ananda Posted November 27, 2012 Share #1 Â Posted November 27, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I love my M9u but and while I have 2 lenses for it now. the 50 Lux Asph and the 28 Summicron, I have found that I rarely use the 28 and that the 50 is attached to the camera 98 percent of the time. True, I haven't taken a lot of photos recently, and I do have the M on order and am likely to get it rather fast once they hit the market next year. But also, I do have some concerns justifying the M from a financial standpoint and could sell the mint 28 and the M9u (also mint) and actually put some money in the bank owning just the M and the 50 Lux. This said, I wonder if there are many Leicaphiles who, not merely because they are not rich, who get by happily with a digital M and just a single, standard lens? Those who do certainly have a small kit, easy to carry on trips, etc. Â Any comments appreciated. Â (On the rare occasions I work as a journalist now at 65, yes, it's nice to shoot occasionally with the 28, but it certainly is not necessary to get the photos I need to post with an article written for a newspaper.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted November 27, 2012 Posted November 27, 2012 Hi ananda, Take a look here Who owns and uses just one lens for their M9 or other Leicas?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Hausen17 Posted November 27, 2012 Share #2 Â Posted November 27, 2012 I used to be a almost fulltime 50mm shooter with my M9 until I got the 28 Summicron. It is such a stellar lens that I now look for opportunities to use it. Is to good to leave in my bag and I now shoot a lot of Cityscapes/landscapes just so I can use the 28mm.mProbably use my 28mm 70% of the time now with my 50 normally stuck on y M6. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
iedei Posted November 27, 2012 Share #3 Â Posted November 27, 2012 my M8 almost exclusively runs with a 40mm Summicron. Such a fantastic lens in every way..... Â once in a while, i throw something else on there just to experiment----but 95% of the time i only have the 40mm Summicron on it....with nothing else in the bag. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
01af Posted November 27, 2012 Share #4 Â Posted November 27, 2012 If you want to use, or feel you'd be best off with, only one lens then why do you care about how many lenses other people are using? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andyedward Posted November 27, 2012 Share #5 Â Posted November 27, 2012 How about trading the 28 for a 35, which would be closer to your 50? l "only" have a 35 Lux at the moment, and a 50 will be my next focal length, followed by the 28 cron Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xpr.108 Posted November 28, 2012 Share #6  Posted November 28, 2012 I have been using the following setup for over two years now  M6 with 40 Rok M8 with 35 Rit (hoping to get 25ZM soon, fingers crossed)  I have never tempted to swap lens between bodies. I hate dust!!! :D:D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jagwar.jim Posted November 28, 2012 Share #7 Â Posted November 28, 2012 Advertisement (gone after registration) I know you said not merely for financial reasons, but that's why I only have one lens. Â I use the M7 and a 35mm Summicron. I actually think this set up is fine for me. One day I would like to have the 50mm Summilux, but realistically it may just be a gear thing. The extra stop of light would be nice though. I also would like a 90mm but again, I'm not sure I NEED it as much as I need my 35mm, it would just be nice to get that occasional shot. Â I don't think there is anything wrong with having just one lens, and if you use one almost exclusively, then why have the other? There may be the occasional time you want it, but just rework the shot with what you have. Either way it'll be a nice set up that you will have, and I will be jealous! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest arild Posted November 28, 2012 Share #8 Â Posted November 28, 2012 I shoot solely through a Summicron 28mm, and am very happy about it. There is a financial reason to this, and I will add a faster 35 and a 75/90 at some point in the future, but to me, the M9 is perfect for a 28mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted November 28, 2012 Share #9  Posted November 28, 2012 I only use a 50mm Summilux ASPH on an MM at the moment  28mm, 35mm and 50mm are my favourite focal lengths  I flit between a 28 and 50 and just a 35 The 50 and 28 is more versatile and allows more flattering portraits as well as tighter street scenes, the 28 is great for buildings and people in close proximity. I actually prefer the 50mm for landscapes.  The advantages of the 35 are that it can be used for all. It has a slightly more "epic" feel for street then 50mm which is more claustrophobic. 35 is also the last wide which can be shot without distortion at the sides, 28 shows side distortion particularly for near subjects. The disadvantage of a 35 only is the non flattering nature of portraits and having to be quite close to the subject all the time.  In truth I haven't decided. As I am unlikely to be rich anytime soon I will stay with the 50 for some time, possibly picking up a 28mm biogon or 28mm Leica next year. Theoretically I would be happy with the 35mm FLE and the 50 but its too expensive to buy and to insure.  Oh I forgot to mention I have an X2, which I use for colour and 36mm  Rgds Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinnfell Posted November 28, 2012 Share #10 Â Posted November 28, 2012 For the first ten years of my Leicaography I used a 50mm only. Not for financial reasons, I had both a M6 and a R8 each with a 50mm. Â However, I find that in retrospect this was invaluable to my photographic development, as a 50mm lens does never "help" you in any way to achieve an interesting picture. Its all on you. Â I have since expanded my lens collection, but the 50mm remains closest to my heart. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MarcRF Posted November 28, 2012 Share #11  Posted November 28, 2012 since I'll be getting a second body soon I'll have three lenses. the 50 will be on one camera permanently, the other camera will switch between 28 and 90. these focal lengths are perfect for me.  I think about adding another standard (35/50 summarit, 50 c-sonnar... something like that) so I dont have to change that much  50 seems to be perfect focal length to me, but the 50 needs more support as a 35. I could shoot a 2 lens kit with 35 and 75/90 too. with a 50 I'll need something wider and something more tele like. glad I already have my holy trinity Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
THEME Posted November 28, 2012 Share #12 Â Posted November 28, 2012 I recently shot the M Monochrom with exactly your combo, Ananda. Â While I was so eager to use the 28 Cron, it soon felt needless alongside the 50 Lux. Â What a piece of glass. Â I think with these two lenses you have the basics covered -- and as you're not using your camera too often any other lens you'd buy would most likely as well not be used too much. Â Thinking about a one-lens only setup, today I'd go for the 50 Lux. But tomorrow maybe for the 35 Lux. Or back to the 28mm. Â But it's not without reason that the 50 is considered to be THE standard lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
borowiec Posted November 28, 2012 Share #13 Â Posted November 28, 2012 I use just one lens for 99.99% of my work, and have done so for three decades. From 1981-2009 I used a Fuji GW690 with a 90mm lens, which is the equivalent of 39mm on 35mm, though I also had a Fuji with a 65mm (28mm equivalent). I think in all those years I shot with the 65mm on only three days. Â In 2009 I began using an M8u with a 28mm, which is 38mm in 35mm terms; later that year I got the M9, which I use with a 40mm Summicron. I also carry a 28mm but have used it only twice. I still have 35mm, 50mm, and 90mm Leica lenses left over from my photojournalist days in the late 70s but keep them mainly out of nostalgia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
A miller Posted November 28, 2012 Share #14 Â Posted November 28, 2012 With regard to you question of whether you can get the most out of you Leica experience by investing in one lens. I think this depends on how much you can fend off you urge! One possible way that you can placate you urge would be to "pick up" (I use this term deliberately rather than "invest") one or two older vintage Leica lenses that may have some cosmetic wear but clean glass. You could probably pick up a vintage 90mm and 35mm for outdoor shooting for around $500 each. These are classics and, while they may not be ultra-technically pure like the current versions, they are quite stellar in their own right and will provide years of pleasure, especially knowing that you didn't sell the farm to acquire them. And they hold their value. Â Good luck in your decision! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Messsucherkamera Posted November 28, 2012 Share #15 Â Posted November 28, 2012 One lens?? I wouldn't wish such an onerous fate on anyone! Â Shooting with one lens is another matter. I never truly understood the proper application of a wide lens until I took a street photography workshop and put 30 rolls of Tri-X through my 28 Summicron and MP in a week's time. Â If you want to learn how to use a particular lens, shoot one to two rolls of 36 exposure film through it every day for a month (or an equal number of frames if you work digitally). Look at your images - deconstruct them. Notice what works and what doesn't. Â After a month (or three, six, or twelve months, if you choose) you won't be a "Master Photographer" (whatever that is) - but you will have a good understanding of your lens. Â I highly recommend this exercise for anyone who is serious about photography. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted November 29, 2012 Share #16 Â Posted November 29, 2012 Agree with Messsucherkamera. Â It's not about investing in one lens. With such a wide and excellent spread of lenses from Leica, CV, Zeiss and others, you should explore purchasing more than one. Â Rather it is about investing your time, with each lens. Â These days, rather than go out with a bag of lenses, I only go out with one lens at a time. You appreciate your lens better, you know exactly what you can or cannot do, and your photography improves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnuyork Posted December 2, 2012 Share #17 Â Posted December 2, 2012 currently I only own the summicron 50 (latest version) for my M6. If I got another, first in line would be the summicron 28, then maybe the 90. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted December 3, 2012 Share #18 Â Posted December 3, 2012 I lied, just bought a 35mm as well Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralf Posted December 3, 2012 Share #19  Posted December 3, 2012 I lied, just bought a 35mm as well  Which one? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted December 3, 2012 Share #20  Posted December 3, 2012 Which one?  Latest 35mm Summarit  I have the 50mm Summilux ASPH for low light and portrait The 35mm will be a "mostly daylight" walk around lens for city and street, although f2.5 is actually pretty good for most low light, especially combined with the high ISO capability of the MM. The MTA curves for the Summarit are wonderful and there is no focus shift. The focus throw is also quite short, more like the Summiluxes. I prefer it to the Summicron. The 35mm FLE would be nice but overkill and overspend Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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