So what are your favourite lenses?

[innerimager]

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Brent- I have to agree that element for element, that 50/1.4 asph may be the "best" of all. And you're right, I forgot to mention the 35mm, but for me it's the 35/1.4 asph. It lives on my M7, and when I want 1.4 in the 28-35 range, on the M8 as well. It's my favorite.. ;>)

 

best....Peter

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[ptruman]

For landscape (the vast majority of what I do) the lens that stays on my M8 the most is a 28mm cron and thus my favourite. A fantastic lens. I also a 50mm cron which regularly goes on the camera but seems to quickly come off and be replaced by the 28mm. In retrospect (how easy everything is then!) I would have been better with the 35mm lens than the 50.

 

I do use the 50 for photos of my children, but a 75mm gets more use for that.

 

Given I do a lot of landscape I would guess that a WATE could have the potential to become my favourite. But it hasn't yet arrived, so its just a guess!

[Ecaton]

Cron 35 asph gets used most, what a great lens (!), followed by CV15 and Macro Elmar 90 (sharp, contrasty, versatile, small and light for a 90 - a superb travel lens!) The results I get with the 90 Cron Asph are exciting, but the lens is heavy and big - i.e, it stays at home when I travel .

Since I have the Cron 35, the Elmarit 28 f/2.8 does'n get used anymore - found myself often in situations in which the 28 focal length felt either to wide or to long. Just got the CV 21 and will know soon whether I have an additional "favourite".

I'm leaving for Europe tonight with CV21, Cron 35 asph and ME 90 in my briefcase.

[rjrose]

I assume that you are asking for the M8? If so, then in order of what I really like and use:

1. 28 Summicron. Fast enough for indoors, crystal clear results and easy to focus with the focus tab. Wide enough for most indoors situations.

2. 28-35-50 TE. Outdoors, for travel, one lens does it all.

I could exist nicely on just those two lenses.

3. 135 ASPH. Fantastic clarity. If you are going longer than 50, then you might as well go all the way. You will need the little magnifier,and you must use higher shutter speeds. You must guess at framing; but the results are worth it.

4. 90 Elmarit-M. Light, easy to focus, you don't need the extra speed of the f/2 outdoors. You can crop down with a 10Mb raw file if you don't have a 135mm.

Least used:

5. Noctilux. Too heavy, and the focus "throw" is so long that it seems slow to use. I adjusted the camera so that f/1 is spot on, but there is back focus when I stop down. So I only use it for f/1.

6. 35 Summicron ASPH. Great performer, and I like the focus tab, but indoors I need the width of the 28, and outdoors I have a TE.

7. Absolute least used lens: 50 Summicron. Great results, very light and small, but no focus tab, too long for indoor shots, or duplicates the Noctilux indoors and the TE outdoors.

 

Cheers,

Bob Rose