Lens system - let's play a game

Y

yanidel

Well-known
Local time
12:14 AM
Joined
Jan 15, 2008
Messages
1,102
Location
Paris
View My Gallery
Imagine you have a lens system made of (brand does not matter):
12 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90
You must remove lenses one by one based on focal preference until you get to one. (name your camera for comparison purposes)

RD1 (crop factor 1.5):
12 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
12 - 15 - 21 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
12 - 15 - 21 - 28 - 40 - 50 - 90
15 - 21 - 28 - 40 - 50 - 90
15 - 21 - 28 - 40 - 90
15 - 28 - 40 - 90
15 - 28 - 90
28 - 90
28

So if you have time to lose, go ahead😉. I found it to be an interesting exercise to rationalize kits based on constraints (travel, space, ...)

Edit : I'll try to do a small analysis of the patterns if the sample is big enough.
 
Last edited:
I'll play, i'm suffering a wee bit of insomnia
M8 crop 1.3
12 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 90
25 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 90
28 - 35 - 50 - 90
28 - 35 - 50
28 - 50
28
 
M6TTL .72

12 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90
15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90
21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90
25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90
25 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90
25 - 35 - 50 - 75 - 90
25 - 35 - 50 - 75
25 - 35 - 50
25 - 50
50

All supposition given that I've never owned half these focal lengths. My current kit is 28, 2 x 35, 50 and 90, but I'm thinking of replacing everything but the 50 with a 25 and 135. The tyranny of choosing which of the 35s to use makes me think I'd be better off with lenses that are distinct from each other.
 
12 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 75 - 90

Since you based this on an RD1 format, I'll adjust this to match my camera's format:

18 - 22 - 30 - 37 - 42 - 52 - 60 - 75 - 112 - 135

Now round them off to standard focal lengths:

18 - 21 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 60 - 75 - 100 - 135

And now start eliminating:

18 - 21 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 60 - 75 - 100 - 135
18 - 21 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 75 - 100 - 135
18 - 21 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 75 - 100
18 - 21 - 35 - 50 - 75 - 100

and now it gets hard to eliminate focal lengths, because I like - and use - the ones left:

21 - 35 - 50 - 75 - 100
21 - 35 - 50 - 100
21 - 50 - 100
21 - 50
50

Hmmmm. If I convert that back to RD1 size, it's a 35mm. I have a 35mm Ultron, seems I need an RD1 to go with it! 😱
 
Last edited:
12-15-21-28-35-50-75-90 (film Leica)
12-21-35-50-90
21-35-50-90
35-50-90 / 21-35-50 (that's a tough one ...)
35-50
35

I own 21 - 2x 35 - 50 - {90} (in the mail but have used this FL before)

The lens I like most is the Noctilux (50mm) but the most versatile focal length is for me the 35mm.... 🙂
 
Last edited:
I'll do my graph based on the lenses I own
18 21 28 35 50(f2) 50(2.4) 75 90
18 21 28 35 50(f2) 50(2.4) 75
18 28 35 50(f2) 50(2.4) 75
28 35 50(f2) 50(2.4) 75
28 35 50(f2) 50(2.4)
28 35 50(f2)
35 50(f2)
35 In my case that leaves my Hex 35UC LTM. It's a tough call though between the 35 and 50 HexM
 
I'm a Nikon RF user so my lens choices look more like:

21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 85 - 105 - 135

For me, the first ones to go are the teles (despite the Nikkor-P 105/2.5 being a legendary lens). So that leaves:

21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 85 - 105
21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 85

From here on, the choice gets tougher. Probably something like:

21 - 28 - 35 - 50 - 85
(I like the 25 on an SLR, but 28 is easier to use on a Nikon SP so bye bye to the 25)
21 - 35 - 50 - 85
(bye bye to the 28)
35 - 50 - 85
(goodbye to the 21)
35 - 50
(a tough call, but the 85 goes)
50
(a tough choice, but a 50 is king on a Nikon SP)
 
M4
12 - 15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
15 - 21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 40 - 50 - 90
21 - 25 - 28 - 35 - 50
21 - 28 - 35 - 50
21 - 28 - 50
28 - 50
50

I have a 50 Rigid Cron. And, I'd like to add a fast 28 for low light (with an external finder)...

Now, I need to rush and take the film out of the tank... 😀
 
Nah... You now buy a couple of Tri-Elmars, whichever 15 you don't have (Zeiss for speed, Voigtländer for compactness) an 18mm Zeiss, some more speeds of 21mm, 24mm Leica...

Then if you're of an historical bent you buy a 19mm Canon, 20mm Russar, 60 Hexanon (if I remember aright), 73mm Hektor, at least one 85mm, 90mm Thambar soft-focus, 100mm Canon, 105 Mountain Elmar, 125 Hektor and 135mm Elmarit. After that, it's the Viso lenses...

(But for me, the lenses I use most are 35/1.4 on film (M2/M4-P/MP) and 50/1.5 on the M8.) Come photokina I may want a new lens for the M8...

For film, based on what I actually carry with me:

12-15-21-24-28-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-24-28-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-24-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-35-50-75-135
15-21-35-75-135
21-35-75-135
21-35-75
35-75
35

Cheers,

R.
 
Last edited:
R-D1s. So the following are values in 1.5x.

18 - 32 - 53 - 75 - 135
18 - 32 - 53 - 135
32 - 53 - 135
53 - 135
53

And between the 2 53s (Summicron 35/2 IV & Nokton 35/1.2) I'll keep the Nokton 35/1.2: if I just got one lens left, size and weight simply don't matter anymore....
 
Roger Hicks said:
Nah... You now buy a couple of Tri-Elmars, whichever 15 you don't have (Zeiss for speed, Voigtländer for compactness) an 18mm Zeiss, some more speeds of 21mm, 24mm Leica...

Then if you're of an historical bent you buy a 19mm Canon, 20mm Russar, 60 Hexanon (if I remember aright), 73mm Hektor, at least one 85mm, 90mm Thambar soft-focus, 100mm Canon, 105 Mountain Elmar, 125 Hektor and 135mm Elmarit. After that, it's the Viso lenses...

(But for me, the lenses I use most are 35/1.4 on film (M2/M4-P/MP) and 50/1.5 on the M8.) Come photokina I may want a new lens for the M8...

For film, based on what I actually carry with me:

12-15-21-24-28-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-24-28-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-24-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-35-50-75-90-135
15-21-35-50-75-135
15-21-35-75-135
21-35-75-135
21-35-75
35-75
35

Cheers,

R.
Click to expand...
Roger, is that taking into account what Frances will carry in her bag ?😉 I wish my girlfriend would too carry M lenses instead of her P&S ...
By the way, I enjoyed a lot reading your book on rangefinders, wonder how the above trim down compares to the description you had written at the time on your lens system, I will take a look.
 
yanidel said:
Roger, is that taking into account what Frances will carry in her bag ?😉 I wish my girlfriend would too carry M lenses instead of her P&S ...
By the way, I enjoyed a lot reading your book on rangefinders, wonder how the above trim down compares to the description you had written at the time on your lens system, I will take a look.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the kind words about the RF book. That was written before I had the 75; as soon as I got it, my standard duo (one on each body) became 35/75.

Frances's current line up is inclined to be 18/4 Distagon + 50/2.5 Summarit. After that she goes for a 90 (last series pre-aspheric Summicron, or Apo-Lanthar) as often as not. So between us we cover 18-21-35-50-75-90. She also likes the 28/1.9 Ultron but that is in need of relubrication -- a very juddery, jerky focusing movement.

Then there's the M8, where I use my 21/2.8 and 35/1.4 (again) plus 50/1.5 Sonnar and 135/2.8 Elmarit, or (surprisingly often) the Thambar and sometimes the Noctilux. Interesting that with the digi I use longer lenses...

Cheers,

R.
 
yanidel said:
. . . I wish my girlfriend would too carry M lenses instead of her P&S ...
Click to expand...
Marry her!

Frances wasn't a photographer when I met her, but she got so bored waiting for me to take pictures that she learned out of self-defence. That was in 1982, the year we were married.

Her first published picture was a book cover: me on the BMW for Motorcycle Touring in Europe (Collins, 1984).

Cheers,

R.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom