15mm As A Travel Lens?

[Huss]

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1 hour ago, ktmrider2 said:

Well, it is no longer a temptation as I sent it back to Cameraquest today.  Presently, my M4 with 35f2.8 C Biogon and 90 Elmarit M are going with me to Vietnam.  I am debating a really fast 50 for the night market but I think the FujiX100f would cover that well without having to worry about shooting daylight film under tungsten lights (we will see how many here know what I am talking about).

Thanks for the advice.  I may just travel with the M4 with 35 C Biogon which is becoming my favorite lens.  When I started in photography I did not like either the 35 or 50 focal lengths.  As a newspaper photographer, I carried two Nikon F's with a 24 on one and a 85 on another.  Now, 35 is my go to but I would not be to put out if I had a pair of Nikon F's using the same lenses I used in the early 1970's.  My M4 is an anniversary model from 1975, the year I graduated from college.

Good call!  Those are the lenses you’ll use the most.  I hardly ever use my 15mm.  The pics I showed were taken when I first got it to try it out, now it sits in a dry box…

[erl]

1 hour ago, Huss said:

It was when he wrote:

I am very tempted to just pack a 35 and leave everything else at home.  Then the question becomes, a small light 35f2.8 or a fast, heavy 35f1.2.  Or perhaps leave everything at home!

Without being too pedantic, the subject of his post was a question. The part you refer to is merely an observation. Not to worry. He appears to have now satisfied himself which is all that really matters. 😇

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[otto.f]

I never go without the 15mm on an important journey and Vietnam would be very important to me. It’s not that it’s a very heavy lens and I wouldn’t want to miss my 90 on the markets either. I would feel handicapped with 35 and a 15 only

[ktmrider2]

I am not sure which question I asked that can be referred to as a "newbie" question.  I have been playing with cameras and film since developing 4x5 sheet film shot with a Speed Graflex as a freshman in high school in 1966.  I paid for college as a photographer.  I spent a couple years as a newspaper photographer in the mid 1970's shooting vast amounts of TriX with a couple Nikon F's. Then, I decided I would rather fly for a living and spent the next 35 years flying for the Marines and then CBP.  I have owned Leicas continuously since 1974 when I purchased a CL.  I believe I traded the CL for a M3 about 1977 and have owned every subsequent model until the M7/MP.  

I owned the first version of the 15 Nokton and ended up giving it to a new film photographer to use on his M3 about ten years ago.  I enjoyed using it but prefer to keep the kit small.  I have traveled all over the world but have never been to Vietnam so asking if the 15 would be useful in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.  Assuming these two cities are not really unique I decided my standard 35/90 will work just fine.  The great thing about Leicas and primes is their size/weight.  And even though the 15 Nokton is not that big it is another piece of gear I just don't need.

Thanks everyone for advice.  I did go through the ultra wide angle picture thread here and found some great images.  But ultrawides are not my style and as someone pointed out, they can be difficult to master.  They can present a unique perspective which can be used for shock value but that quickly fades.  I am going to carry my M4 with a 35/90 kit.  Both the 35 and 90 are f2.8 so small and light.  I happen to think Zeiss got it right with the 35f2.8 C-Biogon which may be the sharpest 35 made today.

And I will use the X100f for night markets and the like.  It has the equivalent of a 35f2 lens, has built in flash and ISO capabilities which cannot be duplicated with film.  The correct tool for the situation always makes things easier.  Again, this "newbie" thanks you for the advice.

[Jeff S]

You are clearly not a ‘newbie’ photographer.   There was a comment, however, that the question you posed was a common newbie question; surveying others to determine one’s own lens choice.  Post #44 reflects a mature photographer’s thought process; one that shows that you didn’t need others to determine your lens choice in the first place.

Jeff

[lct]

7 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

I am going to carry my M4 with a 35/90 kit.  Both the 35 and 90 are f2.8 so small and light.  I happen to think Zeiss got it right with the 35f2.8 C-Biogon which may be the sharpest 35 made today.

From another newbie whose first M4 was bought in 1971, i never went to Vietnam but if you expect to shoot in low light i would take a compact 35/1.4 or 35/2 preferably. Not that i dislike the ZM 35/2.8 that is my favorite 35 in good light but it is not more compact than faster lenses like CV 35/1.4 v2 or 35/2 asph, besides more expensive Leica 35/1.4 v2 or 35/2 v4. FWIW.

[ktmrider2]

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I am not sure how #44 got posted a second time.  I admit to doing something I just don't know what it was so moderators feel free to delete.  

lct:  I avoided out mistake in Indochina during the 1960's as well.  I was 18 in 1970 and I remember my draft number was 362 which was telling me to stay at Indiana University.  In fact, I was in some of the anti-war protests.  I was not anti-military but anti-war and was at OCS in the Marines four weeks after graduation in 1975.  

My two lens choices for 35 (only focal length I have two lenses for) are the 35f2.8 C Biogon or the 35f1.2 Nokton.  I enjoy film and missed my Leica on my last trip.  I carried a XT-4 with equivalent 35/90 lenses.  So this trip I decided to throw my FujiX100f into the mix.  Honestly, it is not much heavier than a fast lens and offers capabilities which a fifty year old film camera does not.

And let's be honest, asking questions like I asked keeps these forums alive.

 

[pippy]

35 minutes ago, ktmrider2 said:

...asking questions like I asked keeps these forums alive...

Asking questions such as you asked - and, of course, the replies posted in response - can also be very helpful for others who might find themselves wondering the same thing.

Philip.

[charlesphoto99]

10 hours ago, otto.f said:

 It’s not that it’s a very heavy lens and I wouldn’t want to miss my 90 on the markets either. 

Having traveled several times through Vietnam with 100+ rolls of film (one time all 120), any extra lens is 'heavy.' That said, the one thing I wouldn't do is travel someplace like Vietnam without a like for like backup. That really toasted me once when I forgot. Of course, the Fuji 100 would make for a decent camera for the entire trip if need be, but couldn't match the look of film from a Leica. Personally, I never had any problems with leaving lenses/bags etc of extra gear in my room or with the hotel staff. And I was staying in $15-25/night rooms. So I never skimped on bringing lenses etc as one gets only a few chances in life at trips such as these. 

Below, Dalat, 1999, Leica M6 and 35 1.4 asph. 

 

 

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Edited November 10, 2022 by charlesphoto99

[erl]

5 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

I am not sure how #44 got posted a second time.  I admit to doing something I just don't know what it was so moderators feel free to delete.  

 

 

As requested - done.