wide-angle pondering (Zeiss 18/4, Elmarit 21 ASPH, Elmarit 24 ASPH, Summicron 28 ASPH

[philipotto]

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I will start off my saying that yes, this is another what lens should I buy thread, which is subjective, a matter of opinion and taste. On the other hand, the most enjoyable part of shopping is before you actually buy, and who's opinion do I trust more than that of my forum friends?

So lets talk.

 

I am looking for a wide to fill the gap between the 12 and 35 in my RD-1 kit.

My current kit consists of: CV12, Leica 35mm Summicron IV, and CV75.

 

For the sake of this conversation, keep in mind the 1.5x crop of the RD-1. I also own a little used M6, which might be on the block soon, and plan to aquire an M8 at a later date, but the RD-1 is what im using.

 

I had originally settled on the Zeiss 18/4, based on the excellent findings of fellow forum members. On the RD-1 it would act as a 27.

 

Next I started considering the 21 Elmarit ASPH, my thought process being that the elmarit is stop faster, and has a wonderful look. On the RD-1 the 21 would be a 32.

 

After pondering the 21, I got to thinking about the 24 Elmarit ASPH, there is allot said on this forum about the special look of the 24. Some said if they could only pick one, this would be it, although part of this could be that a 24 is the widest M8 frameline. The 24 would be an RD-1 36. If I got the 24 I would likely sell my 35, which would help fund it, and I don't see the 35 getting alot of use, as there isn't a terrible difference in my shooting between the 36 and 53 effective FOVs, I also don't think I would use the 35 much after getting accustomed to to ASPHs superior wide open corners.

 

After looking at the 24, I came to the 28 Summicron ASPH, it is the fastest Leica wide, and many keep it mounted almost permanently. Puts says it is one of the best Leica lenses. Leica says that along with the 75 cron it makes the ideal M8 kit. I just don't know if I replace the 35 with a 28 if I will still feel as if there is a missing lens.

 

After the 28, which is a useful stop faster than the 21 and 24 and two stops faster than the Zeiss 18, my eyes rested upon the 35 Summilux ASPH. It's a stop faster still, and I have seen remarkable work done with it.

Of course I have come full circle to looking at a 35, when I already had a 35 that I was looking to supplement with something wider, and then was considering replacing it with a 24 or 28.

 

 

 

With the Zeiss we are talking new, with any of the Leicas used. The 24 or 28 option are attractive as I could sell my 35, and keep my kit to the minimum, which is important to my, as I like the current compactness of my kit, which I carry in a Billingham for Leica, which accommodates body+lens+ 2 lenses.

 

 

 

In any case it is nice to get this down on paper, and share my gear progression with my friends. Your thoughts?

 

Thanks!

Philip

[Guest stnami]

28..........⇔..............42 ............then eventually you will want a 21:cool:

[Guest guy_mancuso]

Very simple answer the two sharpest and most clinical looking the Zeiss 18 and leica 24

 

The two that have the best look and character and smoother tones the leica 21 and 28 cron.

 

I currently have the CV 12 , Zeiss 18mm, leica 21mm and Leica 28 cron and the 35 version IV cron but not sure you want to follow my path , lot's of money involved. I had the 24mm and it is the sharpest Leica wide. Depends on what you are after and the style you are looking for but generally that is the categories i would put each one in. There all extremely good lenses so any choice you make it will be a good one. The Zeiss has a touch more contrast than the rest. Easily controlled in most situations.

 

Now having a 12CV and a 35 mm the most obvious choice for gap reasons would be the 24mm if you going for only one. But i would not rule out the Leica 21mm for look and gap also.

[roguewave]

Most puzzling to me is why you would shift to a camera that does not match up to the strengths of the lenses you are considering. It's like driving a 12 volt electric cart on the autobahn. What for? The M8 is a fine tool, but it's still a compromise off the block. It has a very narrow range of use, but in that range it offers some very real, tangible results: great images with certain superior lenses. To move into a sensor format that has such a large crop factor makes no sense to me. I think it's a mistake to give up a film camera that allows you to use a supreme set of tools for the convenience of a shotgun, poorly arranged, marriage. Excellent digital camera bodies are freely available for instant satisfaction at a low entrance fee. Use a tool that gets the real job done with mastery, not only of technique, but of imagination. For me, the time I spend with my M3 & 35lux & 35Summaron have had an enormous impact on my ability to visualize and internally conceptualize what I want to accomplish. These lenses will not give you what you really want with the RD-1. They weren't designed for that application.

[Guest stnami]

Oi !!! Mr Roguiewave .......... I have no problems with using my imagination or to conceptualise with a RD-1........... then I don't have a drama with any camera. I dunno, maybe you have some sorta stumbling block within your brain bucket about digital rangefinders, many of us find them quite useful despite the cantankerous nature of the beasts

I am sure there are many others that use a RD-1 quite successfully and find no need to work within a narrow band.

By the way I can also get great image results:) .... then again you may be fishing here:D

[cbretteville]

Philip,

I'll jump in here and recommend the Zeiss 21/2.8 Biogon. An amazing lens. Some (like Erwin Puts) claim its better than the 21 Elmarit ASPH, I don't know as I haven't compared the two. What I do know is that I really like what I see when looking at the shots.

 

- Carl

[stunsworth]

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Personally I'd go for the 24mm Elmarit. With the M8 the set of lenses I use is 15/24/35/75. I'd probably use the same set if I had a RD-1 or if I were using my M6. The 24mm is a stunning lens.

 

The 24mm and 35mm are very different lenses IMHO. I don't see the focal lengths as being close in the way you describe.

[Iron Flatline]

I really like the handling of the 21mm Elmarit. It is easy to use, and for such a relatively fast lens I like the exactitude of the focusing ring.

 

I also think it's a cool looking lens.

[wattsy]

I'd decide whether you actually want something properly wide (18 Biogon, 21 Elmarit) or something at the wide-ish end of the scale (24 Elmarit, 28 Summicron). For me, there is a rather big difference between 18mm and 28mm and I would make the primary decision on FOV rather than lens characteristics.

 

I only have experience of the 24 Elmarit and 28 Summicron in conjunction with the RD-1. My feeling at the time was that the 6MP sensor of the RD-1 was too limiting to exploit anything like the full potential of these lenses. I don't know if it was to do with angles of incidence or the quite heavy AA filter on the RD-1 sensor but neither lens demonstrated the sharpness and clarity that was evident on film. I have to say that I think you are wasting your money if you pay $3500 or more for a lens for the RD-1. Have you considered the Zeiss 21mm and 25mm options or even the new Leica 28mm Elmarit which has a very sharp fingerprint that may well suit the RD-1 well?

[Guest stnami]

............................ then again if you want something really sharp, buy a knife

[philipotto]

Guy

Thanks for this. I would like to follow your path, not sure its really feasable, but one lens/body at a time.

 

Ben

I have no disagreement that the RD-1 is a flawed camera, but 8 months and 2200 photos later I still enjoy it. I have put perhaps 3 rolls through my M6 since its purchase. While I love the body, no comparison to the RD-1 in my opinion, and the results, film isn't as practical for me at the time being.

The DMR is perhaps the only SLR system I have really been interested in, but the price of admission, given that photography doesn't bring any income to me, is unjustifiable. Same for the M8. I am waiting for the R11 and M10 to come out so hopefully M8/DMR prices will drop.

 

Carl

Thanks for throwing in the Zeiss 21 Biogen. I will have to take a look. Perhaps a trip my the dealer is in store.

 

Steve

Your high opinion of the 24 is one of the reasons I started looking at it.

I don't think 24 and 35 are close in actuality, I just think that if I had my 35 and the 24 in my bag, I would choose the 24 more often then not, for its performance rather than its focal length.

 

Iron

I agree with you re the look of the 21. Appearance is definitely important to me, one of the reasons I like Leica lenses. The modern ASPHs look great! The Summarits, not so much.

 

Ian

There is definitely a question of how much money to spend on glass before putting that money down on an M8. I think the RD-1 is limiting enough, and there is good enough relatively inexpensive glass used and from CV, that the point is not too far off.

With any of the Leica lenses, it would require getting a superb deal on user example.

 

Imants