Transition to Leica M8

[mobine]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

This is my initial post as I've recently decided to move up to a Leica M8, an upgrade from my current Nikon system. Over the past year I have mainly used a 50mm lens and ocassionally a borrowed 180mm (it was all I could afford at the time). I've been looking into a few lenses based upon forum posts and online articles and have narrowed it down to a Leica 35mm Summicron ASPH, Leica 28mm M-Elmarit, Leica 50mm Summilux, 28-35-50 Tri-Elmar lens (although the price is a bit of a stretch) or a 15mm lens (Leica or Voigtlander). I still consider myself an amateur photographer but am continually improving, I mainly shoot portraits and landscapes. I'm planning on a prolonged European trip this summer and would love to limit the lenses I carry. Any suggestions on a first lens for the Leica M would be greatly appreciated, I am open to Zeiss and Voigtlander lenses.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[farnz]

Hector,

 

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on choosing the M8; I hope you'll be as impressed with it as I am!

 

There are a number of threads covering this issue and the general concensus on the first lens appears to be, for travel, the 28-35-50 Tri-Elmar if the speed's not an issue, or the 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH.

 

Personally I went for the new 28/2.8 Elmarit ASPH because I'm used to ultra wides and this lens is tiny but excellent.

 

Pete.

[marknorton]

The Tri-Elmars are indeed great lenses for travel where inevitably the flexibility is welcome. For a first lens though, I think it's good to leave the zoom thing behind and get used to a world where twirling the zoom ring is not part of the process.

 

If I was starting out, I'd be thinking of a 35/1.4 as my first lens...

[philipotto]

I don't own an M8. Yet.

 

So I am hardly qualified to answer, but my first lens would be a 28mm Summicron ASPH.

My second and third lens would be 50mm Summilux ASPH and APO 75mm Summicron ASPH.

[gesper]

I got the 35 cron first and have been really happy with it, but if I could do it over I would probably get the 28 cron. However, if you want to save some money and want small size the 28 Elmarit APSH is tough to beat.

[MarcRochkind]

I was almost in the same situation, except that my Nikon equipment didn't go anywhere... it still does things that an M can't do very well.

 

What I did was go through lots of shots with my D70 and D200 looking at the EXIF data to see what focal length I used on my zooms. (Note that the M8 doesn't even record focal length, although usually you already know.)

 

I had some wide angle shots, but just as many, if not more, at more than about 30mm. So that told me that I'd better start with 35mm, as 28mm would be a bit too wide. (Factor is 1.3, not 1.5.) Also, I wanted to revisit what it was like when I started 40 years ago with just a "normal" lens.

 

My second lens will probably be the wide Tri-Elmar, but that won't be for a while.

 

Long lenses (>=90mm, and mabe even 75mm) go on an SLR.

 

--Marc

[lars_bergquist]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

The 35 mm lenses on an M8 are equivalent to about 46.6 mm, which is actually about 5 mm shorter than the real length of a Leica 50 (c. 52 mm). This makes it considerably more usable for general photography, as I have found. I would start with 35 mm. The Summilux ASPH is a wonderful lens, but I am also using my old 35 'spherical' Summicron (1983 issue) which does remarkably well on an M8. Its extreme compactness makes it an ideal 'walkabout lens'.

 

If you are aiming eventually for a multi-lens kit, then the 28 Summicron is unbeatable. Tack sharp all over from go (1:2) and incredibly resistant to flare and reflexes and all other kinds of wayward light. This is extremely important in a working lens but often forgotten. The 28 'in digital' is really a short standard, the way 35 mm was on the full format, and seldom wide in a troublesome way. The obvious second lens would be 75 mm. If your bank account is beginning to smart by then, do try the Cosina-Voigtländer offer -- it is remarkably good, in spite of the very reasonable price.

 

The old man from the Age of the Screw Thread Leica

[james_h]

Marc -

The M8 will record the focal length if your lens has the 6bit coding and also the max aperture available, (although there are 1 or 2 exceptions).

However it does not record the focal lengths of the TE or the WATE.

 

Regards

Jim

 

EDIT

 

I stand corrected

See Jaaps post below - Thanks Jaap,

[jaapv]

Marc -

The M8 will record the focal length if your lens has the 6bit coding and also the max aperture available, (although there are 1 or 2 exceptions).

However it does not record the focal lengths of the TE or the WATE.

 

Regards

Jim

 

Sorry - it does record the focal lenghts of the "normal" Tri-Elmar.

[intex]

If I were to begin with a Leica 35mm lens, other than price, will I notice a big difference between th 35mm Sumicron F2.0 and the 35mm F1.4 ?

[lars_bergquist]

If I were to begin with a Leica 35mm lens, other than price, will I notice a big difference between th 35mm Sumicron F2.0 and the 35mm F1.4 ?

 

Yes, a price increase of about 50 %! Is it worth it? Depends on what you're shooting, and where, and when. The 'lux is nearly as good at 1.4 as the 'cron at 2.0 however -- this is a great difference from the good old days when you paid a heavy quality penalty for a one stop speed increase, not only wide open but all the way up into the mid-apertures! That for instance was the case with the older 35 mm Summilux--Summicron pair. That original 'lux was a real dog.

 

The old man from the Age B.C. (Before Coating)

[stunsworth]

That 'dog' of a Summilux was my only Leica lens for about 18 months - used on an M2. I now read all the comments about how bad it was, but at the time I never noticed. In fact I wish I'd never sold it.

[innerimager]

mobine- Since you have mostly used a 50 on your nikon, which I assume is a DSLR rather than film, the question is do you like that field of view/ Did you choose the 50 over say a 35 for that reason? If so, then consider a 50mm as your first lens. It will be "wider" than the nikon 1.3 vs 1.5 crop, thereby give more latitude in use. If you were to go with a 50, than the 50 lux asph is the best 50 made. I went for the 35 lux asph for my first, but quickly succumbed and added several more. But the 35 lux will probably be the most used, by a hair...though once I get the 50 lux I may change my mind! best....Peter

[mwalker649]

I just made the transition myself. Camera West recommended to me, since my budget was under 10K, the 28mm f2.8 Elmarit, which I am VERY happy with and the 50mm f2 Summicron which I also like (however if I could swing it I'd go with the Summilux) and the CV 15mm with the 21mm view finder. All just under 10k.

[tom0511]

If I had to decide just one f1.4 lens or two f2.0 lenses (same amount of money) I would rather go for 2 lenses, without f1.4

 

It pretty much depends on what you like to shoot, and you said you goit along with 50mm on a 1.5crop Nikon, so it sounds a 50 for the M8 would give you the same.

 

I personally would og as follows:

1 lens limitation: either 28/2.0 (or, if you dont do available light: Tri-Elmar)

2 lens limitation: 28 and 50 or, better: Tri-Elmar and a 35mm (for low light, either f2.0 or if cost is ok: f1.4)

 

I own moat of the primes, but recently have aquired a Tri-Elmar and love to use it on the M8.

 

As I said before: I would rather get 2 or 3 somewhat slower, or older, or other brand lenses instead of only one superfast asph lens (if budget is mimited in that way)

 

regards, Tom

[mobine]

Thanks for all the great hints. The reason I initially chose the 50mm for the DSLR was for a specific project. It was the initiating factor to me becoming interested in photopgraphy. As a grad student I couldn't afford anymore. I like the 50mm but would like a greater FOV as I find myself taking more landscapes. I am therefore leaning towards a 35mm. Would you recommend a Leica lens or would a Voigtlander or Zeiss be good as intro lenses?

[Guest Olof]

as a first lens i recommend a Summilux 50mm ASPH. Great for portraits and availible light. Then (because you need a light equippment) go for a 2.8 28mm ASPH, it gives you a very high contrast OR (as i have done, go for a 24mm ASPH and a 4.0 Macro Elmarit)

[albertknappmd]

I would probably opt for the 35 f/1.4 (lux) or the f/2 (cron). The latter is a bargain price-wise and is an ideal newbie lens that can always be sold and upgraded. Consider both the Tri-Elmar and even the new WATE as future multi-purpose lenses that can be purchased nce you are comfortable with the M8:)