jay968 Posted January 28, 2018 Share #41 Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) Advertisement (gone after registration) I think that if you ask 100 people this same question, you might get 100 different answers. It really depends on what you shoot and how. There are no "bad" Leica lenses. For me, the answer would be the 21 SEM and the 35 Summilux hands down. I do though also own a 28 2.8, 50 Summicron and 90 Summarit. But which two if I could ONLY own two? 21 and 35. Edited January 28, 2018 by jay968 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 28, 2018 Posted January 28, 2018 Hi jay968, Take a look here What are the must have 2 lenses with the M10?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
pgk Posted January 28, 2018 Share #42 Posted January 28, 2018 But which two if I could ONLY own two? 21 and 35. It is very personal although I would agree with this. I'd miss a 75 or 90 though . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedwp Posted January 28, 2018 Author Share #43 Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) Why? Do tell...yes, please explain. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited January 28, 2018 by thedwp Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted January 28, 2018 Share #44 Posted January 28, 2018 Why? Do tell... Too wide to be able to learn the camera inside and out especially focusing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramarren Posted January 28, 2018 Share #45 Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) I've been in love with my Q for over a year now, and am ready to make the leap to the M10. I shoot mostly street and some candid/portrait but no in studio work. I love the lens on the Q....so my initial thoughts were a 28mm and a 50mm.... ... For those of you Leica lens veterans, do you have any advice for me? lux or cron? anything to look out for? ... My baseline lenses for any Leica M are a 35mm and a 50mm, but 28mm and 50mm work nearly as well depending upon your personal predilections. The examples of these two lenses I use at present (on my Leica M-D typ 262 or M4-2) are a current series Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2 and a 1972 vintage Summilux 35mm f/1.4 v2 which I've had six-bit-coded for the M-D. Both perform beautifully. In addition to those two lenses, my next most-used lenses are a Summarit-M 75mm f/2.4 and a Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4 ASPH ... Both are also brilliant performers and cover most of my other desires for M camera shooting. 28mm was never a personal favorite of mine on the M, mostly because the 28mm frame lines I find difficult to see due to my glasses, but I do have a Voigtländer Color-Skopar 28mm f/3.5. It is a fine performer on film and a so-so performer on digital unless I add CornerFix to my workflow to cure its color shift and corner darkening. That said, it's a very sharp, small, and compact lens. I occasionally go longer too, with a lovely old M-Rokkor 90mm f/4 and an even older Hektor 135mm f/4.5, both of which turn very nice photos on film or digital. Edited January 28, 2018 by ramarren Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay968 Posted January 28, 2018 Share #46 Posted January 28, 2018 yes, please explain. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Again, just personal opinion based on what I like to shoot. 21 is my favorite lens for any camera. The Leica SEM 21 is also an incredibly awesome lens. I shoot lots of landscapes and objects where the 21 does great things to the foreground and background. 35 is more a universal lens for me. If I had only one camera and one lens, it would be the 35. No it's not my favorite, the 21 is but it is more useful in general as a one camera, one lens comb. The current 35 Summilux is wonderful. I'd miss my 90 too but it's not essential. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Printmaker Posted January 28, 2018 Share #47 Posted January 28, 2018 Advertisement (gone after registration) I've tried several two lens combos i.e. 35/2 & 90/2.8, 28/2 & 50/2, 35/2 & 50/2 and they all work. Right now I find the 35/2 and the 75/2 to be the perfect combo on the M10. The 35 is wonderful as it is such a good ergonomic fit. I use the type 4 Summicron. It is small, light and makes the viewfinder very user friendly. And I use the 75 Cron as a tight 50. It is my detail /portrait lens. However, the 75 mm lens is not such a good fit on the M9 as the viewfinder is more challenging. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 28, 2018 Share #48 Posted January 28, 2018 Not too close if you only take one when you shoot The default lens for a rangefinder is a 35mm or 50mm. Actually the default lens is the one you prefer to use, each of us have different choices I imagine.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Printmaker Posted January 28, 2018 Share #49 Posted January 28, 2018 Like jay968, I also find the 21 SEM to be a great lens. It is part of my current 3 lens kit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
coupdefoudre Posted January 28, 2018 Share #50 Posted January 28, 2018 (edited) Perhaps a 28mm Cron or Elmarit as you loved the Q. Then, maybe, a 50. I have a Lux and Cron but have settled on the Lux as it is splendid. These two could carry you for years, but, for people shots, as I am sure you discovered with the Q, you need to be close. If getting really close is not your forte, a 35mm would be better. Then, instead of a 50, investigate the 75s. I have both an APO Cron (fantastic and about the size of the 50 Lux) and the 75 Lux (no longer made and interesting in its wide-open rendering.) It is a beast of a lens, tho. Adding to the confusion, if you do loads of wide-angle stuff the 21 SEM (Super-Elmar-M f3.5 ASPH) is a joy. Or, if reach is necessary, something in a 90mm. I have a couple but most often use the Elmarit-M f2.8 (no longer made.) While it is true you can crop, you do, I think, have to be dead-on in your focus to do so - at least for me. Otherwise I am often unhappy with the post-crop quality for larger prints. Just as a point of information, I gravitate toward chrome lenses and accept the weight penalty - tho some of the newer chrome lenses are silver-ized aluminum and weigh about the same as the black versions. I do use the chrome M10. I just sold my M-P240 which was also chrome to distinguish it from the black M246 in my bag, making it easier to distinguish which was which. Edited January 28, 2018 by coupdefoudre 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.Q Posted January 28, 2018 Share #51 Posted January 28, 2018 Actually the default lens is the one you prefer to use, each of us have different choices I imagine.... Given that a rangefinder uses a OVF with set framelines, 35mm and 50mm lenses are most suitable for the tool, thus considered a default lens. Whether you choose otherwise is another debate in itself. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevenhacker Posted February 1, 2018 Share #52 Posted February 1, 2018 Don't sell the Q. The f/1.7 28 mm lens is phenomenal and you have a Leica auto focus. It's probably the ideal street camera. For the M 10 I have three lenses: The 28 mm f/2.8 Elmarit; the Summicron 50mm f/2.0 and a 90mm Elmarit f/2.8. My 'go to' lens is the 50 mm. I love each of the three for lots of different reasons and each is ideal for different types of photography. I suggest you contact Josh Lerher at Leica Store Miami. They are exceptional and usually have a very good inventory of used lenses and bodies. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
asiafish Posted February 1, 2018 Share #53 Posted February 1, 2018 Difficult question, and really depends on what I'm doing. If I had to limit myself to owning only two, rather than picking any two for an outing or trip, I'd probably go for the 28mm f/2 Summicron ASPH (latest version) and 50mm f/0.95 Noctilux ASPH. I love 50mm, it is by far my favorite focal length, and I also like to shoot at night without flash and enjoy using depth of field (shallow and deep) to tell a story. The Noctilux is simply magical, even stopped down, and for me its only limitations are the ones everyone else mentions which are weight and its 1 meter minimum focusing distance. Still, every time I think of taking a different 50mm lens with me, the Noctilux usually ends up on the camera anyway and I'm always thrilled with the results. For my second lens I pick the 28mm f/2 Summicron ASPH v2 because it is fast enough (I can handhold a stop slower shutter speed at 28mm than I can at 50mm), also has a gorgeous rendering that compliments the Noctilux rather well, and it is small and light enough to balance the weight of the Noctilux compared to a smaller outfit like a 50 Lux and 28 Elmarit. For individual outings I always choose either a one or two lens kit. For one lens, the 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH v2 is my current favorite. I actually downgraded last year from the 35mm f/1.4 Summilux ASPH FLE to the Summicron to cut weight. the Lux of course had more creative options with its f/1.4 aperture, but I find the Cron to have its own charms. The differences are slight enough that I'd rather have the reduced weight than the extra stop. The 35 Lux used to be my fastest lens as I had a Summicron for 50mm, but since buying the Noctilux I prefer to keep the rest of my glass small and light. Sometimes I'll pair the 35 Cron with my quite ancient 90mm f/2.8 Elmarit. They have very different looks and character (besides the focal length) and a more modern 90mm would pair better, but I rarely shoot longer than 50mm so its not worth the investment. The 90 Elmarit is gorgeous for portraits and actually pairs very well with my 81-year-old Zeiss 5cm f/1.5 Sonnar, which is another common lens pairing I'll take out, usually with my M5 to shoot film. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dugby Posted February 2, 2018 Share #54 Posted February 2, 2018 As I am different to many, I would go with: 50 APO and 50 Nocti 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tailwagger Posted February 2, 2018 Share #55 Posted February 2, 2018 If theres one thing about the M system I have a love/hate relationship with, its the fact that one can make the case that a good copy of virtually any lens they ever produced is a must have. And, of course, often they are not must haves, but rather 'lust' haves. In a two lens kit, for me that would mean a 35mm Summilux AA and the new Nocti 75 (I'd cheat by stuffing a 21mm Skopar in my back pocket, just in case). A pair, I've never even touched. Once one comes back to reality, sorting through it all, means generating a scoring card to weight which characteristics are vital, important, nice to have, etc, based on the expected subjects and context they'll be used in. Focal length, rendering, size, heft, blockage, speed, compose-ability, focusability, flexibility, ease of lens changing in the field and, of course, cost. Its a complex set of variables, it's never an easy decision, nor entirely satisfying, which is one reason why many, my self included, seem to wind up with arsenals that permit multiple choices for a given focal length. And of course, what works in one period of activity isn't always as satisfying in the next. As a personal example, one of the first lenses I purchased after coming to the M was a late 1960's 35mm Summilux. In many ways, it is entirely responsible for cementing my undying love for Leica. Tiny, light, fast. Utterly flawed wide open, yet soulful. Wonderful stopped down. Love. But then there was that dang infinity lock, the Series VII filter thing, the softness wide open, etc. So about a year ago, I bought a Zeiss Distagon, put the 'lux back in its case, and shot with that lens for many months. Eventually, being someone who more naturally sees in 50mm, that lens in turn convinced me, to swap my 50mm Summicron (latest version and the only Leica lens so far that I just couldn't bond with) for a Summilux BC. The obvious and foreseeable result being that the equally heavy and somewhat porkier Zeiss got relegated to the bench given the closeness of the focal lengths. But just this weekend, I went out with full kit and for the first time in over a year on a whim I decided to bring the 35mm Summilux. Why not? Whats a few extra grams when your carrying three cameras in an single bag? The proud old Summilux took the shot of the weekend (on a 240 mind you). Love affair renewed. Its back in the rotation, despite the incredibly irritating infinity lock, as its reminded me of the intoxicating charm and wisdom of elderly glass. Someday, no doubt, it will fall out again. Moral of the story? Being able to decide which lenses are must haves depends on where you and your head just happen to be. Unfortunately, in my experience, resolving the question requires possession of a few variations to know which will most likely satisfy your desires in the moment. There are no shortcuts to Nirvana, embrace the process and build your own beliefs over time. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
@ndy_ellis Posted February 2, 2018 Share #56 Posted February 2, 2018 As I am different to many, I would go with: 50 APO and 50 Nocti Is 'different to' a euphemism for 'richer than'? 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reciprocity Posted February 2, 2018 Share #57 Posted February 2, 2018 (edited) All I use and all I will ever need for Leica M is what the fame lines, VF and RF system do best with and that is a 28, 35 and 50. Anything wider or faster on the wide end either needs an external VF or blocks the heck out of the frame lines. For example, a 28mm 1.4 is just stupid big on the M10 blocking over a third of the frame area. Anything longer than a 50mm is like watching a movie from the lobby, kind of pointless. A 75 would be so-so I guess but beyond that is much better used with an SLR. The lens that I use on my M10 90% of the time and I will never part with is the 35mm 1.4FLE. If I had to choose two they would be the 35mm 1.4FLE and 50 Summicron. I have no interest in the overrated and insanely priced 50 APO. Edited February 2, 2018 by Reciprocity 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedwp Posted February 3, 2018 Author Share #58 Posted February 3, 2018 If theres one thing about the M system I have a love/hate relationship with, its the fact that one can make the case that a good copy of virtually any lens they ever produced is a must have. And, of course, often they are not must haves, but rather 'lust' haves. In a two lens kit, for me that would mean a 35mm Summilux AA and the new Nocti 75 (I'd cheat by stuffing a 21mm Skopar in my back pocket, just in case). A pair, I've never even touched....... Well said, and so true. One of the reasons I sold all my Fuji gear and went to the Q was to get away from a serious case of G.A.S. I would buy and sell the same lenses, always wondering if I should go with the newer f2 series or stick with the faster lenses, etc. Admittedly, it came down to sheer boredom. Part of the issue for me is I love to research and look at equipment. And I got caught in a bad cycle. So when I discovered the Q, I thought it was a great way to get into the Leica universe and since it's a fixed lens, G.A.S. wouldn't be a problem. And it's been a great year...I was so happy with the imagry and the focal length was set and I found ways to make it work. Not being a professional photog, I didn't have the pressure of making money with the Q, I just used it for sheer satisfaction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marcg Posted February 4, 2018 Share #59 Posted February 4, 2018 MATE and one other 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancook Posted February 5, 2018 Share #60 Posted February 5, 2018 things changed a little since my first post I've chosen the 35mm FLE and 50 Lux - both in silver to match body also focal lengths make the best of the rangefinder/ The only other lenses that I've been considering lately are 21SEM and 50NOCT I've got 28 in the Q and both zooms for the SL. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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