Which lens to buy

[silbo]

Hi everyone

I have recently bought the M8,and am looking for a standard lens for it, can anyone advise on make and model of a good, reasonably priced one, thanks

 

[the_jim]

This is not an eay question.

You're likely to get a 100 different answers from a 100 different people (slight exaggeration).

The good news is that probably any modern lens will allow you to take a great picture.

Go buy cheap CV 35 (color skopar or ultron) and have a blast.

 

[etrigan63]

That entirely depends on three things:

1. Define "good"
2. Define "reasonable"
3. What do you intend to shoot?

Some purists feel that Leica cameras only deserve Leica glass, while others feel less expensive option like Zeiss or CV (Cosina-Voigtländer) can produce equivalent results for far less money.

What are you willing to spend on a lens? Do you want an inexpensive starter lens and then move up? In ascending order of price: CV -> Zeiss -> Leica

I myself plan on getting an M8 with a Zeiss Biogon 35mm f/2 ZM lens. I feel Zeiss optics are as good as Leica for 1/3 the price.😀

 

[bottley1]

the CV 28mm or 35mm are both great on the M8, cheap and pin sharp. Dont forget the IR cut filter, however! enjoy

 

[Richard Marks]

The simple answer is what focal lengths do you currently favour. That has to be the starting point. (Assuming its not a 500mm autofocus in which case you are in for a bit of a change). Standard lens implies the one you usually use. Traditionally it has always been 50mm for 35mm film which would equate to a 35mm lens on your M8, although a lot of rangefinder users might consider 35mm thier standard lens. It really depends on the type of pictures you intend to take. I am very pleased with the 28 2.8 Elmarit which by Leica standards is relatively inexpensive.
Enjoy
Richard

 

[MartinL]

Hi everyone

I have recently bought the M8,and am looking for a standard lens for it, can anyone advise on make and model of a good, reasonably priced one, thanks

Some of my thinking:
I got 4 Voightlander lenses.
The 21 because it was a less expensive, well-considered lens, and I get a lot of use out of wide. At 4.0, this lens is slower than I'm used to shooting with, for example, my Canon 16-35 2.8 (it also weighs aproximately 1 ton less), but it will serve for daylight city scenes and the scenic, postcard shots I'm used to taking when I hike.

At 1.9, the CV 28 is fast, and as I expected it's my most used walk-around. Interestingly, it translates to the full frame 35mm lens that lots of more experienced RF users seem to prefer. The 40 is a 1.4 lens and very welcome in low light. I can boost ISO and it's ideal for interior family shots. I also tend to use it when I'm in unfamiliar environments and prefer a bit of distance or stealth. Haven't much used the 75, but I like having that capacity.

Advice? I guess all this adds up to thinking first about your budget and width of lens. And close behind is speed. These factors will influence when, where, and how often you actually take photos. For me, I decided that once I was assured that I had a "competent" lens, any of the crucial and often subjective factors such as degree of sharpness, contrasty-or-soft, lens "character," etc., would simply have to wait until I had more time with the M8.

Martin

 

[silbo]

This is not an eay question.

You're likely to get a 100 different answers from a 100 different people (slight exaggeration).

The good news is that probably any modern lens will allow you to take a great picture.

Go buy cheap CV 35 (color skopar or ultron) and have a blast.

thanks for the help

 

[Xmas]

silbo

This query is the sourcers apprentis spell for moving water, your quote is optimistic, the older lenses are ok, some are cheap...

Eugene Smith 23 ops after WWII grenade damage used an old lens his phots real good...

Noel

 

[kenspix]

leica 24mm lens is real nice on a m8...for a future thought...

 

[Andy Aitken]

For a standard lens on the M8 the CV Nokton 40mm f1.4 is great. It needs tweaked to bring up the "35mm" frame but once done the framing is bang on at normal shooting distances. Otherwise almost any Leica 35mm lens will be fine. I particularly like my v3 Summicron on the M8.

 

[MartinL]

For a standard lens on the M8 the CV Nokton 40mm f1.4 is great. It needs tweaked to bring up the "35mm" frame but once done the framing is bang on at normal shooting distances. Otherwise almost any Leica 35mm lens will be fine. I particularly like my v3 Summicron on the M8.

What's the tweak you are speaking of?
Martin

 

[Andy Aitken]

Just a little bit of filing on the lens mount. You can easily find the details by Googling something like "filing mount 40mm summicron"