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Two lens kit travel combo


colonel

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Well, I commented on this thread a few months ago and for a two lens kit I would still go with 35f2.8 C Biogon and 90f2.8 Tele Elmarit M.  Both lenses are very small (the 90f2.8 is the size of my 50 Summicron).  If I was going to add a third lens, it would be a recently acquired 25 as I find the 21 almost too wide and I don't use it much.

 

However, instead of carrying a third lens I plan on carrying my Fuji X70 on an upcoming trip to Scotland and an 80 mile hike around Loch Ness.  For less then the cost and perhaps weight of another M mount lens (have 8 in the closet and don't know how that happened), I get a 28mm equivalent and a back up camera in case the MP240 goes down.  

 

The FujiX70 worked great last fall hiking the C2C trail in northern England set on jpeg and full auto.  

 

I don't want to start a Fuji vs Leica debate but there are options besides Leitz including non Leitz optics which work great.

Edited by ktmrider2
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5cm/3.5 red scale Elmar and a Tele-Elmarit 90mm/2.8 ‘thin’ make a great lightweight, compact travel kit (and by Leica standards, inexpensive). These go in jacket pockets in cool climates, or a tiny bag in hot.

 

If I feel like taking a ‘heavy’ kit traveling, then I will add a second body, a 50mm/2 IV Summicron and the APO-Telyt 135mm/3.4 all in a lightweight, small sling bag (not heavy leather etc).

 

I use a custom design rear lens cap to make fast lens changes effortless.

Edited by 105012
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  • 3 weeks later...

Well, I commented on this thread a few months ago and for a two lens kit I would still go with 35f2.8 C Biogon and 90f2.8 Tele Elmarit M.  Both lenses are very small (the 90f2.8 is the size of my 50 Summicron).  If I was going to add a third lens, it would be a recently acquired 25 as I find the 21 almost too wide and I don't use it much.

 

However, instead of carrying a third lens I plan on carrying my Fuji X70 on an upcoming trip to Scotland and an 80 mile hike around Loch Ness.  For less then the cost and perhaps weight of another M mount lens (have 8 in the closet and don't know how that happened), I get a 28mm equivalent and a back up camera in case the MP240 goes down. 

 

As someone who is a habitual 28/50 shooter, I've sometimes thought about traveling with just the M9 + Summicron 50 and the Ricoh GR as a 28mm 'lens'.  As a pocket camera, the GR produces stunning images with better highlight detail/recovery than the M9.  The Leica alternative is the Q, which is a lot more capable, but larger and far more expensive to buy or replace.  At a pinch, the GR 21mm adapter lens is very useful and adds 21mm to the kit, giving me 21, 28 and 50.  It's difficult for me to stick with just two lenses when on a 'critical' travel trip.

 

I now have an Olympus 12mm f2 for my m43 setup, as well as the Panasonic GX85 which feels like a baby CL.  Kind of.  So an alternative setup would be the M9 with 21 and 50, and the GX85 with 12, 25 and 45.  This is way out of the range of a two lens one body kit, but I feel it covers my most used ranges in a convenient way.  But if I was moving in that direction, why not just use something like a Leica TL/CL with 18-56 and 23/2 to cover general shooting and low light?

Edited by Archiver
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M262, 28mm f2.8 ASPH and 50mm f2 would be my choice for a 28/50 combination. I used that exact duo a couple of years ago when visiting my daughter in southern NJ and travelling to the Maryland/West Virginia border to record the Anteitam National Battlefield. It was/is a great, lightweight outfit.

 

I bought my last digital compact years ago. Waste of money when I have this M outfit and would rather just take the M262 and 28/2.8 ASPH if I really wanted to go "light" (which I almost never do). I would almost certainly add the 18mm f3.8 and 90mm f2 to those two.  Photography is ALWAYS a high priority on my trips. Anyone travelling with me knows it and can just stay home if they don't like it, LOL

 

I'm pondering my travel kit this week as I'm leaving for the San Francisco area Friday. I'll probably change my mind about as many times as there are days before the trip before finally deciding.

Edited by Gregm61
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So this thread is still going on! I just read every single post from the beginning on and I think that the OP has long made his decision but count me to the "28/50" group as well. My GAS, however, tells me to try out a 35 again and use it as a single-lens kit. I'm still not sure about that, it's so tempting.

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So this thread is still going on! I just read every single post from the beginning on and I think that the OP has long made his decision but count me to the "28/50" group as well. My GAS, however, tells me to try out a 35 again and use it as a single-lens kit. I'm still not sure about that, it's so tempting.

 

;)

As I stated somewhere, if one is serious -_- about M photography, one, two or three lenses would never be satisfying.

 

So to make thing simple, as our (my) "need/want" changes with time, I'd not rely on one/two lenses to use with my beloved Ms.

 

As side note, if only one for me now it would be Summarit-M 35mm or 50mm, those discovered not long ago.

"Paired" with Elmarit-M 2.8/28mm asph. = choices from one/two/three lenses outfit on each case.

 

Those  cases could be 28mm alone or 35mm/50mm alone and each combination from the three "paires", and still be portable/light/not too expensive for Leica lenses :wub:

 

This is my decision :lol: from Tri-Elmar-M 28-35-50 user for years (MATE) and this time net gain in finder blockage and a bit more open aperture -_-.

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The view on how to tackle this are fluid over time, but for now I’m leaning towards concentrating on the 40mm field of view - mostly to become comfortable with carrying a single camera single lens.

 

40mm is a bit easier to grab shots or juxtapose two items than a 50mm yet not so wide as to loose detail; everything I can see with my eyes is there at pixel level - do I really need more than that.

 

But I do have one or two cheats when being serious enough to carry two cameras:

40mm on full frame M becomes a 60 on APS-C; 28mm is a ~ 40mm view on APS-C

So two cameras, TL2 + M10, both with a 40mm view but can occasionally be swapped over to give 28 and 60mm.

 

Finally digital stitching works with almost any focal length and gives as wide a panorama as needed.

 

I think it would be quite liberating if I could live that that simply.

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I've read through this entire thread a few times because I have a vacation coming up. It's a family vacation that will be a mix of everything. I think this thread has me convinced to carry the 28/50 combo for, despite using the one lens 50 or 30 for casual daily shooting. Honestly I just grab the first thing on the shelf and make it work for that day. BUT, I use an xpro2, which gives me the excuse to mount a 35 cron for a 50 Fov. I think that should be a perfect hybrid combo for me and offers me 28,35,42,50,75, FOV photographically due to the crop of the Fuji. Maybe it's sacrilege here to use the Fuji, but I love thing thing for digital despite having a passion for film.

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I think that should be a perfect hybrid combo for me and offers me 28,35,42,50,75, FOV photographically due to the crop of the Fuji. Maybe it's sacrilege here to use the Fuji, but I love thing thing for digital despite having a passion for film.

 

If you like having a 28,35,42,50,75, FOV, the Fuji X body with an 18-55mm zoom will give you what you want with only one lens.

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I am a recent Leica user when I purchased my M10 in Dec. 2017. I have since purchased Leica lenses: 18 SE, Summicron 28, 35, 75d and 90, Summilux 35 FLE and 50. I purchased a second M10 body a month ago. My Fuji X gear has been sitting idle all of this year unless I need a long zoom.

 

That said, I will traveling to New Zealand in the fall to pick up my son who will finishing a college semester abroad through Loyola University. I plan on taking my 2 M10s along with the SE 18, Lux 35 and 50 and Cron 75. All of this will fit into my Hadley Pro bag.

 

I like carrying two bodies with 35 and 75 mounted instead of changing lenses often. It might sound extreme, but carry two bodies with my Fuji X kit too.

 

After shooting Leica for about 8 months and processing the DNG files in Capture One Pro 11, the Leica "look" of the resulting images, especially b&w conversions, is addictive. However, now that I finally have firsthand experiences with Leica, I have a renewed appreciation for the quality of the Fuji X primes and zooms because they are really great, but different than Leica.

 

Regards,

Bud James
 
Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.

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Edited by budjames
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@ BudJames

 

On a Fuji forum, I first noticed that you were a Leica and Fuji shooter.

I was very impressed by the images on your web site.

I have found your post on this Leica forum and on the Fuji forum to be very useful.

Please keep up the good work. I value your insight.

 

Out of curiosity, is your son affiliated with the Maryland, New Orleans, or Chicago Loyola University?

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If you like having a 28,35,42,50,75, FOV, the Fuji X body with an 18-55mm zoom will give you what you want with only one lens.

In therms of FoV you are right. But that is all. I have Canon gear full frame. Its no Fuji though. But I much prefer what the M10 renders.

Edited by Alex U.
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If you like having a 28,35,42,50,75, FOV, the Fuji X body with an 18-55mm zoom will give you what you want with only one lens.

Not to mention enjoying the convenience of being able to break/drop/have stolen 'all' your lenses at one time. While I don't advocate carrying the kitchen sink when traveling, unless I'm being paid to deliver a story, there's something to be said for a bit of redundancy. Price collapse in digital equipment can make this rather painless.

 

s-a

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@ BudJames

 

On a Fuji forum, I first noticed that you were a Leica and Fuji shooter.

I was very impressed by the images on your web site.

I have found your post on this Leica forum and on the Fuji forum to be very useful.

Please keep up the good work. I value your insight.

 

Out of curiosity, is your son affiliated with the Maryland, New Orleans, or Chicago Loyola University?

 

 

@Narsuitus

 

Thank you for your kind comments. Greatly appreciated.

 

As to your question, my son attends Loyola University in Maryland. It's a great school and his really loving his semester abroad in New Zealand. My wife and I are looking forward to meeting him in New Zealand when the semester is over to spend 4 weeks in NZ and Australia. 

 

Although this will be my first travel vacation with my Leicas, I still love my Fuji gear. My Fuji kit has been all over the world and has been exposed to extreme heat, cold and wet. I have never had any problems with my Fuji gear and the Fuji XF primes and zooms have proven to be more sharp than the Canon L glass that I used previously.

 

My two body Leica kit with 4 primes is very compact and easily fits into my Hadley Pro bag, but they are heavier than the equivalent two body Fuji kit using Fuji XF 25, 35 and 50 f2 primes and the very excellent XF 10-24 zoom by about 2 pounds.

 

That said, when viewing Leica images in Capture One Pro, my processing software of choice, the micro contrast and fine details are amazing and raises and already very high image quality bar from my Fuji kit. If I never owned a Leica lens, the images created with the Fuji-X sensor with Fuji lenses are so darn good that I would not want for anything more if it weren't a lifelong desire to own a Leica.

 

Oh, such a dilemma. :)

 

Regards,
Bud James
 

 

Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.
Edited by budjames
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Not to mention enjoying the convenience of being able to break/drop/have stolen 'all' your lenses at one time. While I don't advocate carrying the kitchen sink when traveling, unless I'm being paid to deliver a story, there's something to be said for a bit of redundancy. Price collapse in digital equipment can make this rather painless.

 

s-a

 

 

If you like having a 28,35,42,50,75, FOV, the Fuji X body with an 18-55mm zoom will give you what you want with only one lens.

 

I owned the Fuji 18-55 "kit" lens. It is an excellent zoom for its size and includes image stabilization. However, after purchasing the "Fujicrons" - 23, 35 and 50mm f2 lenses, the image quality improved to the point that I sold my 18-55. Plus all of the newer Fuji XF lenses are weather resistant.

 

I also own the Fuji XF 16-55 WR which has a constant f2.8 aperture and is basically a bag of primes in a zoom lens. It is big and heavy for a Fuji lens and offers no image stabilization. When I acquired the Fuji X-H1, I started using the 16-55 more for local trips as the X-H1 has in-body stabilization. It's a great combination but now your back to almost the size and weight of a DSLR.

 

My photography has improved when I started using mostly primes as it forces you to think more about composition. I am hoping that my Leica experiences will bring me back to my roots as a photographer before auto focus and dozens of features in the new bodies that I don't use. I love the technology as a techie guy, but the image quality in a small package is all that matters with my travel photography these days.

 

Regards,

Bud James
 
Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.
Edited by budjames
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What I do not fully understand are his settings: He writes: f/4, 1/1000, ISO 12500 and then +1.5 stops. Considering all is set manually then the 1.5 adjustment has no effect . . .

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My reasoning for using M glass on the Fuji, is that I'm primarily shooting film with an m6. The Fuji is just my "for fun" camera. The fact that I can carry a native m-mount on it just makes more focal lengths available for M without carrying for separate systems.

 

 

I've been a Fuji X shooter for over 4 years now. In December 2017 I purchased my first Leica, the M10.

 

I tried the Fuji-branded M adapter on my Fuji XT2 and XH1 bodies. I found that the native Fuji XF primes yielded better IQ than the Leica lenses using the M-adapter. I returned the adapter for credit.

 

Now that own 2 M10 bodies, I no longer needed the Fuji body with M-adapter as a back up camera strategy when traveling.

 

Regards,

Bud James
 
Please check out my fine art and travel photography at www.budjames.photography or on Instagram at www.instagram.com/budjamesphoto.
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