lens choice with M8

[bap]

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does anyone have an opinion between the 35 f2 and f1.4 and between the 75mm 1.4 and 2.0 and the 90mm f2 ....i am trying to fill two holes in the 35mm area between the f2 and f1.4..... and the the longer lens between 75 and 90 ..I'm learning with Leica it's not always the speed sometimes it's just one lens is better. even one stop slower

[thisaccountisdeleted]

does anyone have an opinion between the 35 f2 and f1.4 and between the 75mm 1.4 and 2.0 and the 90mm f2 ....i am trying to fill two holes in the 35mm area between the f2 and f1.4..... and the the longer lens between 75 and 90 ..I'm learning with Leica it's not always the speed sometimes it's just one lens is better. even one stop slower

 

both the 35mm ASPH summicron and summilux are great lenses. the tradeoff is basically size/price versus the extra stop. i sold my 35mm summicron to buy the summilux. i miss it occasionally when i want a lighter/smaller kit.

 

you might also consider the pair of 35mm summicron + CV 40mm nokton/f1.4. the two would still be cheaper than the summilux.

 

the 90mm summicron is a BIG lens. i sold it and downsized to the 90mm macro-elmar.

[nikau]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but was interested in Bryan O'connor's posting as I'm thinking of doing the same thing. The 90mm Summicron is too big/heavy for my needs now, and I can live with f4 ... just wondered if you could tell me a little more about your experience with it so far. I'm not interested in its "macro" capabilities.

[arthury]

The 75 Summicron APO and 90mm Summicron APO are almost the same in terms of resolution and performance. You will have to decide which focal length fits you better. Since the 90mm Summicron was out earlier, the used ones may be more affordable than the 75 'cron.

 

For those who said that the 90mm Summicron is a big lens, they must not have held the 75mm Summilux: that is a big lens. The 75 Summilux is a different tool. It's resolution is nowhere close to that of the above newer lenses but this old lens has an older glass formula which many like.

[thisaccountisdeleted]

For those who said that the 90mm Summicron is a big lens, they must not have held the 75mm Summilux: that is a big lens.

 

true.. nor have i the 50 noctilux.

 

still i found myself never having room to carry the 90mm summicron.

[Eoin]

I have the 35 Summilux Asph and the 75 Summicron Apo Asph so perhaps I can comment, The 35Lux is the fastest wide that Leica make apart from the 28Cron which is a stop slower at f/2.0.

I choose the 35lux for it's speed and it's effective field of view (about 48mm) on the M8. I was figuring I needed at least 1 fast lens at this focal length. It works very well with small groups in dark interior type shots. I'm sure I could get away with a f/2.0 Summicron if push came to shove but I like the extra comfort of the high ISO and f/1.4 as a get out of jail type card. It's sharp and has very good contrast when wide open, it improves slightly by f/2 and after that I can't see any real difference in prints. Overall it's my main lens on my M8.

 

I tossed and turned over the 75's, heart said Summilux and head said Summicron, the head won on size, weight and price but the heart is not happy with the rather clinical look and razor sharpness this lens produces. I wanted a lens more akin to the EF85L I shot most my portraits with. That being said I still have very little usage time with this 75 and I have to learn it's quirks and how it draws, it's a fantastic lens by any standard and I doubt I'd even get the look I was missing with the 75 Summilux.

Yes the Lux is a whole stop quicker here, but that is little advantage to me given the DOF at f/1.4 is not best suited to portrait. I tend to do most my shooting between f/2 and f/4 at this focal length anyway.

 

Perhaps the Noctilux or an older Summilux beckons at the 50mm FL to give me those softer, slightly dreamy quality colours and textures I liked with my Canon but for the moment I console my self with a little gaussian blur and de-saturation to mask the quality this lens reproduces.

[bap]

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Maybe it would be better for me (because I'm getting lost) if I just asked for advice between the 35mm summicron and summilux..obviously one is a great deal more money but if that were not a consideration. Is one sharper than the other? thanks for your advice

[Woody Campbell]

Maybe it would be better for me (because I'm getting lost) if I just asked for advice between the 35mm summicron and summilux..obviously one is a great deal more money but if that were not a consideration. Is one sharper than the other? thanks for your advice

 

I have both. There is no difference in sharpness between these lenses. None at all. The other differences are subtle and I'm still sorting them out. I'll probably sell one or the other. The lux spends a lot of time on my camera for the reasons listed by Eoin.

[gesper]

I wanted something small for ease of carrying concealed. The 35 cron is the smallest lens other than the 28 elmarit, so I went for the faster although slightly larger (but still very small) 35 cron. I have not been disappointed.

[wparsonsgisnet]

Bruce, my only comment would be regarding the 35mm. I use the f1.4 and swapped from the pre-asph to the asph. The earlier lens has too much flare in it for my purposes. This is not a problem with the 50's, in my experience, tho many posters complain about flair in this lens.

 

So, my caution would be -- if you buy a 35mm, make sure to go for the asph version.

[marknorton]

I think the Summilux is a key lens if you want to be able to control DoF.

 

Having selective DoF is easy if you are using a long lens, or a fast lens. 75mm Summicron? Easy. 50mm Noctilux? Easier still. However, the 1.33 crop factor forces people to use shorter focal length lenses than before to get the field of view and these naturally provide more DoF. To compensate, you have to open up the lens which is fine, providing you can.

 

If you figure that compared to film, you need to go 1 lens increment wider and 1 stop further open to get the same sort of image, people shooting happily on a film M with a 50mm Summicron need to go to the 35mm Summilux. People shooting with a 50mm Summilux wide open have nowhere to go. People shooting with a 35mm Summilux have the double whammy of only being able to go to a 28mm/2. They lose out on on the shorter focal length and the slower lens, both of which increase depth of field.

 

So, for me, the 35mm Summilux is the last refuge of shallow depth of field and reasonably wide angle of view. That's why I would very much like a 28mm Summilux and/or a 24mm Summicron but they would be big lenses and big bucks.