Shadow Blaster Posted March 8, 2009 Share #1 Posted March 8, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Late last year I bought a new M7 with the 50mm 1.4 Summilux and now want to add a wide angle. I've narrowed my choices down to the new 24mm Elmar or the 28mm Summicron. I think my preference is for the 24mm length but the faster speed of the Summicron is appealing also. In addition to that, as I wear glasses, I wonder about my ability to see the 28mm frame lines in the rangefinder if I opt for the Summicron. The Elmar would clearly need the add-on viewfinder, and I think I would still have to focus thru the existing viewfinder but use the add-on viewfinder to gage what will be captured in the photo. I think I have two questions: (1) how feasible is it to use the built in viewfinder with the 28mm while wearing glasses and (2) if I get the 24mm Elmar, and the add-on viewfinder, will I have to focus using the existing viewfinder and then switch to the add-on to get the correct field of vision? Any advice/comments relative to the above questions as well as observations yo may have as to the relative merits of the new 24mm Elmar and 28mm Summicron would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, John S. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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NZDavid Posted March 8, 2009 Share #2 Posted March 8, 2009 I have the 24/2.8 Elmarit ASPH and can attest it is a superlative lens. Erwin Putts rates its as one of Leica's best lenses. Resolution is extremely high, distortion non existent. You do, of course, need a separate viewfinder, but it is bright and clear and really not hard to get used to. Previously, I used the older version of the 28/2.8 Elmarit, which is also a good performer. I used a separate 28 viewfinder rather than the camera viewfinder because it's clearer. Voigtländer and Zeiss also make very good separate finders. Everyone who has used the 28/2 Summicron says it is an excellent lens and you have that extra stop of speed. So, I think the main criteria are whether you really need the extra angle of view (84 deg for the 24 and 75 deg for the 28). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NZDavid Posted March 8, 2009 Share #3 Posted March 8, 2009 And if you wanted the ultimate wideangle, why not check out Leica's new 24/1.4 ASPH or 21/1.4 ASPH. They come with hefty price tags though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted March 8, 2009 Share #4 Posted March 8, 2009 The 28mm Summicron is an excellent lens. I have no problems with the framelines when I wear my contacts. With glasses, I don't even bother. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted March 8, 2009 Share #5 Posted March 8, 2009 My choice would be, and is a 35mm Summicron asph which I use as much as my 50mm Summicron. Many years ago I had a 28mm lens with a Nikon F and I hardly used it. I did not relate to that focal length, having said that I acquired a 24mm Nikkor lens which I used extensively. It all depends on what you want to photograph but I find a 35mm, 50mm and 75mm works wonderfully well with am M camera and I do not feel the need to add further and in any case I only ever take one camera and lens out with me at any one time as I love the freedom from clutter that gives me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted March 8, 2009 Share #6 Posted March 8, 2009 I would go for the 28 Summicron A proper wide angle, but not so extreme as the 24. Having said that, my 35 Summicron is my "standard" lens, and I rely on my 28 Elmarit-R for my wider angle stuff. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted March 9, 2009 Share #7 Posted March 9, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I would go for the 28 Summicron A proper wide angle, but not so extreme as the 24. Having said that, my 35 Summicron is my "standard" lens, and I rely on my 28 Elmarit-R for my wider angle stuff. I know what you mean Andy the 35mm Summicron seems so natural on an M camera I sometimes have to force myself to take the 50mm out in fact at one point I seriously considered selling it but as there is nothing else I need I decided to keep it. What ever happened to the 40mm that must have been a real single lens to have in fact did Leica not fit it to the CL? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted March 9, 2009 Share #8 Posted March 9, 2009 To further expound upon the choice of wides, I want to point out that you will get a lot of advice saying get a 28, and a lot saying get a 35. I had a 35 and a 50 combo for about a year and a half, and found that though both lenses were wonderful, it was an awkward combo for me. 35 was never quite wide enough, and was always to close to 50 for me to actually use the 50. 35 seems like a great single lens setup, but I was always wanting wider. I'm very happy with 28 + 50. I'd likewise probably be very happy with 24+50. I see 24 as closer to 28 than 28 is to 35. If I only had one lens, I'd go with a 28. So try a couple lenses out and make the choice. To me, 28 is perfect for waist-up portraits of someone in their environment. Or two people interacting. For this kind of shot, I'm always standing at a normal interaction distance from the subjects, so it's perfect for talking to someone and then taking a quick picture. Back up a step or two and you can easily get full body shots from not too far away. It also makes a great travel lens because you can easily capture a wider space with out requiring too much distance. The only REAL issue I'd probably have with 24 is in wanting to get a bit close to my subjects for proper framing, so 28 is probably a better choice for me. On RF, you are limited a little bit by that .7m minimum focus distance. If we were talking SLRs with shorter minimum focusing distances, I could probably make up the difference with the 24 and be happy with it, dealing with the little extra bit of perspective 'distortion.' And I am contemplating that exact move (28/1.8 to 24/1.4) on Canon for the improved speed and quality on the 24mm lens. I don't think you can really make the 28 frame lines work with glasses, so you are either going to be shooting with an external finder or guessing as to the coverage with the internal finder. The 28mm Summicron is a very nice lens though. Small, sharp, pretty fast, and a nice look. Probably it's biggest weakness is that it vignettes, but personally I actually like the look - it vignettes just the right amount People also will complain about the hood. Yes it's kind of big, but it's more of a nuisance in storage than it is in use for me. I like the idea of shoving my camera in my coat pocket, and the hood makes that difficult. In use, it keeps your fingers out of the frame - haha. It does block a bit of the view, but it's not that bad. Here are some of my photos from the lens - color and B&W: flickr If this lens was a 1.4, it would be the best lens ever. It would probably be too big then. I'd still be tempted. As it is, I think it is my all time favorite lens. For the record, I've had it for about 5 months. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted March 9, 2009 Share #9 Posted March 9, 2009 I assume your M7 is a 0.72x mag body, yes? You will need an external VF to use any FL wider than 35mm. I use the tiny CV 28/35 VF with my 28 and I have 20/20 vision in my camera eye. My use in pairs is 28/50 and 35/75. I use the 24 with the 35/75 pair but not with the 28/50. Too close to the 28 but like you I love the 24mm. I think a 21 goes with 28/50 but I don't like the 21 FL. We're all different and one thing I think you need to do is visit a camera shop and try these various focal lengths for yourself to see what you like as a combination. If you go 28 I strongly recommend the Konica Hexanon-M 28/2.8. I know everything is Leica here but the Hexanon is a truly brilliant lens, I used the Summicron but kept the Hexanon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenneth Posted March 9, 2009 Share #10 Posted March 9, 2009 I assume your M7 is a 0.72x mag body, yes? You will need an external VF to use any FL wider than 35mm. I use the tiny CV 28/35 VF with my 28 and I have 20/20 vision in my camera eye. My use in pairs is 28/50 and 35/75. I use the 24 with the 35/75 pair but not with the 28/50. Too close to the 28 but like you I love the 24mm. I think a 21 goes with 28/50 but I don't like the 21 FL. We're all different and one thing I think you need to do is visit a camera shop and try these various focal lengths for yourself to see what you like as a combination. If you go 28 I strongly recommend the Konica Hexanon-M 28/2.8. I know everything is Leica here but the Hexanon is a truly brilliant lens, I used the Summicron but kept the Hexanon. Peter mentions Konica Hexanon lenses. You might take a look at this- CSS Partnership Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest maddoc2003jp Posted March 10, 2009 Share #11 Posted March 10, 2009 I used to have an 28 (Elmarit 28/2.8) but wearing glasses never got along with that FL and a 0.72x finder. Also had a 25 (Biogon 25/2.8) for a short time but found it being neither fish nor fowl... Since a real wide-angle lens needs an external VF anyway (except with one of the Bessa R4s), I went for a more extreme wide angle lens and bought a 21mm Super-Angulon-M, which together with a 35mm and / or 50mm makes a perfect combination for me. For landscape 21/90 is also an ideal combination, IMHO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
guywalder Posted March 10, 2009 Share #12 Posted March 10, 2009 I think I have two questions: (1) how feasible is it to use the built in viewfinder with the 28mm while wearing glasses and (2) if I get the 24mm Elmar, and the add-on viewfinder, will I have to focus using the existing viewfinder and then switch to the add-on to get the correct field of vision? 1) check by moving the lever to the left of the lens, it will show you the framelines and you can decide for yourself. 2) yes, you will have to use the built in VF for focussing, and an external VF for framing Personally I can just about manage with a 28 and my glasses, but I have a pretty loose approach to framing. I can't be doing with an external VF though, it was acceptable on my Mamiya 7 as I work slowly and methodically with MF but it goes against the grain on a 35mm rangefinder... YMMV Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter_n Posted March 10, 2009 Share #13 Posted March 10, 2009 If you really can't stand an external VF and you use the so-called super-wides like 21 & 24/25mm a lot there is only one body and that's the Voigtlander R4. A great little camera. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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