IWC Doppel Posted December 5, 2011 Share #1 Posted December 5, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hi guys, Well I have finally done it and bought a Leica.... I have a 1800 shutter action mint M8 and I am borrowing a wonderful 35mm summciron pre asph from my twin brother. I have moved up from a GF1 with 20mm My brother has been a Leica man for 20 years and I will have to give back the 35mm 1995 lens he bought from new and start the expensive bit of the hobby... lenses... I am thinking of starting with something like a 25mm Zeiss f2.8 then save up for a few other lenses. I am sure ultimately I will go for an M9 when the M10 arrives, so want to biuy lenses with that in mind. Having done a lot of reading I am thinking of : 21mm or 25mm Zeiss Biogon 50mm Summilux asph 75mm or 90mm Summarit 35mm Summicron Obviously not in quick succession over the next few years, I take mostly people and architecture, interiors, cars etc. Not a big landscape man and most get lightroomed or 'apertured' to B&W. I would value any thoughts ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 5, 2011 Posted December 5, 2011 Hi IWC Doppel, Take a look here Just starting out. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
jaapv Posted December 5, 2011 Share #2 Posted December 5, 2011 Welcome! http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/206055-have-question-feel-unsure.html#post1864319 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted December 5, 2011 Share #3 Posted December 5, 2011 Welcome Doppel, you seem to have a good resource to draw upon - I'm sure using the brother's gear is cheaper than Renting! I would like to whole heartedly reccomend a subscription to Sean Reids website: articleindextable He does a wonderful job writing and conducting his reviews, is Rangefinder-Centric in his content, and is even a member here on L-Camera-Forum. The subscription price is very affordable - cheaper than anything Leica sells I suspect: that includes all the Leica accessories, filters, etc. Further: I reccomend not overlooking the Voigtlander Lenses as an option - their new and old offerings are a wonderful resource even if you have the financial resources to be purchasing Leica Glass by being able to tryout different focal lengths or styles without committing large sums of capital to the endeavour. Heck, Sometimes 90 or 95% of 'Leica' lens yumminess is enough if one is only going to be using the lens quite sporadically or in non-critical situations. Once again, welcome to the club, Richard in Michigan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted December 5, 2011 Author Share #4 Posted December 5, 2011 Oh no I have just rear Steve Huff's review of the 24mm Asph Lux ! Thanks for the link, I'll do some more reading Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted December 5, 2011 Share #5 Posted December 5, 2011 Glad you liked steve's review-I like his site a lot. He get's a bit manic in his writings imo along with the fact he's an unabashed leica fanboy cuts for-n-again him sometimes. I think sean recently finished his 24 Lux review, but I haven't given it a look/see yet. I'm not in the market for a 24 at the moment and if I was I can't afford a Leica one let alone a Lux! I I would like to note that with Sean's site, I found it quite helpful to work my way up from the bottom of the list of reviews in his 'review viewing' window. It helped me put some of the later reviews into a 'historical' context - so to speak. It also helped me learn about his testing methodologies, how they evolved over time, and reading his reviews of non-rf equipment I had some experience with first hand allowed me to judge whether the things he found important to him were relevant in my own uses. R. in Mi. Oh no I have just rear Steve Huff's review of the 24mm Asph Lux ! Thanks for the link, I'll do some more reading Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 6, 2011 Share #6 Posted December 6, 2011 Welcome to the Forum, IWC! At least you have brotherly help and advice; that is priceless because he has experience which is readily available. You probably know that lenses are in short supply globally, so you will have to shop around. The Summarits are probably easier to find and are excellent. For your M8 the 75 will give you the equivalent of 100mm focal length which is probably marginally better than a 90 in terms of usefulness, not performance. Only buy the 90 if your plan includes an upgrade to full-frame M9 in due course. It depends on your favoured genre. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted December 6, 2011 Share #7 Posted December 6, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) I want to 2nd WDA's advice re:75 versus 90 on the M8. I have both focal lengths and find my 90 muchhhhh more challenging to use than my 75. Further... I must say that I'm finding the 99.75mm focal length on my M8 to my aesthetic liking (75x1.33). I'm looking forward to exploring my 75 with some 'real' portrait work in the near future. I've also discovered the old adages about RF cameras being most suited for semi-wide to semi-telephoto lenses are anything but photographic mythology. Framing and focusing my 90 is, at least for me, a right pain in the arse - to put it bluntly. To that end I plan to acquire a magnifying eyepiece in an attempt to alleviate the nuisance factor I've been experiencing. :-) Sincerely Richard in Michigan Welcome to the Forum, IWC! At least you have brotherly help and advice; that is priceless because he has experience which is readily available. You probably know that lenses are in short supply globally, so you will have to shop around. The Summarits are probably easier to find and are excellent. For your M8 the 75 will give you the equivalent of 100mm focal length which is probably marginally better than a 90 in terms of usefulness, not performance. Only buy the 90 if your plan includes an upgrade to full-frame M9 in due course. It depends on your favoured genre. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted December 6, 2011 Share #8 Posted December 6, 2011 Congrats. Field of view should be your first issue IMO...based solely on your shooting style and preferences...then you can narrow down the lens choices within that focal length. Toward that end, just remember a couple of things. First, you have a preview lever on your M8 to let you see alternative fields of view. Use it, and your feet, to try to determine what, if anything, you're missing with your 35. Then, obviously, you must account for the crop factor and remember that you're currently using a rough equivalent to a 50mm lens on your eventual FF camera. (But, note that lens characteristics might change when you make the FF transition since the edges of the lens' rendering will not be cropped. For me, only the final print matters, so that requires actual use and experimentation.) I suggest one small step at a time. Lenses are big investments, and others' preferences and needs shouldn't dictate your choices. Happy shooting....and printing (I hope). Jeff Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Allsopp Posted December 6, 2011 Share #9 Posted December 6, 2011 Good luck with your new money pit! For what help it may be I have a 21mm Zeiss Biogon which is not flawless but is a very sharp lens for a lot less than the Leica equivalent and a 90mm Summarit which I think is wonderful. There are plenty of my pictures on here with these lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted December 6, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted December 6, 2011 Thanks guys, I will hopefully start with something in the low to mid 20's probably Zeiss as the Leica's are darn difficult to find and darned expensve. The 24 Elmar M does look interesting but I will really want to use this inside a lot, so f3.8 is gonna play havoc with the low light sensor performance (So far I have found 1250 ISO only really okay in B&W with a noisy film feel) I suspect I will end up with a 25 Zeiss or even the 21, which does look inetersting. I'll check out some of the pcitures here. I am liking the 35mm pre asph, I have also tries the 35 asph for a weekend from the good friend who sold me the camera and the pictures do seem to have a little more pop and clarity. My bro keeps bleating on about the early Cron's but from my very limited experience I prefer the asph (includingt he bokeh) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted December 7, 2011 Share #11 Posted December 7, 2011 Welcome to the Leica world and congratulations on the purchase. I personally would pick a 35/50mm as my first (if not only) lens. The rest then follows. Of course your shooting style will be different than mine, but the zeiss biogon is no slouch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share #12 Posted December 7, 2011 I have been offered a Leica 28mm Summicron Asph in mint condition, I am seriously tempted as this would a very nice 37mm. The reviews are very good the only negative is the hood size. Mixed views on bokeh but nothing I have seen shows an unpleasant bokeh. I wonder if this will be a keeper for an M9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted December 7, 2011 Share #13 Posted December 7, 2011 Certainly if you like the naturally wide angle of a 28 on full frame. 28-50-90 was my set for many years with my M3. All have been upgraded but I still have my original 50 Summicron V2. Beautiful for portraits. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJP Posted December 7, 2011 Share #14 Posted December 7, 2011 The 28 ASPH is a must have lens & hardly available 2nd hand as it is in the top league of Leica lenses (ranked no.2 af few years ago in a poll, after the 50 summilux ASPH). Indeed on the M8 it is very close to the classic 35 mm field of view. Small, silky smooth focus. I have stopped worrying about the standard hood, although there is also a circular vented metal hood that fits the bill (...... no not financially), not sure about the serial number for that off hand. Try the standard hood out first, it grows on you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clive Murray-White Posted December 7, 2011 Share #15 Posted December 7, 2011 You sound like quite a few of us, first a 2nd hand M8 thinking it'll be a nice intro for an M9+ etc but what lenses? And just as you have a Leica Brother I have a Leica friend. She swore by her Summicron 50 and after a bit of research I got a cron 50 v4 which I think is fantastic. (and not frighteningly expensive) What next? I needed a normal 50mm equiv i,e. 35 but fast along came a Voigtlander Nokton 35/1.2 even cheaper (eBay) than the Cron. Knowing no better I think this is a great lens. Needed a 90 even though everyone said they're a pain to use, eBayed, cheapest so far, an Elmarit no problems at all with 1.25 magnifier. Saw a nice looking little Colour Skopar 21/4 on eBay, Reid and Huff liked it, won it very cheaply - lucky! never thought I get into wide - an absolute joy, great little lens, I'm now sucked into pre-focus with it. Moral of the story......... owning an M8 doesn't have to break the bank and makes you question whether you will really need FF M9 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share #16 Posted December 7, 2011 I have heard that the Voigtlander 35/1.2 is a gem and the Zeiss 50/1.5 quite lovely too for the money. My brothers advice is start with one lens and get to know it, so if this 28 is a minter I think I will take the plunge. I have a copy of an old catalogue from the late 90's that he gave me with handwritten prices the 24mm f2.8 was £1300 then, so the 28 would have been similar money then ii was sited as 'new' then. I wish I had squirrelled one away ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted December 8, 2011 Share #17 Posted December 8, 2011 I have heard that the Voigtlander 35/1.2 is a gem and the Zeiss 50/1.5 quite lovely too for the money. My brothers advice is start with one lens and get to know it, so if this 28 is a minter I think I will take the plunge. I have a copy of an old catalogue from the late 90's that he gave me with handwritten prices the 24mm f2.8 was £1300 then, so the 28 would have been similar money then ii was sited as 'new' then. I wish I had squirrelled one away ! The Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 is a nice addition. I'm using mine more and more. Steve Gandy at Cameraquest still has some of the Version One lenses I believe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted December 8, 2011 Share #18 Posted December 8, 2011 I second your brother's advice about single focal lengths at first. I have 4 lenses, but have been sticking closely to my 28mm Ultron as I become more and more accustomed to shooting RF rather than SLR as a photographer. I've found 28mm genuinely is a nice focal length to shoot with on my M8 and validates the old adage about 35mm's being particularly well suited for the Rangefinder 'Style' of shooting. (28mm x 1.33 fov multiplier = 37.24mm -- which is close enuf to 35 for guv work imho) I also want to second Stephen Gandy as a nice retail source. I found my interactions with him via email to my liking and I found his website a nice resource on voigtlander lenses, cameras, accessories, and RF gear in general. As for the Zeiss M lenses, in general, if the price isn't Leica-Like then the lens was most likely made for them by Cosina in Japan. Coincidentally! Cosina happens to 'BE' Voigtlander. It is a brand name they purchased to put on the RF Lenses and Cameras they make and sell. (since expanded to slr options, too). The CEO of Cosina is a RF Nut from wayback, iirc, and Voigtlander essentially is his in house 'shop' to make the gear he thinks out to be being made in the field of rf photography: it is quite likely profitable in most endeavours, but unlikely a major profit center of cosina writ large. Sincerely, Richard in Michigan I have heard that the Voigtlander 35/1.2 is a gem and the Zeiss 50/1.5 quite lovely too for the money. My brothers advice is start with one lens and get to know it, so if this 28 is a minter I think I will take the plunge. I have a copy of an old catalogue from the late 90's that he gave me with handwritten prices the 24mm f2.8 was £1300 then, so the 28 would have been similar money then ii was sited as 'new' then. I wish I had squirrelled one away ! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestMichigan Posted December 9, 2011 Share #19 Posted December 9, 2011 Warning!~ Wide Aperture RF Photography can be an endeavour fraught with difficulty and can be especially daunting to someone new to the field. ie:how to tell what went wrong in a shot can be quite tricky - was it the lens, the technique, or the focus placement, or camera calibration, or lens calibration, or solar flares, maybe moon phase, etc. :-) The Voigtlander 35mm f/1.2 is a nice addition.I'm using mine more and more. Steve Gandy at Cameraquest still has some of the Version One lenses I believe. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted December 9, 2011 Share #20 Posted December 9, 2011 I don't see why the 28/2 would not be a keeper? It's an astounding lens. Yes the hood is huge, but you can always use it without the hood? If the price is a steal, I see the more reason to buy it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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