A lens scenario: what would you do and why?

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ramosa

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A lens scenario: what would you do and why?

OK, I use an M8. I have three current lenses (18mm Super Elmar, 28mm Elmarit ASPH, and 50mm Summicron). (I purchased each lens new and keep them in mint condition.) My photographic interests include street photography, landscape photography, and what I’d called shallow-DoF photography. I plan to purchase a 90mm lens for some landscape, some street, and some portraiture.

To that end, my wife has checked off on my getting a new Summicron 90mm ASPH. So that’s Option #1: buy a new Summicron 90mm ASPH (cost=$3,695).

But there’s another option (isn’t there always?), which we can call Option #2. This option has three steps. First, sell my 50mm Summicron. Second, buy a used, optically-mint Summicron 90mm pre-asph (the version immediately before the current ASPH, which was manufactured from 1980-1998). In terms of cost, Steps 1 and 2 represent a near swap. Third, purchase a new Summilux 50mm ASPH (cost=$3,695).

Thus, with either option, I’d end up with a 50mm and a 90mm for pretty much the same cost. Benefits to Option #2 include that I’d end up with my most expensive lens at my most-used focal length (50mm) and would have better low-light capacity. Benefits to Option #1 include the simplicity of one transaction (and not three) and having four new mint lenses (and not three new lenses, plus a used Summicron 90mm pre-asph).

Pardon this type of email, as I know these things are darn subjective. But I have found benefit in getting the input of other RFF members on such issues.

Any input would be greatly appreciated!
 
I'd go for #2, to get the best available. However, I'd change something:
Buy the 50 ASPH first, then sell the Summicron.
Why? So you'll never be without a (hopefully) working 50. I know I'd be pretty lost without my 50.
 
i don't have one yet, but i know the 50mm Summilux ASPH is highly regarded around here, the 90mm ASPH is too.
if i were in your shoes i would probably sell the 50 Summicron, buy the pre-asph 90 and buy the new 50mm Summilux ASPH since it's your most used focal length.

my .02

bob
 
Buy an Elmarit-M 90/2.8 and use the rest (around US 3000?) for travel, or save towards an M9. You current lenses are proven and some of the best Leica makes, and so is the 90/2.8 - a perfect fit for your current kit. A fast 50 and/or 90 are of limited use on the M8, IMHO. And they are big.
 
Dont go for the 90 pre spherical! Unless you need F2 then the 90 2.8 Elmarit is lighter, cheaper and sharper. The 90 ASPH lens is an advance on either of these but at a considerable cost. As always though try a 90 on your M8 as the focusing patch is small and errors infocusing the 90 wide open becomes an issue. Also the slowest shutter speed you can hand hold becomes a factor that may limit sharpness in low light. Id sooner have a 75 than a 90. But again the focusing patch on the standard M8 is not that great for 75mm lenses. One other thing, the longer focal lenghts alow you to get further away from your subject than does a 50 but you dont actually get that much more in the frame. I personally find 50mm on an M8 pretty good. The Summicron you aleready have is pretty wonderful. I started here, went 50 ASPH and then went back to my Summicron! I found the lux rather harsh and did not need f1.4 or the extra bulk. I hear rumours about a 50F2 aspherical lens from time to time.

best wishes


Richard
 
Think of it like this (I would): with the above savings of 3K and the value of your M8 (a little less than 3k ?) you are close to the price of a new M9. And even Puts has only the highest praise for the Elmarit-M.
 
i would sell the 50mm summicron and buy a 75mm summicron asph. the 90mm summicron is rather large and heavy, and the 50mm summilux is put into an odd spot due to the crop factor.
 
xxloverxx: Great help. Thank you. I love the recommended option and change in order, with the main focus on getting the 50mm lux.

bob338: Thank you. Yes, while I will use a 90mm, it won’t get nearly as much use as a 50mm (which is certainly my most-used focal length).

ferider: Not a bad suggestion either. You would need to alter the options! (Just joking.) Getting a used Elmarit was an option along the way. Thanks for this suggestion, as well as your comment about how fast lenses are of limited use on the M8.

Richard: Ah, good points. I guess I could alter the plan, get the 50mm Summilux and a used 90mm Elmarit ASPH. Interesting what you say about the focusing patch for the 75 and 90. Ah, you went from cron to lux to cron. Hmm. (The decision-making waters are roiled further.)

ferider: Thanks for the follow up. Yes, ok, I think I’m chilling on the 90mm cron. In fact, after reading your first post, I scanned the prices for the Elmarit on RFF and ebay. (Per your comments, I would now be thinking of M8 + money-saved = M9 … but, actually, though, for now, I’m content with my M8.) You mentioned limited use of fast lenses on the M8 (in your first post). I haven’t heard this before. Could you elaborate? Thanks!
 
Hi Ramosa,

I was just thinking about the crop factor. A fast 50 and 90 will be more difficult to focus, and obviously have less FOV than on FF.

Roland.
 
I've never really found it to a be problem using fast 50s with the M8 or M8.2. But I'd definitely go with the idea of not investing a ton of money in longer FLs with the M8.
I don't own anything longer than 50 at this point. I just found the focusing to be a bit spotty - when shooting wide open, at least.
But if I ever do add a telephoto to my RF kit, it will probably be the elmarit or a CV75.
 
ramosa said:
xxloverxx: Great help. Thank you. I love the recommended option and change in order, with the main focus on getting the 50mm lux.

bob338: Thank you. Yes, while I will use a 90mm, it won’t get nearly as much use as a 50mm (which is certainly my most-used focal length).

ferider: Not a bad suggestion either. You would need to alter the options! (Just joking.) Getting a used Elmarit was an option along the way. Thanks for this suggestion, as well as your comment about how fast lenses are of limited use on the M8.

Richard: Ah, good points. I guess I could alter the plan, get the 50mm Summilux and a used 90mm Elmarit ASPH. Interesting what you say about the focusing patch for the 75 and 90. Ah, you went from cron to lux to cron. Hmm. (The decision-making waters are roiled further.)

ferider: Thanks for the follow up. Yes, ok, I think I’m chilling on the 90mm cron. In fact, after reading your first post, I scanned the prices for the Elmarit on RFF and ebay. (Per your comments, I would now be thinking of M8 + money-saved = M9 … but, actually, though, for now, I’m content with my M8.) You mentioned limited use of fast lenses on the M8 (in your first post). I haven’t heard this before. Could you elaborate? Thanks!
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Hi Ramosa
You simply have to try a few options if you can. Personally i did not get on with my 50 lux on an M8 but lots of people do. Also if you really need f1.4 then that is a different argument. I think i had such high expectations of it and it cost a ton of cash and i was a bit underwhelmed. I also used it on a film m and everything was a bit high contrast with my usual film/developer recipees. The focus was also very stiff and not nearly as nice as a 'cron. I love the 50 'cron and went back to it. No regrets. I had to try a 50 lux after all that every one says. Regarding longer lenses for portraits on an M8 a 50 (lux or 'cron) in my opinion will get you more keepers than the longer lenses. If you really want the tight head crop type of portraits then rangefinders do not really do this. If you do want this Id go for a D **** SLR and a 70-200 with image stabilising. You can shoot hand held available light at 1/25 and 200mm!! Heavy,clumsy, painful, vulgar but does the job better for that look in my opnion.

My general approach is buy good quality gear and have a good relationship with good dealers and you can usually exchange things fairly amicably if it does not suit. It is not life and death if you get a lens which does not suit your style or expectations!

best wishes


Richard
 
I'd try the sizes out first, especially the 90 which doesn't have framelines on the M8, the 75 is a great size on the M8 and framelines too, well corners at least. Check out the 75/1.4 lux if you get a chance.
 
Aizan: Thanks for your input. I really like a 50 on the M8. Others seem to prefer a 35, but this is my first RF so I wasn’t used to RF focal lengths beforehand.

Ferider: Thanks for the clarification.

Tbarker13: Thank you for the input per 50s on the M8 and idea of not spending top dollar on longer lenses. Perhaps, I’d be best served by a lux 50mm and a used 90. That would but my dollars to best (and, literally, most frequent) use.

Richard: Thanks for pondering this all with me, per your experiences with 50s. I’m a one camera guy, so I won’t be broadening into (and returning to) SLR. I love what you said, “[FONT='Verdana','sans-serif']It is not life and death if you get a lens which does not suit your style or expectations!” You read me well; my wife needs to tell me such things once in a while. [/FONT]

 
ampguy said:
I'd try the sizes out first, especially the 90 which doesn't have framelines on the M8, the 75 is a great size on the M8 and framelines too, well corners at least. Check out the 75/1.4 lux if you get a chance.
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Hi
Id personally go for the 75 'cron compared to a 75 lux. The used lux prices are probably not that different to a new lens and they are not that easy to find. The weight of the lux felt really clumsy on my M8 and the throw of focus was very long. I did have one or two super shots but not the easiest lens to use in my experience. Also the frame lines were not that accurate.

Richard
 
I think I got mixed up, the M8 has 90 framelines or corners, it's the RD1 without. No 135 lines on the M8 though.
 
Id still say the 50 focal length is the best for portraits on an M8 in my experience. Its 67mm focal length in 'real money' and thats about as far as id want to go with a rangefinder.
I agree with the above posters that the frame lines are not that accurate on the M8 period! The margin for error is of course less at the shorter focal length.

Incidentally I think I implied in my earlier post their was an issue with the focus patch, what I really meant was that even accepting the inaccuracy of the frame lines, the total size of the view is a very small proportion of the overall viewfinder for a 90. The actual rangefinder patch is OK. Sorry if this created confusion.

Richard
 
Richard: yea, i end up using a 50 so often (street, portraits, etc.) ... for me, it really (after having "talked" with you all today) becomes the matter of the 50 cron or lux. and then, as a second priority, i'll pick up a used 90. it's interesting how things 'turn around' ... which speaks of how i have benefited from this today.

simply put ... thank you all.
 
I use a 90 Elmarit-M 2.8 (latest) on the M8.2.
This is a wonderful, light, compact, sharp and easy to focus lens.

I missed some speed and an even more creamy backdrop in portraits and got an additional 90 Summicron pre ASPH a few days ago.

In the shop, I tried several copies of the pre ASPH and the APO and greatly preferred the operation and feel of the mint, late pre ASPH, I ended up with.
Let me say one thing:
The 90 Elmarit is very, very easy to focus spot on even with action shots.
It has a very light and smooth focus action, making the smallest corrections very precise and quick.

All 90 Cron samples I tried (6 in a whole) have a much more damped focus action, which combined with the heavier weight results in - surprise - more difficult, precise focussing.

On top, the 1 stop wider aperture really makes a huge difference in hitting or missing your focus @ 90mm.
I had to totally change the camera handling.

I would get definitely one 50 Lux ASPH, if you can find a good deal.
I would get a nice sample of the latest 90 Elmarit-M 2.8.

Optionally, I would get an ADDITIONAL 90 Cron pre ASPH or any other fast tele (read 75 Lux, 75 Cron, 90 Cron old, etc …), as budget and "want" fits later.

Btw - for me the difference in sharpness between the Elmarit-M and the pre ASPH Cron is dramatic (Which must not be a bad thing for the right job with the right lens).
I will definitely not sell the Elmarit-M over the Cron.
Also, the pre ASPH Cron is prone to flare compared to the Elmarit-M - ALWAYS use the hood!
 
menos: big thanks! your advice is my goal:

1) get one 50 Lux ASPH ...
1) get a nice sample of the latest 90 Elmarit-M 2.8.

(and, in between these two steps, i will sell my summicron 50mm). again, thanks for everyone for their input and recommendations per this thread.
 
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