johnastovall Posted September 23, 2007 Share #1 Posted September 23, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Well, I'm taking an early retirement from the University where I work on the IT staff. I'm getting my M8 (at last) but need to now watch the budget and am going to limit my self to one good Leica lens for it. I have from my R-D1 and IIIG the following lenses. Old style LTM 50mm f/2.0 'Cron. Canon 85/1.5 LTM CV 15/5.6 CV 28/1.9 CV 35/1.2 I'm looking for one good Leica Lens. Most of my shooting will be street and low light in cafes such as this series. I would love a Nocti but it will have to wait. What should I be looking at I've been thinking about the 28mm f/2.0 Summicron but the CV could fill this role. I respect your ideas so what should I spend me 3K on? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 23, 2007 Posted September 23, 2007 Hi johnastovall, Take a look here One Lens for my coming retirement and the M8.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
fursan Posted September 23, 2007 Share #2 Posted September 23, 2007 'lux 50...test it, test it, test it and then get it. the best 50 there is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted September 23, 2007 Share #3 Posted September 23, 2007 Opps, some one beat me to it <grin> Either that or a 75mm Summicron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fursan Posted September 23, 2007 Share #4 Posted September 23, 2007 You go first, Steve. You are the better and more experienced photog. Opps, some one beat me to it <grin> Either that or a 75mm Summicron. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 23, 2007 Share #5 Posted September 23, 2007 Well, with some BM adapters you have already a nice set... I do not know how is doing the Canon 85, but given your preferences of shooting, I wouldn't say to buy a Leica tele, even if a Summicron 75 (or the new Summarit when on sale) can be a wise choice for a fine combination. Around the "standard and around" focals you are well equipped... your 28-35-50 set (don't forget NOT to retract the Cron 50 !) is surely not to throw away... but, speaking about low light in interiors... I think that a real WA of good aperture is a good choice : go for a 21 Asph ! Having already the CV 15, WATE is a waste of money, in my opinion: you have 1 stop less than the 21 and need a VF that, after a little experience, can be avoided with the 21 (and I suppose that you own already a 28 VF for your IIIG). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted September 23, 2007 Share #6 Posted September 23, 2007 Given that I don't have the 50mm Summilux perhaps I shouldn't go at all - I do have the 75mm Summicron though <grin> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankg Posted September 23, 2007 Share #7 Posted September 23, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) If I were you I would shoot with the kit you have for a few months to see what the crop factor does to your lens preference. Once you have a feel for how the focal lengths act on the M8 you can start looking with a better likelyhood you will be spending the big bucks on something you'll keep.You did not mention what your most used lens is but in the wides 28/2, 24/2.8 and the 21/2.8 (I'd go for the preASPH 21 -half the price of the new lens and really a great lens) are all stellar. Good Luck. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack_Flesher Posted September 23, 2007 Share #8 Posted September 23, 2007 If I were you I would shoot with the kit you have for a few months to see what the crop factor does to your lens preference. The best advice given yet (You'd be wise to take it.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnastovall Posted September 23, 2007 Author Share #9 Posted September 23, 2007 If I were you I would shoot with the kit you have for a few months to see what the crop factor does to your lens preference. Once you have a feel for how the focal lengths act on the M8 you can start looking with a better likelyhood you will be spending the big bucks on something you'll keep.You did not mention what your most used lens is but in the wides 28/2, 24/2.8 and the 21/2.8 (I'd go for the preASPH 21 -half the price of the new lens and really a great lens) are all stellar. Good Luck. On the R-D1 it's has been the 28/18 Ultron followed by the 15/5.6. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hankg Posted September 23, 2007 Share #10 Posted September 23, 2007 On the R-D1 it's has been the 28/18 Ultron followed by the 15/5.6. Well then the 28/2 is a candidate and it's a spectacular lens. But don't just go by the numbers. On the M8 lenses feel wider to me then the numbers would indicate. Maybe it's that Leica has set the frame lines to be accurate at closest focus so you are always getting more then you expect. But until you use it for a while you won't be able to make an informed judgment. You might find you want to go wider to the 24 or find the 28 suits you fine. You do have a very nice lens line up now so you won't be suffering. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlancasterd Posted September 23, 2007 Share #11 Posted September 23, 2007 If I were you I would shoot with the kit you have for a few months to see what the crop factor does to your lens preference. Once you have a feel for how the focal lengths act on the M8 you can start looking with a better likelyhood you will be spending the big bucks on something you'll keep. Hear, hear! You may even decide that a second M8 body (or the eagerly-expected M9) would be a better idea... :D Make sure that you buy Miliched adapters and IR filters for the LTM lenses that you already have - before buying anything else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
fotografr Posted September 23, 2007 Share #12 Posted September 23, 2007 I think you are the only one who can answer your question. Happy retirement. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted September 23, 2007 Share #13 Posted September 23, 2007 I'm with Hank. Throw the money in the bank, and wait until you know which lens you feel is lacking. The Ultron 28 is a great competitor to the 28 Cron, the 35 Nokton is a great competitor to the 35 Lux Asph (and anyway, good luck finding one which doesn't have focus shift; you'll want to test before buying this lens), and the 50 Cron is a great lens too, and so on. The only lens in your lineup which I see which might have a weakness is the CV15, which doesn't really get sharp in the corners until f/5.6 or f/8, so the WATE would be a sharper alternative, but boy is it expensive, and it has its own problems (workflow). You've got a great set of lenses. Wait it out. Make sure you test before jumping, so you don't end up choosing a lens which cost 10x more but gives you only 10% more... On the other hand, 75 Lux? I don't know your tele lens, but the 75 Lux is awesome for portraits, and is future proof for when the M9 FF comes out. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
innerimager Posted September 23, 2007 Share #14 Posted September 23, 2007 John- I just want to send congratulations and best wishes on your retirement, and on your most thought out decision to get an M8. I agree with the majority, you have a good set of lenses that will carry you a long way. You know what your preferred FLs are, but you may get into a different groove with the M8. I know that I rarely reached for 50mm with DSLR's, even my FF kodak, but find I regularly go to a 50 on my M7 and 35 on my M8. Just based on what you don't have however, perhaps a 75 would make the best addition to the stable. Both Leica's (1.4, 2 APO) are superb and I'm sure you have learned about their qualities. The CV 75 is also reported to be great as well. Anyway a hearty and only mildly jealous send off into your new lie. best...Peter Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
xjr Posted September 23, 2007 Share #15 Posted September 23, 2007 50mm f1.4 ASPH Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guy_mancuso Posted September 23, 2007 Share #16 Posted September 23, 2007 Come on guys he needs to buy something for all those years of busting his butt, some reward . Gold watch, vacation something to represent his retirement. John maybe the 24 2.8 looks like it maybe a good fit in there or I would never turn down a 50 or 75 lux either:D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted September 23, 2007 Share #17 Posted September 23, 2007 Sure he wants to buy something, Guy, but only once, eh? He should be sure before dishing out big money. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted September 23, 2007 Share #18 Posted September 23, 2007 Sure he wants to buy something, Guy, but only once, eh? Ok. it's great fun spending other peoples' money, and John has experience on an RD-1. John, if you want a short focal length lens get a 24mm Elamarit, if you want longer get a 50 Summilux or 75mm Summicron. Whatever you get you'll be happy <grin> Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blakley Posted September 23, 2007 Share #19 Posted September 23, 2007 Congratulations, John. I hope you get lots of time to enjoy real Dr. Pepper from Old Doc's in your retirement. I wish I made it through Dublin more often. I shoot in conditions very similar to yours. The lens I use more often than any other is a fast 50mm - often the 50/1.4 Summilux ASPH. It's a spectacular lens on the M8, and I recommend it highly. Don't forget to get one which is coded. Here's a recent example of what it can do in very low light, wide open. You seem to prefer wider shots than the ones I take most of the time. If this is the case, I can also recommend the 28/2 Summicron ASPH. It is unbelievably sharp, has zero distortion that I can see, and has a nice warm color rendition. Here's a shot with it (this was taken on film and scanned, but the lens is also wonderful on the M8. It has the additional advantage of being VERY small and non-threatening.) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest malland Posted September 23, 2007 Share #20 Posted September 23, 2007 I don't see that you need any lenses, John. Getting a Leica lens is not going to produce better photographs; that only comes from within yourself and your approach to photographyy. My advice is to do something that will affect your photography because photography is about the pictures, not about the equipment: take a drawing course, for a example, which teaches yoiu how to see better or in a new way. If you insist on getting new equipment, however, I would hold off on the M8 unless you're reallly looking for a medium-format look, which strikes me as not particularly appropriate for your type of photography, and you already seem to have a 5D. My own experience after shooting for years with an M6 for years is that my photography really loosened up and become more fluid when I got a Ricoh GR-D, the type of camera, in my view, that Leica would have produce were it an innovate company, although now I would buy the Ricoh GX100. You can see pictures from both cameras in the following series of Tokyo photographs with the Tsukiji fish market ones taken by the GR-D and the others with the GX100: And here are pictures from last week taken with the GX100: —Mitch/Bangkok http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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