21SEM - 35FLE - 50LUX | Top choice?

[newnew]

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"There is a before and after purchasing this lens," For me this was with SEM 21. A wide angle free of distorsion that is NOT only for landscapes but also for candid street shooting. I sold it once  but very quickly had to buy another one. by the way they can be found second hand cheaper than what you quote.

FLE 35 ? I had it but somehow could never build a good partnership with it. Finally I sold it . I am not a 35 mm person. Instead I got a second hand 24 mm lux which is my "standard". It is also a "before and after lens" in the same way as SEM worked, but there is question of affordability. As to the 50's I have summilux pre-asph and a good cron V4. They work wonderfully in the digital environment.

The one lens is 24

the two lens is 24-90

For me the trio is 24 (lux)-50 (cron)-90 macro elmar if I want to travel (relatively)light

the SEM is still there and so special that sometimes I like to take the challenge of one lens for all situations in a sortie. The fun and pleasure of using it is in a different class.

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[Fedro]

what I am using most these days (like someone else up on the trail) is

21 SEM-28 Lux- 50 APO

bit of an nightmare with filters but all three are stunning lenses

this is for digital

I have the FLE, but tend to use it a lot on my film M 

[insomnia]

I have the exact combo right now. M10-P. Unfortunately nothing to take pictures of.

[Dennis]

1 hour ago, newnew said:

"There is a before and after purchasing this lens," For me this was with SEM 21. A wide angle free of distorsion that is NOT only for landscapes but also for candid street shooting. I sold it once  but very quickly had to buy another one. by the way they can be found second hand cheaper than what you quote.

Oh yeah, this is what I'm talking about. 

One vote for the SEM

1 hour ago, newnew said:

the SEM is still there and so special that sometimes I like to take the challenge of one lens for all situations in a sortie. The fun and pleasure of using it is in a different class.

You got me me first, then you killed me 🙂 with .... "Is a different class"

Can you believe that I feel the same and I never either handled the lens? How this is possible? It's the only Leica lens i'm suffering not having.

Thank you for sharing

1 hour ago, Fedro said:

21 SEM-28 Lux- 50 APO

Amazing

1 hour ago, Fedro said:

bit of an nightmare with filters but all three are stunning lenses

😂 I can imagine ...

54 minutes ago, insomnia said:

I have the exact combo right now. M10-P.

How does it feel for your way of shooting? Do you feel any FL gap in the middle. I don't think so.

Now, you have to choose only one of the three to keep, which one is your Top Choice.

[glenerrolrd]

Have worked on this decision for 20 years or more .   When I travel I always carry TWO matched M bodies ....M10R , M10M or film MP .  I tried and settled on two alternatives :

                        28/1.4 ;50/1.4asph and 90/2.8 TEM .  The 28 and 50 always on the camera and the 90 in a vest ,jacket even a shirt pocket .  The 28/50 give me 90% of the coverage I am looking for .  They are small enough and and with 3 lens I can normally avoid a bag .  If its summertime hot outside ...I can go without the 90 .  

                       I always travel with the 21/3.4 and often the 135/3.4 APO but they stay in the hotel safe unless I expect to need them for specific subjects .

My 2nd favorite group is the 24/3.8;35/1.4asph and the 75/2 APO ..it is definitely better in specific shooting environments where you can get close .

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 Thoughts on specific lenses :

                        21...I have both the 21/1.4 asph and the 21/3.4 .....I rarely use the summilux anymore and the 21/3.4 gets carried and not used much .   Evening and night shooting is amazing with the 21LUX .  Paris or Venice on a summer evening is my idea of an ideal location shoot .  

                        24...I have both the 24/1.4asph and 24/3.8 ..... This is a good light bad light choice .  The 24/3.8 is perfect for say Florida or anyplace with strong light .  The 24Lux of course is better for low available light shooting .  Biggest advantage of the 24 compared to the 28 is less likely to clip a hand or foot in framing .  Street shooting is difficult to nail composition when subjects might be moving in random directions .  Better to crop from a 24 down to a 28 or even a 35 and get what you intended .  

                        90 or 135 ...like most M photographers I like to compose between 28-50 FOV .....but when you just can not get close (as in around water ,at events even across a street ) the 90 really helps .   I would get better photographs in say Central Park NYC with the 90 ...so might choice a 50 and 90 combination on my two bodies.  

 

Other considerations 

                       1. the desired aesthetic of your photographs .and if you are shooting in B&W or color .   Do you want the colors to pop off the page or do your prefer a more painterly (softer rendering ).  

                       2. subject matter .....street,travel,landscape,portraits .....how much sharpness is desired .  What type of Bokeh is appropriate .  

 

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You can get familiar with the alternatives by reviewing what you shoot on each project and how much you use each focal length .  I done this on over 100K images taken on the streets of all the classic destinations ....NYC,Paris,Venice ,Miami (SOB) ,Havana are my top 5 locations .  

You are right to keep the alternatives small and spend you efforts learning each lens and keeping your RF skills sharp.  

 

 

 

[Dennis]

58 minutes ago, glenerrolrd said:

My 2nd favorite group is the 24/3.8;35/1.4asph and the 75/2 APO ..it is definitely better in specific shooting environments where you can get close

Between your two options, I would choose ten times, it's more appropriate to my way of seeing the word (trough the OFV).

1 hour ago, glenerrolrd said:

1. the desired aesthetic of your photographs .and if you are shooting in B&W or color .   Do you want the colors to pop off the page or do your prefer a more painterly (softer rendering ).  

 2. subject matter .....street,travel,landscape,portraits .....how much sharpness is desired .  What type of Bokeh is appropriate 

Excellent point. Well, full color, looking for slightly and outstanding 3pop when possible. I prefer modern rendering, sometimes clinical, sometimes with less (micro)contrast. But I'm more 35 Biogon than 35 Nokton Classic II for sure. 
Not looking for the super bokeh at f/1.2 or dreamy look. I didn't try these lenses, but I'm positive I would probably use the 21SEM wide open and at f/8, the 35 at f/1.4 - f/2.8 and f/5.6, while the 50 wide open, f/2, .and f/4. And I say 35 at f/1.4 because of the FLE. It would be a shame don't take advantage of the outstanding IQ wide open, right? But I can easily change the FLE for the CRON

21 SEM
35 CRON asph

50 LUX asph

Like a king, I usually don't shoot wider than f/2 with a 35, even with my TT 35/1.4 ... F/2 is my sweet spot. My most used (sometimes the only ones) are f/2 + f/4 +f/8. On some lenses, I put black tapes on the f/stop I never use.
Then I could play, finally, with the 50 Lux. And at 1.4, wow, more than enough. My telephoto in the trio lens kit.

Thank you for the detailed information Roger, I appreciate it. It helps me to understand better other options and confirm mines.

 

[Danner]

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50 Summilux FLE

35 Summicron ASPH

W.A.T.E.

:-)

[Narsuitus]

The first lens I had for my first "professional" 35mm SLR was a 50mm. I did not like that focal length because it was too "telephoto" for my taste.

When I replaced my first SLR, I replaced the 50mm lens with a wider 35mm. Loved that lens. That focal length became my favorite for general subjects. I later flanked the 35 with an 85mm and a 20mm.

When I purchased my first Leica rangefinder, I knew my first lens would be a 35mm. I later flanked it with a 90mm and a 21mm.

So, in answer to your question, 35mm FLE.

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[Dennis]

45 minutes ago, Narsuitus said:

So, in answer to your question, 35mm FLE.

Another vote for the 35 FLE. Thank you for sharing your journey.

It's so beautiful to use a 35mm in a RF camera 

[evikne]

3 hours ago, Dennis said:

It's so beautiful to use a 35mm in a RF camera 

And I think 35mm is the widest I would go if I wanted to take advantage of the rangefinder's ability to let you see "outside the frame".

[David_miller70]

When I swapped my Fuji to Leica last year I started wit the 35 Cron because I think if I only could take one lens with me that would be the one. Then I added the 50 Lux then the 21 SEM. 

Naively, I’ve always thought that having fastest lens was the best, irrespective of focal length, size, weight or cost but maybe now I’ve matured/evolved a bit. It was still hard to spend a lot of money on a wide angel that has a minimum aperture of f3.4. However, the 21 is simply stunning and could turn out to be the most amazing lens I have ever owned. The sharpness and colour rendition are just unbelievable. I posted a picture in the M10R photo thread that I love.

Then I spoilt it all last week by buying a 90 F2. I was supposed to be downscaling and promised myself no more than 3 lenses. So this is a story of how to fail at the 3 lens game. 😞

Best, David

Edited March 3, 2021 by David_miller70

[insomnia]

vor 10 Stunden schrieb Dennis:

How does it feel for your way of shooting? Do you feel any FL gap in the middle. I don't think so.

Now, you have to choose only one of the three to keep, which one is your Top Choice.

Gap? No definitely not.

I'm a 50 mm guys hands down - this would leave ship last.

Sometimes I find myself arguing to sell 35 and 21 and add a Q2.

I was happy with 24/3.8 and 50/1.4 some years ago (sold my gear to finance another hobby), but I wanted to try something new so I gave 21/35 a try. It's too early to say how pleased I am with the setup as I haven't traveled with it.

[Dennis]

8 hours ago, David_miller70 said:

However, the 21 is simply stunning and could turn out to be the most amazing lens I have ever owned. The sharpness and colour rendition are just unbelievable.

Glad to hear. So, there is a before and after purchasing this lens, right? 
One more vote for SEM.

With a world full of choices and options, f/3.4 at first glance could feel not so exciting, I think. And one could desire, maybe, an f/1.4. But then, when you think it well, it is more than enough for many situations. That's why I embraced this: the 21 could be 3.4 because I don't need a wider f/stop. The 35 is in the middle, where at f/2, you can still have a nice shallow DoF, and finally, the 50 to play around wide open. I would still buy a brand new SEM It was also f/4; I think is really worth it.

[David_miller70]

2 hours ago, Dennis said:

Glad to hear. So, there is a before and after purchasing this lens, right? 
One more vote for SEM.

With a world full of choices and options, f/3.4 at first glance could feel not so exciting, I think. And one could desire, maybe, an f/1.4. But then, when you think it well, it is more than enough for many situations. That's why I embraced this: the 21 could be 3.4 because I don't need a wider f/stop. The 35 is in the middle, where at f/2, you can still have a nice shallow DoF, and finally, the 50 to play around wide open. I would still buy a brand new SEM It was also f/4; I think is really worth it.

I’d agree, for most wide angle shooting you are at the opposite end of the aperture scale from 1.4 / 2 / 3.4 anyway and hopefully in good light.

[astrostl]

35 FLE and it's not really close, but only because I'm effectively answering the question of, "which focal length is most-useful to you, 21, 35, or 50?"

Of the actual lenses and in a price-neutral sense, the 21 SEM is the most "important" to me.

[Dennis]

34 minutes ago, astrostl said:

35 FLE and it's not really close, but only because I'm effectively answering the question of, "which focal length is most-useful to you, 21, 35, or 50?"

Of the actual lenses and in a price-neutral sense, the 21 SEM is the most "important" to me.

Another vote for SEM, I guess.

Glad I wrote this post; I'm listening to your reasons and love them. The reasons why I create threads and ask a lot, mostly because I never saw, touched (and used) any lens except the ones I have. I don't know a Leica user's existence 300 miles from where I live, exact for one guy. I have to travel abroad to try new cameras and lenses.
That's why I'm studying remotely, reading, and asking a lot. I'm filtering already my next purchases 🙂

[Fedro]

hey Dennis - I think it depends on what you already have and use. I seem to remember you already have 35 and 50 so would go for the SEM (which is great)

Alternatively the 50 Lux is a great all rounder 

As I said previously I mostly use it on film M these days, but it was the second Leica lens I bought and I always had it since (in reality I sold it once and had to buy it back)

I would get the SEM if you like wide and otherwise the Lux

[newtoleica]

24 Lux

35 Lux non-FLE

50 APO Cron

I also shoot with a pair of cameras (M10D/M Monochrom OR M7/M6TTL, though contemplating selling on the M6TTL millennium). Theres also a 90 Elmarit that I use occasionally. I would generally say that I'm a 24/35 shooter on the street and the 50 for portraits, but the 50 APO Cron has such lovely rendering I'm using it more. Would love the new 35 APO Cron........

 

Edited March 3, 2021 by newtoleica

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[Dennis]

10 minutes ago, Fedro said:

hey Dennis - I think it depends on what you already have and use. I seem to remember you already have 35 and 50 so would go for the SEM (which is great)

Alternatively the 50 Lux is a great all rounder 

As I said previously I mostly use it on film M these days, but it was the second Leica lens I bought and I always had it since (in reality I sold it once and had to buy it back)

I would get the SEM if you like wide and otherwise the Lux

Thank you. Yes, you are correct. 21 is missing in my bag, and the SEM it would be the first (and maybe only one) I would buy of the trio. The time will tell. To be honest with you, the its price makes more sense to me 🙂 Very balanced.

2 hours ago, newtoleica said:

24 Lux

35 Lux non-FLE

50 APO Cron

I also shoot with a pair of cameras (M10D/M Monochrom OR M7/M6TTL, though contemplating selling on the M6TTL millennium). Theres also a 90 Elmarit that I use occasionally. I would generally say that I'm a 24/35 shooter on the street and the 50 for portraits, but the 50 APO Cron has such lovely rendering I'm using it more.

Did you try the FLE? What do you think?

2 hours ago, newtoleica said:

Would love the new 35 APO Cron........

Yes, I can see that in many threads 😂 Who knows why? 🤷‍♂️

 

 

[Guest]

I have voigtlander 21mm f1.4  ---  zeiss 35mm f1.4 distagon  ---- leica summicrom 50mm V5 ...

Could i improve on that bearing in mind i like doing night harbour pics as well as my main project photographing my 4 grand children when they stay with me [every weekend] .

No in my view.