Either a 50, 75, or 90mm to go with my current lenses

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

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Guys,

I am going on a Photo trip to Vietnam in October and I will have with me my;

· M9-P

· Super Elmar 21mm f3.4

· Summicron 35mm f2

I need something longer to take with me and was first of all thinking about a Summicron 75 or 90mm, but read reviews that these were both difficult to focus fully open. So I was thinking I would go for a Summilux 50mm f1.4 instead and hope that this will be long enough.

My wife will be with me so I can always use her Nikon with a 110mm on it if I need to go long.

Anyway any help advice would be much appreciated

[Peter H]

I use a 90mm Elmarit-M (2.8) on my M9 when I need something long. It must be one of the easiest lenses to focus accurately that I've ever used, and is capable of truly beautiful results.

 

I'd recommend it highly, and if you can find a good one, they're still very reasonably priced compared with new lenses.

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[farnz]

I use my 90 APO-Summicron ASPH with my M9-P and I don't' have any trouble focussing wide open. You have to remember that for every person that posts that they have a problem on an internet forum there are at least 10 who don't (but who don't post that they don't have a problem).

 

Pete.

[kanzlr]

well it depends a lot on what you want to achieve with a long lens.

what kind of images do you think you will make with it?

 

or asked differently: what is it that you miss now?

[IWC Doppel]

I would be tempted to consider a 50mm first tbh, again what circumstances you are looking at needing a longer lens is a good question.

 

Looking at depth of field with fast long lenses does make accuracy more important, however my only long lens the 90 Elmarit-M f2.8 I find no probelms with focussing.

 

A 90mm at F2.8, 2m away the depth of fieldis just 8-9cm, similar to a Noctilux (50mm f1.0). your 35mm at F2 has something like 40cm, so four times as much. At least according to a free DOF calculator app !

[bocaburger]

Guys,

I am going on a Photo trip to Vietnam in October and I will have with me my;

· M9-P

· Super Elmar 21mm f3.4

· Summicron 35mm f2

I need something longer to take with me and was first of all thinking about a Summicron 75 or 90mm, but read reviews that these were both difficult to focus fully open. So I was thinking I would go for a Summilux 50mm f1.4 instead and hope that this will be long enough.

My wife will be with me so I can always use her Nikon with a 110mm on it if I need to go long.

Anyway any help advice would be much appreciated

 

Hard for me to guage your shooting preferences and weight tolerance, so anything that follows is based on my own. I have always found 35 and 50 too close together to bother carrying both lenses at the same time. It's an either-or proposition based on an estimate of the venue in question. 28-50-135 if mainly longer distances, 21-35-90 if more confined. Adding the little CV 15mm is an option in both cases. I've never been to Vietnam but based on Thailand and Myanmar my choice would be the longer setup.

 

Having the smallest bag possible, and then lighter weight, are two very primary concerns of mine when traveling. Truth be told, I'd much rather shoot with a 5D and a couple of stabilized zooms, but I just can't stand to lug it around all day. Although I own a 90 Summicron, I don't take it on trips if there's much walking to be done. I had an Elmarit-M at one time, and it wasn't so much smaller or lighter for lack of the additional stop which can prove very beneficial against camera shake with a longer lens. My choice is a thin T-E, which is barely larger than a 50 Cron. Another great one is the CV 90/3.5 APO-Lanthar. A little bigger than the thin T-E but still fairly light and compact, and the optical performance (at least on the sample I had) was excellent. Not a lot of money either, so if you only use it occasionally you don't have a ton of dough tied up in it.

[DLS]

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Recently went to China and brought 18mm Super Elmar, 35mm Summicron, 50mm Noctilux, and 75mm Summicron. In the final analysis I took too much and my bag was too heavy (of course, had anything happened to one lens, the fact that I was 7,500 miles from home and had my other lenses would have made carrying everything worthwhile). The Noctilux was on the M9 for 90% of the time. I used the 18mm a little in attempting to capture the scale of some spaces I experienced, and went back to the 35mm for half a day just to see what it would be like to carry less weight, but the Noctilux captured my heart and was long enough for everything I wanted to shoot. The 75mm never made it out of the case. In the end, I didn't want to change lenses and stuck with what felt best in my hands and looked best when I reviewed the images form the day each night. So I guess I'm recommending the 50mm Summilux if you can get your hands on one. It's a great lens.

[kdriceman]

Focusing a 50 f/1.4 wide open is no easier for me than a 75 f/2 wide open. Having said that, I find I use my 50 much more than my 90 and, in fact, find the 50 a very versatile focal length. If you and your wife are going to be carrying 2 cameras anyway, I would get a 50 and use the Nikon/110mm for the long stuff.

[Scarlet]

I don't have the 90 Summicron but the (imho) better bang for the buck 90 Elmarit-M. It's easy-peasy to focus.

 

Anyway, 75 and 90 cannot by any stretch of the imagination be called "long". If you really wish to have a longer lens then your choice should be between 90 and 135.

 

The 135 APO Telyt is a good performer but the slight speed advantage on a digital body over the 135 Tele-Elmar is not worth the price difference.

[thighslapper]

My 75/2 was hopeless 'out of the box' and has been back to Solms for remedial treatment.

 

Now it's ok, and I have to say I really like this lens..... although it's not one that I reach for most of the time...

 

In my hands I found the DOF with the 90/2 so shallow that it was useless for portraits wide open and for anything that wasn't completely static a real problem. It's also heavy and I found it less ergonomic in use than that other monster ...the 50/0.95. I much prefer the 90/4 ..... it's short, light and much easier to hand hold at lower speeds so the lack of a few stops is partially nullified.

 

If I had to choose it would be the 75/2..... as long as you have a well adjusted copy....

 

Like DLS ..... if I take my Noctilux it tends to stay on the camera 24/7...... it really can do everything and is a delight to use .... focus is spot on and easy due to the long focus throw.

 

Otherwise if 50 takes my fancy and I'm taking other heavyish lenses, its the 50/2.8 collapsible which is a super little compact lens.

 

Last trip to France was a boot full of lenses but I only ever carried around the 90/4, 21/3.4 and Noctilux on the camera.

 

Depends if you want a holiday with some photography or a photographic endurance test carting around a pile of stuff you may never use.......

 

I guarantee you will not miss what you have left behind..... but you may well regret hauling around more than you need.....

Edited July 30, 2012 by thighslapper

[Ecaton]

Have a look at the Summarits 75 or 90, they are both excellent. 21, 35 and 75 plus a NEX 7 with Novoflex adapter as a spare tire type of back up and to ad versatility is what I'd put into my bag for a Vietnam trip.

[algrove]

Not knowing your precise likes, needs, etc. so here's my take. Go real wide (18 or 21) and go real long (135 or a 90), then use a 35 or 50 in the middle depending on your likes and style. It also depends on what I want to shoot on a trip and if I will be shooting at night or under dimly lit conditions. Then again when I go for landscapes I go wide and long and also something in the middle too. I always try to plan for low light situations and as such always take one 1.4, 1.0 or 0.95 lens along. When in a city looking for street shots I use a 21/1.4 or 24/1.4, but that is my taste. I have 3.4 etc in those focal lengths, but find the 1.4 works 24/7 as they say.

 

I am 70 and have no problem climbing to the top of a high up Chateau in France or up sand dunes and in higher altitudes than I live-18 feet above sea level. As such I carry too many lenses, but use each and every one. Example, went to France/Spain for 4 months and took 18/3.4, 21/1.4, 35/1.4, 50/1.0, 90/2.0 and 135/3.4. Used each one and many times was glad I took the 135 at the last minute. Out in the country my most used lens was the 90 and 35 next. Only regret, I had only one body with me. Did not experience any failure, but sometimes missed shots while a changing lenses. Never again, now I got 3 bodies. I will always take two bodies in the future and probably not three. But for those times I get back home and leave within a week or two that third body will someday come in handy when I do have a mechanical failure.

 

Does your wife have a FF camera? If not, then consider getting her one so your combination of shots are similar in file size and you can share M lenses. If she has a small sensor Nikon leave it at home and split up your Leica gear between you two. Then each can carry 2 lenses and one body each. To me 110 on a Nikon is not so long. Now if you had said a 70-200 and also carrying a 1.4 teleconverter that would make sense to me. I will only use my Nikon gear for wildlife trips to come when I can sit on my ass in a Jeep or whatever when I'm 80. Until then I walk, walk, walk and love every second of it. Remember you can always leave a lens or two locked up in a suitcase in your hotel room so switching lenses for the next days outing is easy.

Edited July 30, 2012 by algrove

[Guest NEIL-D-WILLIAMS]

Not knowing your precise likes, needs, here's my take. Go real wide (18) and go real long (135 or a 90), then use a 35 or 50 in the middle depending on your likes and style. It also depends on what I want to shoot on a trip and if I will be soothing at night or under dimly lit conditions. Then again when I go for landscapes I go wide and long and also something in the middle too. I always try to plan for low light situations and as such always take one 1.4, 1.0 or 0.95 lens along. When in a city looking for street shots I use a 21/1.4 or 24/1.4, but that is my taste. I have 3.4 etc in those focal lengths, but find the 1.4 works 24/7 as they say.

 

I am 70 and have no problem climbing to the top of a high up Chateau in France or up sand dunes and in higher altitudes than I live-18 feet above sea level. As such I carry too many lenses, but use each and every one. Example, went to France/Spain for 4 months and took 18/3.4, 21/1.4, 35/1.4, 50/1.0, 90/2.0 and 135/3.4. Used each one and many times was glad I took the 135 at the last minute. Only regret, i had only one body with me. Did not experience any failure, but sometimes missed shots while a changing lenses. Never again, now I got 3 bodies. I will always take two bodies in the future and probably not three.

 

Does your wife have a FF camera? If not, then consider getting her one so your combination of shots are similar in file size and you can share M lenses. If she has a small sensor Nikon leave it at home and split up your Leica gear between you two. Then each can carry 2 lenses and one body each. To me 110 on a Nikon is not so long. Now if you had said a 70-200 and also carrying a 1.4 teleconverter that would make sense to me. I will only use my Nikon gear for wildlife trips to come.

My wife uses a D5100 so her 110 on that is ~160mm I have a D3s with all the f2.8 zooms but number one she (my wife) isn’t going to carry any of that stuff and she thinks the M9 only cost 1000 bucks so I don’t want to go down the road where I need to buy her a M9:):)

Anyway I already have a 35mm and have ordered the 21mm so it’s just that in between lens that I want for say a certain sunset or someone working in the middle of a paddy field etc etc

Eventually I will get the 50 f1.4 but I don’t think I will get it for this trip, so it’s between the 75 & 90 and I am edging towards the 75mm f2 but ...............................

[algrove]

I hear you.

 

In this case why not get a Elmarit-M 90 for $150 to $200. My guesstimate of around 1/7 the actual price. Very sharp little lens with a nice reach. You could even get one for the trip, use it and then resell it for probably what you paid. I like its smallish barrel and longer feel which packs very well. I tend to use Zing neoprene bags within my shoulder bag when traveling and then use lenses during the day without covers. This f2.8 lens is something to consider. Hey when the M9 price falls to your wife's price level I will take 3, please.

 

I just happened to remember I have an old Hector 135 which is as sharp as ever. In the US they sell for around US$100. That is a good option for very little money, but how can you tell your wife that it cost just $15? I bet she told you her last dress or pair of shoes cost way less than she paid too. Just playing with you.

[akiralx]

75 Summarit f/2.5 or 90 Macro-Elmar f/4 (the latter very small and light, can also do 3:1 macro with included goggles).

[Scarlet]

In this case why not get a Elmarit-M 90 for $150 to $200.

 

A zero seems to have fallen off from these prices methinks. Still the Elmarit-M can be had for little. Mine cost 500€ due to a minor scratch on the glass and scuffing on the barrel.

[algrove]

A zero seems to have fallen off from these prices methinks. Still the Elmarit-M can be had for little. Mine cost 500€ due to a minor scratch on the glass and scuffing on the barrel.

 

Agree, but look at OP's post #13 where he quotes his wife 1/7 of normal prices.

[Messsucherkamera]

If you are into portraiture, the 75/2 would be a great choice, especially for hand held shots.

 

Otherwise I would probably consider the 50/1.4 - the 21, 35 and 50 would be a great three lens kit. The 50 will serve well for portraits too.

[rramesh]

Like you, I started with the 35 Summicron, added a 21 Color-Skopar and a 90 Elmarit-M. Now I am getting the 50 Summilux as there are situations I need a faster lens and something between the 35 and a 90.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[tobey bilek]

It depends entirely on what type of subjects you wish to capture.

 

I would take a Nikon DX with 18/105 and the Leica kit u have. You will find the auto focus liberating for quick people shots. weight not different from a 50 1.4. or75.

 

Fine tune the AF & get a Lowe Pro Sling bag because it does not look like a camera bag