which lens for M8? i'm a rangefinder virgin!

[disconnekt]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I'm drooling over the M8 which I may seriously consider getting if Leica addresses the current problems. Anyway, as money is very tight I would only be able to afford 1 lens to start out with. When I used to shoot analog, I had a Nikon FM2 and my favorite lens was my 50mm f1.4. What would be the equivalent in Leicaland? And what are my options in terms of price, if I'm willing to sacrifice an f-stop to save a load of dough?

 

Thanks in advance for any light you can shed and advice you can offer.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[wattsy]

The nearest equivalent would be the 35/F1.4 but you wouldn't go too wrong with the 35/F2 ASPH. Before splashing out you should try out different focal length lenses because, for some people, certain focal lengths work better for them with a rangefinder than they do with an SLR. For example, many treat the 35m focal length as their standard lens with a Leica. On an M8 this would equate to the 28mm focal length.

[adan]

The 35 f/1.4 Summilux will crop about like a 50 - but is one of the most expensive M lenses (and worth it as a 35, perhaps not as a "50") $3400

 

The 35 f/2 Summicron is $2200. If you care to go a bit longer (to "67mm" equivalent), a true 50 will do - f/2 Summicron, $1600, f/1.4 Summilux, $2800.

 

IMHO the f/2 lenses are a bit better than the f/1.4 lenses ( because they are less challenging to make) but it's a small difference, in any. The price jump is almost entirely for the extra f/stop.

 

Also there are Zeiss and Cosina-brand lenses to fit Leicas, at 33--50% of the price. 35 f/2, 35 f/1.2 (yep!), 50 f/1.5 or f/2.0

 

And of course used versions of all of the above.

[disconnekt]

Thanks! OK, interesting—so in Leicaland a 35mm lens is the rough equivalent of a 50mm lens in SLRland? And how do Zeiss and Cosina lenses compare in terms of image quality? I'd love to get the 35/f1.4 but could never afford $3400. Not even close.

[gesper]

To make sure you're clear on the concept, the difference isn't Leica vs. digital, it's small sensor digital vs. full frame film or digital. For example, a 35mm lens would perform as a 35mm for a film-based Leica, but as a 50mm equivalent on the Leica digital M8. A 35mm lens would also perform as a 50mm equivalent on a Nikon D200 digital SLR for example. So isn't Leica vs. SLR. Hope that helps.

[carstenw]

The older 28/2.8 (version IV) (non-asph) are apparently very good lenses, and given the asph versions, you could probably get a good deal on one of these. This would give you the view of a 35mm lens on full-frame.

[Frank Sprow]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I find with rangefinder cameras that mild wide angle lenses fit my style -- mainly pictures of people in crowds. I can pre-focus without bringing the camera to my eye and then when the "time is right" (pun) bring the camera up and shoot. The large depth of field of the wide angles allows this,

 

An excellent lens that performs beautifully on the M8 and is (by Leica standards) inexpensive is the new 28/2.8 aspheric.

 

A later second lens might be the 75/2.0 aspheric for portraits etc.

[chris_lappas]

...An excellent lens that performs beautifully on the M8 and is (by Leica standards) inexpensive is the new 28/2.8 aspheric...

 

Do we have any information on the price of this particular lens? I am considering an M8 but there would be no question of a second lens. Coming from a background of Leica R (6.2) and the Vario Elmar 35-70 (and recently a number of all-singing - all-dancing Canon digicams), I find it rather hard to accept that I will have to do with only a prime, but I am willing to give it a try.

 

Now, if only I could remember where I buried those gold bars...

[Frank Sprow]

$1395, almost a give-away by Leica standards.

[adan]

"so in Leicaland a 35mm lens is the rough equivalent of a 50mm lens in SLRland?"

 

While this was already addressed, a followup:

 

No - Your FM2 was a film camera. A Leica-M film camera (M7 or MP or R9) would frame with a 50 f/1.4 just the same as your FM2.

 

On a Nikon digital SLR (D200, D80), your Nikon 50 would be cropped around the edges (by the small sensor) to frame like a 75mm. On the Leica digital M8, a 50 is cropped a bit less, to frame like a 67mm.

 

On either Nikon or Leica digital camera, a 35mm lens ends up with a quote-normal-unquote framing - about equivalent to 51mm(N) or 47mm(L) on film.

 

The only digital cameras currently made, based on 35mm film cameras, that have a sensor as big as a 35mm frame (so that lenses frame normally) are the Canon 1Ds and 5D.

[disconnekt]

Thanks to all those who replied and thanks for helping me understand that the size of the sensor vs. the size of a 35mm frame causes the difference in lens coverage. This is the same principle that explains why an 80mm lens for a medium format camera is needed to get the same coverage as a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera.

 

I like the sounds of $1395 for the 28/2.8 aspheric, but I must say I would love to get more aperture than that. I love the shallow depth of field I can get with my f1.4 Nikon lens. Since my photo knowledge is rusty right now, can someone remind me if depth of field is also relative to sensor/film size? I seem to remember that it is, so if I'm right, the 2.8 on the M8 would allow even less depth of field than it would on a 35mm camera, right? What would the equivalent be, roughly?

 

Thanks for your patience! I'm starting to really think I might sell house and home to get my hands on an M8.

[lars_bergquist]

Dear Alison,

 

the simplest way is to apply the crop factor. Take the focal length(s) or zoom setting(s) you use most on standard full format 35 mm cameras, and divide by 1.333. You then have the M8 lens with the equivalent angle of capture.

 

Here's the dope from the other end: 21 mm FF equals 28 mm M8. 24 mm = 32 mm; 28 mm = 37 mm; 35 mm = 47 mm; 50 mm (actually, 52 mm) = 69 mm; 75 mm = 100 mm; and 90 mm = 120 mm.

 

If I had to travel around the world with one lens, it would be 50 mm on FF and 35 on a M8. The nearest translation of the classic 35 mm/90 mm combo would be 28/75 mm. I had the incredible good luck of finding a used 28 mm Summicron ASPH in excellent shape, and the Cosina/'Voigtländer' 75 mm 1:2.5 is actually a very nice lens. Works very well with the C/V-made M bayonet adapter.

 

The old man who saw it all in the Days of Flashpowder

[bradreiman]

i'll recommend the voightlander nokton 35 f1.2- Ive been using this alot on the m8 and it is an excellent "standard" lens. super fast. great ergonomics. lovely signature. tack sharp without being clinical. a breeze to focus. very inexpensive-around $800. im really impressed by it. i got it to cover my noctilux field of view and im suprised at how sweet it is. a good, cheap starter lens for sure...b

[larry]

A cautionary note about non-Leica M lenses: Apparently, some of them will not bring up the correct frame lines in the M8.

[c6gowin]

I chose to get the new Leica 28/2.8 ASPH at the same time I got my M8. I definitely wanted to get at least 1 piece of Leica glass (it just didn't seem right to buy a Leica camera and not Leica glass). I paid $1495 for the 28/2.8 and feel like it was a bargain considering the cost of other new Leica lenses. It is a very small lens and a pleasure to use.

 

I knew I would want more than just the 28/2.8 to start off my M8 experience, but the cost of the M8 and 28/2.8 was staggering enough as it was. As low cost alternative to the Leica lenses, I bought a Voigtlander 15/4/5 Heliar and 50/1.5 Nokton along with the M mount adaptors all for under $1000. I have been very impressed with these lenses - the build quality and image quality is excellent. I am not saying they are the same quality as the Leica lenses, but they are a great bang-for-the buck and a great way get a feel for what focal lengths you really like in use.

 

The Voigtlander Leica screw mount to M mount adaptors are available in different configurations to bring up the different M8 frame lines - just be sure to get the correct adaptor for your lens and attach the correct one to your lens.

[chris_lappas]

$1395, almost a give-away by Leica standards.

 

Thank you.