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Dummy question - M8


lecter

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I asked this question before when the forum was more "Leica" named.

I am thinking of popping down today and picking me up an M8.

((As an aside: I bought a DLux-3 the other day and will give that to the Mrs when she visits me in China in a few weeks (Canon 5D's, Hasselblad H2's and Canon 1D2's are bulky to carry around.. hehe)))

 

What lens should I get (I know I'll be addicted etc etc and be a sad lens buyer, don't remind me, delusional is OK with me). I am looking for street style photography. My Serious landscapes I do with my Hassy, sports and wildlife action with the 1D2 (maybe 1D3 f they ever fix it) and the Mrs has a 5D / DLux 3 for fun. I'll be wandering the temples of Beijing, More trips through the great wall, Tianamen Square etc etc. (Plus any side trips to other interesting places).

 

Do I go a Zoom? (haha, this will have the purists screaming)

Or just go with a nice 28MM and be done with it??

 

Opinions appreciated.....

 

 

Rob

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I feel compelled to answer as my first trip with the M8 was to Beijing. At that time I only had a 21/2.8 and a 35/1.4A. Pretty good setup but I truly missed a longer reach lens to capture some of the many fine details in the temples as well as some street life without getting too close to people.

 

So, a 28 may be a good option as single lens but any one-lens setup will have its limits. You may want a wider one for the confined spaces as well as a longer one (see above).

 

A zoom would be an option if there was one ;)

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I feel compelled to answer as my first trip with the M8 was to Beijing. At that time I only had a 21/2.8 and a 35/1.4A. Pretty good setup but I truly missed a longer reach lens to capture some of the many fine details in the temples as well as some street life without getting too close to people.

 

So, a 28 may be a good option as single lens but any one-lens setup will have its limits. You may want a wider one for the confined spaces as well as a longer one (see above).

 

A zoom would be an option if there was one ;)

 

 

Yes. But I want to start slow.... I know I'll pick up pace.

 

Rob

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The VISO Bellows shots are cool. Are they also hard to find??

 

Rob

 

Not difficult to find in the user marketplace... personally I dislike ebay buying so I'd suggest one of the dealers that are well known in our market (I'd say, 10-12 in Europe + USA) : Visoflex + bellows + used 135 or 90 mm lens head is a wonderful and not too costly macro set for M8.

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Rob, there are no zooms, so that is that taken care of :) The Wide-Angle Tri-Elmar is actually a zoom with proper settings at 16, 18 and 21mm, but that is too wide for you.

 

I would recommend the 28 Cron or 35 Lux Asph (if you can find one and test it for excessive focus shift), depending on whether you prefer the 35mm or 50mm view. If the wide open setting is less important, there are also the much more compact 28 Elmarit Asph and 35 Cron Asph lenses to consider.

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Hi Rob,

i would really go for the 35 cron ASPH,

really compact, not so wide and acts almost like a 50 on film (one of the most used lens on M's),

no distortion, really resistant to coma and flare (much more then the 35lux ASPH), really light, not so much expensive... i would go for the 28elmarit in 2° chance (I had many problems with 28cron, i.e. purple fringing and flares) becuase of it's price and weight and dimensions, but maybe it's not a so fast lens to be "alone"....

After this:

it's in your mood you decision...

 

Regards

Maurizio

MAURIZIO BEUCCI.com - Official web site

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I asked this question before when the forum was more "Leica" named.

I am thinking of popping down today and picking me up an M8.

((As an aside: I bought a DLux-3 the other day and will give that to the Mrs when she visits me in China in a few weeks (Canon 5D's, Hasselblad H2's and Canon 1D2's are bulky to carry around.. hehe)))

 

What lens should I get (I know I'll be addicted etc etc and be a sad lens buyer, don't remind me, delusional is OK with me). I am looking for street style photography. My Serious landscapes I do with my Hassy, sports and wildlife action with the 1D2 (maybe 1D3 f they ever fix it) and the Mrs has a 5D / DLux 3 for fun. I'll be wandering the temples of Beijing, More trips through the great wall, Tianamen Square etc etc. (Plus any side trips to other interesting places).

 

Do I go a Zoom? (haha, this will have the purists screaming)

Or just go with a nice 28MM and be done with it??

 

Opinions appreciated.....

 

 

Rob

 

I don't mean to sound standoffish but with all those cameras don't you know which focal length you'd like to start with? How can anyone else say what you'd like/find best for starters? Leica makes top quality glass as you know. CV lenses are 1/10th the price. Zeiss lenses maybe 50% of the price of a Leica M mount. Neither CV nor Zeiss lenses are coded to compensate for vignetting but work arounds exist. All wides for M8 are superior in my opinion to Canon L glass, esp as far as distortions are concerned (I also shoot 1dsII with L glass). The weight diff between a 35 1.4 on a 1D model and a similar on a Leica is big!

 

M mount lenses are tiny compared to L lenses from Canon but generally speaking fast Leica/M mount lenses are heavier by a few bars of chocolate than their slower, smaller, lighter brothers. For a really mobile camera you can get an M8 body with a 28 2.8 lens. If you need something faster, then that won't do. But everyone here has personal prefs and do very different kinds of shooting. I would take recommendations with a grain of salt.

 

Street style is a bit ambiguous but traditionally is done with FF 28-50 fov depending on the photographer. Perhaps you mean tourist snapshot style?

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