Best overall first lens for M10R

[Snipe10]

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28mm or 35MM? Which serves better for all around shooting including landscape and portraits? I'm going to buy a Leica lens and with this being my first M, want to know what to get first. I'll get my second lens in a few months, close to summer, thanks

[Kl@usW.]

Without knowing your preferred topics I think a good starting point is a fast 35mm lens. So a ´lux or a ´cron, or even  a 35mm Summarit  would be a good choice. 

I own all three of the mentioned lenses I don't think on a sunny day any of them is better than the other two--but the Lux gives you a bit more leeway for portrait and the night.  In my experience there are few things you can't do with a ´Lux 35. 

How- and whatever you choose: enjoy ! 

Edited January 9 by Kl@usW.

[hteasley]

A lot of people love the wides for landscapes, but they minimize the point of interest I want to feature, if it's far away. 35mm is much more flexible, very much an all-around lens that can do anything.

[earleygallery]

No such thing as 'best'.

What is your preference?

A 50mm is the traditional all rounder 'standard' lens.

I personally like a 35mm on an M as a walkaround lens, but I'm not you!

[Al Brown]

The one lens to rule them all is a 28mm. Nothing you can NOT do with it. The Voigtlander Ultron 28/2 II seems to tick absolutely all boxes.
The one lens to have and keep and cherish forever is a 35mm. A fast 35mm. Just decide if you want the glow (35 lux steel rim, 35 lux pre-asph) or the sterile flow (35 lux ASPH, 35 FLE).

Edited January 9 by Al Brown

[Mute-on]

A 28 will start to introduce perspective distortion with subjects near the edge of the frame, which is far less apparent with a 35. Having said that, a 28 is my favourite focal length (28 Elmarit-M ASPH II in my case), but I knew what I would get with the focal length before I bought the lens itself. 
A 35 focal length is ‘generally’ more versatile for all around shooting. For a first lens I would get a 35. Once you have experience with the 35, if you feel you want wider (28) or narrower (50), a 35 will provide that reference.  

Edited January 9 by Mute-on

[Snipe10]

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So is this the grail? I'm kind of a buy once, cry once guy and from what I see, the lenses hold their value well.

 

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Lens (Black)

[dpitt]

See below

Edited January 9 by dpitt

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[dpitt]

 

4 minutes ago, Snipe10 said:

So is this the grail? I'm kind of a buy once, cry once guy and from what I see, the lenses hold their value well.

 

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH. Lens (Black)

Just crossed your post. No this is not the grail for me. Unless this will be your one and only lens. There will be situations were you want to leave this one at home. 

My suggestion is to choose  a small one. Form factor of 1:2.0/35 Summicron  or 1:2.8/28 Elmarit are ideal to start. It will help to have your camera with you at all times, even on long hikes, or in bad weather (in your coat pocket or under your coat etc. And on top of that they have a tab that makes them really fast and easy to focus. Since you are new to RF it will improve your results and M experience while you practice.
 

After a few months consider upgrading to a Summilux 35. If you plan to do that, starting with my 28mm suggestion makes more sense, so that you do not end up with the same focal length. Although this was never an issue for me 😃. I do not mind having to choose between 2 or more for the same length.

[Siriusone59]

The thing that has helped me with any decision on a new lens is to spend a lot of time looking at photos posted by others in the forum.  I try to find images of subjects that compare with what I would normally photograph and have the qualities that I'm looking for.  Then take note of the lens and focal length that they've used.  Next I start shopping for a good deal.🤔

Asking others what is best will probably just get you a lot of different responses and more confusion.  But as I've said before, it doesn't really matter that much because you won't stop with just one. It's part of the Leica experience.

[Jeff S]

Not dissimilar from asking what you should photograph, or what style you should embrace. Part of the joy is figuring out what works best for you. An M is also not for everyone; that, too, needs to be explored. Have fun.

Jeff

[Kiwimac]

I think it’s a personal choice unrelated to the actual camera. 
 

I’m a 50 guy. Wider has a place but for me 35 is neither Arthur nor Martha and 28 too wide for my only option. 
 

One solution is to track down the sadly discontinued MATE Tri Elmar. That would give you 28/35/50 in one lens at f4. I wish I’d never sold mine. 
 

You can then decide which focal length suits you the best overa period of time and trade the MATE in against a faster option in your chosen focal length.

[panoramer]

You can make a perfekt panorama picture with the 35mm lux:

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M10-R and Leica 35mm Lux Asph. (panorama-crop.)

[panoramer]

Before you buy a lens, you should look at a few sample images on Flickr.com. 28mm, 35mm and 50mm. Then you get a good impression of how the lens performs.

[panoramer]

28mm

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M10-R and Leica 28mm Summaron 5,6

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[panoramer]

50mm

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M10-R and Leica 50mm Summilux Asph.

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[Snipe10]

Thanks, I have been looking at images and really like the options a 50mm gives you! Appreciate the advice and photos.

[charlesphoto99]

Even though i have 28,35, and 50 (and 18, 24, 75,90, 135) the 35 is my least used. I’ve always found it an in-between lens and kind of boring for that reason. That said, if you were to ONLY hVe one lens than a 35 fits the bill. But since you plan on another, I would suggest 28 and 50 as a great combo, so perhaps start with one of those and skip the 35. I’ve had the asph lux, but sold that and in that spot now a used ‘inexpensive’ and small 2.5 Summarit which is a great lens but still rarely used as I’ll typically grab the 28 ‘cron before it. 

[Jeff S]

Your camera has a frame line preview lever. You can buy… or rent (easy in US)… any lens and preview your options as time goes on. A good dealer will also have a return/exchange policy.  I’ve been using 28/35/50 since 1974, and wouldn’t be without both a 35 and 50, despite others’ views that these are too close.  Find your own way.

Jeff

[leicableguy]

Personally, I would start with a 50mm Summilux, and that may be all you ever need.  A faster lens will be great for portraits, and the 50mm focal length is the closest to what we see which makes it very intuitive.  I'm not a huge fan of wide angle lenses, simply because they are too close to my iPhone Pro at 28mm.