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24mm f2.8 users please tell me about your lens


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I am thinking about the wide lens I want to go with the M8.

 

Puts is crazy about the 24mm f2.8 asph and I think that's the way I want to go.

 

Would users of this lens tell me about it and also compare to the 28mm lenses please (both f2.0 asph and 2.8 asph).

 

tnx, Bill

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Bill,

 

Don't know squat about MTF charts/graphs, or what you're regular shooting regimine is.

 

Do know that if I had to cull down to two lenses the 24 (along with the 50DR) would be ones that I would keep.

 

Obviously it isn't fast, nor compact, and requires an aux finder (I shoot with 0.85 mag).

 

That said it is sharp as a tack, and I marvel at the lack of distortion it has. I suspect it will become a very popular lens for those who will get M8s given the crop factor.

 

I can't compare it to any of the 28s, as I only have a Tri-Elmar that has that focal length. As handy as that lens is, I'm certain any prime 28 Leica makes is better.

 

Don't know where you're at, but try to get a loaner/rental and shoot a couple of rolls with it.

 

Best,

 

Jerry

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Well, of course, I've just bought one solely on the assumption the M8 will go down to 24 but no further without an aux finder. Only just got it but a few test shots before it goes back to Mutter for coding confirms it's a cracker, but so too is the 28/2. Usual excellent mechanics.

 

Andy advised me to wait (too late by that time, LOL) and now William is doing the same to you. Maybe there's some inside info which we don't know about, things like the actual framelines and new lens offerings.

 

A 28/2.8 and something ultra-wide seem likely, but Leica may yet surprise us by going faster as well as wider, something like a 28/1.4... I'd be surprised though if Leica were to introduce more than a couple of new lenses given everything else they're doing.

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It's very good. Apart from that, the rest can be found from MTF charts and Puts' reviews.

 

It's big, though-- 55 mm filter size.

 

My only comparison was my 28/1.9 Ultron asph, which was obviously much lower build quality.

 

Wai Leong

===

I am thinking about the wide lens I want to go with the M8.

 

Puts is crazy about the 24mm f2.8 asph and I think that's the way I want to go.

 

Would users of this lens tell me about it and also compare to the 28mm lenses please (both f2.0 asph and 2.8 asph).

 

tnx, Bill

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I used to have the 28 summicron and I did not like the lens for as handling goes. When the shade was mounted on the lens it was somewhat loose and awkward and too big for a 28. Now the performance is great, bar none but I just did not like the egronomics of it. For me it just was not wide enough so I sold it and got the 24 instead. If Leica comes out with a 28 Elmarit asph and is a little smaller than the 28 cron, I would buy it. I would still keep my 24 though. I saw several used 24's on sale on Ebay but I kind of wonder why. The shade on the 24 is the right size and fits very well on the lens so and other things I like the egronomics of the 24 over the 28 summicron.

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...When the shade was mounted on the lens it was somewhat loose and awkward and too big for a 28...

Reason why i use the 35/1.4asph shade with the R-D1.

I expect no problem on the M8 either given the crop factor (28 x 1.33 = 37mm FoV).

FWIW

 

LeicaM_2820_3514shade.jpg

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Hi William, I'm assuming that the reference is to the the new wide angle Tri-Elmar that's been hinted at on various websites - if William knows for sure he won't be able to comment because of the NDA - sounds like it could be a very interesting Photokina :-)

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Hi William, I'm assuming that the reference is to the the new wide angle Tri-Elmar that's been hinted at on various websites - if William knows for sure he won't be able to comment because of the NDA - sounds like it could be a very interesting Photokina :-)

 

Thanks Steve, yes I understand, ..save your money for later :-)

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Hi Bill,

 

The 2,8/24 Asph. is a phantastic lens. It's biting sharp even at open aperture, has superb performance wrt. vignetting and colour rendering and also mechanically is top. To me it compares directly with the much praised 1.4/50 Asph.

 

I have never used a 2/28, but hear that this lenses performance also is stunningly good. Look at Stefan Pragers Cuba Photos in the german forum for picture examples.

 

Kind regards, C.

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Well, I should have mentioned Sean Reid's review as well, because that is where I noticed the images that set the 24mm lens apart, and Sean and I have traded emails about the lens. If you are not subscribing to Sean's site, you are missing an important point of view and a great deal of information. Not only are the reviews clear and informative, they are accompanied by shots that make clear exactly what the lenses being reviewed can do. It's just like I borrowed the lenses and spent a zillion hours testing them and then was able to make an informed decision -- except that I don't have to do all that work. The images are right there with thoroughly written and understandable text.

 

It has been suggested to me that a new 28mm lens is on the way, and I am told that the price will be extremely friendly, but I keep seeing the images on Sean's site that were taken with the 24mm lens.

 

Also, if the widest frameline is to be 24, and Putz raves about this lens (his words are something like "the single most important lens for an M user to own"), and the pix look like the images that Sean shows, why fight it.

 

I am pleased to see the responses from owners of the 24.

 

I will also heed the advice of several of you to wait. After all, Leica is entering the modern world and they may be beginning to use the same smoke and mirrors that American manufacturers do. So-called upcoming lenses may be ruses for something else entirely. They are certainly whetting everyone's appetites.

 

In my case, the whetting is confusing and I will tell my dealer that I want only a body and I'll wait to see the whites of their lenses. This is to say that I'm a little pissed off. I am putting away money to SPEND on Leica equipment (Solms, I hope you're reading this!), and I don't know what to expect. So, I will NOT buy something (in this case a lens) and will wait to see what appears. I would much prefer it if Leica told us what they are planning so I could make an informed decision. Not to be too cynical: during the past several years while they weren't doing much of anything except dribbling out Panasonic cameras with worthwhile lens designs, they told us all kinds of things. And here we are, The Faithful, with no place to go to kickk the tires (there is no Leica store except in Tokyo -- it is open yet?). If it weren't for this site (thankyou again, Andreas), we'd be in a pickle.

 

It clearly looks like they have gotten the M8 right -- we have corroboration from several sources of big prints with astonishing detail and Leica-ness. That alone is enough for them to make a big enough splash. The problem with keeping things under wraps is that the unveiling is likely to end up being anticlimactic. How Hollywood it is.

 

I am clearly wetting my pants waiting for the M8. I was also ready to spring for a wide lens. Now, I'll wait (and I'm not happy, in case that wasn't clear).

 

Bill

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Good comments, Bill.

 

I understand they don't want a repeat if the DMR experience but the flip side is that nobody does anything because they don't know what's coming. Leica users deserve a road map on which to base their buying decisions. Right now, I believe a 24 is a sensible buying decision, I went with it, but may yet be proved wrong.

 

The leaked announcement memo headlined with the camera, the Tri-Elmar, the 28mm Elmarit ASPH and the "Universal" finder but also discussed accessories which I assume will include things like cases, flash-guns, battery packs and so on. We'll see, 15 September cannot come a day too soon.

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