24 or 28, That is the Question

[David Hughes]

24 makes sense but good ones cost a fortune. Other than that it's very much a personal matter.


Regards, David

 

[santino]

I'd sell the 35 and get the 28 (which I did btw).
I don't see much love for 28 while it is the only "normal" wide for the M.
It's wide enough for me and the M6 has the proper frame lines.

 

[airfrogusmc]

I naturally see at 35mm on FF but i have been shooting a lot with my 24 2.8 Elmarit lately and I have been really liking the wider FoV.

 

[ABrosig]

The 28mm is too close to my 35mm for my taste and shooting style.
I use a 24mm with my 35mm on my SLR.
I use a 21mm with my 35mm on my Leica rangefinders.
The 21mm and the 24mm focal lengths both work well with my 35mm lens.

I'm on the same page: I have 24mm and 35mm (again talking SLR - Nikon F2) Nikkors and I find the range offered just about perfect. For my rangefinders, I work primarily with a 35mm and find it works well there, too.

 

[ptpdprinter]

You won't know until you try both. User experience is non-transferable.

 

[airfrogusmc]

You won't know until you try both. User experience is non-transferable.

Agree, this is the key. What works for me may or probably wont work for someone else.

 

[mcsamia]

I have my M262 + Voigtlander 35/1.2. I would like my next acquisition to be a used wider lens. I am thinking the 28 is too close to 35 and would like to find a 24. I think I have read that the 24 is useable without a separate viewfinder and that the limits of the 262's viewfinder just about coincides with the 24 field of view. Do any of you use a 24 this way? An auxiliary viewfinder would entail removing my Thumbs Up each time I used it and I'm too lazy for that.

I have a Zeiss 25mm 2.8 and a Leica 28mm 2.8 I can take samples of for you if you are interested. I use the 25mm without a viewfinder and it's usable.

 

[Rob-F]

To answer one of the OP's original questions, I do not find it difficult to shoot my 24mm without an accessory finder, as long as I am using an M6 with the .58 finder magnification. I'm comfortable enough with the 24mm FOV that I can just estimate the additional coverage around the edges, and get it right.

And I think you will have more fun with the 24mm than with the 28mm. The 24 lies at the threshold of "extreme wide angle" more so than the 28mm.

 

[Bike Tourist]

I have a Zeiss 25mm 2.8 and a Leica 28mm 2.8 I can take samples of for you if you are interested. I use the 25mm without a viewfinder and it's usable.

Thanks, but I don't need samples (unless you want to, of course). The fact that you use the 25mm without an auxiliary viewfinder is plenty helpful.

 

[Bike Tourist]

And I think you will have more fun with the 24mm than with the 28mm. The 24 lies at the threshold of "extreme wide angle" more so than the 28mm.

Yeah, I'm inclined to agree.

 

[leica M2 fan]

Ten years ago my go-to wide was 28 and then I discovered 24 and can't get back to 28 much at all.
My desire would be to get a Zeiss 25mm for the M2 but haven't found a used one yet that was worth
the asking price. I think if I had the 25 I would be happy with it.

 

[back alley]

the zeiss 25 was one of the best lenses i have ever used...

 

[agoglanian]

Naturally we’re all offering you our subjective opinions. I too greatly enjoy 35mm but that enjoyment for me is somewhat conditional. I like it to be my only lens, or part of a triad, with 21 and 50mm on either end. I recently sold my 35 because it seemed to be restricting me in a way I wasn’t liking but that’s probably because at my core I am a 28/50 shooter. That will likely forever be my two lens combo and it’s what I’ve gone back to. 28 allows me to get close and include plenty of context (21mm even more so) and 50mm allows me to single out a subject and focus on the details.

I still admire 35mm lenses and I’m not done with them, I’m just taking a break 😉.

In your particular situation, if you are indeed keeping the 35 around then I would echo what others have said and explore a 21mm option, if you prefer a wider view of life those two focal lengths can work quite well together.