How many M lenses did you have to try out?

[bpalme]

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Sure would be nice to be able to try out lenses for a little while... ( take them home)before you buy wouldn't it?

So if you were only going to keep 4 lenses(or three or whatever your kit would be)... how many do you think you had to try out to get to the 4 you would keep?( I figure limit it this way since many of you are rich enough to keep them all.. hehe)

I guess this should be for FF... since things change going M8 to M9.

Waiting on a 50 lux and so far have a Cron and tried the VC 1.1 .. will probably sell that one. I doubt I'll ever try the Nocilux but wouldn't mine trying out a couple Zeiss lenses. And that's just for the 50mmeters!

Anyway I was just thinking it may take me a while to find exactly what I want. haha.

(especially since I plan to go M9)

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[peter_n]

I've settled down with about 10-12 Leica lenses, but I've tried many more than that. I do my due diligence online when I'm buying stuff but I like to try things for myself rather than relying on internet comment. This has meant some pain as it can be a bear to sell stuff but I'd encourage you to try out what you fancy then move it on if it doesn't suit you. Since this is a hobby it took me about eight years to find out what worked for me.

[stunsworth]

For many people one lens is probably sufficient for the majority of stuff they photograph.

 

These days I rarely ever go out with more than three lenses - and one of those is a 15mm Voigtlander that I hardly ever use but takes up next to no space. But that's just me.

[delander †]

I've bought quite few Leica lenses over the past 4 years but did not try any of them out.

 

Jeff

[jamesk8752]

I've bought quite few Leica lenses over the past 4 years but did not try any of them out.

 

Jeff

 

Same here. The good advice of posters in this forum has guided me, and I haven't been let down yet.

 

Regards, Jim

[earful]

there are places that rent lenses, including both leica and zeiss.

[Jeff S]

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I figured out early on that I didn't need more than 2 or 3 focal lengths to suit my needs and style. Ever since (now several decades), I've only occasionally bought a new lens in the same focal length - based on other user feedback - to see how it compares. When I've liked it better (meaning I used it more), I've sold the other one. Only once did I add a fourth focal length; then decided after minimal use to sell it.

 

Simple works best for me. Don't like to unmount lenses during a shoot (preferring 2 bodies if two FOVs are desired), nor do I have any need to chase after speed. Summicrons generally suffice, with the exception of the 50 Summilux asph, which I see no need to ever change.

 

Jeff

[tobey bilek]

Too much and you can`t move. 50 pounds of gear is not productive.

 

Leica put 35/50/90 frames in the M2 and I consider it pretty sufficient. I use something similar with DSLR Nikon, 35/60/105

or the same 35/50/85.

 

Now if you are going to shoot a dance recital from the audience, or a horse race from the side lines, or an airshow, some tele lenses are more appropriate. Like wise a street festival, a wider set might be more useful.

[Nickers]

Lenses are a big investment for the average Joe, personally, my choice of lens has been based on a blend of reading reviews and of course members views on this forum together with budget. Primarily thought my choice of lens is based on my work and style.

 

I'd love to have a 24mm f1.4 instead of my f3.8 but from what I've read, the difference in price, size and weight, given that it is not my most used focal length, it is not worth pursuing. If I need a fast lens, I'll use my 35 or 50 Summilux not the 24mm.

 

If you want to handle a lens, try a Leica store, I know Mayfair (London) has most lenses available to try.

 

Nick

[bill]

You honestly can't try a lens meaningfully in a shop. It takes weeks, months, to get used to a lens and to learn for yourself its foibles and strengths. I have lost count of the number of lenses I have bought and sold over the years. Some have come and gone - more than once in a couple of cases - over months and years. Others have stayed in the lineup since day 1 and will never be sold. There are two elements to this process; one is learning about the lenses that suit you, and the other and complementary strand is learning what your vision is.

 

I have now settled on a small selection of lenses, some Leica, some CV and some Zeiss. Focal lengths may be duplicated but each is quite - if not in some cases very - different in character and rendition.

 

Nobody could have told me what would suit me and what I would end up with - I had to find out for myself.

 

Regards,

 

BIll

[abrewer]

I had a 50 'Cron to start out, because it was the least expensive one

 

I saved up and got the 35 ASPH 'Cron and that was the one

[bpalme]

there are places that rent lenses, including both leica and zeiss.

Yeah but for the time you get to keep them it's pointless and very expensive. Much better to buy it and keep it a few months then resale it.. as long as you get it for the right price.

[Jager]

I would (and have) end up trying out exactly the number of lenses I ended up keeping. No need to experiment for me.

 

With most everything - but especially a discretionary purchase as expensive as a new Leica lens - I tend to deliberate long and carefully before arriving at a decision to purchase. Like probably everyone else here, I have long years of experience with camera systems in general and so am quite familiar with what a particular focal length brings to the table. That and the frequent image postings here and elsewhere - to get an idea of how a lens renders - is sufficient to come to a verdict.

[HeinzX]

I haven´t tried out, I rely on the quality of the Leica lenses. Regarding the focal length

I have some experience out of my time with a Leica M 6. Problem for me is rather the availibility of lenses. The following are my choice:

 

Leica Super Elmar 18 mm already in use

 

Leica Elmarit 28 mm already in use

 

Leica Summarit 50 mm already in use, but bought because no Summilux was

available, might be changed therefore - but otherwise

I am satisfied with the lense, otherwise I would like to

have own fast lens

 

Leica Macro Elmar 90 mm ordered, but not yet received.

 

mfg

Heinz

[Nick_S]

Heinz wrote

"Leica Macro Elmar 90 mm ordered, but not yet received"

 

Me too, do you have any indication of an expected delivery date? I ordered the whole 90 macro elmar set as my dealer informed me that Leica no longer supply the lens separately.

 

Nick

[HeinzX]

I heard from the dealer app. in 14 days - but I don´t believe it really...

As a matter of fact the dealer gets information by Leica every week, which lenses and which numbers will be delivered next week to him, no better situation to expect for the next time...

 

mfg

Heinz

[andym911]

never tried any out and have not yet had a dog amongst them.

like lots of things in life you prefer some items over others whilst not always being able to say why...just feels right.

My favourite watch is not necessarily the most accurate one, my favourite shoes not the most expensive ones and my favourite camera not necessarily the highest spec one.

 

I like all my lenses but clearly favour some more than others...a lens has to grow on you and cannot be tested in a short period of time IMO.

 

Technically they are all 100%.

andy

[JBA]

The only lenses I've tried out by renting from Leica are the 50 Summilux Asph. (turned out to be a bum lens that somebody probably dropped and was too cowardly to admit to) and 50 Summicron, which I ended up buying and subsequently selling because in the interim I bought a 50 Summilux ver. 2 that I vastly preferred.

 

Aside from those, I've bought every lens I've wanted to try out. These include in order of acqisition: 35 Summicron Asph., 90 Summicron Asph., 50 Summicron (subsequently sold along with my M6 to a dame who needed it more than I did), 50 Summilux ver. 2 (a Mandler design and what a beauty!), 21 Elmarit Asph. (chrome), 50 Elmar (latest version, chrome).

 

It's worth mentioning that I've sent three of these lenses to Leica for overhauls because I dropped them. (There are two kinds of photographers: those who have dropped cameras and those who lie.) The 21 jumped off my M6 (exposed lens release button, which is another reason I prefer the MP), and both the 50 and 35 Summicrons got dropped. Each cost between $US500-$300 to repair. As Grandma Adams used to say, "You're wealthy if you can maintain what you own."

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[adan]

It kind of depends on what one means by "try out."

 

I try out every M lens above 50mm before I buy to check focusing with MY camera (in film days I had the store put one on hold until the film was developed) - because every M RF and lens can have some tolerance differences, and one copy of, say, a 90 f/2 just may not play nice with my particular camera.

 

I've definitely tried out almost every M lens ever made, when an opportunity presented itself, even if I was not necessarily in the market. Just to get a feel for them all.

 

Often, as Bill and JBA say, the "try-out" included a purchase and a trial of several months. Not for the uber-pricey Nocti or Summiluxes, though - I tried those out at Leica demo shows where I could shoot several for a couple of hours for free. Cultivating a relationship with the regional Leica rep has meant I've been able to borrow some lenses overnight.

 

As for the film-M8-M9 transitions: that gave me a chance to try out some new framing options (50 as a "70," 90 as a "120"). Interestingly, my 3 years with M8s changed my taste for FoV and apertures, so when the M9 arrived I adjusted my lenses to fit the way I'd shot the M8, instead of going back to the lenses I'd used on film. Especially at the long end - swapping my 50 for a "real" 75, and dropping the 90 and using a 135 instead; and moving to f/1.4 apertures at 75 and 35mm to account for the digital M's limited high ISO range.

 

I tried a 75 f/1.4, and "wow!" Performance that that lens had never revealed to me on film, or cropped in the M8.

 

I do hope Leica revives the demo programs of "Leica Days" and invitational shooting opportunities. They are a great way for everyone to get a bit more experience with all the lenses without having to buy. I doubt it will happen while the lenses are sold out everywhere, though. Maybe in a year or so.

[Mongo Park]

I agree with Bill. It takes ages to get used to a lens and its foibles. I did not try any of them out - I just bought those focal lengths I wanted and could afford at the time. A couple of 50's and a 35. Simples.