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

[Beresford]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

What an interesting question and useful answers!

 

One of the great mountain photographers is Frank Smythe. Here is an interesting article from the Alpine Journal. Looking at the pictures I note that he was especially careful to have interesting foregrounds.

 

Part of the Leica mythos is that Oscar Barnack "suffered from asthma, so he proposed reducing the size and weight of cameras to be able to take photographs abroad." (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Barnack)

[pgk]

The Elmarit was on my mind when I was thinking of tele lenses that I own. It is a sharp lens, as you have said. Good for you to have found a safe and cozy stone building as a shelter from the snow storm. 

 

The 90mm Elmarit-M is still an underrated lens IMO. Its a really excellent mountain lens too. That said, I use the 135 (pre-Apo) in mountains too - well stopped down it will produce extremely detailed images.

Edited January 27, 2018 by pgk

[luigi bertolotti]

Agree about having a tele lens with you...

Absolutely needed on mountains... 

 

280 is rather manageable even when hiking....

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

... while if you want to take some far details like this little bivouac on top of Crozzon di Brenta... there's nothing like 800... but you cannot carry it at all... only for takings from a car-reachable point... 

 

(which makes me to think a lot of the Elmar 100-400 for MFT... as some Forum member has done...  )

Edited January 27, 2018 by luigi bertolotti

[pgk]

If you go to http://galerihafod.co.uk/paul/ you can look at the images Arinaga and Milford Sound both of which were shot on the 90mm Elmarit-M. They aren't conventional 'mountain' shots but illustrate the slight compressive effect of this lens which is useful and can allow for inclusion of some foreground if stopped down, or for concentration on a more 'planar' subject if not (when shooting where handheld is essential, like in a boat or climbing). Edit: Milford Sound was on the M8 sorry so equivalent of a 120mm lens, still the low compressive effect is useful at 90mm IMO.

Edited January 27, 2018 by pgk

[Raid Amin]

The late Galen Rowell was a known mountain climber and professional photographer. I started out in photography by reading several of his books. He used Nikon SLR equipment. One of his favorite lenses was the (cheap) 70-150 zoom. It is a small and very sharp zoom.

 

For example: https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/lessons-learned-from-galen-rowell/

Edited January 27, 2018 by Raid Amin

[Csacwp]

28 summilux and 90 apo for me...

[coupdefoudre]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

By way of comparison, here are two shots of the same mountain, Nilgiri in Mustang Himalaya.

 

They were taken 8 minutes apart, standing in the same spot. The 28mm shot is not great but it will show the angle of view difference from the 50 Lux. I love the 28 Elmarit but it does get challenging as the light slips away.

 

If viewed separately there may not seem to be much difference in the photos. Viewed together the difference is notable. The 28mm image is not nearly as engaging, in part because the foreground is too dark to really see much detail.

 

Unfortunately, I do not have another, increased telephoto view, as it was getting too dark - and cold!

 

This trip focused on people shots in their environment so the 28mm was my most used lens. The 50 Lux and the 75 APO Summicron got about equal use - but far fewer than the 28mm.

 

 

M10

28mm Elmarit-M ASPH, Version II

ISO 1600, 1/2000 second

 

Nilgiri From Teahouse

May 2017

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

M10

50mm Summilux ASPH

ISO 800, 1/250 second

 

Nilgiri From Teahouse

May 2017

 

 

 

[coupdefoudre]

Here's a shot where, I think, the 28mm comes into its own.

 

M10

28mm Elmarit-M ASPH, Version II

ISO 200, 1/250 second

(stabilized with my elbows on a rock wall)

 

The Kali Gandaki River Gorge as Dusk Approaches

May 2017

 

Tho difficult to see, there are two walkers crossing the little bridge in the middle ground at the right.

The water from this aspect looks low enough to cross by foot. Woe be he who tries to wade this fast, cold current.

There is a dead Himalayan goat on the sandbar just out of sight at the lower, bottom left.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

 

[coupdefoudre]

The late Galen Rowell was a known mountain climber and professional photographer. I started out in photography by reading several of his books. He used Nikon SLR equipment. One of his favorite lenses was the (cheap) 70-150 zoom. It is a small and very sharp zoom.

 

For example: https://www.outdoorphotographer.com/on-location/featured-stories/lessons-learned-from-galen-rowell/

 

I used to see Galen Rowell at the big Alpine Cub meetings in Washington, DC. when I went to them (I was a young climber and aspiring photographer.) One year I had him sign some books and chatted extensively about the climbing-photography life. His story of striking out from being a mechanic to a photographer was inspiring. His art and life are much missed.

 

Those annual meetings were great places for inspiration. I met many of the legendary climbers there thru the years, including Edmund Hillary, H.W. 'Bill' Tilman and Eric Shipton. Major Bill Tilman had been born in the 19th century and was still going strong when I met him.

 

For travelers, the world is a much smaller and dangerous place than it was in the early 1970s - but adventure and great photos are still possible with a bit of planning!

 

And, when you cannot get out, books & photographs by these explorers and others make excellent armchair reading.

Edited January 27, 2018 by coupdefoudre

[pgk]

Major Bill Tilman had been born in the 19th century and was still going strong when I met him.

 

An aside. He lived not that far from where I am on the banks of the Mawddach Estuary in Snowdonia. There are two plaques to commemorate him. One saying this was his home. The other from grateful partisans for his role in WW2!

[JohnnySeven]

If I was going on a mountain trip I'd bring my 28mm, 35mm and a 50.  I think you would find that the 28 would spend the most time on the camera.  28's give you the wideness to describe nice expansive views with out too much stretchy distortion.

[Raid Amin]

I need to balance between street photos in major cities and then some mountain tops. If I choose my lenses to be small and light, I could take with me a few.

[jmahto]

I need to balance between street photos in major cities and then some mountain tops. If I choose my lenses to be small and light, I could take with me a few.

You said "small and light" and "street and mountain top"..... you need 40 summicron-c (optionally becomes 28mp stitched 28mm FOV) and 90 macro-elmar (optimally becomes 50mp stitched 50mm FOV).

 

Stitched shots are thee vertical side by shots put together by one click in LR. Effortlessly doubles FOV while doubling megapixel. Don't you love M!

Edited January 29, 2018 by jmahto

[MarkP]

You said "small and light" and "street and mountain top"..... you need 40 summicron-c (optionally becomes 28mp stitched 28mm FOV) and 90 macro-elmar (optimally becomes 50mp stitched 50mm FOV).

 

Stitched shots are thee vertical side by shots put together by one click in LR. Effortlessly doubles FOV while doubling megapixel. Don't you love M!

Only tripod, or can you hand-hold them quite well.

[otto.f]

I need to balance between street photos in major cities and then some mountain tops. If I choose my lenses to be small and light, I could take with me a few.

Ansel Adams’ devise was: “take the camera as heavy as you can carry”.

If you own an SWC I’d certainly recommend that for b&w. In your backpack; at the Jungfraujoch it wil not be possible anyway to make very long hikes. Then for color and on your shoulder you take the M9 with Elmar 50 for stitched panorama’s (can be done without a tripod too). At 5.6 there’s really no difference with the APO Summicron 50. It’s the ultimate best value for money in Leica M lenses. I made several mountain shots with it in the Andes and although I own this lens already some time, it amazed me again.

[jmahto]

Only tripod, or can you hand-hold them quite well.

No tripod needed for three vertical panning shots.

[Susie]

Hi Guys,

 

Here are a couple of photos taken at the Splugenpass between Switzerland and Italy, which is the way we nearly always go when visiting Mandello di Lario, the home of Moto Guzzi motorcycles - and not too far from Luigi's home town. So much more civilised compared with the hurly-burly of the other, more touristy passes, with a couple of excellent coffee houses at the top in the village!

 

On this trip I took the 50mm Summicron, my 90mm Tele-Elmarit and my 21mm Elmarit-M (non apo).  I rarely use my 35mm Summicron, finding it either too wide or not wide enough.  I think you will be able to get good photos which ever lenses you take.  There is no single ideal one, they all have their uses in different circumstances.

 

 

50mm Summicron on my M9

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

 

90mm Tele-Elmarit

 

 

 

 

And a shot taken near the northern end of Lake Como, on the way back home. Again with the 50mm Summicron

 

 

 

 

Susie