M8 to M9 lens ponderings

[ramosa]

All,
Come January, my M8 will--presto--become an M9 (thanks to my wife).
That will be cool, but it will mean that I need to shift some lenses around. My question is whether I should have two top lenses (i.e., the new Lux 35mm asph and the most recent Elmarit 90mm) or another two top lens configuration (i.e., Cron 35mm asph and Lux 50mm asph) or a top lens and two others (i.e., Cron 35mm pre-asph V2 or V3, Lux 50mm asph, and last version of Tele-Elmarit 90mm). (Any of these three plans would come out to about $6700-7000 in lenses. And I know about the wait for the new Lux 35mm.)
Note: I will not use a lens wider than a 35mm on FF. And, on an M8, my favorite lenses have been 28mm (which becomes 37mm on 1.33 crop) and 80mm (which becomes 107mm on 1.33 crop). I use the 28mm for traditional street photography and the 80mm for street portraiture and stuff where I can't get close. I have never used something on par with a true 50mm field of view. (I have a 50mm, but have only used it on my M8, which, for me, makes it a not very useful 67mm.)

I know any related decisions and preferences are quite personal, as we all see and shoot differently. But I think I can benefit from some input here.

Thanks in advance for any ideas or input ...

 

[back alley]

come january, let's talk about your 80/2.8...ok?

 

[jim_buchanan]

Talking about lens focal lengths in the age of crop sensors is a moving target.

In full frame, my preference is to have 35mm/75mm, as the main 2 lenses. So, until I can afford a M9, I use the ZM25, 35 Summicron ASPH, and 50 Summicron on my M8, for effective 33, 47, and 70mm FOV.

If I were about to make that M9 move, I would surely be looking at either the 75 Summicron or 75 Summarit, to go with my 35 Summicron ASPH. I've played around with the fast aperture lenses on dSLR and don't feel like I need one of the new, fast, expensive M lenses.

The 90 Tele-Elmarit is said to not be on the same level as the 90 Elmarit, so if I were looking for a 90, it would be the last 90 Elmarit or a Summicron.

 

[rodl]

I've had both the Elmarit and Summicron 90's and both are very nice. Not terribly expensive either. For a 75, take a look at the Voigtlander 75/1.8.

 

[Ben Z]

All,

on an M8, my favorite lenses have been 28mm (which becomes 37mm on FF) and 80mm (which becomes 107mm on FF).

Thanks in advance for any ideas or input ...

40mm Voitlander, Summicron-C or the Minolta version, plus an LTM 105/2.5 Nikkor + M adapter will get you very close to the angles you are used to, not to mention the 35mm and 90mm frame lines in the M9 are closer to the actual view of 40 and 105 respectively, beyond the very close-up range.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Another vote for 35/75.

Above (quite a low) quality threshold, exactly which lens you choose probably matters less than which focal length. All but the oldest (pre-1960) Leica 35s and all Voigtländer or modern Zeiss 35s are probably above that threshold.

Cheers,

R.

 

[dave lackey]

All,

Come January, my M8 will--presto--become an M9 (thanks to my wife).

That will be cool, but it will mean that I need to shift some lenses around. My question is whether I should have two top lenses (i.e., the new Lux 35mm asph and the most recent Elmarit 90mm) or another two top lens configuration (i.e., Cron 35mm asph and Lux 50mm asph) or a top lens and two others (i.e., Cron 35mm pre-asph V2 or V3, Lux 50mm asph, and last version of Tele-Elmarit 90mm). (Any of these three plans would come out to about $6700-7000 in lenses. And I know about the wait for the new Lux 35mm.)

Note: I will not use a lens wider than a 35mm on FF. And, on an M8, my favorite lenses have been 28mm (which becomes 37mm on FF) and 80mm (which becomes 107mm on FF). I use the 28mm for traditional street photography and the 80mm for street portraiture and stuff where I can't get close. I have never used something on par with a true 50mm field of view. (I have a 50mm, but have only used it on my M8, which, for me, makes it a not very useful 67mm.)

I know any related decisions and preferences are quite personal, as we all see and shoot differently. But I think I can benefit from some input here.

Thanks in advance for any ideas or input ...

You have quite a wife...😉

 

[ramosa]

Thanks for the input, especially per the 35-tele combo. The Cron asph is definitely worth consideration, too. God point about how the M9's larger sensor opens up lots of cropping possibilities.

Double neg: Thanks for pointing out my typo. I have corrected it. Of course, I was referring to how focal length changes for use on a 1.33 crop. I have a good amount of experience with the M8, but the crop changes things dramatically, of course, and the M9 isn't cheap. In a perfect world, I'd have 35-50-90, but I suspect I can more than make do with 35-80/90. (That's a big understatement, of course.) And the $7K on lenses is a limit ... one I'd prefer, of course, not to near. Heck, I could keep my 80, sell my 28 and 50, buy a new Cron 35 asph and "save" at least $2500 for the M9.

Alas, all, thanks for the input and ideas.

 

[ramosa]

You have quite a wife...😉

Haha. I do. We are normally quite frugal. This is my one breach 😉

 

[colonel]

there are two types of Leica man/woman:

28/50/90

or 21or24/35/75or90

of course you can have loads of other lenses as well, but a three spread is normally a good enough start (or end!)

I love the discipline of tight. I enjoyed 50mm on M8 but enjoy it slightly more on M9

However now I hanker after a 28mm, which I will get shortly, as i need an occasional wide
75mm is too close to 50mm so i will get a 90mm

I estimate my usage will be 50mm - 85%, 28mm - 10%, 90mm 5%

rgds

 

[tjh]

You have quite a wife...😉

And a magical one too - she can wave her wand and upgrade your M8. Mine tried to do that but her wand was in the shop for service and she said it was up to me.

 

[jsrockit]

there are two types of Leica man/woman:

28/50/90

or 21or24/35/75or90

Am I not Man? How about the 35/50 folks? 😉

 

[ramosa]

colonel: i hear you, but i think there's a third type, too--35-50-90--and i'm that type. getting input online has been incredibly helpful. it is sort of like sitting down with a few buddies to get advice--but i don't have any offline contacts who have any interest in photography. having pondered this all, my plan is to get the M9, keep my lux 50mm and planar 80mm (temporarily), and add a 35mm. then, fairly quickly, i will need to decide what i am--and, of equal importance, what i can afford to be. the big question is whether i'm 50mm dominant (like you and lots of others including cartier-bresson) or 35mm dominant (like lots of others). i know the 35mm field of view well (having used a 28mm on the M8), but i have no experience with a 50mm field of view. alas, i need to experience them both first hand--and that will provide a sturdier base for these lens decisions.

tjh: haha. wouldn't such a wand be great 😉

rocket: haha. you are just fine, and i haven't given up on the 35-50 idea. as noted in my comments to colonel, i really need to get the M9 and experiment a bit, with my lux 50, planar 80, and a 35mm (which i'll need to buy). such an approach should tell me pretty quickly whether the 35 and 50 are quite different and would serve me well as a tandem. (then, for budgetary reasons, i'd need to sell the 80mm.) lots of permutations--and thank you for sharing your 35-50 recommendation. that combo came to mind again last night as i watched a video on craig semetko, who favors 35-50.

 

[Jeff S]

You have an M8, and it has a little thing called a preview lever. Use it before you get your M9 to decide if the 35 frame lines (close to your eventual 50) suit. And don't forget to zoom with your feet as well.

Jeff

 

[The Meaness]

having pondered this all, my plan is to get the M9, keep my lux 50mm and planar 80mm (temporarily), and add a 35mm. then, fairly quickly, i will need to decide what i am--and, of equal importance, what i can afford to be.

Congrats on the M9, this seems like a good plan! My guess is that eventually you end up with the 35 & 90 'crons.

The 35 'cron (asph) will most mimic the feel of your 28 elmarit asph, both in fov and size/handling. The extra stop is always tempting, but (in my personal opinion) I don't see it adding much to your ability to execute photos you create with that FL, especially considering the size and price of the Lux asph.

I think the 90 'cron (latest pre-asph) will be an easier transition from the 107 fov you are used to using for street portrait. The photos that stick out in my mind are gritty and a little surreal, the subtle softness of the wide open pre-asph cron seems to fit your style best (again, just my opinion).

Good luck!

 

[tele_player]

I have both - Thin Tele-Elmarit 90 and Elmarit-M 90. I'm sure I'm not as critical or expert as many Leica users - but if there's a quality difference between them, I haven't noticed it.

I'm just saying - don't rule out a thin Tele-Elmarit 90.

The 90 Tele-Elmarit is said to not be on the same level as the 90 Elmarit, so if I were looking for a 90, it would be the last 90 Elmarit or a Summicron.

 

[ramosa]

You have an M8, and it has a little thing called a preview lever. Use it before you get your M9 to decide if the 35 frame lines (close to your eventual 50) suit. And don't forget to zoom with your feet as well.

Jeff

Jeff,

Yea, I know this and have tried it, but it's not as convining as real use of a lens.

I hear you, though!

 

[ramosa]

Meanness:

Thank you. You really summed it up well. I think I'd be more than happy with a Cron 35 over a Lux 35--because of size and price. And I would definitely want a 90, as I like how my 80 on crop can reach ...

 

[Fraser]

I think I must be the 28-90 man!