Can anyone help me choose a wide angle lens for M9

[migmig]

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Hi All,

 

I used to own a D3+14-24 and mostly I shoot at 20mm onward. I'm not the ultrawide person except when shooting for my Architecture commissioned projects that sometimes I used 14mm.

 

I now have an M9 + 50Noct and Voigtlander 28f2. I'm personally not impressed by the image from the Voigtlander. So I'm thinking of selling it but I have to buy another wide angle lens for landscape/Indoor. I went to the store and they have these available (all are used):

 

21/2.8 Elmarit

24/2.8 Summarit

28/2 Summicron

and

16-18-21 WATE

 

I now have my eye on the WATE but I'm afraid that I'm not gonna use it to its true potential since I think that I will use it at 21mm most of the time. BUT WHO KNOWS?

I also wonder that will it give me the WOW look since it is wuite slow @f4

 

all advices are appreciated

 

Mig.

[giordano]

Some disconnected thoughts (FWIW I have the Nikkor 17-35 and find it a much more useful lens than the 14-24):

 

I feel that the boundary between "wide" and "ultra-wide" is somewhere between 24 and 21mm. In other words, if you want a wide angle lens for suitable for general use go for the 24 or 28; if you want something seriously wide, go for the 21 Elmarit (you say you seldom use wider than 20mm on the 14-24, so you won't get much use from the WATE's 16 and 18mm settings and you will miss the f/2.8 of the 21 Elmarit).

 

If you like the 28mm focal length of your Voigtlander but don't like the image quality, the 28 Summicron is the obvious choice.

 

Having owned the 14-24, you'll know which is more important to you for indoor work: the extra aperture of the 28/2 or the extra covering power of the 24 or 21.

 

Hope this helps!

[Luke_Miller]

I shoot with the D3 and 14-24 as well. Like you I find I rarely need to go wider than 20mm and most of the time I don't need wider than 24mm. While the 14-24 is probably my best Nikon lens it is not used that often. Don't have the M9 (yet) but love my M8.2. My most used lens on that body is the 28 Summicron. It is spectacular and reminds me of the images produced by my 14-24. On the M8.2 a 28mm lens gives a field of view of 37mm on an M9, so it is not as wide as I sometimes need. I recently picked up a 24 Elmarit that is also very impressive and is as wide as I can go on the M8.2 without an external finder. My current thinking is that when I get my M9 I will likely use the 28 Summicron as my primary lens.

 

With my D3 I have glass that ranges from 14mm to 300mm, but with the Leica I find I shoot differently. I think a 24mm or 28mm will cover my wide needs nicely.

[jacarape]

Giordano seems to have summed your options very well. Since you are at the moment looking to replace a 28 with a lens of better image quality, that's what I would do, get the 28/2.

 

If in the future you want a wider lens, then look at the super wides, for me that would be Zeiss 21/2.8 or the 18.

 

I agree with your view that 4.0 is a tad slow for a wide, it's most likely to be used inside when you really need more speed (usually, usual caveats).

[farnz]

Mig,

 

Don't forget that for any lenses that are wider than 28* mm you'll have to take an external viewfinder into consideration for the M9.

 

Pete.

 

* I have the M8 so I'm quoting from memory, which might be inaccurate.

[marknorton]

I'd go with the 28m Summicron. I have all Leica's wide-angles and the 28mm Summicron is my most frequently used lens.

[msk2193]

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Mig,

I love my 24mm Lux. Incredibly sharp and perfect for landscapes and interiors.

[tobey bilek]

The store will not you try try the 21 2.8? Mine is fine lens I have had since first issued but never used it on a m9.

 

The trouble with wides is they color the left side red and right side cyan for un explained reasons. Try a CODED one to make sure the firmware does its best to cancel the effect.

 

I use my 28 2.8 Super Anglulon PC from the R camera on my full frame Nikons. Get a conversion mount from Leitax or the $90 one from Fotodiox. It take 10 minutes to swap mounts and it is reversible. There is is a null meter signaling ring between the mount and lens. They tell you to flip it over but then the null thing restricts shift in one direction .

I made a replica of it from .032 plastic shim stock leaving off the restricting null post. You can also just leave the ring off and the lens focuses beyond infinity. Use the green dot and it makes no difference. This is a beautiful lens for architecture, better than any fixed lens. .032 is the correct thickness.

 

Also use a 35 PC modified the same way. Same nice pics.

 

You can put it on a tripod and make a panorama with three exposures, left/right shift and center shot. Covers a 90 deg angle.

 

Search the archives for red edge and you will find all the problems people have with wides on the M9.

[Photon42]

What's about replacing your Voigtlander 28 with the 28/2 Summicron? The Summicron is a fantastic lens with medium contrast and wonderful sharpness. Zero focus shift, I might add. That way, you've got a fast wide when needed indoors or just for the DOF effect.

 

Some time later, maybe add an 18mm lens (either the Zeiss or the Leica), which gives you a proper Superwide. I believe, the firmware for the 18mm focus length is still worked on at Leica. Until they release a proper cure, there are options around to deal with the color casts in post processing.

 

Cheers

Ivo