50 + 21 or 50 + 28 for a trip to Japan

[Segal]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I am planning another trip to Japan this year and am still deciding which lenses to take. I prefer to travel light, but this is not about weight as much as about avoiding lens-swapping anxiety. 

Previously, I'd take my 35mm and 50mm Summilux-M to Japan and always returned with great pictures, but I found that 35mm is a bit too narrow for pictures indoors.

I've traveled with 50mm Summilux-M and 21mm Voigtlander Color-Skopar f/3.5 in the past several months. It is a great combo, and I was delighted with the pictures from the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, and Las Vegas. But I found 21mm a bit too wide in Edinburgh, Limassol, and London, so, naturally, I bought a 28mm Voigtlander Color-Skopar f/2.8. 

I have a Leica Q2, and I am very familiar with this focal length - it's not my favorite, but the Leica Q2 was consistently excellent for me when shooting indoors.

Which would you personally go for? 50 + 21 or 50 + 28? Color-Skopar lenses are tiny, so I could pack both of them (and the 35mm Summilux-M to boot), but I'm trying to limit my options intentionally, so I focus more on taking pictures than swapping lenses

P.S. Another option is to get a Leica Q3 and leave the M11 at home, but I love the 50mm field of view a bit too much.

[AndreasG]

I was in Japan last year Nov./Dec. and as the only lens on the M10-D I used the Elmarit 2.8/28 ASPH. All other lenses I left at home and did not regret it. For you, take the combo 28+50.

[f8low]

Lens swap anxiety 😅 I can feel you.

What makes you think about swapping when you're on the go? Is it tempting to have something slightly wider or slightly narrower or are you someone who suddenly sees a promising wide angle scene after hunting for 50mm scenes? Maybe this can help decide if you want to make your focal length gap bigger or not...

[Segal]

1 minute ago, f8low said:

Lens swap anxiety 😅 I can feel you.

What makes you think about swapping when you're on the go? Is it tempting to have something slightly wider or slightly narrower or are you someone who suddenly sees a promising wide angle scene after hunting for 50mm scenes? Maybe this can help decide if you want to make your focal length gap bigger or not...

With the 35 + 50 combo, I would just pick one lens a day and shoot the whole day with it, leaving the other one in a hotel. Zero anxiety, but also no pictures indoors whatsoever  

With 21 + 50, I usually have 50mm on the camera and 21mm in my pocket. And then swap several times a day when I see a scene that needs a 21mm, either indoors or something grand outside, like the famous McD Arc in Las Vegas or the Horseshoe Bend in Arizona. 

[DI1]

I only brought a 35 Summicron to Tokyo and it was perfect for everything from temples to street and indoors. The 50 Summilux is my favorite lens, but did not miss it in Tokyo. 

[M11 for me]

@Segal

To me 21 and 50 are a bit too far apart. My favourites when taking 2 lenses would then be:

- 21 and 35 = Priority 1

- 28 and 50 = Priority 2

But as you write it yourself you always came home with great images. So I wonder how important that lens discussion really is.

And by the way: When you take more than 1 lens with you (you plan to go with 2 lenses), you will have to carry additional lenses somehow. I like pouches around the hip. And if that is true for you too then you should take 3 lenses with you as most very small pouches carry 2 small lenses plus the battery anyway. Then take:

- 21 and 28 and 50

And finally: Last year I made a big decision and I travelled to Ireland with 1 camera 1 lens: It was the Q3 . . . And I was thrilled and I was missing nothing.

[Xavier]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Tough choice... and it depends on the main photo interest too. What kind of photographs do you intend to take ? architecture, landscape, street, ... ? also, which places do you intend to visit ?

 

Another idea (sorry this is a bit out of the choices you propose, feel free to disregard), if it is not about weight, how about taking three lenses on the trip, and adjusting the selection of the two lenses that you take with you each day depending on the plans ? 

I was in Japan recently and did pretty much that. I was travelling with four lenses (21SEM, 28CV/2.8, 35FLE and CV75/1.9) and was planning each day which two (or sometimes three) that I would take. It worked very well. On some days, I carried 28+75, on others I chose 21+35, and sometimes I would take 21+35+75. I found that selecting the lenses for the next day as part of the planning of the itinerary quite interesting an exercise.

[Segal]

59 minutes ago, M11 for me said:

@Segal

To me 21 and 50 are a bit too far apart. My favourites when taking 2 lenses would then be:

- 21 and 35 = Priority 1

- 28 and 50 = Priority 2

But as you write it yourself you always came home with great images. So I wonder how important that lens discussion really is.

And by the way: When you take more than 1 lens with you (you plan to go with 2 lenses), you will have to carry additional lenses somehow. I like pouches around the hip. And if that is true for you too then you should take 3 lenses with you as most very small pouches carry 2 small lenses plus the battery anyway. Then take:

- 21 and 28 and 50

And finally: Last year I made a big decision and I travelled to Ireland with 1 camera 1 lens: It was the Q3 . . . And I was thrilled and I was missing nothing.

I have Ruggard pouches, and just carry the extra lens in my pocket or in a sling. I could easily carry two, but I can imagine the paralysis of choosing between 21mm and 28mm  

I used to travel with just Q and later Q2 - got some amazing pictures from Venice and Los Angeles this way, but I missed the more narrow 50mm field of view. I think I could use a Q as my only camera if it had a 35mm lens.

As for the importance of this discussion - it is definitely not a big decision. In the worst-case scenario, I'll have fewer good pictures  

[Segal]

13 minutes ago, Xavier said:

Tough choice... and it depends on the main photo interest too. What kind of photographs do you intend to take ? architecture, landscape, street, ... ? also, which places do you intend to visit ?

 

Another idea (sorry this is a bit out of the choices you propose, feel free to disregard), if it is not about weight, how about taking three lenses on the trip, and adjusting the selection of the two lenses that you take with you each day depending on the plans ? 

I was in Japan recently and did pretty much that. I was travelling with four lenses (21SEM, 28CV/2.8, 35FLE and CV75/1.9) and was planning each day which two (or sometimes three) that I would take. It worked very well. On some days, I carried 28+75, on others I chose 21+35, and sometimes I would take 21+35+75. I found that selecting the lenses for the next day as part of the planning of the itinerary quite interesting an exercise.

This is a great suggestion! When you look back on your trip, do you think you got more good pictures with your 21mm or your 28mm lens? 

[spydrxx]

I think you will have better results with the 28 than the 21, which IMHO it is more difficult to avoid distortion by not having the camera perfectly level and/or shooting too close to the subject. So my recommendation is the 28 + 50. Enjoy your visit.

[Xavier]

33 minutes ago, Segal said:

This is a great suggestion! When you look back on your trip, do you think you got more good pictures with your 21mm or your 28mm lens? 

I used the 28 a lot more (maybe twice as much), but the ratio of pictures that I like very much is higher with the 21. However, no simple conclusion emerges from that: the 21 was generally used for architecture/landscape and the 28 when walking through cities, where I experimented more, which explains why more pictures from the 28 are going to the bin now... This is also very much tied to the photographic interest I had during this trip (architecture was an important and better planned part).

[Segal]

30 minutes ago, Xavier said:

I used the 28 a lot more (maybe twice as much), but the ratio of pictures that I like very much is higher with the 21. However, no simple conclusion emerges from that: the 21 was generally used for architecture/landscape and the 28 when walking through cities, where I experimented more, which explains why more pictures from the 28 are going to the bin now... This is also very much tied to the photographic interest I had during this trip (architecture was an important and better planned part).

Thank you, this is helpful! Maybe I should come up with a theme for the pictures I want to take during the trip, and it'll help me choose the lens. 

[Kiwimac]

Get hold of the MATE and take them all…! 🤣

[chris7273]

The gap between 21 and 50 is huge but can lead to very interesting different point of views. 

[Jared]

I would recommend the 28 and 50 combination. The 21 is an amazing lens, capable of some dramatic perspectives and it can be a godsend in really tight spaces, but it is a bit harder to use (especially on an M body where the field of view is wider than the viewfinder), and is much more finicky with regard to composition.  I'd stick with the 28mm as your second lens. One caveat... I haven't been to Japan before, so my guidance is based upon general travel and is not specific to your destination. 

- Jared

[Fedro]

When I lived in Tokyo I used a 50 all the time and a 16-35 when needed, but that was canon and almost 20 years ago

Right now I would bring all three. 28 for me its the most useful in a city like Tokyo where you will often be surrounded by people and lots of interesting tall buildings and temples,. so I would keep this on all the time

50 is great for portraits and 21 for when you need something wider or are in a tight space

if you really feel the metaphysical need to only bring two lenses, drop the 21, even though as it weighs less than an extra t-shirt in your luggage

 

[tom0511]

I think 28 is better for: small groups of people, people/portrait with environment, in my case I would use 28 more often than 21;

21 for buildings, street scenes with architecture, some landscape with bog sky etc.

I would bring all 3, and eventually leave one in the room;

I would probably bring 21-35 (because its faster f-stop than the 28, for evenings and indoors) and 50.

Last comment, you can crop 21 to 28 FOV but not the other way around

[Segal]

1 hour ago, Fedro said:

When I lived in Tokyo I used a 50 all the time and a 16-35 when needed, but that was canon and almost 20 years ago

Right now I would bring all three. 28 for me its the most useful in a city like Tokyo where you will often be surrounded by people and lots of interesting tall buildings and temples,. so I would keep this on all the time

50 is great for portraits and 21 for when you need something wider or are in a tight space

if you really feel the metaphysical need to only bring two lenses, drop the 21, even though as it weighs less than an extra t-shirt in your luggage

 

Thank you! Yeah, it's more about avoiding choice paralysis than about weight. I am already bringing my Leica M11 instead of a Sony A1

[frame-it]

specifically for Japan, i always carry 2 cameras, one with an 85 or 90, and the other with a 28 or 35, i hate changing lenses [thats for digital]

for film, i usually keep a iiic with b&w film and 35 or 28 mm, and iiif with color film and 50mm

Edited April 23, 2024 by frame-it

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[NigelG]

I took 2 bodies with 28 and 50 Luxes with a 21 SEM in the bag

IMHO you need all 3 😕