leicatwins Posted September 22, 2007 Share #1 Posted September 22, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Hello all, I am new here. In about one week I will be the new proud owner of M8. So excited. I have ordered one the silver one. Right now I am still looking for a Leica lens to go with the M8. This will be my first leica lens and also I have never used a rangefinder cam before. Could you recommend me any lens to be my first leica lens. My budget is $3000. As you know, I bought the M8 for specific purposes that is low/available light photography and street photography. There are some options available but for this time being I only need one lens. So please recommend me any lens. Thanks Difi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 22, 2007 Posted September 22, 2007 Hi leicatwins, Take a look here Recommend me my first M8 lens. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Eoin Posted September 22, 2007 Share #2 Posted September 22, 2007 The answer really depends on two things, 1. Your preference for a focal length with an existing system for this subject matter. 2. Your intended expansion path in focal lengths towards the future. If I were to offer advice for general street shooting 2 lenses come to mind with low light ability. f:/2.0 28 Summicron Asph (36/37mm after Crop factor) and f:/1.4 35 Summilux Asph (45/46mm after Crop factor) Both are expensive and little change from $3000, however both are excellent top drawer leica glass. There are also cheaper CV versions in and around these focal lengths which offer the same speed at a fraction of the cost but 98% of the same image quality. If your serious about your decision process I urge you to take out a subscription to sean reid's site where many of these lenses go head to head and the results can be seen. With regard to focal length choice, that depends on your preference and where you see your self going in the future. a 21, 35, 75 combo or 28, 50, 90, there are endless permutations. I how ever feel the 35 is just not wide enough for general street / party shooting where as the 28 is a better fit. However if I was to limit my self to one lens the 35 Summilux Asph would be the lens of choice, but not by much. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
erg Posted September 22, 2007 Share #3 Posted September 22, 2007 Hello Difi, welcome to this forum. My first choice allround lens for street photography is a 28 mm, if you consider the crop factor of the M8. The Elmarit 2,8 is a very sharp and compact lens for a good price. The 28 mm Summicron delivers a little better performance for available light. You may want to complete your first assortment with a 50 mm and a wide angle 15 mm. The 50 mm Summilux is a very sharp lens with excellent available light attributes. Also consider to look at the new and reasonable priced Summarit line for the M. My 15 mm Voigtlaender Super Wide Heliar is a bargain that delivers excellent results and a lot of fun. There are plenty of threads discussing pros and cons of these lenses. Spend some time to read them carefully and also try them out, if you have a chance. The differences often are only marginal, therefore you can also let your heart take part in the decision process. Best wishes, Erhan Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jothiratnam Posted September 22, 2007 Share #4 Posted September 22, 2007 Hi, Welcome to the Leica world. Hope you'll have lots of fun w your new M8. I'd like to second Eoin's response. You need to decide what type of photography you want to do, and what your preferred style(s) is/are before you can decide on what lens (and eventually perhaps lenses) you're going to get. As a starting point, it might be worth your while looking at different photographers' works to help you decide what appeals to you more. Just one thing that I'd like to add to Eoin's comments is that you might also consider the second-hand lens market. You can get some remarkable lenses at very good prices, though you do need to be careful about whom you buy from. I've had very good experiences with Foto Prisma (Italy), Foto Ganz (Switzerland) & Foto Hobby Rahn (Germany). They will ship, and have always been completely reliable and trustworthy. To give you a couple of examples, one of the lenses I use a lot is an extremely flat 35/3,5 Elmar from 1935 (not fast at all, but it produces beautiful, slightly old-style pictures), and another is a used but mint 50/1 Noctilux (which I got for a great price in Italy). Good luck, Jothiratnam Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 22, 2007 Share #5 Posted September 22, 2007 Warm welcome to our community ! FIRST Leica lens !!! for all of us that's a great moment... many of course have lived this moment lot of years ago... (for me, 24 years ago... Elmar 50 3,5). For me, your choice depends also on your FUTURE budgeting... you cannot resist for long with a single lens, even if you will dedicate M8 to the specific tasks You quote. Anyway...I'd say you a 28... and this arises the future budgeting issue: for low light, Summicron f2 is the right choice, but the 2,8 costs MUCH less.. and f2 is not 1,4... so if you think to be able to afford an 1,4 (50 Summilux) after the 28, maybe the 2,8 is a wiser choice. OR, for (maybe less..) the price of the 28 f2, you can buy Leica 28 2,8 AND the Voigtlander 35 f1,2 or 40 f 1,4... take us informed about the way you chose... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted September 22, 2007 Share #6 Posted September 22, 2007 I guess we've covered this before, but I think 28mm is the best "first" focal length. If you want a Leica lens, the Summicron is a great lens but so too is the Elmarit and only you can judge whether the doubling of price for a doubling of speed (roughly) is worth it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj55 Posted September 22, 2007 Share #7 Posted September 22, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just had a vacation in the US and did 95% of my shooting with the Voigtlander 40 1.4 ( and I did carry a Zeiss 21!!). Leaves a lot of money for a second lens, and you won't loose much if you decide to sell it again and go for a MUCH more expensive Leica lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted September 22, 2007 Share #8 Posted September 22, 2007 I second Eoin's recommendation of the 28 Cron or 35 Lux Asph. Both are wonderful. Note that this is subject to the assumption that you want mainly to shoot with a standard-to-wide lens, mainly people and street photography, but not formal portraiture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
aj55 Posted September 22, 2007 Share #9 Posted September 22, 2007 To illustrate to VC40 - here's a brave man. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/34065-recommend-me-my-first-m8-lens/?do=findComment&comment=360151'>More sharing options...
rosuna Posted September 22, 2007 Share #10 Posted September 22, 2007 Eoin has explained the alternatives very well. I tested the 28mm Summicron, but finally I bought the 35mm Summilux. It is like a 50mm FoV lens, and therefore a very versatile one. I have the 75mm Summilux too. My third lens will be a 24mm (in a distant al wealthier future). This is a 24-35-75 sequence. The alternative is the 21-28-50-90 series. My choice is the first, mostly due to the kind of photography I like to do, and to the crop factor of the M8. I think tele lenses are difficult to focus on the M8. A 75mm lens is the longest lens I want to use with my M8 (it is very difficult to focus wide-open, but I can work at f/2 or f/2.8 with very precise focus). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicatwins Posted September 22, 2007 Author Share #11 Posted September 22, 2007 Thanks for all info. I guess for my future route is starting with a wide angle lens for street photography and landscape. So maybe I will start with 28 and then a choice between 35 or 50 and lastly 90 for portraiture. That's all considering also my future budget allocation. I am prepared to buy non leica lens for future (VC, Zeiss or even the Rokkors), but for the first lens I prefer to have the real leica lens one for me. For further info I also like taking pics in BW and in the window light. Another issue, I read that some lenses require additional viewfinder(?), and for my first lens I don't want to spend extra for that external viewfinder at this time being. I hope all lenses covered above fit with the M8 without any additional fixture. DJ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted September 22, 2007 Share #12 Posted September 22, 2007 All the standard focal lengths from 24mm to 90mm can be used without an external viewfinder. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
etrigan63 Posted September 22, 2007 Share #13 Posted September 22, 2007 I second the CV 40mm Nokton. Fantastic lens for the price. I am adding a CV 25P and am seriously considering the Summarit 90 (unless Cosina releases the 90 Lanthar in an M mount). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEBnewyork Posted September 22, 2007 Share #14 Posted September 22, 2007 If 28mm is indeed your first choice and your M8 is coming soon, you should probably work out a back up strategy of what you want to start with. The 28mm lenses new and coded are not easy to find. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
harrisfoto Posted September 22, 2007 Share #15 Posted September 22, 2007 There is an interesting discussion at the following link: Steve's Digicams - Sunday Morning Photographer - December 8, 2002 It says: "Although Cartier did like to experiment with lenses, his "standard" lens from the time it came out in 1953 was always the collapsible 7-element 50mm Summicron." The collapsible is a little smaller than the 50mm 1.4. With a M8 you get a crop factor, so the 35mm is about same as the 50mm. The 50mm lens give you about the same view as human vision, without side vision. Some think that this a more "natural view". If I want to frame a shot, without putting the camera up to my eye, I just put my hands on either side of my head, and a little forward to cut out the side view, and that's about the frame of a 50mm lens. When I shoot the 50mm 1.4 on the Digital R back, it gives a little closer, tighter shot (more personal, closer). The wider the angle, i.e, a 28mm, the closer you have to get to a person to get a portrait shot. So a 50mm gives you a natural shot, without coming into what some see as the subject's personal space. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
@bumac Posted September 22, 2007 Share #16 Posted September 22, 2007 35 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
egibaud Posted September 22, 2007 Share #17 Posted September 22, 2007 Budget = $3000 A cron 35 or an Elmarit 28 + a CV 75 + CV 15 + external viewer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted September 22, 2007 Share #18 Posted September 22, 2007 I second the CV 40mm Nokton. Fantastic lens for the price. I am adding a CV 25P and am seriously considering the Summarit 90 (unless Cosina releases the 90 Lanthar in an M mount). I just tested the 25P, great lens. Otherwise....focal length is very much a personal preference and M8 owners are lucky in that there are a lot of excellent lenses available (at various price points) from CV, Leica and Zeiss. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
huwge Posted September 22, 2007 Share #19 Posted September 22, 2007 I guess for my future route is starting with a wide angle lens for street photography and landscape.DJ Do not dismiss the 24 focal length - the Leica is excellent, but the CV and Zeiss 25 are good alternatives. I find that the 24 is my lens cap for daytime photography and then I switch to the 35 or 50 lux for the evening. To be honest, my 35 lux is getting much more use than the 50. To the extent that I might be trading both that and my 35 cron for a Nocti. It's just that the 50 lux is such a go to lens for my film bodies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmaurizio Posted September 22, 2007 Share #20 Posted September 22, 2007 I would have to recommend the Elmarit 28mm F2.8 ASPH ($1600), and with the $1400 remaining get the CV 15mm, the Nokton 50mm F1.5 and the CV 75mm F2.5. Get some UV/IR filters (52mm, 43mm, 2x39mm) and happy shooting! So, you get 4 lenses for the price of one, how about that! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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