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

[gammarART]

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vor 11 Stunden schrieb kivis:

50 + 21 has been my travel pair for decades.

Which 50 can you recommend?

Still looking for a fast 50 without the typical ninja stars from 2.0 to 2.8…

Edited May 6, 2024 by gammarART

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[kivis]

20 hours ago, gammarART said:

Which 50 can you recommend?

Still looking for a fast 50 without the typical ninja stars from 2.0 to 2.8…

Leica Summicron 50mm f2 version 5

[Knipsknecht]

Not super-fast but (for me) fast enough: Leica Summarit 50mm f2.4 or f2.5 (slightly older version). Small, light, with great rendering👍.

[Sebastian S]

Am 21.4.2024 um 17:13 schrieb Segal:

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

I have and love the Color Skopar 25mm, which could be the perfect compromise between 21mm and 28mm. don't know though how it performs on digital bodys

[AndBauer]

Well, there are probably as many different answers as there are motives and people who perceive them as something subjectively experienced. When I was in Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto and Himeji, in addition to my M with 50mm Summilux, I had a 35mm Summicron, the 90mm Macro.Elmar and a Sigma DP0 with me. I used the 90mm lens once, the 35mm never, the DP0 now and then and the Summilux almost always. I see it as “my” focal length in which I see my world. If I had to pack again I would take the 50, the 90 because it is so incredibly compact and can deliver great images. I have doubts about the DP0 because it is a bit bulky. But I like the image rendering of the sensor and that I don't have to change the lens. And at Kobe Port Tower, Himeji Castle or in the historical part of Kyoto 21mm was great. I no longer own the 35. I recognize that it's capable of taking great pictures, but I never warmed to it.

Sure it will not help you making your choice, but it's fun to write about it, because for me taking photos is to remember places, people, emotions and experiences. And Japan has a lot to offer. 

[RexGig0]

On 5/6/2024 at 3:13 AM, gammarART said:

Which 50 can you recommend?

Still looking for a fast 50 without the typical ninja stars from 2.0 to 2.8…

This is one reason why I added a Summicron-M 50mm, Version V, to complement my still-beloved Summilux-M 50mm ASPH. If I had the same situation, today, I would simply acquire the Cosina Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar, and be done with it. I actually did add the APO Lanthar, last August, largely for having better flare-resistance than both the Summilux and the Summicron. (Sunlight, at some angles, and glare from windows and such, can be harsh, here in southern Texas.) The APO Lanthar did not yet exist, when I bought the Summicron. I am keeping the Summicron, for its Walter Mandler-era character, of course. One can never have too many good Fifties. 😉

Cosina manufactures many Zeiss-branded lenses, including the well-regarded Otus and Milvus SLR lenses, and my much-loved Distagon 35mm f/1,4 ZM for the M-Mount. When people say that the APO Lanthar operates at the Otus level of optical correction, they are not mistaken.

i have never been to Japan. I am in this discussion, mostly to learn, because I have an increasing number of friends in Japan, from my interactions with students attending an English Language school in Texas. (I am friends of a family who hosts the students, in their home.)

Edited May 9, 2024 by RexGig0

[jplaurel]

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Yes, the 35 and the 50 by far were the most used. And of the two, the 35 is the most useful for me.
I just never seem to get photos that I genuinely like from the 21 or the 90.

 

On 4/29/2024 at 12:33 PM, Segal said:

Thank you! Which lenses did you end up using the most? I assume it was 35 and 50?  

 

[Ernstk]

21 and 35 would be the perfect combination.

Ernst

[gordec]

I travel with M10R with 50 Lux and Q3. They go on either side of my Gitzo backpack. Love the setup. I would be ok with Q3 95% of the time. To me it’s easier than swapping lenses. When I travel aboard, I have my backpack anyways to hold water, etc. 

[Jürgen]

Apo-Summicron 2/50mm and Elmar 3,8/24mm !

[MikeW]

I'm headed to Kyoto and Tokyo for 10 days in late September, and simply taking what I always shoot with—mostly the 50 Lux and 35 Lux, with a small 28 (VM Ultron II)  in case I need it. I will also pack my old GRII for an always-ready 28mm perspective and backup camera in case something untoward happens with my M11.

That said, I don't love the Ultron, and it might just be my copy. I felt the same say about the ZM28 when I owned one. I find myself wondering if I'd shoot 28 FOV more if I loved the lens.

[Olaf_ZG]

28 minutes ago, MikeW said:

 

That said, I don't love the Ultron, and it might just be my copy. I felt the same say about the ZM28 when I owned one. I find myself wondering if I'd shoot 28 FOV more if I loved the lens.

Try the summaron…

[MikeW]

That is tempting.

[rgeorge911]

On 6/28/2024 at 1:29 PM, Jürgen said:

Apo-Summicron 2/50mm and Elmar 3,8/24mm !

I went to Japan in June.  I’m a frequent visitor.  I brought my Elmar 24mm for the first time and REALLY enjoyed using it there.  Not having framelines for it is a pain, so I’m going to explore with 28mm next time, but the 24mm Elmar is probably the best storytelling lens I’ve found for travel and street.  

I carried a 35mm Summicron ASPH, 50mm Summilux ASPH, and CV 90mm APO (LTM) as well, but the 24mm got so much use.  It really surprised me.

 

[gammarART]

vor 6 Stunden schrieb rgeorge911:

but the 24mm Elmar is probably the best storytelling lens I’ve found for travel and street.

Sounds great 👏

Is there already a place where we can take a look at your photos? Especially the ones taken with the 24mm Elmar

[rgeorge911]

You got me off my butt and I posted some.  All of these are shot with the 24mm Elmar on an M10.

The first one above, of the sumo and policeman, is worth zooming in on.  Look at the spectators all the way up the steps.  See if you can find the twins!  I printed this at 20"x30" and it's really nice, imo.

 

Hope I'm not hijacking the OP thread.  

[Segal]

I feel like I owe everyone some conclusion based on this thread

Just came back from Japan yesterday. Loved it as usual, despite the heat and humidity. As was discussed, I took my Summilux-M 50mm as the main lens, and Voigtlander Color-Skopar 28mm f/3.5 as the secondary one.

Here is a link to the album of some pictures from the trip:

Some observations:

I used the 50mm maybe 80-90% of the time, as I expected - it is my favorite focal length after all.

I felt like I needed something wider than 28mm a couple of times (waterfalls!), but a 21mm wouldn't do there - it had to be something more like 16mm. I ended up stitching panoramas. Going with 28 instead of 21 was the right call for me.

M11 started acting up almost immediately after I landed in Japan's humid climate - it was taking its sweet time to turn on every now and then, and completely died several days before the end of the trip. It is fine now after spending some time in a box with Silica gel packets, but I still think I should send it over to Leica to make sure the board doesn't get fried. 

Because the M11 died, I went on and bought myself an A7CR with the 40mm f/2.5 lens in Yodobashi Camera. It turned out to be a great tiny camera, but with all the usual Sony downsides (convoluted menus, bad software, annoying autofocus, especially in crowds). Still, I got some nice pictures with it, even though the hit ratio wasn't even close to M11. 40mm focal length is super fun - it is close enough to 50mm to feel familiar, but is a tad wider, which helps  

 

[RMF]

1 hour ago, Segal said:

I feel like I owe everyone some conclusion based on this thread

Just came back from Japan yesterday. Loved it as usual, despite the heat and humidity. As was discussed, I took my Summilux-M 50mm as the main lens, and Voigtlander Color-Skopar 28mm f/3.5 as the secondary one.

Here is a link to the album of some pictures from the trip:

Some observations:

I used the 50mm maybe 80-90% of the time, as I expected - it is my favorite focal length after all.

I felt like I needed something wider than 28mm a couple of times (waterfalls!), but a 21mm wouldn't do there - it had to be something more like 16mm. I ended up stitching panoramas. Going with 28 instead of 21 was the right call for me.

M11 started acting up almost immediately after I landed in Japan's humid climate - it was taking its sweet time to turn on every now and then, and completely died several days before the end of the trip. It is fine now after spending some time in a box with Silica gel packets, but I still think I should send it over to Leica to make sure the board doesn't get fried. 

Because the M11 died, I went on and bought myself an A7CR with the 40mm f/2.5 lens in Yodobashi Camera. It turned out to be a great tiny camera, but with all the usual Sony downsides (convoluted menus, bad software, annoying autofocus, especially in crowds). Still, I got some nice pictures with it, even though the hit ratio wasn't even close to M11. 40mm focal length is super fun - it is close enough to 50mm to feel familiar, but is a tad wider, which helps  

 

Thanks for posting the photos and the recap.  Unfortunate news about your M11 and possibly the humidity affecting it… seems like any M should be able to survive that test even in the summer Japan heat. Please keep us up to date on what Leica says if you send it in. 

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Hallo,

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[leicam62003]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb Segal:

I feel like I owe everyone some conclusion based on this thread

Thank you for this lovely thread and photos, which I have only just discovered. I was in Japan for 3 weeks in April and based on my experience I couldn't give a definitive answer to your question. It depends on the route and the subject interests that a traveller has with them.

I would take 28 + 50 + 90mm with me on this trip and if I could only take 2 lenses then 28 + 90mm.

[Xavier]

Thanks a lot for posting back and sharing the pictures!

This is a very nice series. Are they all from the M11 or are some from the Sony ?

The failure of the M11 is quite a bummer, but at least you could find a solution to keep taking pictures. I hope the Leica tech find out what happened. There must be quite a lot of M11 in Japan and we do not hear about these failing due to humidity when the Summer comes, so there must be something strange going on.