Which wide angle lens?

[john cleland]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hello everyone

 

I purchased my first Leica approx three months ago (M9) with a second hand 35mm Summicron.

 

Most of my photography on the Leica is done while I am out walking in the countryside with my wife. I am on the list for a 50mm Summilux but am now having second thoughts about my chosen focal length.

 

I am now considering going instead for either a 24mm or 21mm but which would be a more compatible companion for my 35mm Cron? Also can anybody with these lenses advise on how difficult it is to work with the external viewfinder?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks John

[jagsiva]

I was using the 21 Elmarit and 24 Elmar, but getting rid of both as just recently upgraded to the Lux 24. I like the 24 on the M9 better since I can just about get away without using an external finder if you move your eye around.

 

Also, if you don't need the extra speed, the Elmar is a fantastic lens - its tiny, has the new screw in metal hood that you dont have to fiddle with, and is about as sharp as anything I have used. The 21 is also nice, but a little more expensive, you will need a finder, and while still a small lens, has a humongous plastic hood.

[vdb]

The 24 lux is a special lens. It spends a great deal of time on my M9....and I do not use an external VF.

[john cleland]

Hi Virgil

 

Many thanks for your reply. As I said I am fairly new to the Leica system. When using my 35mm Cron on the M9 I use the full frame of the viewfinder to compose my shots- with that in mind how do you manage to use the built in viewfinder with the 24mm?

 

Many thanks - John

[Wiggi]

I would prefer the 24mm lens.

 

Erwin Puts said, with the 24 you can create a dream. With a Summilux 1:1,4/24 you can take wide-angle pictures like in the shots in the Stanley Kubrick movie "Eyes Wide Shut".

 

But this is only my personal point of view.

[Rick]

I would prefer the 24mm lens.

 

Erwin Puts said, with the 24 you can create a dream. With a Summilux 1:1,4/24 you can take wide-angle pictures like in the shots in the Stanley Kubrick movie "Eyes Wide Shut".

.

 

Wiggi, is there anywhere I can see Mr. Puts' beautiful photographs? (Besides resolution charts).

[vdb]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

John

The m9 has frame lines for 28,35,50,75,90 and 130mm...you should therefore be framing with the appropriate frame lines for your 35 mm. For the 24 I use the entire viewfinder and look around a bit...knowing I will be including more...and if necessary I look at the LCD monitor after capturing to double check. I find this to be more fluent than moving to an external finder. Works well for me.

I agree wit wiggi, the 24 lux can render quite the dream. Very smooth transition into the oof zone at 1.4. An expensive lens but probably the best of the lot for my use...and I use also 35 , 50 and 75 lux kits. You may want tp check out my Nyc album for some sample images...primarily street portraits.

 

Hope this helps.

[vdb]

John (and Rick), here is a sample with the 24 at 1.4, ISO 800, indoor

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Guest Overview]

I do not own a 24mm for my Leica but I routinely use it on other makes.

I would go with the recommendations of the posters above I believe.

Personally, I love external finders.... but that's just me. cheers. Rip.

[cheewai_m6]

to the OP. are you the british touring car driver john cleland?

[Posto 6]

I have the 24/2.8, which is very versatile and gives exceptional results. The only possible problem with the Summilux (agree about the performance, however) is it's size and weight, which carries quite a substantial penalty (unless you use it mostly wide open).

[SteveSFO]

My current favorite is the 35mm Summilux - ASPH last version. Some complain about the soft focus wide open... not an issue for me.

[erlingmm]

If you are talking daylight photography, I strongly recommend the 24mm Elmar 3.8, super-sharp, light, and not too expensive.

[michael_b_elmer]

Hello everyone

 

I purchased my first Leica approx three months ago (M9) with a second hand 35mm Summicron.

 

Most of my photography on the Leica is done while I am out walking in the countryside with my wife. I am on the list for a 50mm Summilux but am now having second thoughts about my chosen focal length.

 

I am now considering going instead for either a 24mm or 21mm but which would be a more compatible companion for my 35mm Cron? Also can anybody with these lenses advise on how difficult it is to work with the external viewfinder?

 

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

Thanks John

 

John, I am glad to hear that you enjoy your Cron 35. The question is IMHO not whether you should have either a 50 Lux or a 24/21 mm lens to complement it.You need both focal lenghts, since each of them have their strengths and weaknesses.

 

I would certainly advice you to keep your order for the 50 Lux. This is Leica's best M-lens and extremely versatile, and you will love the photographic opportunities that this lens will offer you. That being said, many other people on the waiting list for this lens would of course be happy to see a person wíth a higher position on the waiting list cancel his order.

 

The 24 mm focal length would be a good supplement to 35 and 50 mm lenses, whereas 21 mm might be a bit too wide. All Leicas 24 mm lenses are wonderful, but the best IMHO is the 24/2.8 Elmarit which delivers stunning perspectives and is at the same time very versatile. There is no need to invest in the heavier and more expensive 24 Lux, if you have another lens with 1.4, and the 24/2.8 beats it in image quality according til Erwin Puts' measurements.

 

You will need an external finder for the 24 mm (as well as for the 21 mm FL), and Leica's Universal Finder (often called the Frankenfinder) with its built in level would IMHO be the best choice, since it could be used for other FLs if you acquire them later. The specific 24 mm finder is also good, however, and you could, eventually,live with the lack of a spirit level for a 24 mm lens (but not if you go wider).

[lars_bergquist]

I simply cannot understand the aversion to external finders that some people have. Working with them is simple and straightforward. Especially compared to the groping in the dark that is your lot if you insist on using a 24mm or 21mm lens with only the camera finder.

 

The only exception is, maybe, an 18mm lens. This has a horizontal angle of view of just about 90°, meaning that you will take in everything from 45° left to 45° right. This is really more than you can compose in detail. You simply get everything you can comprehend. Even so, I prefer to use it with an appropriate finder. Even if there is too much detail to properly sort out, you do get a feeling for the general composition. This general reasoning applies to even shorter lenses too, of course.

 

Spirit levels, in my experience over something like half a century, are simply too imprecise and too damn slow to be of any use with super wide angle lenses. I simply choose a spot opposite me that is the same height as my eyes, place that in the middle of the field, cast a couple of glances left and right to check horizontality, and that's all.

 

The old man from the Eyeball Age

[john cleland]

to the OP. are you the british touring car driver john cleland?

 

Thanks for all your comments guys - really helpful! Cheewai, no I'm not the touring car driver although I have been told from time to time that I drive like him.

 

Virgil - thanks for the info - strange that I had always thought that the 35mm crop lines were the edge of the frame - suppose that's what comes from wearing glasses and shooting with a rangefinder - there lies another thread. Lovely shot by the way.

 

Thanks for your advice on the 50mm Lux Michael - I may yet leave the order open.

 

It seems a lot of you are going with the 24mm with the thinking that the 21mm may be a bit wide.

 

Lars, having not used the external viewfinder, do I take it that you still focus through the cameras standard viewfinder and just use the external for composition?

 

Thanks again everyone. John

[andrekeli]

Michael is right. 50 Lux asph is one heck of a lens (aside from the noctilux). I have just got my copy of it after a long search. Believe me, I went to hell and back to get that lens. But, it is all worth it!

[corradoerina]

To quote Erwin Puts again:

 

"The choice between the SX21 and SX24 can be made solely on intended use and artistic considerations. "

 

SX21SX24, part 2

[Brian Bower]

John, Do get that 50 Summilux ASPH, it really is a stunning lens, very versatile and a good combination with your 35 Summicron. You will find that you use it a lot. When you go wide I would go for a 21, a distinct difference in perspective from your 35 and capable of some really dramatic results with a variety of subjects, including landscapes. Agree with Lars re external finders.

 

Brian

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[Wiggi]

Wiggi, is there anywhere I can see Mr. Puts' beautiful photographs? (Besides resolution charts).

 

Hi Rick,

 

I saw magic pictures shot with a 24mm, but no one was from Erwin Puts. I believe he only makes resolution carts.

 

Or shall we start a 24mm photo thread.

 

Greetings

 

Wiggi