Which SINGLE fixed/ prime lens would you take on a family vacation

[zlatkob]

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I f I could only take a SINGLE lens on a family holiday it would without doubt be a 35.

 

I agree: any 35mm lens. It has a very natural way of seeing. Not too narrow. Not too wide. It's a very social lens that likes to be among people, but it also loves landscapes.

[IWC Doppel]

Good advice so far. I would take my 35 f1.4 for versatility of speed, DOF and perspective but I'd be pretty happy and perhaps have a slightly more challenging time with something like a 28 or 50.

 

I'd be very happy with my 28 Summicron, or 50 pre asph Summilux. I'd survive without too much frustration with my small f2.8 35 or 50

 

To answer your question with my selection of lenses (8 in all) I'd pop my 35 Summilux on and be very happy. But if there was a lot of outdoor I might be tempted to take my Summaron as its small, beautiful to use, sharp and classic in its rendering and it's good to really get to know your less used lenses. I did exactly this for a weekend in Zurich recently

[Guest MarcRF]

I was able to shoot a dimly lit room with a christmas tree in it with a f/2.5 aperture hand-held. if I can do that you might be able to shoot pretty much anything indoors with it too. outdoors isnt a problem anyway. I'd go for it.

 

I suggest that if you're not into night time shooting go for either the 35 summarit or something similar (color skopar, c-biogon, classic nokton.... they're all comparably cheap)

[tobey bilek]

Are you not sorry you asked.

 

It depends if you have a crop sensor M8 or full size one like M9.

 

I would suggest a middle of the road lens, 40 mm for M9. use 35 mm frame lines for distance, 50 for close .

 

or a 35 mm

[exile]

For small size, reasonably fast aperture and useful focal length the 28cron would be hard to beat. But it is expensive.

 

Personally I would take a 35, 40 or 50cron (actually 40/2 CLE for me) on the M9 and a ZM 21/2.8 in a neoprene pouch in a trouser pocket. This gives a much more versatile kit for far less money and about the approximately same overall weight but with less hanging from your neck.

 

But holidays are not the time to be getting used to new kit - take whichever lens you are most in love with and use most of the time. Just be sure to get insurance.

[farnz]

As a left-field suggestion why not take a Lytro camera. It's small and light enough to slip into a pocket and you'll be able to take your picture and decide what subject(s) to focus on when you see in on your computer screen. For group shots you'd be able to take one shot and give each person their own photo with only them in focus.

 

Pete.

[Tonki-M]

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a 28 or 35 is the most versatile choice imo.

[jbl]

35/1.4 or 50/1.4 depending on scenery or how urban.

 

-jbl

[Einst_Stein]

In my recent trip to UK and another to Grand Canyon/Monument/Arch, I carried ZM 25mm f2.8 and 50mm Summicron. ZM 25mm f2.8 is my most used lens. but I' not recommending either.

I used ZM 25mm the most because in most cases, the 50mm is not wide enough to cover the church interior or the building across the narrow street. The problem of ZM 25mm is its distorsion, much sever than I'd tolerate.

I wish I have a 35mm Summicron or ZM 35mm Biogon. I should know whether it's right when I get on.

Would tril-elmar 28-35-50 be a better choice? maybe maybe not. Angle-wise yes, but it's known to have visible inferior performance compared to any last two to three generations of the corresponding Leica primes. Canon or Nikon DSLR with 24-70mm f2.8, or better yet, with Contax 35-70mm f3.4 or Leica R 35-70mm F4 could be the better replacement.

[A miller]

Wow, I am very grateful for everyone's responses and insights!

 

A very quick and dirty survey of those who either chose a single lens or clearly narrowed down the choice to two lens suggests the following results:

 

35mm - 13

28mm - 6

50mm - 3

 

There is a lot of subjective interpretation here, so don't hold me to these exact results. But the 35mm seems to come across as the clear top choice, with the 28mm second followed by 50mm. The enthusiasm for the 28mm for those who chose it seemed to equal if not exceed that for the 35mm.

 

I wanted to make this thread a generic discussion and not just about my own lens kit, which is why I didn't indicated which lenses I have. I'm glad I did this as now I have some additional insights into the 28 cron.

 

My lens kit consists of

 

35 lux asph FLE

50 Lux asph (latest version)

90 cron apo

135 tele-elmar f4 (at $161 on eBay beat up to hell but with perfect glass I couldn't pass it up!)

 

All lenses other than the 135 are well within the Leica passport warranty, which includes accidental coverage. But i am certain that claiming under this coverage would not be perfectly straightforward.

 

Before launching this thread, i was actually debating very heavily between the 35 and 50. Given my own circumstances, I feel that bringing both of these lenses is unnecessary. The 90mm is a supreme portrait lens but it is a lot of glass to bring along as a third wheel.

 

I don't own a 28. But given that I really love my 50, which I've had calibrated recently with my M9 (along with my 90) , I have been carefully considering selling my 35 (which i bought new a few months ago and is in perfect condition) and replacing it with a 28 cron or possibly an elmarit. I am just not a serious enough photographer to have both a 28 and 35.

 

Thanks again for all of the input. Any additional thoughts are most welcome

 

A

[MarkP]

28 and 35 are VERY different.

 

If you can afford it, try a 28 before even considering selling the 35.

The chances are that you will regret selling the 35 if you do so, particularly Summilux FLE.

 

Having said that the 35 will go a long way towards funding 35 and 28 Summicrons.

As I've posted elsewhere the Elmarit ASPH is outstanding but the Summicron ASPH is extraordinary.

 

 

None of this gets around the initial question - what lens are you going to take away on holidays?

We have given our personal preference and the reasons why, but the main question is with which focal length do you primarily see the world?

Various people would use 24, 25, 28, 35, 50, or even 60mm (ie Yanidel who travelled the world with his glorious Konica Hexanon 1.2/60) as a solitary lens.

With your range of lenses of 35 to 135 I wonder where even a 50 may be the best compromise for you.

[NZDavid]

Another vote for the 35. It is a superb travel lens. Light, fast, and compact. Just fine for environmental portraits, scenics, and cityscapes. You also get bokeh.

 

I also like the 24, but with an accessory finder and hood it is a little bulkier.

 

The 50 is still surprisingly versatile and the 90 is great for portraits and details.

 

There is indeed quite a difference in angle of view. 24mm = 84º, 28mm = 76º, 35mm = 64º, 50mm = 45º, and 90mm = 27º.

[IWC Doppel]

My last trip to Venice I took 24,28 and 35 you are right these are very different in practice

[algrove]

I have taken "overseas trips" for over 3 months and also 3 weeks, but would NEVER consider taking just one lens. Insure them and take what and how many you want. Damage-they are made to be used. If damaged, Leica can fix them.

 

I have traveled car, plane, train, helicopter, large boat, small boats, no boats-hip boots, taxis, tractors, Jeeps, very bad, bumpy roads for over 4 hours, sand storms, rain storms, wind storms, swamps, sand for miles and miles with no end in sight and my M9 and all 5 lenses with me never had damage or problems with where I took them. Be adventuresome, your lenses want some excitement instead of sitting on the shelf at home alone. Why do you think Leica calls the warranty a passport warranty?

 

Even a small camera bag can hold camera and lens plus 2 small ones. For my smallest I put them little black, semi-hard LensBaby cases until on location or sometimes I transfer them to Zing neoprene bags.

[NZDavid]

I've gotta agree with algrove! I pop in a couple of extra lenses in a leather waist pouch.

[A miller]

Hi Algrove and NZDavid - thanks for your dose of reality and wake up call. I have very little principled comeback to the arguments that you have submitted. They are persuasive and I very well may ultimately come around to your school of thought. I think it will come down to how well I can secure the lenses when they are not in use. I currently only have the Leica pouches in which the lenses came. Are there other specific more protective/secure cases for a 35 and 90 that are compact that you would recommend (perhaps a hard, watertight yet compact case)?

 

This whole process has been very helpful for me. Thanks to all again!

[NZDavid]

Leica lenses are pretty tough. The leather waist pouch works fine. Another bag just adds bulk. If you really feel you just want to take a single lens out for stroll you can always leave the other ones back in your hotel safe, if there is one -- though it's good to be prepared. Another alternative is to tuck in a little D-Lux 5 with its 24-90 zoom as a backup -- but of course the Leica M is special and you don't want to take too much! I always like to travel as lightly as possible.

[MarkP]

There are excellent small pouches, shoulder bags, and backpacks which will secure your camera equipment as well as your travel items. There are threads ad-nauseum here on the topic . Personally I use Crunpler 5 or 7 Million Dollar shoulder bags for the M9/MM, lenses and accessories/valuables, but I also have a fantastic small backpack by Kata. Some of the bags are quite discrete and really don't look particularly like camera bags. If I'm only taking a second lens I sometimes use a padded Lowe-Pro pouch (for compact cameras) either with it's own belt attachment and/or a carabiner to hook it to my belt or backpack.

 

Have a look at the relevant camera bag and pouch threads here in the Forum, and what's available in one of your bettter local camera stores - but take your kit with you so you can see what fits. There seems to be as much anxiety here about which camera bag to use as there is about which lens:D

[luigi bertolotti]

With a full frame , definitely a 35.

 

But if I were in a family vacation with strong restrictions on gear.... I probably put in my pocket my IIIf with collapsed Elmar 50.... (just for I haven't anymore CL+40... )

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[dpitt]

Maybe I missed it, but the OP keeps us in the dark on the body he has.

I assume it is a FF because his lenses are expensive and recent.

 

On FF 28 mm as single lens feels definitely too wide for me.

35 summilux is a world apart from the 28 ASPH Summicron or Elmarit

Both 28 are sharp and contrasty wide open, while my summilux 35 is quite soft until stopped down to f4 or beyond. The 35lux also needs more help of the contrast slider in PP.

 

The M is a great traveling camera, unless of course you start to hesitate to bring it with you with some lenses. Insurance could bring peace of mind, or even changing gear.

 

Maybe sell the lens you use the least for two compact/inexpensive traveling lenses?

Summicron 40C is a great compact lens. Have it modified to bring up 35 mm frames.

For outside the 90C is a great and compact companion.

Or you can look at a 90 Tele-Elmarit which is a stop faster for same size and weight.

 

Your 40 will probably be on the camera 90% of the time, but the 90 is great when you can not get close enough like in a zoo or when you need less DOF

 

Heck, with the kind of gear you have now, buying the 40C and 90C will probably be less expensive than insurance of your lenses for this trip. So why not buy a set of 'traveling' lenses as extra additions to your current set?