21mm, 24mm big difficulty in choosing. Help!

[Nando]

I started with a CV 21f4. It's a good little lens but a bit slow and a bit too contrasty for my liking. I could live with it but I felt that the FOV was too wide for me. I looked at various photographs and it looked like 24/25 is as wide as I would like to go without the perspectives to start looking unnatural. For a long time I struggled in trying to decide between the Zeiss 25f2.8 ZM and the Leica 24f2.8 Elmarit-ASPH. I went for the Leica and have no regrets. I absolutely fell in love with this lens. The way that 24 Elmarit-ASPH draws wide-open is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[ferider]

This is a tough choice and highly personal. Advantage of 24/25 is that (a) you can get a Leica with internal framelines for it, (b) you can use the 25 Biogon that still is a resolution record keeper, and (c) it's a nice progression with 35 and 50.

I myself don't go wider than 28 these days. Too much trouble filling the frame. If I were you and had the budget, I would add a 28 Summicron.

Whatever you pick, enjoy your trip, Paul.

Best,

Roland.

 

[mirrored]

For me, that choise would be very easy. 24mm (25mm). FL is located close to the border of wide/ superwide. You can still do images looking "normal" easily, but if needed a dramatic wide effect, it work fine too. It is the widest wide angle.

A wonderful focal lenght!

 

[back alley]

very nice shots peter!!

it's interesting to hear what others have to say about this choice. i can relate to some and not to others. when i put the r4a to my eye and switch the framelines from 21 to 25 there is really not that much difference. i think using the 21 and cropping a bit is a good way to go although i do know there is more of a difference in the 'look' of the images.

 

[ferider]

very nice shots peter!!

it's interesting to hear what others have to say about this choice. i can relate to some and not to others. when i put the r4a to my eye and switch the framelines from 21 to 25 there is really not that much difference. i think using the 21 and cropping a bit is a good way to go although i do know there is more of a difference in the 'look' of the images.

You sounded very different a few months back, Joe.