Flamez Posted June 8, 2012 Share #1 Posted June 8, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I currently have a Leica 8.2 with 35 and 75 summarit lenses. 35mm [46 on full frame] is too narrow for landscapes etc. I am considering either an 18mm or 21mm Elmarit for this purpose. I guess my quandary is, is 21mm wide enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 8, 2012 Posted June 8, 2012 Hi Flamez, Take a look here How wide?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Digital~Nomad Posted June 8, 2012 Share #2 Posted June 8, 2012 Hi, your 35mm on a full frame camera the M6/7/9 will still be a 35mm focal length,you get the 46mm focal length by putting the 35 mm on the M8/8.2 crop sensor camera..therefore a 21mm lens on the M8.2 would work out at 28mm once mounted.Have you thought about the Voigtlander 15mm f4.5 it would work out at the 21mm that your looking for if you mount it on your M8.2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtoh Posted June 8, 2012 Share #3 Posted June 8, 2012 My opinion of going wide should not be just about containing subjects in the frame. I suggest you also think about what else can be done with the dynamics of a wide lens. Try google for some wide angle/super wide angle shots, go beyond just sceneries, hope this helps. Regards, Daryl http://dtohphoto.com Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbray Posted June 8, 2012 Share #4 Posted June 8, 2012 I have the CV15mm f4.5 which is superb value and great as a wide angle which is as wide as I would ever want to go. I have over the years used slightly longer lenses (i.e. over 50mm "real" length) and find that my 35mm Summilux is my most used lens on the M8.2. The 15mm gets most use inside, especially in churches and cathedrals - landscape wise it is a bit wide unless there is sufficient interest in the foreground to balance its wideness. However, I have used it in the street without framing anything, just leaving the camera hanging around my neck, with the lens on f5.6 or f8 if sunny and prefocused. You can get some interesting shots without anyone having any idea you are taking pictures. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamez Posted June 8, 2012 Author Share #5 Posted June 8, 2012 I have the CV15mm f4.5 which is superb value and great as a wide angle which is as wide as I would ever want to go. I have over the years used slightly longer lenses (i.e. over 50mm "real" length) and find that my 35mm Summilux is my most used lens on the M8.2. The 15mm gets most use inside, especially in churches and cathedrals - landscape wise it is a bit wide unless there is sufficient interest in the foreground to balance its wideness. However, I have used it in the street without framing anything, just leaving the camera hanging around my neck, with the lens on f5.6 or f8 if sunny and prefocused. You can get some interesting shots without anyone having any idea you are taking pictures. Hi mbray, do you use the ir/uv filter with the voigtlander 15? Do you have any issues with cyan corners etc? Have you coded the lens or do you turn lens detection off? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 8, 2012 Share #6 Posted June 8, 2012 The version 1 (screw mount) CV 15/4.5 is a tiny lens of superb value and becomes a 20/4.5 on your M8.2. But there is a trick to attaching a UV/IR filter because the 15/4.5 v1 has no filter thread. Various and complicated methods have been devised from wrapping the edge of the filter in tape and jamming it in to dissembling the lens and replacing the hood with one that takes Series-something filters (not advised). The way I've done it is with a small piece of thick tape (roughly draught-excluder tape thickness) stuck to the inside of the hood and a Leica 39mm UV/IR filter wedged in back to front (to prevent the filter from making contact with the prominent front element). It seems a bit 'Heath-Robinson' at first but you soon get used to it, it's simple and easy, and it's worked for me for 5 years. Pete. Edit: I've just seen your post: you can code the LTM 15/4.5 with a LTM to M adaptor from either John Milich or from jinfinance on eBay but make sure to get the adaptor that brings up the 28/90 frame lines or your M8.2 won't recognise the 6-bit code. I coded mine as a 21/2.8 Elmarit (pre-asph), which seems to give the best correction for red-edge etc. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digital~Nomad Posted June 8, 2012 Share #7 Posted June 8, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have the voigtlander 15mm version 2 (m mount) and have a 52mm uv/ir filter fitted as the version has the threads to allow this. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbray Posted June 8, 2012 Share #8 Posted June 8, 2012 Hi mbray, do you use the ir/uv filter with the voigtlander 15? Do you have any issues with cyan corners etc? Have you coded the lens or do you turn lens detection off? I have the version 2 so no problems with UV/IR filter (B&W 486 52mm). I have coded the lens as a 21 Elmarit although my M8.2 is a little temperamental with coding. So I have created two Cornerfix profiles - one coded and the other not coded - that gives the best of both worlds. I do find I use black and white with a fair number of shots with that lens so it then becomes irrelevant. Martin Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wda Posted June 8, 2012 Share #9 Posted June 8, 2012 The 21mm Elmarit (28mm Equivalent) is a very useful focal length for landscape and I rarely feel the need for wider. But it is a very personal choice. Compositions become more challenging with the widest wide angle lenses. I do find this lens excellent on my M8 and it is one of my favourites. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Revdockj Posted June 8, 2012 Share #10 Posted June 8, 2012 I have found the WATE (16-18-21) to be amazing on my M8. I have taken some of my best pictures with this combination--even though I am using it on my M9 and M9-P now. Of course, a Millich adapter for the IR filter is almost mandatory. Ken Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamez Posted June 9, 2012 Author Share #11 Posted June 9, 2012 After some great comments on here, i am going to plump for the Voigtlander 15. Its a decent price with good results to try the new world of wide angle photography. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 9, 2012 Share #12 Posted June 9, 2012 A good choice imho and now you only have to decide between version 1 or version 2. My advice would be to go for a v1 because it is tiny, less expensive, lighter and focusses down to 300mm. On the con side you'll need to use a LTM-M adaptor, you'll need some tape to attach the filter and it isn't rangefinder coupled. Owing to its naturally huge depth of field I haven't ever found the absence of coupling to cause a photo to be out of focus unless shot at 300mm when scale focussing is sufficient anyway. I know forum members who swear by f/11 and focussing a smidge back from infinity for luck with this lens. Personally I don't usually use it with a smaller aperture than f/8 'as good practice' but I haven't noticed diffusion being a problem at f/11 either. Good luck with whatever you choose! Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 9, 2012 Share #13 Posted June 9, 2012 I was in the same quandary in 2006 when I got my M8. I tried the CV 15mm but I never found a satisfactory solution to colour vignetting. So I decided on 18mm. The Super-Elmar did not exist at that time so I got myself a Distagon ZM. There existed no 18mm coding so I changed the bayonet and coded it as a 'pre-aspherical' 21mm Elmarit. So I had a very nice '24mm' lens. It works quite well on my M9 too with the latest firmware, so I have never felt any urge to re-code it, which would take another bayonet change. The old man from the Kodachrome Age Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jazzwave Posted June 12, 2012 Share #14 Posted June 12, 2012 So far I'm happy with CV Skopar 21/4,I skip CV 15/4.5 because to much distorsion. If i have big buck ,I will upgrade to LEICA SUPER-ELMAR-M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH. regards Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 12, 2012 Share #15 Posted June 12, 2012 ... I skip CV 15/4.5 because to much distortion. ... Considering that it's ultra-wide, the 15/4.5 isn't normally accused of suffering from excessive distortion and mine doesn't either so perhaps you had a poor sample. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
IWC Doppel Posted June 15, 2012 Share #16 Posted June 15, 2012 I really liked my 21 Elmarit asph on the M8, it still have the look in terms of perspective of wide and although only 28 equivalent it looks and feels wider Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrisRose Posted June 15, 2012 Share #17 Posted June 15, 2012 I find my CV 15mm too wide for landscape and that most of my best shots were the CV 21mm with the CV 40mm in 2nd place. I had access to 15/21/35/40/50/90 and suitable viewfinders for the M8 for all of them The 15mm is best for architectural IMHO Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikenic Posted June 15, 2012 Share #18 Posted June 15, 2012 FWIW, I have to say that I really don't think the extreme wide-angle lenses are necessarily best for landscape work. If this is obvious to you, please ignore. I used a 28mm Elmarit to good effect for landscapes (when I had the M8, now have M9) and using wider glass tended to give problems as to what to do with foregrounds. Wide angles (eg 12mm) I tended to use when I had interesting skies. An "L" bracket and stitching is also another useful technique. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
farnz Posted June 16, 2012 Share #19 Posted June 16, 2012 One of the things that make the CV 15/4.5 particularly good for landscape photography imho is its 300 mm close focus distance that maximises the capture of detail in foreground features and at the horizon line by using hyperfocal distance, which enhances the illusion of depth in a scene. Pete. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimleicam3 Posted June 17, 2012 Share #20 Posted June 17, 2012 How many have used the 18mm? I have the 35 cron as my widest, but am looking wider. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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