Lenses for my M8

[Richard.no]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi,

 

I posted this in the digital forum, but I realise it should have been posted here instead.

 

Medium long post made short:

I don't want to make the mistakes I made when building my Nikon kit; buying better and better lenses, selling the old ones on the road, losing money. So in addition to my "M8 startup lens", the CV 28mm Ultron, I want to add 2 more lenses. I am considering:

 

Summilux 35 asph

Elmarit 24mm asph

 

Considering the 28mm I have, do you agree that the 35mm makes the most versatile focal lenght on the M8? I am asking because I will have to make priorities on when to get the different lenses (no way to buy them all now).

 

Advice much appreciated.

 

Best,

Richard

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[stunsworth]

With an existing 28 I'd consider a 21 and a 35, or maybe a 21 and a 50. The 24mm Elmarit is a superb lens, but it's a bit close in focal length to the Ultron (I have both these lenses, but rarely take them out together).

 

Just my opinion, expect lot of people to disagree <grin>.

[Daniel Ortego]

Well, I’m nobody from nowhere but like’ Steve suggested, the 21-28-50 is good and it's the direction I’m going based on Guy’s recommendation. BTW: Guy is a pro from Phoenix and I live in Arizona so whatever. In the end, it does appear to be a popular lens set combination for the M8.

Regards,

[stunsworth]

In the end, it does appear to be a popular lens set combination for the M8

 

My usual set is 24/35/50 (or 75) as there's no need for an external viewfinder, for someone who already has a 28 them perhaps 21 is better for a wider lens than 24.

 

Remember that Guy buys and sells (and then buys again <grin>) a lot of lenses, so I'd take what ever he's currently using as a work in progress rather than a definitive statement.

[fursan]

Don't make the mistake I mad when I got the M*. Bought too many lenses straight

out. Get one. work with it for sometime and then decide further purchases or sales.

 

What suit others, might not be right for you. 50mm on a crop is perfect for me. it is

my lens cap!

 

There is no right or wrong lens combination. only suggestions!

 

Enjoy.

[Richard.no]

Thanks,

 

This is very true. I know, however, that I like the close-to-but-slightly-shorter-than-50mm-range. On my Nikon I enjoyed a 35mm on 1.5x crop, but it was always a little bit too tight.

So I wouldn't be surprised if the Summilux 35 would fit most of my needs.

 

Good suggestion from the others here too, the 28mm might just be too close to the 24mm. But a 21mm means external finder, and I might as well go for a CV 15mm or something. Agree? I mean, 21 x 1.33 isn't really wide anyway.

 

I can't wait for the weekend! It's been so busy, and I haven't been able to use the M...

 

 

Again thanks.

 

Best,

Richard.

 

Don't make the mistake I mad when I got the M*. Bought too many lenses straight

out. Get one. work with it for sometime and then decide further purchases or sales.

 

What suit others, might not be right for you. 50mm on a crop is perfect for me. it is

my lens cap!

 

There is no right or wrong lens combination. only suggestions!

 

Enjoy.

[Baxter]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Another from the 21, 28, 50 club (and a seldom used 90). You ought not go too far wrong with this spread.

[blakley]

I'm using 28, 50, 75, with 50 accounting for probably 75% of my shots, and the rest about evenly distributed between the other two. I haven't fallen in love with the look of any 35 lens on the M8 for some reason, and 28 is as wide as I can go without external viewfinders, which I hate.

 

I've never really bonded with 90mm lenses on any camera (though I used an 85/1.4 on my Nikons from time to time), and I basically don't use a 90 at all on the M8.

 

For really wide stuff I tend to use the CV 15mm on a film camera - often a iiif.

[msendin]

Just as a personal opinion, I would consider first a Zeiss 18mmf:4 to have a good 24mm. (The CV 15mm is another cheaper option), then a luminous 50mm.

In this way with your 28mm you would have a 24mm, 35mm and 66mm.

To me it looks more balanced if you start with three lenses.

[Daniel Ortego]

Don't make the mistake I mad when I got the M*. Bought too many lenses straight

out. Get one. work with it for sometime and then decide further purchases or sales...

 

Enjoy.

 

Well, I can assure you that I for one won’t much of a problem taking your advice. My M8 w/lens & filter costs me 9k and that in itself has invoked its own recipe of restraint.

Regards,

[mariotakeyama]

I have 15mmCV + 21mm viewfinder, 28mm ASPH, 50mm Summilux Pre-ASPH, and 90mm Elmarit, I love them.

If you have 28mm, 15mm makes pretty intersting/exciting choice.

 

Mario T.

[Eoin]

.....My M8 w/lens & filter costs me 9k....

 

Nah!, doesn't sound so expensive when you say it quickly..... and you'll only have to add to your collection in 3k jumps now. So you've done the hard bit, the rest will just be obsession.

[ptruman]

It was suggested further up the thread - try one lens and use it for a while. Think carefully how a wider or longer lens would improve your photographs. Then purchase another lens. Do the same again but using the set of 2 lenses. Add a third after really thinking about what that third lens will do. And repeat until you have the full set of lenses!

 

Clearly a professional is unlikely to have the time or patience to do this and may buy and sometimes sell on lenses that are found rarely used. An amateur may just about have the patience to do so - and may of course help the cash flow to build up a reasonable collection of lenses. This process can be applied over a long period or a very short period indeed!

 

I started with a 50mm, then a 28mm, next a 75mm and finally a 35mm lens (all f2 Summicrons - as I just love them). At the moment I have not (yet) found a burning need for anything wider, but clearly this will depend upon the sort of photography you do. I should add that I use them in the order 35, 28, 75, 50 (most used first). The 35mm stays on my M8 about 90% of the time since buying it about 4 months ago. I have obviously been very restrained, so better go and get another...

[ptruman]

Just thought - answering the question is the 35mm the most versatile on the M8? Yes, I think it is. Given the M8 1.3x crop factor it's the equivalent of a 50mm on full frame or film. I remember once when all I had for several years was a 50mm lens and never thought about anything else...

[Daniel Ortego]

Nah!, doesn't sound so expensive when you say it quickly..... and you'll only have to add to your collection in 3k jumps now. So you've done the hard bit, the rest will just be obsession.

 

Unfortunately I see your point.

[tbarker13]

24, 28 and 35 seem awfully close together for a three-lens kit.

If you are set on a 28 as your main lens, I'd look at the wonderful CV15 for a wider option and then something with a little more reach - 50 or 75. There are tons of wonderful options in the 50 range, but only a few in the 75. (75 lux is my personal favorite for portraits, etc.)

 

I really wouldn't worry too much about losing money buying and selling lenses. Particularly if you buy on the used market - on forums like this one or the Rangefinder forum. I have gone through no fewer than 24 different lenses (from leica, canon, zeiss, voigtlander and konica) to come up with my own ideal kit of six or so lenses. I haven't followed it closely, but I know I've lost money on some deals and made money on others. All in all, I'd say I've pretty much broken even. But then, I seldom buy a new lens.

There is a very robust market for used rangefinder lenses.

[trs]

Richard, it sounds like your question is regarding focal lenth. I know it is not the same as trying out the lens, but one great thing I found about RF (well M8) is that I can see framelines in view finder for any lens (24-90mm). So, if you check out the framelines, you can probably decide which ones you want.

 

If it is not the focal lenth, then there seem to be just way too many choices where you could end up with multiple lens of same focal lenth based on their charateristics.

 

My greatest finding in RF adeventure is the framelines. Litterally, I am using croping tool as I move my camera which I could not do with d/SLRs. So, I tend to fall into longer focal lenth. 28mm is almost fulframe in viewfinder for me since I wear glasses. Amazingly, 75mm is my lens cap even though it is slightly slower to focus than 28mm.

 

I will probably add 35mm sometime in the future (probalby replacing 28mm).

 

-tanka

[Richard.no]

Thanks for you suggestions. Actually, I checked out the frame lines yesterday, and I found the 35mm ones to be horribly close to the ones at 28mm. The 50mm ones on the other hand, seems like a nice range for portraiture and street candids. I think I might just get a 50mm.

 

On the other hand I see that focusing might be difficult at 50mm. How does the 1.25x magnifier work? Is it screwed into the eyepiece, or mounted in front?

 

I saw a Summilux 50 with Leica screwmount the other day. On a lens like that, can I just add a LTM8 adapter and be ready to roll? It seems to use E46 as opposed to the 50 lux asph (I didn't order UVIR's for the 50 asph)?

 

When I can't sleep at night because of extensive thinking of lenses, I tend to believe that a 24Elmarit/35Lux/75Cron would be the perfect combo for me. Maybe I should forget about the 28mm CV that I have and focus on the future.

 

 

Richard, it sounds like your question is regarding focal lenth. I know it is not the same as trying out the lens, but one great thing I found about RF (well M8) is that I can see framelines in view finder for any lens (24-90mm). So, if you check out the framelines, you can probably decide which ones you want.

 

If it is not the focal lenth, then there seem to be just way too many choices where you could end up with multiple lens of same focal lenth based on their charateristics.

 

My greatest finding in RF adeventure is the framelines. Litterally, I am using croping tool as I move my camera which I could not do with d/SLRs. So, I tend to fall into longer focal lenth. 28mm is almost fulframe in viewfinder for me since I wear glasses. Amazingly, 75mm is my lens cap even though it is slightly slower to focus than 28mm.

 

I will probably add 35mm sometime in the future (probalby replacing 28mm).

 

-tanka

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[stunsworth]

Richard, the magnifiers screw into the eyepiece at the rear of the viewfinder.

 

24/35/75 would be an excellent combination. I normally use that or a variation of 24/35/50. Just depends on how I feel. As has been mentioned before the 24 is a phenominal lens.

 

Don't sell the Ultron, it's a very useful focal length if you want to out with a single lens.

 

All my personal opinion of course, others may well disagree. Lenses are a personal thing.

[carstenw]

24/35/75 is an excellent set, but keep in mind that it leaves you without a nice classic portrait focal length. At the moment I am finding that I lean towards 21/28/50/90, with both 50 and 90 being capable of portraits on the M8. The 50 Summilux ASPH is such an awesome lens is so many ways that it has become my go-to lens, even though it is too long for many things. the 35 Summilux ASPH is also great, but keep in mind that one day Leica will probably release a FF M9, and then the 28/50/90 combo is classic.