ONE Lens

[Kent10D]

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One lens? That's easy!

 

It would be a compact 15~135 mm zoom with a constant f/1.4 maximum aperture that exhibited no focus shift throughout the entire range and was as sharp corner-to-corner as the best Leica or Zeiss primes. It would also be inexpensive.

 

Like I said, easy!

[sm23221]

28 f/2.0 Summicron - best rendering lens I've ever used, period.

[Tony C.]

28 f/2.0 Summicron - best rendering lens I've ever used, period.

 

I agree that it is a superb lens, and I happen to have one which I'm willing to sell! Interested parties feel free to contact me.

 

Regards,

 

Tony C.

[erl]

Well, I just love to "cheat" so I would elect to 35/2.0, but I would take the M8 + M7 so I could milk it for two focal lengths!

[dfarkas]

For me the 35 f/2 ASPH is as close to perfect as it gets. Small, light, fast and precise focus, unbeleivable image quality at all apertures. I use it about 60-70% of the time. I know that it is supposed to be equiv. FOV of a 50mm, but on the M8 it just "feels" wider.

 

After 35 cron would be 90, either APO or latest Elmarit, I'm not picky and love them both.

 

David

[jimcollum]

Zeiss 50mm Sonnar-C 1.5

 

gorgeous soft wide open, sharp stopped down

 

 

jim

[rebride]

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35mm Lux asph!

[blakley]

50/1.2 Noctilux "ASPH". But after that, I'd have to agree with what seems to be the consensus vote and go with the 28/2.0 Summicron ASPH.

[luigi bertolotti]

ONE ? .... Tri Elmar ....

[lars_bergquist]

For me the 35 f/2 ASPH is as close to perfect as it gets. Small, light, fast and precise focus, unbeleivable image quality at all apertures. I use it about 60-70% of the time. I know that it is supposed to be equiv. FOV of a 50mm, but on the M8 it just "feels" wider.

--------------

David

 

David, it IS wider. 35mm on the M8 is equivalent to 47mm, whilst "50mm" with Leica has always been 52mm. Ever since Berek, in fact. So there is a 5mm difference, which is noticeable.

 

The old man from the Age of the 5cm Elmar

[jeffwros]

35mm Summilux ASPH.

[Pedro]

David, it IS wider. 35mm on the M8 is equivalent to 47mm, whilst "50mm" with Leica has always been 52mm. Ever since Berek, in fact. So there is a 5mm difference, which is noticeable.

 

The old man from the Age of the 5cm Elmar

 

Correct me if I am wrong but those 5mm are not the only difference...

 

What the M8 does is crop the 35mm image, due to the small sensor, bringing the image frame closer to what you would get with a 47mm.

 

However, cropping does not change the perspective which remains the one given with a 35mm i.e. very different from 47\50 mm.

[lepremier]

Terrible question indeed. Love it at the same time.

I go with Bill and his 24mm: extraordinary lens. But just have my S'cron 28 back from an extreme makeover in Solms. Wow, now I have 2 unbelievalble lenses.

And last week I bought a Tri-Elmar 28-50 a.k.a. MATE (new 2nd type, coded and heavily discounted; you will hate me)

I think I would take the MATE or otherwise the S'cron 28 (mediate WA, higher speed than the 24 and easier framing in M8 viewfinder).

 

Are new 28-50 Tri-Elmars still available from stock...if so WHERE????

[carstenw]

I would keep Eoin's Leica Summilux-M 1:1.4/35mm ASPH.

 

Eoin, why did you sell? You make me feel bad. Which lenses are you keeping, and are there more shots coming from your old 85mm?

[Shootist]

For film M the 50, either 2 or 1.4. For the M8 it is a toss up between the 50 and 35.

 

When I'm out and about with my trusty old M3 usually the 50 Cron is on it and I don't carry any other lenses. With the M8 I usually start out with the 50 but I normally have 2 or 3 other lenses with me. 28 and 75 most of the time and sometimes 24, 35 and 90. But the 50 is always with me.

 

If I was forced to choose only one lens it would be the 50.

[stunsworth]

1 lens? 28mm. I have a Voigtlander Ultron which is very very good, and I'd be tempted to change it for a Summicron if it wasn't for the fact that my 2 lens choice is a 24mm Elmarit and 35mm ASPH Summicron.

[Kent10D]

This thread is turning out to be really interesting!

 

It's amazing how much preferences vary. The only thing that seems to be pretty certain is that nobody wants to be stuck with just a 75 or a 90. It's also interesting that so many people prefer a 35. Personally I have a helluva time with that focal length, but can be perfectly happy on either side of it with a 24 (or a 28) or a 50. Of course, maybe I'm just a bit weird.

 

Either way, neat thread!

[jlancasterd]

Hate singles, like the pairs better more fun that way. LOL

 

maybe a couple lens thread

 

Like Guy, I'd be frustrated to be limited to just one lens - although for years in the 1960s I managed quite well with a 50/1.5 Summarit and an M2.

 

If I was forced to a decision, it would have to be a 28mm - probably my Miliched CV Ultron f1.9.

 

The second lens would be my Miliched CV15 Heliar... :D

[Eoin]

I would keep Eoin's Leica Summilux-M 1:1.4/35mm ASPH.

 

Eoin, why did you sell? You make me feel bad. Which lenses are you keeping, and are there more shots coming from your old 85mm?

 

Carsten, the question is what 1 lens would you keep, in that case I would forgo the 28 Summicron Asph, 50's & 75/85/90 in favor of the 35 Summilux Asph. Thankfully I don't find my self with that dilemma.

 

With regard to my final choices of Focal lengths, I've really had no time to decide, my M8 has gone back to solms along with the Noctilux for a 2nd attempt to fix the backfocus. When I queried the results after the first trip in August I was told the workshop were adamant that there was no problem after testing it before it left the workshop . Andrea passed my concerns on to the Quality control manager who requested the camera and lens to be returned to solms for further checking. It now appears they have identified an issue with the focus:p and are working on it at the moment.

 

The 85 Summarex came back from Malcolm and is 100 time better after CLA and new coatings on the elements. Hard call to make between it and the 90 Summicron pre Asph. Logic says the 90 for ease of use but strangely my heart is with the Summarex because it's a little quirky in it's fingerprint.

 

So in answer to question, if the Noctilux can focus correctly between f:/1.4 & f:/5.6 then the final lineup will be 28 Summicron, 50 Noctilux & 85 Summarex, otherwise I'll just settle for 28 Summicron & 75 Summicron and sell the others.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[lars_bergquist]

Correct me if I am wrong but those 5mm are not the only difference...

 

What the M8 does is crop the 35mm image, due to the small sensor, bringing the image frame closer to what you would get with a 47mm.

 

However, cropping does not change the perspective which remains the one given with a 35mm i.e. very different from 47\50 mm.

 

Sorry, I don't agree. All rectilinear (orthoscopic) lenses, i.e. not fisheyes, give the same perspective, which is the conventional Western Renaissance central perspective. They just crop the image differently. Perspective means the geometrical relations between the points and objects in the image, nothing else. This is always the same; it is simply that a superwide takes in a lot more, and a tele a lot less.

 

You can take a 16mm image and crop out of it an image equivalent to (i.e. with the same angle of acceptance as) a 135mm image, that is, the perspective / image geometry would be the same. It is just that the simulated tele image would be of less quality than the real one, due to less resolution (fewer available pixels) and more noise.

 

All purported differences of perspective between lenses of different focal lengths are due to the fact that tele pictures are taken from a long distance, whilst wide lenses entice us to come closer – often too close. Do the experiment, and be convinced. Subject distance changes perspective – focal length does not.

 

The old man from the Age of the Croquis Pad