A variant of the “which lens” question…

[mjw3]

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After owning a Q2 for a few years (and I adore it), I’ve decided that I’m a big boy and have my first M in transit (M11).

Aside from the learning curve of manipulating an M, I am asking for suggestions on a lens that will best fit with the transition. Obviously a 28mm is the direct replacement, but I’m not against the 35mm as a good number of my shots are using the 35mm crop. I’m not rich - especially now after the purchase. But I could go as high as $4K (thinking used prices), but that is the least desirable option to my bank. I’m not against CV or Zeiss lenses either. But I know the Zeiss lenses are rather big, and I want this to be comparable to the Q physically.

 

Appreciate any help you can give.

[Tessar.]

A 28mm Summicron would be a similar size to the lens on the Q and the M11 would give you the ability to crop to 35mm FoV if you wanted to.

Or, you could get a 35mm Color Skopar 35mm to see if a native 35mm suits and if you miss the 28mm FoV you can sell it, get a 28mm and not be too out of pocket.

 

[JoshuaR]

28mm Elmarit ASPH, 50mm Summarit f/2.5. You’ll come in well under $4k and have two very small lenses that make your M smaller and lighter than your Q and produce fantastic images and work well together. I have lots of other lenses that are more expensive (including the 50 Lux ASPH, 50 Noct 1.2, etc.) and these are the two lenses I use most days. 

Of course there’s no actual right answer to this question. And the good news is that you can’t really go wrong, all the M lenses are excellent. 

[spydrxx]

Since you're presently undecided, why not get a much less expensive used lens to try out! Buying a new lens just because you acquired a new camera seems to me to be a waste of money unless you're familiar with that camera and the wide range of lenses available for that camera, and you're personally knowlegable about each one and know exactly what characteristics you want. Just my $0.02 based on over 70 years of experience.

[3D-Kraft.com]

Take a look at the Thypoch 28/1.4 or 35/1.4. Not the smallest ones but excellent price/quality ratio.

[patrickcolpron]

5 hours ago, JoshuaRothman said:

28mm Elmarit ASPH

On the one hand, I'll second that suggestion, plus in my opinion the 28 Elmarit is a better lens than its Summicron counterpart. 
 

On the other hand, I'll suggest two options for a 35 mil lens, first, the obvious choice, a second hand 35 Summilux FLE V1, a great all rounder with a fast aperture and sightly better rendering over its newer V2 iteration. My second 35 suggestion, is a 35 Summicron V4, it is a terrific walk around lens, lighter than a Summilux with great rendering f/4 to f/8, much better than a modern 35 Summilux , a true one lens solution on an M camera.  

[exnihil0]

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50 lux asph can be had used at a good price. You’ll take better photos with a 50 coming from 28. I sure know I did when I made the switch. 

[crons]

14 hours ago, mjw3 said:

After owning a Q2 for a few years (and I adore it), I’ve decided that I’m a big boy and have my first M in transit (M11).

Aside from the learning curve of manipulating an M, I am asking for suggestions on a lens that will best fit with the transition. Obviously a 28mm is the direct replacement, but I’m not against the 35mm as a good number of my shots are using the 35mm crop. I’m not rich - especially now after the purchase. But I could go as high as $4K (thinking used prices), but that is the least desirable option to my bank. I’m not against CV or Zeiss lenses either. But I know the Zeiss lenses are rather big, and I want this to be comparable to the Q physically.

 

Appreciate any help you can give.

If you arent sure don't buy Leica lenses right away. You have all the time in the world. 

If you're not into 50mm just get a Voigtlander 28f2 and 35f2 Ultron II. See what you like first. Then invest. Get one pf their 50mm too while you're at it and see. 

I would focus on getting used to a rangefinder first. 

Edited June 21, 2024 by crons

[lct]

14 hours ago, mjw3 said:

I’m not against the 35mm as a good number of my shots are using the 35mm crop. I’m not rich - especially now after the purchase. But I could go as high as $4K (thinking used prices), but that is the least desirable option to my bank. I’m not against CV or Zeiss lenses either. But I know the Zeiss lenses are rather big, and I want this to be comparable to the Q physically.

As far as compact 35mmm lenses are concerned, the Biogon 35/2.8 (right) is very small and almost perfect IQ wise if you like contrasty photos and don't need a wider aperture than f/2.8. Otherwise the better compromise, to me, is the current Summicron 35/2 asph v2 (left). A more affordable f/2 candidate could be the current Ultron 35/2 v2 which is very sharp with a somewhat harsher bokeh.

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[pippy]

All good answers so far.

One alternative in the 35mm stakes - and which would be a good starting point to see if you like the focal-length - would be the (Version 2) Voigtlander f1.4 Nokton. It is very small and has a similar feel to the 1960-1995 Leitz Summilux.

It is inexpensive even when new but, if I were you, I might try to find one in good condition on the used market. In this manner once you know whether 35mm is 'for you' the lens can either be kept (it is VERY good!) or else sold-on with very little - if any - loss of value to help fund a new purchase.

Best of good fortune!

Philip.

[mjw3]

I really appreciate the time and all responses to my question. They have led me to investigate many threads in this forum for follow up, and into some analysis paralysis.

The CV ultron lenses do look attractive and seem to give little compromise when compared to their Leica counterparts. Perhaps that's the best place to start. Much less financial investment and as noted, put the focus on technique.

Time to stop focusing on the minutia....

Thanks again!

[lct]

21 minutes ago, pippy said:

One alternative in the 35mm stakes - and which would be a good starting point to see if you like the focal-length - would be the (Version 2) Voigtlander f1.4 Nokton. It is very small and has a similar feel to the 1960-1995 Leitz Summilux.

+1 and a more modern alternative could be the Nokton 35/1.5 asph which has almost the same size as the Summicron 35/2 asph with a 0.5m vs 0.7m MFD.

Edited June 21, 2024 by lct