Quandary with the M vs MM and lenses

[Guest tanks]

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I will be going overseas for a seven week trip. Because it is such a long trip I will take all of my lenses with M and MM.

 

The lenses are 35mm, 50mm, 90mm, and 135mm.

 

I will definitely use 135mm with only the M and the EVF. It makes it so much easier to focus.

 

Now on a typical outing I am wondering how I should divide the lenses. I am thinking 35/50 on the MM and 90/135 on the M unless somehow I need color with the wider angles.

 

Your viewpoints?

[Manolo Laguillo]

How often do you use the long lenses?

 

If quite often, then

M + 90 and MM + 35

 

If only occasionally, then,

M + 50 and MM + 35

 

The idea is to have a pivot point, and to change lenses as less as possible.

 

A 7 weeks journey, how nice! Enjoy!

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[250swb]

Just take a body cap.

 

You don't need a lens on the body all the time, indeed it would pack into a camera bag better without. So cap the body you aren't using and use all the lenses with the body you are using.

 

And before anybody says that the lens changes should be kept to a minimum to stop dust, a) it's a ridiculous idea anyway, and this is a seven week trip, leaving home without some sensor cleaning equipment is suicide so cleaning dust shouldn't be an issue.

 

Steve

[Guest malland]

...Now on a typical outing I am wondering how I should divide the lenses. I am thinking 35/50 on the MM and 90/135 on the M unless somehow I need color with the wider angles...Your viewpoints?

Perhaps my approach to photography is so different from yours that the above idea makes no sense to me at all. Presumably you don't do any street photography, but even if we talk about "photographing scenes in the street" my approach would be to carry only one camera each day, or on each outing; no camera bag and one lens on the camera and one (at most two) in my pockets (jacket or cargo trousers).

 

I don't like to switch back and forth between shooting color and B&W; but, then, I shot for six months only with the Monochrom and then six months only with the M9-P; now, I've gone back to the Monochrom. Also, I find carrying a 90 and 135 superfluous, as you can occasionally crop 90mm shots, so you don't need the 135: I would take a 21mm lens instead — but I have no idea what you shoot, which is what you need to tell people if you want reasonable advice.

 

—Mitch/Paris

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[BerndReini]

Wow, talk about a luxury problem. I think your initial thought of using the 35 and 50 with the MM and 90 and 135 makes sense since in the wider frames it is more difficult to "control" colors. Sometimes in wider shots, a bright orange traffic cone eg. will sneak into the shot and ruin the composition. Now that is unless, you like shooting some wonderful black and white portraits with the 90mm.

 

If it was me, honestly I wouldn't shoot with both cameras. The beauty of the MM is that you start thinking black and white, so I would shoot with one and leave the other one in the bag for the one shot that absolutely positively has to be in color, or vice versa.

[Jeff S]

Question makes no sense to me. When shooting b/w, carry the lens(es) you need for that subject matter, presumably using the MM. When shooting color, do the same with the M.

 

How could we possibly know your subject matter or shooting style (for instance, mixing b/w and color on a 'shoot', carrying one versus two cameras, etc)?

 

I own just the M, which eliminates the camera choice issue (except for an M8.2, but that's for emergency back-up only). I keep it simple and decide what I want to take, without a bag, on a given shoot...one or two lenses.

 

If I owned your two cameras, I'd still keep it simple (and I'd have a darn good reason how I wanted to use a b/w only camera when I had the already great M). But you shouldn't care what I or others would do.

 

Jeff

[paulsydaus]

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First world problem!?