yanidel
Well-known
I am looking for a 24/25mm for my M8. Basically, there are three choices Leica 24, Zeiss 25 and Voigtlander 25M. My main criteria is cost and ability to blur the background wide open. My most logical choice would be the CV25 due to much lower cost and size but it is slow at F4.0. Both the Zeiss and Leica can go to 2.8, but they are bigger and much more expensive. The F4.0 does not bother me for low light but do you think it will be much easier to get blurred backgrounds on a 24/25mm at 2.8 in street photography (let's say the subject is at 1-2m).
Also, please share any experience that could help in the choice. Examples at F2.8, wouild be great, thanks.
Also, please share any experience that could help in the choice. Examples at F2.8, wouild be great, thanks.
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Roger Hicks
Veteran
Unfortunately (and perhaps inevitably) the best and perhaps only choice is by far the most expensive, the 24/1.4 Summilux.
For street photography, 25/4 has not in my experience given any significant defocusing of the background. It's a nice lens -- I've used it -- but it's uncoupled and d-o-f even at full aperture is enormous. Likewise the 25/2.8 (which I've also used): coupled, and a little more blurring, but not much. I used to have a Nikon 24/2.8, amd focused on 1m, you got some blurring of the background, but that's very close indeed; at 2-3m, normally more realistic distances, it was modest in the extreme.
Of course, in the days when I was using the Nikon, the fashion for very shallow d-o-f was hardly known at all, so most people never tried; but if the light was poor enough, you found out sooner or later...
Cheers,
R.
For street photography, 25/4 has not in my experience given any significant defocusing of the background. It's a nice lens -- I've used it -- but it's uncoupled and d-o-f even at full aperture is enormous. Likewise the 25/2.8 (which I've also used): coupled, and a little more blurring, but not much. I used to have a Nikon 24/2.8, amd focused on 1m, you got some blurring of the background, but that's very close indeed; at 2-3m, normally more realistic distances, it was modest in the extreme.
Of course, in the days when I was using the Nikon, the fashion for very shallow d-o-f was hardly known at all, so most people never tried; but if the light was poor enough, you found out sooner or later...
Cheers,
R.
Turtle
Veteran
a 28 f2 is the best bet I would say. The new CV perhaps? longer FL and faster than the lenses you mention, as well as affordable If you are photographing people the difference in perspective distortion will be marked too.
nksyoon
Well-known
Here's an example of a borrowed 24 at 1.4 on a Canon 5D...wonder how many years before the 24 lux becomes semi-affordable...
Bob Parsons
Established
Here's a link to images taken at full aperture with the new Leica 21 Summilux.
http://homepage.mac.com/bybrett/GoodwoodWideOpen/index.html
Bob.
http://homepage.mac.com/bybrett/GoodwoodWideOpen/index.html
Bob.
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peter_n
Veteran
Thanks for the link, Bob. I'm looking at the 24/1.4 so the two wides there were of interest to me.
OP: I use the 24/2.8 but I think the Zeiss is your best bet in terms of cost/IQ. You can get your blurred background with an f2.8 but figure/background separation has to be big. The 24/2.8 is a brilliant lens and from what I have seen and read about the f1.4 version I agree that would be the ideal solution for you. The price is an issue though. Also I think Turtle's suggestion above is a sound one. The CV 28/2 is a terrific lens and seriously worth considering.
OP: I use the 24/2.8 but I think the Zeiss is your best bet in terms of cost/IQ. You can get your blurred background with an f2.8 but figure/background separation has to be big. The 24/2.8 is a brilliant lens and from what I have seen and read about the f1.4 version I agree that would be the ideal solution for you. The price is an issue though. Also I think Turtle's suggestion above is a sound one. The CV 28/2 is a terrific lens and seriously worth considering.
yanidel
Well-known
Thank you all for your valuable inputs. The new summilux seems to give the rendering I would like, but at €5,000 that is out of my budget. I owned a 28mm Ultron, yet sold it because it was too big. It did indeed give good blur when separation between object and background was big. Yet, it size was too big IMO. Seems that the new version is smaller, yet by a few millimeters. And 28mm is too close to 35mm which is my main focal on the M8. So I will probably forget about blur on wide-angle for the moment and buy a CV25mm (the new coupled version). If I like the focal on the M8, maybe I will go later for an Elmarit or Zeiss.