MaxJ1961 Posted January 11, 2011 Share #1 Â Posted January 11, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I am fairly new to rangefinder photography. I still have a Nikon D700 and Nikon 24-70 2.8 lens that only use when I need auto focus. My father-in-law gave me his M4 a couple of years ago and I purchased a current model 50 Cron for it. I fell in love with the M system and purchased an M9 last March. In October, I traded my 50 Cron for a new 50 Lux, which is an amazing lens. I use the M9 50 Lux combo 99% of the time for family, street, and travel photography. I recently decided that I think I need a wider lens, and after trying to decide between the 24 Elmarit and the 28 Cron, I decided to order the 28 Cron. Now I'm having second thoughts. I'm not sure if I will use the 28 enough to justify the cost. Also, am I moving too quickly to buy another lens before trying to master the 50? Any advice will be appreciated. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 11, 2011 Posted January 11, 2011 Hi MaxJ1961, Take a look here M9 + 28 Cron. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
samuelphoto Posted January 11, 2011 Share #2 Â Posted January 11, 2011 If you shoot that much street and travel, I can't imagine getting by without a wider lens than a 50. I personally feel the 28 cron is a fantastic partner to your 50, an excellent choice on your part. Get out there, shoot and enjoy and leave your worries behind! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
a.g Posted January 11, 2011 Share #3 Â Posted January 11, 2011 I had a similar, but opposite, situation. Like you I also have a D700 with the 28-70 lens but rarely use it these days. I have an M9 with a 35 f2 and decided I needed a 50. So after much deliberation and hunting I bought a 50 Noctilux .95. It is a fantastic lens but I find that I still take 95% of my photographs with the 35. I just enjoy the 35 and its wider angle. After reading this and other forums for a while now, I realize that most people are either a "35" or a "50" person and if they have both, they tend to use their preferred lens the majority of the time. You have to decide whether it is worth it to you to have the 2nd lens - I love my Noctilux for the special (but relatively few) times that I use it. I don't think you can go wrong either way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblitz Posted January 11, 2011 Share #4 Â Posted January 11, 2011 i have a 50 lux and 35 cron -- the 35 came first. having a 50 and 35 is great combo, different lenses for different situations. i find the 35 the best lens when i am someplace new, no idea what i will want to take but i don't want to take bag and lenses and want to simply enjoy the m9 as part of me. 28 will be the same for you if not more so -- it is after all wider. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
250swb Posted January 11, 2011 Share #5 Â Posted January 11, 2011 Also, am I moving too quickly to buy another lens before trying to master the 50? Any advice will be appreciated. Â Its just a lens, something you choose because it matches the image you want to make. You don't need to master it. Â If you have a 50 a 28 is a good choice. Its a big enough jump in focal length that it makes a difference in perspective and footprint that makes you think of the creative possibilities rather than just getting a wider view. A 35 on the other hand is not really going to make any difference, you may as well just walk a bit further away with your 50 and get the same viewpoint. A 35 can end up being a neutral lens, something to leave on the front of the camera just because its 'OK' at this or that, the lazy mans lens choice. Â Steve Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel buck Posted January 11, 2011 Share #6 Â Posted January 11, 2011 28 cron is my main lens on the M9, I like it! The one thing I don't like about it (aside from the price, hah!) is the lens hood. I'm not sure if there are any other options for the lens hood, but though it has part of the corner cut out, I still find it very distracting in the viewfinder. I shoot with out it, but bring it with me just in case I'm in a situation where I get more flare than I am willing to tolerate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
freusen Posted January 11, 2011 Share #7 Â Posted January 11, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) The one thing I don't like about it (aside from the price, hah!) is the lens hood. Â You can use the 35mm lux lenshood, it's much smaller and it doesn't vignet. Â ------------- FrankR Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_tribble Posted January 11, 2011 Share #8 Â Posted January 11, 2011 If you start with 50, 28 is the next obvious step, followed by 90 (IMHO) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnbuckley Posted January 11, 2011 Share #9 Â Posted January 11, 2011 I would like to make a testimonial about the 28 Elmarit, which is possibly the best bargain among Leica lenses. It is small, very sharp, and a good complement to something longer. I believe it is approximately $1000 cheaper and half the size of the 28 Summicron. The old 35mm pre-Asph Summicron, it's a terrific lens you can keep on your (now very portable) M9 all the time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryk34 Posted January 11, 2011 Share #10 Â Posted January 11, 2011 For what it's worth, I think that you do have to master using a 28mm lens after being used to the "normal" 50mm lens. You tend to shoot a single object/focal point at a certain distance with the 50mm lens. The wide angle lens is designed for "layered" photographs: forground, mid-distance, and background "levels" of observation. When you see a good one, there's three layers of activities, stories, or objects involved in the same photo, all relevant all at once. Even landscape with wide angle is designed to feature a forground (say a field of flowers or road) leading off into a panoramic view of the distant landscape. Landscapes shot with a 50mm lens is often just a shot of the distant view. By the way, I once read that a majority of landscape photographs were taken with a 50mm or other normal lens (historically, at least). Not sure if this is still true today or not. But an image taken with a 28mm lens is not just a wider 50mm shot. Seems to me, that any photographer would eventually want to be able to use both lenses from time to time. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted January 12, 2011 Share #11 Â Posted January 12, 2011 Max, you did the right thing - don't sweat it. The 28 Cron ASPH is one exceptional lens, that goes extremely well, paired with the 50 Lux ASPH. You wil be very satisfied. Â The 28mm goes very nice with the M9 viewfinder regarding it's visibility - again don't worry this decision. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndjambrose Posted January 12, 2011 Share #12 Â Posted January 12, 2011 If you're trying to decide between the 28 Summicron and 24 Elmarit but are concerned about cost, why not do the obvious thing and get a 28 Elmarit? Â It's a fantastic lens, perfect for landscapes. I've got several images in the LFI M9 masters collection that were made with it. One of the best 28mm lenses I've used in any system. The extra stop of the Summicron isn't likely to be of any benefit for travel landscapes or street. Far more important is the smaller, lighter form factor of the Elmarit.... plus the significant cost saving. Not to mention it's deadly sharp, perfectly corrected and very resistant to flare. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted January 12, 2011 Share #13 Â Posted January 12, 2011 1. Regularly use the preview lever on your M9 while you're out and about with your 50. Â 2. Determine whether the 28 frame lines or something wider (to estimate 24 frame lines) would best suit your way of seeing and photographing; and whether there are enough circumstances to warrant another purchase. Don't forget to use your feet, too, as another way to frame the scene. Â 3. Buy what your budget permits (Do you also need an external finder for a 24?). Most any Leica lens (new or used) will yield good results with practice and discipline. Â Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted January 12, 2011 Share #14 Â Posted January 12, 2011 The extra stop of the Summicron isn't likely to be of any benefit for travel landscapes or street. Â With all due respect, I must disagree. On a recent reportage in New Orleans, I did a lot of street work at night in addition to capturing gambling addiction in some of the casino's. My 28 Cron Asph was glued at f/2.0, as was my 50 Cron. The 28 Cron has some of the smoothest bokeh wide open that I've ever seen. If Leica were to ever introduce a 28 Lux I would be all over it. For my work, I find the 28/50 pairing perfect. I add a 21 Elmarit Asph to cover the wide end and a 75 Cron Asph for compression and distillation of key elements. You can see some of my New Orleans work at my LFI Gallery, all done with a pair of M7's, 28 Cron and 50 Cron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxJ1961 Posted January 12, 2011 Author Share #15 Â Posted January 12, 2011 Thanks for everyone's comments. I'm going to stick with my decision to purchase the 28 Cron. Â Jeff, wonderful photos of my city! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted January 12, 2011 Share #16 Â Posted January 12, 2011 Many thanks for the feedback Max. I loved New Orleans and am hoping to make a return visit in 2011. Perhaps if you're around, we could meet for a cup of java. I don't have any firm dates yet, but I'm thinking sometime in November. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archiver Posted January 12, 2011 Share #17 Â Posted January 12, 2011 The 28 Cron has some of the smoothest bokeh wide open that I've ever seen. If Leica were to ever introduce a 28 Lux I would be all over it. For my work, I find the 28/50 pairing perfect. I add a 21 Elmarit Asph to cover the wide end and a 75 Cron Asph for compression and distillation of key elements. You can see some of my New Orleans work at my LFI Gallery, all done with a pair of M7's, 28 Cron and 50 Cron. Â This is similar to what I do these days. I shoot with a 28 Elmarit or Zeiss 28mm Biogon as my primary lens, and swap to the 50mm Summicron when I want to get closer. I use the Zeiss 21/2.8 for when I want extra wide and a 75 Summarit for tele. But don't say that the 28 'cron has the smoothest bokeh you've ever seen, I've only just convinced myself I don't need one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
menos I M6 Posted January 12, 2011 Share #18  Posted January 12, 2011 This is similar to what I do these days. I shoot with a 28 Elmarit or Zeiss 28mm Biogon as my primary lens, and swap to the 50mm Summicron when I want to get closer. I use the Zeiss 21/2.8 for when I want extra wide and a 75 Summarit for tele. But don't say that the 28 'cron has the smoothest bokeh you've ever seen, I've only just convinced myself I don't need one!  The 28 'cron has the smoothest bokeh you've ever seen.  From another 28 Cron user to our future 28 Cron ASPH user friend   …  This lens was not for nothing my most favorite lens on the EPSON R-D1 (the 50 Lux, 35 Cron and others just were on the shelf, since I got the 28 Cron, to fit my favorite field of view on the R-D1). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
j_lir Posted January 13, 2011 Share #19  Posted January 13, 2011 for me the 28 isn't a lens i have on all that often.  i find 35 to be too tight from time to time, and the 28 is what follows suit.  i'm after the funds for a 24 lux as my shooting is mostly done at night.  all this said and done my best frame of the summer came from the m9+28 cron asph.  check it out.  edward sharpe & the magnetic zeroes sasquatch music festival, the gorge, george wa. 28 cron asph + m9   cheers  jesse Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 13, 2011 Share #20 Â Posted January 13, 2011 Reading this thread I wonder what ahppened to all the Summis..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.