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Two lens kit travel combo


colonel

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For 40 years on film my standard kit was 35 & 50 Summicrons (1969 versions - both small) and 90 T.E. (fat). With M9 and new 50 Summicron and 35 Summarit, files are clean enough to crop either, so 2-lens kit makes sense. I'm comfortable with just the 35, but sometimes do 21 Skopar and 50, or 35 and 90 Elmar-C. I like tiny lenses.

 

I'm agree, 90% :). I don't need 90mm for travel. And I'm comfortable with just 35 Summarit and if light is not enough for M-E or M4-2, I'll add little Leica SF26 flash. But for M240 like in OP it is less necessary.  

Edited by Ko.Fe.
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Mine would be WATE and 50 cron AA

 

Somebody remind me again of the advantage of the 50 cron AA over the 50 cron ?

I honestly don't mean to be snarkey but for general travel, hiking etc. is there that much of a side by side advantage?

 

I once read on this forum that if you were good in post there is a significant difference......but I didn't understand that comment either.

 

As always I appreciate this forms help and expertise

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Somebody remind me again of the advantage of the 50 cron AA over the 50 cron ?

I honestly don't mean to be snarkey but for general travel, hiking etc. is there that much of a side by side advantage?

 

I once read on this forum that if you were good in post there is a significant difference......but I didn't understand that comment either.

 

As always I appreciate this forms help and expertise

 

The 50 cron pre-AA is a very nice lens, but the 50 cron AA is sharper even stopped down with more micro contrast it also have very few aberrations of any kind and especially any chromatic aberrations either in the plane of focus or in the bokeh. For example even with a bright background you don't see any colour fringing. Some people describe this distinct sharpness with lack of aberrations as clarity. I think that is a good one word description. I also think the 50 cron-AA has better bokeh as well. I think the 50 cron AA is a special lens and it is my favourite.

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I would probably go with 10mm + 90mm because they both average as a 50mm lens, and 50 is my favorite focal length.

 

So 10 + 90 is it!

How pedestrian. You need to push the boundaries a little more.

As my favourite is 35mm, my ideal two lens kit is 125mm and -55mm. The negative 55mm is great for inside tight spaces, it literally sees around corners :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

Due to the lenses I have, it's not easy for me to travel with two lenses only.  I prefer to have three, including a 21/2.8, 35/1.4 and 50/2.  The 21/2.8 is the daytime lens, the 35/1.4 is the night lens, and the 50 is used any time.

 

My preference for travel is to capture images that show context, hence the 21/2.8.  I also really like 25mm and 28mm for daily work, but travel seems to want a 21mm.  Having said that, some of my favourite travel images were taken with a Sigma DP1, which is 28mm, and I never felt restricted for landscape photography.  For a second lens, I love 50mm.  I treat it like a short portrait or detail lens.

 

I'm not sure if I could use a 35/1.4 as a one lens solution on a trip.  As I prefer wider in general, I'd be more inclined to get a faster 28, like f2, or stick with 28/2.8.  The 28mm Elmarit is a great 'all day' lens for the purpose, being very light and small but extremely good quality.  It's not quite fast enough for night shooting, though, which is why I always want that fast 35 if I can.  The 28mm Summilux would be the logical - albeit very expensive - candidate, so a Leica Q would be a potential alternative?

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When I started using rangefinder cameras in 2010 with a Leica M9, my favourite two-lens kit was 35+90. Within less than a year, I switched to 35+75. From there, I gravitated towards 35+50 which I was using for a few years. A year ago, I noticed that the 28 mm framelines on my new Leica M-A are much easier to see than on M9 or M (Typ 240), so I started to use my previously unloved 28 mm lens more. The M10's slimmer body leads to a better viewfinder—similar to the film M cameras—so for digital I switched from M (Typ 240) to M10. Today, my favourite two-lens kit on M-A and M10 is 28+50.

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Just came back from two weeks on the road with my M9, I had consciously sent the MM off to Leica for sensor replacement so I didn't succumb to carrying two bodies around.  I also consciously chose three lenses to take that I figured I would use.  I took the APO 50/2.0, ZM 28/2.8, and a Thin TEM 90/2.8.  The idea was to keep light, but have in the bag some options.  

 

All said and done the TEM stayed in the bag the entire time, I never mounted it.  The 28 came out for one afternoon and the APO 50/2.0 stayed on the camera for 99% of the time.  I could easily have just taken the 50 APO, it's an incredible lens, very versatile and a really nice travel lens.  I had a ND filter on it most of the time.  My lens closet is somewhat full, and I don't intend on getting rid of any of my Leica mount glass, but I could probably exist with the APO 50/2.0 as my only lens if I had to!

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,If you are a 35 shooter, then a 21mm wide.  If a 50 shooter, a 24/25mm.  For interiors, tall churches/castles/etc and tight spots a 35 or 50 won't suffice.  I find I can crop my 50 to do without a 90 I used to carry.  Your idea of a longer lens that stays in the car/room/secure spot until needed is spot on.  Have fun!

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As a relative newcomer to Leica, who travels a lot, this has been a helpful thread. I have five weeks of travel coming up, and I've decided to take just my 35 and 50. Since getting into Leica a year ago with the acquisition of an M240 last July, I've generally carried three lenses everywhere (35+50+90). Even though with my DSLRs I used to use an 85 a lot, I seldom find myself reaching for my 90 with my M. So home it stays.

Edited by mpeterson
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For upcoming travel, I can't limit myself to 2. I'll be bringing Zeiss 21/4.5, Leica 35/2, 50/2 and 90/2.8. I am traveling for 20 days with only a carry on bag and still I can justify 4 lenses, an M6 and 20 rolls of film because when you put it all together it's still an extremely compact kit. At least I think so. I'd rather take more than I need than miss an opportunity because I didn't have what I need. I know, not at all helpful for the OP.

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