Advice for choosing the right 28mm lens for landscape photography?

[Ccoppola82]

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The Elmarit tempted me, but I found a v1 Cron for about the same price and have been exceedingly happy with it. Stopped down I doubt you will tell much difference between any of them.  To me, I like having to change lenses as little as possible, so the Cron wins for the extra stop without giving up too much in size. Also, I shoot BW film and read the Elmarit can be a bit too high in contrast.  The Cron 1 is a bit gentler and more neutral which to me, works better for BW film than the elmarit (apparently) 

[astrostl]

Elmarit seems like a no-brainer to me for this use case. The Summicron and Summilux have higher distortion.

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[Peter K]

1 hour ago, Casey Jefferson said:

I love the cron V1 with clip on hood (which I don't use), that seem to flare when there's light source just outside of the edge, sometimes when the light is too strong it'll result in rather big purple blotch. But even wide open that thing renders razor sharp image, just not edge to edge sharp. Shooting portraits with it even if it's not ultra shallow depth of field, the way the subject popped right out of the slightly blurred background is quite phenomenal for a 28mm, almost like a cut out.

Since you're mainly using it for stopped way down, the elmarit is a no brainer, since you'll be giving up a lot of things for one extra stop of light. Though there was a recent discussion about the older pre-asph elmarits having less clinical rendering which you may want to have a look.

Hi Casey,

Thanks for the input. I will look for the discussion about the pre-ASPH Elmarits. That would be interesting reading to me.

Best,
Peter.

[Casey Jefferson]

11 minutes ago, Peter K said:

Hi Casey,

Thanks for the input. I will look for the discussion about the pre-ASPH Elmarits. That would be interesting reading to me.

Best,
Peter.

 

Managed to find the thread for you, happy reading! 

[Peter K]

2 hours ago, Jeff S said:

Are you printing (and how big?) or pixel peeping?  Ergonomics, handling and VF experience (blockage?) can also matter.  I resolve these matters by trying the lens(es) (demo, rent, etc) and making prints.  Generally, stopped down, you can save your money, from an IQ perspective.

Jeff

Hi Jeff,

It varies. Until recently, I was using Canon DSLR's with L-lenses and have made some prints now and then (the biggest ones 60 x 90 centimeters. Most of them smaller).

I would like to be able to do the same with the images taken with the Leica without too much softness in the corners.

Judging from the many comments above, it sounds like the Elmarit would do the job when stopped down.

Thanks,
Peter.

[Peter K]

2 hours ago, Herr Barnack said:

Given those factors, the 28mm Elmarit ASPH would be an excellent choice.

The 28 Elmarit has a lower price than the 28 Summicron or 28 Summilux.  That is not because it has lower image quality or lower build quality.  It is because a 28mm f/2.8 ASPH lens is much less difficult to design create and produce at the level of image quality and build quality that Leica adheres to than a 28mm f/2.0 ASPH or a 28mm f/1.4 ASPH lens is.

If you decide on the Elmarit, I would recommend the current production version (#11677) made in Germany or the made in Portugal version (#11711). 

 

Thanks for the information about the production versions. It's easy for someone like me to keep hold all the different versions of the Leica lenses. So that's much appreciated!

It's also good to know, that the (relatively) low price of the Elmarit is not because of lower image quality.

Best,
Peter.

[Peter K]

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1 hour ago, Ccoppola82 said:

The Elmarit tempted me, but I found a v1 Cron for about the same price and have been exceedingly happy with it. Stopped down I doubt you will tell much difference between any of them.  To me, I like having to change lenses as little as possible, so the Cron wins for the extra stop without giving up too much in size. Also, I shoot BW film and read the Elmarit can be a bit too high in contrast.  The Cron 1 is a bit gentler and more neutral which to me, works better for BW film than the elmarit (apparently) 

It definitely sounds like you found the right lens for your needs with the v1 Cron. That's good to hear. I guess, that's the biggest challenge: To find the right balance between ones needs and the many different lens choices without over- or underbuying.

I don't shoot film. But I agree, that the Cron might be better suited for that purpose.

Thanks for the input,
Peter.

[Peter K]

1 hour ago, astrostl said:

Elmarit seems like a no-brainer to me for this use case. The Summicron and Summilux have higher distortion.

Ah, I didn't know that. But yes, I'm also settling more and more on the Elmarit given my specific needs.

Thanks,
Peter.

[m410]

Landscape photography usually involves perhaps a little or a lot of hiking...and for that fact alone the 28mm f2.8 ASPH v2 is ideal as it is small and light ( ~170 grams ).  Optically, as has been voiced above, it is excellent.  

Btw, I agree 28mm is a very nice focal length for landscapes.  Next, for me at least, is 21mm.  

Good Luck with your search.

[Peter K]

15 minutes ago, Casey Jefferson said:

 

Managed to find the thread for you, happy reading! 

Hi Casey,

Great! That's very kind of you. I was just about to begin searching...

Thanks again,
Peter.

[Peter K]

10 minutes ago, m410 said:

Landscape photography usually involves perhaps a little or a lot of hiking...and for that fact alone the 28mm f2.8 ASPH v2 is ideal as it is small and light ( ~170 grams ).  Optically, as has been voiced above, it is excellent.  

Btw, I agree 28mm is a very nice focal length for landscapes.  Next, for me at least, is 21mm.  

Good Luck with your search.

Hi m410,

Thanks. Yeah, 28mm is also my preferred focal length for landscapes. When I was shooting with Canon DSLR's I also used 21 mm from time-to-time. Sometimes even 16 mm.

But with the Leica, I think I will settle with 28 mm to avoid the need for a supplementary viewfinder.

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated!
- Peter.

[pippy]

Yet another vote for the Elmarit asph.

I use mine mostly for what can loosely be termed 'landscape' and it is a superb performer. I truly cannot fault it in any way. FWIW I bought the V1 due to the smaller hood (as also mentioned by Tobey in post #14).

I understand that the pre-asph and Summilux (etc.) lenses have more 'character' but for the type of subject matter which I normally shoot with a 28 I much prefer the fidelity / accuracy of its rendering. For the purposes you mention I believe the Elmarit asph would be the perfect choice.

Philip.

[Peter K]

15 minutes ago, pippy said:

Yet another vote for the Elmarit asph.

I use mine mostly for what can loosely be termed 'landscape' and it is a superb performer. I truly cannot fault it in any way. FWIW I bought the V1 due to the smaller hood (as also mentioned by Tobey in post #14).

I understand that the pre-asph and Summilux (etc.) lenses have more 'character' but for the type of subject matter which I normally shoot with a 28 I much prefer the fidelity / accuracy of its rendering. For the purposes you mention I believe the Elmarit asph would be the perfect choice.

Philip.

Hi Philip,

Thanks for your vote for the Elmarit ASPH. It definately sounds like a winner for my purpose. Based on all the good advice above, I have more or less decided on that one.

Yes, some users have commented that some of the other versions and lenses have more ‘character’. That’s probably true. But character is a very subjective term. Since I’m shooting digital, I also prefer accuracy because it gives me best foundation for further processing of the RAW-file.

If I were shooting film, I might choose differently.

Thanks,

Peter.

[LarsHP]

When researching 28mm Leica M lenses, I discovered that the first Asph versions were designed for film while the second versions are designed for digital Leica M cameras. This means better corner sharpness at wider apertures on the current models. However, if you stop down to f/8 or even f/11, I am not sure you will se a difference. For that you will probably need carefully done side-by-side comparisons.

[AndreasG]

vor 18 Minuten schrieb LarsHP:

When researching 28mm Leica M lenses, I discovered that the first Asph versions were designed for film while the second versions are designed for digital Leica M cameras. This means better corner sharpness at wider apertures on the current models.

This is new for me, I own the ASPH V1 and use it with an M10-D without any visible disadvantages.  Do you have any reliable source for the above finding?

[pippy]

1 hour ago, LarsHP said:

...I discovered that the first Asph versions were designed for film while the second versions are designed for digital Leica M cameras...

Really? Interesting. I, like Andreas, would like to see your original source for this information.

The V1 ASPH came out at the same time(*) as the M8 (2006) and it was produced, from the outset, with 6-bit coding marks which are only of use with digital bodies.

I would guess - and, of course, it is just a guess - that they were developed concurrently with a view that they could be used together. The M8, as we know, was a cropped-sensor camera and thus the 28 wouldn't cover the 24x36 image area of a full-frame body but, even so, I would doubt that Leica would design a new version of the 28 with a crop-sensor in mind as part of their long-term vision.

Philip.

* EDIT : From what I can discover the M8 actually came out one month before the 28 was released.

Edited April 13, 2021 by pippy

[wda]

38 minutes ago, pippy said:

Really? Interesting. I, like Andreas, would like to see your original source for this information.

The V1 ASPH came out at the same time(*) as the M8 (2006) and it was produced, from the outset, with 6-bit coding marks which are only of use with digital bodies.

I would guess - and, of course, it is just a guess - that they were developed concurrently with a view that they could be used together. The M8, as we know, was a cropped-sensor camera and thus the 28 wouldn't cover the 24x36 image area of a full-frame body but, even so, I would doubt that Leica would design a new version of the 28 with a crop-sensor in mind as part of their long-term vision.

Philip.

* EDIT : From what I can discover the M8 actually came out one month before the 28 was released.

Philip is correct. The new 28mm Elmarit was well received. I bought one to accompany my new M8 and they work superbly together.  I did not feel the need to upgrade it.

[Jeff S]

2 hours ago, AndreasG said:

This is new for me, I own the ASPH V1 and use it with an M10-D without any visible disadvantages.  Do you have any reliable source for the above finding?

There have been frequent discussions about Leica updating a series of lenses to accommodate differences between film and digital.  As but one example, Jono writes here about the 28 Summicron and Elmarit ASPH  v.1vs v.2.

https://www.macfilos.com/2016/05/25/2016-5-24-leica-28mm-f2-summicron-asph-a-comparative-test/

Jeff

Edited April 13, 2021 by Jeff S

[pgk]

Simple 'rule of thumb'; if you don't 'need' (or plan to use) fast apertures, you don't need to buy a fast aperture lens. ALL the current and recent M lenses will perform extremely well at f/8~11 so you will find no advantage in buying a faster aperture lens and potentially disadvantages (higher flare from the larger glass, increased weight, larger filters to carry, as examples).

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[pippy]

55 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

There have been frequent discussions about Leica updating a series of lenses to accommodate differences between film and digital.  As but one example, Jono writes here about the 28 Summicron and Elmarit ASPH  v.1vs v.2...

Whilst it's true that there were changes to the three lenses mentioned in the article the only time Jono mentions a film camera is when he is discussing, specifically, the v1 Summicron ASPH. This is important because that lens was released six years before the introduction of the first M digital and was, therefore, clearly designed to be used with film bodies;

"...(The 28mm Summicron ASPH) has been a favourite for Leica shooters since its introduction in 2000.....The rear exit pupil is very close to the ‘film’ plane, creating a sharp angle of incidence to the sensor; this is not nearly so critical with the film cameras for which the original lens was designed, but the cover glass thickness and photosite microlens design on digital cameras can cause real problems in terms of soft corners and colour shift across the frame..."

There is nothing in the article, however, to suggest that the Elmarit ASPH v1 was designed with film cameras in mind. I'm not going to say that the Elmarit wasn't designed with film bodies in mind because I simply don't have access to the relevant information but I've yet to see any official evidence that such was the case and as the Elmarit ASPH and M8 were both being developed at the same time it seems highly unlikely that the technical needs of the new camera would be ignored by the team responsible for the new lens.

Philip.

Edited April 13, 2021 by pippy