Twos company threes a crowd

[NJH]

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The Sonnar is f1.5 so not much difference to a Summilux except the former cost me £500 secondhand and the later doesn't have the Sonnars well documented foibles.

 

I am a big fan of short telephoto lenses but my motivation for this thread isn't anything to do with an unhappiness with 28-50-90 but the odd point that I find I just can't seem to think in terms of all 3 focal lengths, so what happens is what happened on Sunday, I swapped between 28 and the 90 but found unsurprisingly that the gap between the two is just to much. 50 would have been to short to pick things out from a scene. I have shot with a 50 on the M8 quite a lot so I am familiar with how big the difference is between a short telephoto and a 50 on 135 film.

[mirekti]

I kind of had the same feeling at the begining. I bought 35mm, and 75mm lenses. I said myself this is it. Not long after I found myself in a situation where a longer FL would have been useful, and soon after I ended up buying a 135mm. I don't even use this lens so much, still nice to have it in the bag, and for those days when I get borred with 35, and 75. Those type of days I pull 135mm, and play around. I kind of get suprised with the results, and that can be fun. It's almost like having a new lens every now and than. :-)

No need to say, I plan on getting one more and that would be more likely 24mm than 21mm.

 

All in all, I remember one of the posts I read on this forum, and it was pretty much straight forward http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-lenses/294928-perfect-lens-kit.html#post2471702

[NJH]

All in all, I remember one of the posts I read on this forum, and it was pretty much straight forward http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-lenses/294928-perfect-lens-kit.html#post2471702

 

Spot on.

 

A couple of things which I have picked up from the responses it that a lot of folks seem to work with 2 lenses but may own many more, a lot also don't walkabout with a camera bag to get in the way. Very few seem to work with 2 bodies though which surprises me as I always thought that was standard pro practice, maybe its a case of only if you have to and wouldn't do it like that for fun.

[stevesurf]

From the mid 1960s my dream was an M2 with a 35/2 and a 90/2.8. I bought my first interchangeable lens camera, an SLR, in 1974, with 28, 50 and 135 lenses. In less than two years I had replaced the kit with a 35-50-100 one. I found that I could not manage without the 50 in the middle, not least because it was always the fastest of all: and, in my opinion, the most flexible. That selection of lenses continues with my current M6 and Nicca. But there is much to be said for the Leica CL's brace of 40mm and 90mm. Today there is the option of the Bessa R3x with 40mm and either 75mm or 90mm. When I was far more active than I now am, I often carried two cameras, with different length lenses mounted. If I were to do that now I'd have too many half exposed rolls. I do not actually like to change lenses, but I treat it much as I treat a blood sugar check or the clipping of toe nails.

 

Very true about the versatility of the CL and to having two bodies with lenses at the ready.

 

I have no problem find other shots for the unused portion of the roll; it kind of forces me to look for other subjects I was not planning for, and the satisfaction of even getting agreeable subjects in varied shots is well worth the extra weigh of the pre-mounted lenses.

[AlanJW]

Spot on.

 

A couple of things which I have picked up from the responses it that a lot of folks seem to work with 2 lenses but may own many more, a lot also don't walkabout with a camera bag to get in the way. Very few seem to work with 2 bodies though which surprises me as I always thought that was standard pro practice, maybe its a case of only if you have to and wouldn't do it like that for fun.

 

I have a lot of lenses, accumulated over a long period of time: 12mm CV; WATE, MATE, 35mm Summilux; 50mm Summilux; 90mm Macro Elmar.; 135mm APO. I'm not counting the R 35-70 Macro.

 

I will almost never go out with all of them and frequently go out with just one (either 35mm or 50mm). There is a certain discipline in working with a single focal length that forces you to think more.

 

But I do sometimes carry two bodies, though I only have one Leica body. I will sometimes go out with the M and say 35mm, amd a Sony A7R with the 135. The Sony EVF and the 135 are a good combination. My plan for a trip to Yosemite in May is just that but I will also carry the WATE along with the 12mm and the MATE. The nice thing about an M kit is that the lenses are easy to carry.

[plewislambert]

Fewer lenses on an outing gives you freedom. Why not just try your 28 plus 50 for a few local outings and note the opportunities when a 90 would have been useful?

My photos are mostly of buildings in London streets, with a few people to add scale. The wide-angle lenses are the ones I use but the 90mm is sometimes useful for picking out an interesting detail or a statue. Some of the time I have a 40mm Summicron on my M9 but if the subject demands it I use a 12mm Voigtlander or a 17mm Tokina on adapters. My bag is getting heavier but it's difficult to decide what lenses to leave at home.

Maybe a lightweight bag would be a good buy, if it provided enough protection.

Philip

[algrove]

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I like to group a couple of lenses, for outings especially with the MM, by filter size. Of course which lenses taken depends on subject(s) and the length of shooting planned such as day, weekend, week, or month.