Which focal lengths do you recommend for views from top of mountains?

[luigi bertolotti]

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Thanks. Yes, Eiger on left,...

.. and any climber knows well the legendary name of this little glacier...

 

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Great BW, DJMay...thanks for posting

[M11 for me]

Anyway: A strong wide angle is alway great to have in the bag. With Leica my widest lens is the 28mm Cron whereas with Canon I have as wide as 16mm (16-35mm f/4 L). Many here have Leica wide angles. What is your advice: Would you go for the WATE or would you go for a 21mm Super Elmar? Nice about the Wate is, that despite of its 3 focal lengths, it is still quite light weighted.

[wda]

When I was there (in 1983), I got some stunning shots of the Jungfrau and the other peaks with just the 40mm lens on my Rollei 35. If you can, wait for settled weather up top before taking the rail up to the Jungfraujoch. The ticket is not cheap, and it would be a shame to get up there only to find it fogged in. There are worse places to wait out the weather than Lauterbrunnen!

And you can monitor live TV cameras in hotels which show weather and visibility at such destinations. Also consider weekly rail passes which give flexibility and financial savings. I believe these can be booked before you reach Switzerland.

[Paul J]

I quite like using the Eye of Sauron for these occasions. It is a bit bulky though.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Paul J

[Raid Amin]

And you can monitor live TV cameras in hotels which show weather and visibility at such destinations. Also consider weekly rail passes which give flexibility and financial savings. I believe these can be booked before you reach Switzerland.

I was going to purchase a Swiss Half Pass, and if our planned mountain trips will be very limited, and if the weather will be unsuitable for enjoyment while we will be (say) at Lauterbrunnen for a trip up the mountains, maybe it is better not to spend money up front and we can wait until we arrive to Lauterbrunnen or Bern or Lucerne. Several people here have cautioned me not to get a pass too early.

[Raid Amin]

Anyway: A strong wide angle is alway great to have in the bag. With Leica my widest lens is the 28mm Cron whereas with Canon I have as wide as 16mm (16-35mm f/4 L). Many here have Leica wide angles. What is your advice: Would you go for the WATE or would you go for a 21mm Super Elmar? Nice about the Wate is, that despite of its 3 focal lengths, it is still quite light weighted.

I have only a 25/4 and a 28/2.8 as wide angle lenses for my M9. I will have very soon a 16/8 though.

[Raid Amin]

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Maybe I'm too young, but I've never seen a mountain Elmar 6.3 105mm in alpine use.

In contrast, more often the Elmar 4.0-90mm.

Is there a significant difference in the image results of these two lenses?

If I need 105mm, I prefer an old Nikon PC 2.5-105mm for Leica Screwmount M39, but it weighs quite a bit for hillwalking.

170223_L1048326_NikkorPC2.5-105_IIIa-syn_n_Zorki-Revolversucher_M8.2_2.0-50coll_SOMKY_m8raw2dng_LRPSCC_fb_psd_50.9MB_frame440p_1280p_jpg_464KB.jpg

 

I have an Elmar 90/4 and an Elmarit 90/2.8 and a Nikkor 105/2.5 and a Canon 100/3.5 and a Lux 75/1.4 and a Steinheil 85/2.8. A short tele would net be a problem for me to find. The Mountain Elmar is for collectors.

[djmay]

I was going to purchase a Swiss Half Pass, and if our planned mountain trips will be very limited, and if the weather will be unsuitable for enjoyment while we will be (say) at Lauterbrunnen for a trip up the mountains, maybe it is better not to spend money up front and we can wait until we arrive to Lauterbrunnen or Bern or Lucerne. Several people here have cautioned me not to get a pass too early.

You can get a tourist Half-fare pass when you arrive. It only takes a couple of round-trips between Zurich and places that are a few hours away, in order for the pass to be worthwhile. The Half-fare pass is good for one month and costs about 120 CHF. Check the Swiss National Railroad (SBB) website sbb.ch.

 

Jesse

[djmay]

Anyway: A strong wide angle is alway great to have in the bag. With Leica my widest lens is the 28mm Cron whereas with Canon I have as wide as 16mm (16-35mm f/4 L). Many here have Leica wide angles. What is your advice: Would you go for the WATE or would you go for a 21mm Super Elmar? Nice about the Wate is, that despite of its 3 focal lengths, it is still quite light weighted.

My most-used lens on the M is the Elmarit-M 21. I have not used WATE or SEM 21.

Jesse

[ropo54]

I was going to purchase a Swiss Half Pass, and if our planned mountain trips will be very limited, and if the weather will be unsuitable for enjoyment while we will be (say) at Lauterbrunnen for a trip up the mountains, maybe it is better not to spend money up front and we can wait until we arrive to Lauterbrunnen or Bern or Lucerne. Several people here have cautioned me not to get a pass too early.

 

I was in Lucerne last summer and used the SL 24-90 for our trek up to Mt. Pilatus by cogwheel train. You are in the clouds but a lot of fun.

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[ropo54]

A few other snaps from up top on Mt. Pilatus. 

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[Raid Amin]

You can get a tourist Half-fare pass when you arrive. It only takes a couple of round-trips between Zurich and places that are a few hours away, in order for the pass to be worthwhile. The Half-fare pass is good for one month and costs about 120 CHF. Check the Swiss National Railroad (SBB) website sbb.ch.

 

Jesse

Thank you, Jesse.

We will most likely get two passes when we get there or just before leaving here.

[Raid Amin]

Thank you, Rob. We will stay for two nights in Lucerne, and going up Mt. Pilatus is certainly a good option.

 

A few other snaps from up top on Mt. Pilatus. 

[Raid Amin]

My most-used lens on the M is the Elmarit-M 21. I have not used WATE or SEM 21.

Jesse

I was about to order a SEM 21, but in the end I went for uniqueness of the Hologon. 

[ropo54]

Thank you, Rob. We will stay for two nights in Lucerne, and going up Mt. Pilatus is certainly a good option.

 

A boat ride on Lake Lucerne is also quite nice as well as a bite to eat in 'Old Town'.  (Taxis were prohibitively expensive). Beautiful city and landscape.

 

The 24-90 was great, along with a 35 1.4 FLE (low light) and a CV 15mm for wide angle.

 

Enjoy your trip. I am envious!

Rob

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Edited January 20, 2018 by ropo54

[Raid Amin]

I hope that our family trip will turn out well. We will be exploring parts of Italy, Switzerland, and France in a 2 week trip by car. We could have taken a highway route from Milan to Lyon that stays away from mountains, but taking Milan-Lugano-Lauterbrunnen-Lucerne-Bern-Lyon seems to be more fun.

Edited January 20, 2018 by Raid Amin

[Peter Kilmister]

In the Alps the best (spectacular) routes are the high mountain passes, provided they are open. They always put signs up to say if open or closed.

Forget the Autoroutes if you want to understand the Alps by car. The old St Gothard pass was a real brown trouser journey and still worth the effort when there is high pressure over the Alps. One of the most difficult and spectacular is the Great St Bernard Pass from Italy into Switzerland. I believe it is the highest pass in the Alps and was often closed by snow in summer. It is a spectacular drive and worth every penny of fuel. The GrosGlochner (?) that went from Austria to Slovenia has been replaced by a super highway through a tunnel. You can, if you are adventurous enough, still take the old high mountain pass if the weather is good.

The little St Bernard pass between France and Italy is OK but, unless you are interested in Roman history, is a little bit boring.

The Simplon pass from Italy to Switzerland used to be amazing in the 1960s. Now it is boring and functual. 

I haven't been over the Wiersen pass between Austria and Slovenia since 55 years ago. It was very steep and at the top the old Yugoslavian customs post had a sign that said, "English tea just like mother makes." Believe me, no English mother ever made tea that badly! 

 

There are superb views in Slovenia over the passes in the Julian Alps. Much further west there are wonderful passes over the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.

 

Please forgive my spelling. Get hold of a good Alpine map and hope for good weather. Normally in June you get high pressure over the Alps and then you get clear skies. However if an Atlantic front comes in you could get snow. Tour de France stages have been cancelled at times in July because of snow.

 

If you are in the Tarentaise region of France in summer it is worth going over another pass for beauty that few people know about. You drive up through Bourg St Maurice to Val d'Isere and then take the Col d'Isere to Bonneval. Bonneval is really unspoilt and wild, then you follow the Arc river valley back to civilisation. Really barren over the col, great hospitality in Bonneval, spectacular views in the Arc valley. 

 

Let us know where you get to and where you enjoyed the most.

Edited January 21, 2018 by Peter Kilmister

[Raid Amin]

Peter: Thank you for your detailed descriptions and recommendations for some passes in the Alps. It is Grossglockner, by the way. We will be in Switzerland during the last days of May and first days of June. There could still be snow blocking some of the passes. I usually try to balance between a relaxed family trip and some relatively challenging drives to see what is still reasonable to explore for us (who are not into hiking or going up mountains).  I hope that we will get on some days clear skies, but all travel is rewarding and a cultural experience. I take many photos each year during our trips. 

 

Thanks, Peter.

Edited January 21, 2018 by Raid Amin

[djmay]

I hope that our family trip will turn out well. We will be exploring parts of Italy, Switzerland, and France in a 2 week trip by car. We could have taken a highway route from Milan to Lyon that stays away from mountains, but taking Milan-Lugano-Lauterbrunnen-Lucerne-Bern-Lyon seems to be more fun.

There is a lot to enjoy in the Lauterbrunnen Valley and both sides of the valley. Depending on how leisurely you want to explore, a few suggestions follow.

 

To go to Jungfraujoch you will take a train to Kleine Scheidegg and then change. Before Kleine Scheidegg, there are several stops to get off and look around. First, Wengen, where there are great views of the Lauterbrunnen Valley. Then Wengernalp, where the mountains are right in your face. Different views, which never get old. Kleine Scheidegg is a good place to linger and look around.

 

In the Lauterbrunnen Valley, it is an easy walk through the valley. After 15-20 minutes of walking, you will be treated to magnificent views of mountains in the distance, with a small brook in the foreground as well as the usual farms.

 

On the opposite side of valley from Jungfrau, there is the village of Muerren. You take a gondola and then a train to Muerren. It only takes about 30 minutes. There are completely different views from this side of the valley, although you are looking at Eiger, Moench and Jungfrau. At Muerren, you can take another gondola up to Schilthorn, which is about 10,000 feet. You have 360 degrees of mountains.

 

Jesse

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Raid Amin]

Thank you for the great tips, Jesse. I will keep a copy of your post for reference.