron 2.8, will give excellent results.

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hey all,

i just purchased an m8 off of ebay and the seller says that it doesn't come with the filters (as he didn't get the filters included when he bought). do i need the filters to guard against the so-called "magenta effect"?

 

i'm very new at rangefindera and have no idea.

 

i too plan on getting a voigtlander 35 mm for my first lens.

 

any other advice is welcome.

 

thanks!

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