M10r travelling

[steve Amrose]

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Hello all , I am new here and have in the last 6 months bought an M10r a sumicron Apo 75mm f2 and sumicron 35mm f2. I am going on a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand so was asking should I take these or is there a different lens I should take. I am debating as I have a fuji xt4 with 16-55 zoom not sure what to do. And which would be more versatile. 

[andybarton]

Which lenses do you use most of the time where you live? Do you have room in your bag for both systems?

If I were you I’d take what I was most comfortable with. 

[steve Amrose]

Thank you for the comments.  I was actually looking at the 21mm last night. Also is it worth changing from the 35mm f2 to the f1.4 or is that just gas?

[dpitt]

I would definitely try to take both camera's. Never do such an important trip without some form of decent backup The iPhone does not count
If you can leave the camera on a safe place, you could decide from day to day which one to take with you. My iPhone Pro serves as ultra wide option and easy panorama tool when I take my M9 with a 35 or 50mm lens. On the M10R the Summicron 35 would be almost ideal  for me. With cropping you can get to 70mm eq. if need be. If it was the Summilux 35 F1.4 ASPH, I would like it even better for all situations, including low light at F1.4

Do not confuse this with the Summilux 35 pre-ASPH versions. Plenty of character and dreamy wide open. Even on my 18MP M9, this one looks very soft for the first few stops, so it is useless for indoor shots at high resolution IMO, certainly if you see what you can do with your Summicron 35 at F2.0.

This is all very personal, so YMMV

[dpitt]

18 minutes ago, steve Amrose said:

Thank you for the comments.  I was actually looking at the 21mm last night. Also is it worth changing from the 35mm f2 to the f1.4 or is that just gas?

Our posts crossed 🙂
So, yes I think the F1.4 ASPH could be valuable, both as an extra stop en even more as a way to play with shallow DOF. Your M10R has the reputation of bad low light performance.

Although that is relative. In most situations, I get by with my M9 and Summicron 35 at F2.0 and ISO 640 which is the highest 'usable'  for me on that oldie.
I am sure you will have at least 2-3 stops advantage over the M9 with your M10R.

YMMV but for me the F1.4 on the Summilux 35mm most attractive advantage over the Summicron is the shallow DOF, and a bit more playfulness in the highlights. In all other aspects the Summicron 35mm is the 'technically more perfect' lens from F2.0 on. The Summilux 35 ASPH is very close in performance to the Summicron 35 ASPH, so I would not take both with me. But I am not a landscape or architecture photographer who would maybe appreciate the perfectness of the Summicron more than I do.

Edited February 7, 2024 by dpitt

[Knipsknecht]

vor 11 Stunden schrieb steve Amrose:

[…] Also is it worth changing from the 35mm f2 to the f1.4 or is that just gas?

If you‘re not permanently shooting at f1.4 and if you‘re traveling with a modern digital camera with which you can crank up the ISO with no or only little grain in the photos you are taking - go with the Cron. The reduced weight and size compared to the Lux will come in handy, too.

[dpitt]

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1 hour ago, Knipsknecht said:

If you‘re not permanently shooting at f1.4 and if you‘re traveling with a modern digital camera with which you can crank up the ISO with no or only little grain in the photos you are taking - go with the Cron. The reduced weight and size compared to the Lux will come in handy, too.

This 35mm F1.4 ASPH Summilux-M is the same size and weight as the 35mm F2.0 ASPH Summicron-M. Other 35mm Summilux models are heavier and bigger...

[dpitt]

8 hours ago, Al Brown said:

It is ALWAYS worth changing from summicron to summilux - because every summilux is a summicron as well.

I do not completely agree. Almost but not quite. If your focus is on artistic and pleasing, then yes, even with a slight advantage for the Summilux. But in cases where absolute 'correctness' matters the advantage is for the Summicron (also stopped down)

In particular the pre-ASPH 35 compared with its contemporaries will show this, so much that I find they are completely different lenses up to F 4.0 or so.
With the ASPH versions, differences are smaller and more subtle, but they are never quite the same.

[Knipsknecht]

vor 14 Stunden schrieb dpitt:

This 35mm F1.4 ASPH Summilux-M is the same size and weight as the 35mm F2.0 ASPH Summicron-M. Other 35mm Summilux models are heavier and bigger...

Well, not mine😉

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[Knipsknecht]

vor 14 Stunden schrieb Al Brown:

That is surely not a good and valid argument point. Sometimes this particular summilux f/stop can make or break the picture, especially in very low light where 1/8 s can mean blurry and 1/15 s can mean sharp (YMMV). All f/1.4 lenses can also be used permanently at f/2, Summicron style. Cranking up the ISO means destroying the dynamic range - especially precious in low light situations.

Actually I never encountered such a situation. And cranking ISO should be in a lot of situations a non-issue on a modern digital camera. Especially because in photography we are always looking for light, don’t we? So, even when I am shooting at night on the street, there are always lots of lights and I never missed a shot because my lens was not fast enough.

But if we were talking about anolog film cameras, then I would be with you. On my M6 and M7 I would use the Lux at night for handheld photography. 

[Knipsknecht]

vor 1 Minute schrieb Al Brown:

Cranking up iso means gradually crushing the dynamic range (all that comes with it) and adding unnecessary noise. Even though noise can be fixed nicely in post I am taught to do as much as possible in camera and applying principles that are valid for both analog and digital photography as “general” rules.

That’s perfectly fine! It’s just my personal experience that I hardly ever had a problem with too much noise. In the rare cases it became a problem it was my fault because I needed to crop in too much (I.e. I was not close enough). 
Last year in November I traveled to Japan and I didn’t took a Leica with me but a Panasonic Lumix S5 with its “kit lens”, the 20-60 f3.5-5.6. Sounds like a rather boring combination, but the camera and this lens performed very well - for me and my kind of photography. I took quite a number of photos at night in Osaka - there is so much light at night that I could shoot most pics at an ISO between 100 and 400 at f5.6.

[dpitt]

7 hours ago, Knipsknecht said:

Well, not mine😉

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Indeed I said that the others are bigger...
Yours is the 11873 version if I am not mistaken.

The smaller ones are these:
11874-black - 11883-silver - 11859-titan - 11663-black

Only the black ones are in the same weight as the Summicron 35 ASPH

 

Edited February 8, 2024 by dpitt

[dpitt]

🤔 After looking at the pictures, I think there might be a mistake in our wiki pages for these Summilux 35 mm. It says:

• Length to bayonet flange - 34.5 mm / 1.4 in
• Largest diameter - 53 mm / 2.1 in

• Weight - approx. 250 g / 8.8 oz anodized, 415 g / 14.6 oz chrome & titanium

But the Sumicron ASPH picture looks smaller to me even though it says:

• Length to bayonet flange - 34.5 mm / 1.4 in

• Largest diameter - 53 mm /2.1 in

• Weight - approx. 255 g /9 oz alloy - 340 g /12 oz chrome plated - 225 g /7.9 oz black chrome

Edited February 8, 2024 by dpitt

[Knipsknecht]

vor 41 Minuten schrieb dpitt:

Indeed I said that the others are bigger...
Yours is the 11873 version if I am not mistaken.

The smaller ones are these:
11874-black - 11883-silver - 11859-titan - 11663-black

Only the black ones are in the same weight as the Summicron 35 ASPH

 

The Lux is the first FLE, the one before the newest one with the close focus abilities. The Cron is a little bit older. It’s aspherical but it has this plasticky hood, not the metal screw on hood that the latest models have.

Here are the version numbers:

35mm Summilux 11663

35mm Summicron 11879

Sorry, I have no kitchen scale to check the weight.

[dpitt]

1 hour ago, Knipsknecht said:

The Lux is the first FLE, the one before the newest one with the close focus abilities. The Cron is a little bit older. It’s aspherical but it has this plasticky hood, not the metal screw on hood that the latest models have.

Here are the version numbers:

35mm Summilux 11663

35mm Summicron 11879

Sorry, I have no kitchen scale to check the weight.

Thanks. Your picture clearly proves that there must be a mistake in the specs for the Summilux on our wiki pages. The difference is not that much but still it is not like the pre-ASPH versions of the Summicron 35 and Summilux 35 where they are almost exactly the same size.

The Summicron ASPH 35 is in the 'tiny' class while the Summilux ASPH 35 is borderline medium size like the Summicron 50 v4 as far as I can see. Tiny (just my name for it) is a lens that qualifies to be pocketed while mounted on the M in a winter coat pocket. I like to carry my Leica M9 like that, with a wrist strap to have it ready all the time, and with my hands free while it sits in the pocket. It makes a big difference compared to walking around with a camera dangling on a neck strap for hours. YMMV

[dpitt]

Just for comparison. This is the Summilux 35 pre-ASPH next to my Summicron 35 v3.

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[ktmrider2]

I just spent a month touring NZ.  I got back 24 Jan 2024.  All you said was trip of a lifetime and as NZ is not very well populated (except for sheep at 5 to 1 over humans), I assume you will be spending time outside.  KISS is the principle I have found most useful.  Keep it light and simple.  Is the Summicron lighter than the Summilux?-probably.   Do you need the extra stop-probably not.  Remember you will be carrying everything and Leica is not known for making lightweight gear (which may be why they last so long).  I carried a Ricoh GR3  and it worked just fine.  Last year I spent a month in Vietnam in December, 2022 and took almost all the photos with my phone as it was monsoon season and the light sucked even though the Leica M4 was along in a waterproof bag.

The scenery in NZ is wonderful but I did not see anywhere more stunning than Alaska(I live in Anchorage) or the Sierras.  Most of the small towns were clones of one another, especially on the South Island) and they all offered adrenaline sports like bungee jumping, tandem skydiving, zip lining and helicopter sight seeing or hiking which seemed to be the main tourist industry. The sameness was actually disappointing.  I am glad the NZ dollar is only worth $.63 US as the food was expensive but incredibly bland.  A glass of wine was NZ$15.  I had heard that Australia was expensive but the Aussies on my tour were shocked at NZ prices, especially if you like to drink.  The highlights of my trip were Milford Sound, Hobbiton and sperm whale watching.

I remember reading years ago that NZ is more British than England and hell was a place where the cooks are English.  Both seem to apply to NZ.  Did you know that NZ is actually about 6-8 degrees further south than the Cape of Good Hope (southern tip of Africa)?  Support for science research in Antartica is based in Christchurch on the South Island and it is a beautiful small city.  Christchurch was more interesting than Auckland which at 1.25 million is the largest city.  75-80% of the five million people in NZ live on the North Island.

Have fun but don't overdo on the camera gear.  My travel kit is either a Leica with 35/90 which would be similar to the 35/75 you mention.  I also have a Fuji X-T5 with equivalent primes or a midrange zoom like you mention.  I would take the system you like using the most but not both.  Either will bring home the bacon so to speak and a small tripod may be worth packing.  I like using hiking staffs which allow for camera support like a monopod.

 

Edited February 16, 2024 by ktmrider2

[brickftl]

On 2/6/2024 at 2:33 PM, steve Amrose said:

Hello all , I am new here and have in the last 6 months bought an M10r a sumicron Apo 75mm f2 and sumicron 35mm f2. I am going on a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand so was asking should I take these or is there a different lens I should take. I am debating as I have a fuji xt4 with 16-55 zoom not sure what to do. And which would be more versatile. 

I just got back in December from a trip to NZ with a group of photogs, and my opinion, you need zoom lenses not primes on your trip. And I question whether your M10 is the right camera to take. Our group leader wanted us to bring 3 lenses, short zoom, mid range zoom and long zoom, which I did. My most used lens was a Sony 14-24, followed by a Sony 24-70. My 100-400 I ended up never using. I shot with my Sony A7RV usually on a tripod with an L-bracket that allowed me to flip the camera on its side after setting it up horizontally. I can't imagine having taken my M10 on this trip. Just my 2 cents.

If you're interested, here are pics. 

 

[overexposed]

if you want a 21, dont take the summilux, take the super elmar, its much much sharper.

i have two 21lux and even the better one isnt optimal for landscape. i think its an amazing lens for streetphotography, also or especially wide open.

but its just not sharp enough for landscape imho

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[theseahawk]

On 2/6/2024 at 2:33 PM, steve Amrose said:

Hello all , I am new here and have in the last 6 months bought an M10r a sumicron Apo 75mm f2 and sumicron 35mm f2. I am going on a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand so was asking should I take these or is there a different lens I should take. I am debating as I have a fuji xt4 with 16-55 zoom not sure what to do. And which would be more versatile. 

I’d definitely bring both cameras and a means to secure any of the equipment if you need to leave it in your room during an outing (room safe or Loctote bag). Keep your eyes on the bag/pack carrying them, better yet physical contact with same, while en route. 

I traveled to Venice in December with my M10-R, 50 Summilux 1.4, 28 Elmarit 2.8, 90 Summarit 2.5, and SL2 with 24-70 Vario-Elmarit, and a Sirui carbon fiber traveler tripod.
For my style of shooting having good coverage in the normal focal length is essential, to isolate subjects in portraits and stack formal elements in street and landscape.
 

If Leica made a Q with a 50 Summilux, especially weather-sealed, I’d leave ninety percent of the above equipment home on such trips. 
 

Edited February 16, 2024 by theseahawk