Guest devonboy Posted June 19, 2007 Share #1 Posted June 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Having decided to make my purchase of the M8 prior to a trip to Iceland I am looking for an unbiased guide to the 3 best lenses (Leica or others) to finalise a good all round "set up'. Am I asking too much? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 19, 2007 Posted June 19, 2007 Hi Guest devonboy, Take a look here Leice M8 Newbie info. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
DaveEP Posted June 19, 2007 Share #2 Posted June 19, 2007 The choices will vary depending on what base focal length you like. Personally (if you exclude the Tri-Elmar which is 3 in 1 ) I would go with CV15, Leica 28 and Leica 75. Or, you could go with 15/35/90 for instance. Or you could go with 28/50/90 The permutations are almost endless for all reasonable mathmaticians .....and don't be afraid to buy CV lenses, or pick up Leica lenses s/h. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted June 19, 2007 Share #3 Posted June 19, 2007 If you shoot real wide then a 15CV then 28 or 35 and a 50. If you shoot normal wide then the 24 or 28, 35 and 50 or 75. If you like normal to short tele then 35, 50 or 75 and 90 or 35, 50, 75. If I could only have 3 lenses it would be 28, 50, 75. And that goes for film also. But I can and do have more then 3 lenses. So will you in a very short time, count on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laki Posted June 19, 2007 Share #4 Posted June 19, 2007 Having decided to make my purchase of the M8 prior to a trip to Iceland I am looking for an unbiased guide to the 3 best lenses (Leica or others) to finalise a good all round "set up'. Am I asking too much? the 3 best lenses will be those3 which you shoot most and fit your shooting habits. as for the ones i prefer, those are 2.8/21 asph leica, 1.4/35 asph leica, 1.4/50 leica and 2.0/90 leica. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
huwge Posted June 19, 2007 Share #5 Posted June 19, 2007 24 2.8; 35 2.0; 75 1.4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 19, 2007 Share #6 Posted June 19, 2007 Iceland has a very distinctive landscape and sky...for me You definitely need a strong WA, 15CV or WATE... country of large spaces... there is an enormous difference in PRICE between CV15 and WATE: supposed you look for some kind of decent budgeting, if (besides Iceland) you are a WA lover/user, I'll suggest WATE + 1 CV (35 1,7 or 40 1,4) + 1 Leica 90 : this is a difficult choice becaus all the 3 Leica 90 are excellent, with pros and cons: - Cron 90 : f2... an can use it wide open; a little heavy, costly - Elmarit 90 : the only with a decent price, compact, 2,8 only... - Macro Elmar : the name speaks by itself, only modern macro solution, but costly considering the add on adapter (little sense to buy without) Enjoy Iceland : is it the first time you go there ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Mondello Posted June 19, 2007 Share #7 Posted June 19, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Steve, the best unbiased guide to RF lenses on the M8 is Sean Reid's subscription website http://www.reidreviews.com I have no relation to it other than being very happy I subscribed. I believe it's saved me 100x the subscription cost easily. Seriously. Hey have a great trip to Iceland and be sure to post pictures when you get back! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eoin Posted June 19, 2007 Share #8 Posted June 19, 2007 It's like asking how long is a piece of string, the only upside is all the leica lenses give outstanding results. Newer Asph's give more contrast than their older versions and flare is better controlled. From my own lineup of 21 Elmarit Asph, 28 Summicron Asph, 35 Summilux Asph, 50 Summicron, 75 Summicron Asph with a Noctilux inbound, I'm still trying to settle on the ultimate setup for me. Options at the moment are 21, 35 & 75 as 1 set or the 28 & 50's as another. Problem is 21 complements the 35 giving extra width, 35 is my favorite lens for it's fingerprint but just that little to tight as a one stop lens, hence the 21 for a wider perspective which rarely gets used. 28 on the other hand is almost the ultimate lens cap on the M8 giving width where needed and "almost but not quite" the fingerprint of my beloved 35 lux. The battle and ultimately the deciding factor for me will be the shootout between the 75 cron and Noctilux, here I'm looking for a sublime portrait lens, the 75 cron while a beautiful lens in it's own right with nice bokeh and strong colour is to sharp and stark for what I need, I'm hoping the Noctilux at between f:/2.8 and f:/4 will give a slightly more soft & glowing fingerprint than the 50 & 75 Summicron's. Should the Noctilux not deliver the result I have one last hope, a 85 Summarex f:/1.5:eek:. Very very old and rare and very heavy but might be worth a shot if I can locate one at reasonable money and quality. So you see by my musings that there is no definitive advice one can really give, it really comes down to a preference of focal length and what fingerprint your looking for. Of course there are excellent Zeiss lenses at less money than the leica glass and of course the excellent CV glass at 5th and less of the price of leica. These lenses show no compromise in quality for the price difference, they are indeed excellent lenses in their own rights. I'd suggest you take out a yearly subscription to reidreviews, Sean is a very active member here and offers real world examples and plain to read reviews comparing focal lengths from various manufacturers. Well worth the subscription just to see how close in quality the lenses actually are. May even save your self a small fortune. I'll continue on my path of exploration and sorry for my ramblings, perhaps you get some insight into my madness:rolleyes: but ultimately it's a personal choice of trial and error. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecaton Posted June 19, 2007 Share #9 Posted June 19, 2007 Having decided to make my purchase of the M8 prior to a trip to Iceland I am looking for an unbiased guide to the 3 best lenses (Leica or others) to finalise a good all round "set up'. Am I asking too much? Iceland sounds like you need a country boy's (a term I borrowed from the "Old Man of the Age of...") lens set up, including 35/50/90. You might consider to skip the 50 and ad a very wide lens e.g.15mm instead for dramatic landscape shots. My preferred travel set includes 15CV (little gem of a lens), 35 Summicron Asph (tack sharp, contrasty, easy to focus, my preferred standard lens, and 90 ME(sharp, light and small for a 90 and versatile). . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest devonboy Posted June 19, 2007 Share #10 Posted June 19, 2007 Well I never. The repsonses to this simple question are staggering. The speed of reply and the depth of information is unsurpassed. I've not seen anythng like this before and I'll certainly know where to come for future queries. I thank everyone for the answers that have combined to provide me with the ideal set up. That is, the ideal set up for now. We all know that it never stops and inevitably more lenses will be purchased. I'll be glad to forward the pictures of Iceland (and north Norway) upon my return. Thanks again - I feel quite at home here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 19, 2007 Share #11 Posted June 19, 2007 Having decided to make my purchase of the M8 prior to a trip to Iceland I am looking for an unbiased guide to the 3 best lenses (Leica or others) to finalise a good all round "set up'. Am I asking too much? You are going to see some v-e-r-y wide open spaces. Many interesting things you see will be far away. So you do definitely need a 90mm. Do not fear to buy used lenses, if in good shape mechanically and optically (try them out in the shop). Any 90mm Elmarit or Tele-Elmarit will do a fine job, even the old 1958 model. All of them take 39mm filters except the current one. –The 3d version Summicron (1989–98, first serial no. 3,168,071) will also be fine, but this lens is becoming a bit pricey if in first class shape. But it is nevertheless cheaper than a Summicron ASPH! For a 'standard lens' 35mm will be just fine. The 1979–1996 Summicron (first # 2,974,251) works splendidly on the M8 and is a personal favourite, even though I do own the Summilux ASPH. This later lens and the current Summilcron ASPH are of course very very good, but expensive. Also, the delivery of a new Ferrari is shorter than that of just any new Leica lens at present! If you go for a 35mm, the C/V 15 will definitely be too short. Everything will be minuscule and very far away – boring! This is my own experience in country like this. 24 or 21mm is more like it. The delivery of IR cut filters, Leica or B+W, are also in the Ferrari class. You may not need them however if your main interest is landscape and general nature photography. Finally, I agree that many or even most Cosina/Voigtländer lenses are good value. The old man from the Age of the Kodak Brownie Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 19, 2007 Share #12 Posted June 19, 2007 You are going to see some v-e-r-y wide open spaces. Many interesting things you see will be far away. So you do definitely need a 90mm. Do not fear to buy used lenses, if in good shape mechanically and optically (try them out in the shop). Any 90mm Elmarit or Tele-Elmarit will do a fine job, even the old 1958 model. All of them take 39mm filters except the current one. –The 3d version Summicron (1989–98, first serial no. 3,168,071) will also be fine, but this lens is becoming a bit pricey if in first class shape. But it is nevertheless cheaper than a Summicron ASPH! For a 'standard lens' 35mm will be just fine. The 1979–1996 Summicron (first # 2,974,251) works splendidly on the M8 and is a personal favourite, even though I do own the Summilux ASPH. This later lens and the current Summilcron ASPH are of course very very good, but expensive. Also, the delivery of a new Ferrari is shorter than that of just any new Leica lens at present! If you go for a 35mm, the C/V 15 will definitely be too short. Everything will be minuscule and very far away – boring! This is my own experience in country like this. 24 or 21mm is more like it. The delivery of IR cut filters, Leica or B+W, are also in the Ferrari class. You may not need them however if your main interest is landscape and general nature photography. Finally, I agree that many or even most Cosina/Voigtländer lenses are good value. The old man from the Age of the Kodak Brownie Oh my God, Lars... I just wrote this nice Devonboy that in a Country of big spaces like Iceland he surely needed a strong WA.... and I was sincere and proof about the site... have fine prints of an Iceland travel in the '80s with my Super Angulon 21...uh, do not start long discussions on this topic...btw I told him to acquire a 90 too... I carried with me also 280+VisoII... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
4season Posted June 19, 2007 Share #13 Posted June 19, 2007 Just a thought, but what's fun sometimes is to take a really unexpected lens, and concentrate on that: For instance, where everyone tells you to take a wideangle, consider a macro or tele, and you probably will get unexpected results Too many shooters rely too much on ultrawides, and the result is that a lot of work has a kind of sameness to it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 19, 2007 Share #14 Posted June 19, 2007 Just a thought, but what's fun sometimes is to take a really unexpected lens, and concentrate on that: For instance, where everyone tells you to take a wideangle, consider a macro or tele, and you probably will get unexpected results Too many shooters rely too much on ultrawides, and the result is that a lot of work has a kind of sameness to it. Nice, you've got a point: really I personally sometime said to myself "ok, today, 28 only, no matter" or "today, 135 only, I'll see..." and you take something interesting due to this limitation... that's one of the pleasures of photo... sincerely, I sometime admire people who, for instance, has ALWAYS worked single-lens, like that person quoted hereby time ago, that simply went for decades with 5cm Elmar and no more... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
cwf Posted June 20, 2007 Share #15 Posted June 20, 2007 Although individual preferences vary, I'd suggest starting with a 28 and 50 as a core and then adding at one or the other end, likely a 21 or 75. An alternative to the 21, 28, 50 would be 24, 35, 50. Since new Leica lenses seem to be in general short supply, you may want to explore used lenses and/or lenses from other manufacturers than Leica. You can't really make a mistake unless you work at it, so enjoy making the decision. Any mistakes, or more likely changes in preferences, can be corrected by another acquisition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 20, 2007 Share #16 Posted June 20, 2007 Oh my God, Lars... I just wrote this nice Devonboy that in a Country of big spaces like Iceland he surely needed a strong WA.... and I was sincere and proof about the site... have fine prints of an Iceland travel in the '80s with my Super Angulon 21...uh, do not start long discussions on this topic...btw I told him to acquire a 90 too... I carried with me also 280+VisoII... Luigi – 'horses for courses' is the saying, but 'horses for riders' does also apply! I have never been to Iceland, but I have been mooching around quite a lot in Lapland, which is a bit similar above the tree line. There, the useful lenses in 35mm terms, were 135 and 50mm. Super wide angles are just horizon-flatteners. When I wanted a panorama, I made one with the 50mm, scanned the film and stitched the digital images. But in the final analysis, all boils down to the personal factor. The old man from the age B.C. (Box Cameras) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 20, 2007 Share #17 Posted June 20, 2007 An afterthought ... In the latest issue (4/2007) of Leica Fotographie International we read that Dan Suskin went to the Namib Desert with two M8 cameras, each with a Tri-Elmar, one 'normal' and one wide. The idea was to avoid dust by never changing the lenses. Some breathtaking images are shown, but all of them made with the Tri-Elmar 28-35-50mm. Two of the eight frames were made on 28mm, the rest on 50mm. None with the WATE. 'Nuff said. The old man from the Age B.C. (of Box Cameras) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 20, 2007 Share #18 Posted June 20, 2007 Luigi – 'horses for courses' is the saying, but 'horses for riders' does also apply! I have never been to Iceland, but I have been mooching around quite a lot in Lapland, which is a bit similar above the tree line. There, the useful lenses in 35mm terms, were 135 and 50mm. Super wide angles are just horizon-flatteners. When I wanted a panorama, I made one with the 50mm, scanned the film and stitched the digital images. But in the final analysis, all boils down to the personal factor. The old man from the age B.C. (Box Cameras) ...my 21-taken shots of Iceland were related to - Cascades - Buildings, new & ancient - Ice fields & rivers sprouting out of - Mountains not desert items... neither Lapland, think (never been there anyway...) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisC Posted June 20, 2007 Share #19 Posted June 20, 2007 Steve - You have probably worked out that you stumbled into the lens obsessives ward. People here can love particular lenses for specific characteristics, one person might need outstanding speed and performance wide open, another's preference may be for f8 performance and small lens size. No-one can answer your question but you after you have defined your requirements, and like others before me I too recommend Sean Reid's subscription site; it might prove the best possible investment you can make for clarifying your needs. My take on which 3 lenses is slightly different. Perhaps you could think more about your first lens because in many respects that will determine your second and third lens. Your first lens is an important decision, get it right and like many eminent practitioners you could find that it is all you need, and it is no bad thing to work with one lens at least for a while. Horses for courses. Lengths of string. Do some reading and define more clearly your needs, when you are ready you will find extraordinary helpfulness here. Good luck. ..................Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted June 21, 2007 Share #20 Posted June 21, 2007 Sound reasoning, Chris. Given this, I would say that as a first and 'cornerstone' lens, 28mm is fine for city boys (add a 75mm) and 35mm for country boys (add a 90mm). And then you are a Leicaddict, and may God help you. I will concede Luigi's point that occasionally, you can find a use for a superwide. But not as a mainstay lens, really. I admit that my judgment may have been clouded by the fact that up there north of the Arctic Circle, I had to carry everything I needed for a week or two on my back, including a change of underpants. You can be sure that I weighed everything that went into that backpack, and in grammes, not in ounces! Then there is of course the American Car Boot School of Photography. If Ansel Adams had turned his view camera through 180°, in many cases that other shot would have shown a car park. (I am bracing for the fatwa ...) The old man from the Age of Self-Propelled Photography Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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