Best 21mm for M8 (coding...)

[fiatlux]

I'm considering a 21mm for my M8 and am open to many options:
CV 4/21
ZM 4.5/21 or 2.8/21
a used Leica 2.8/21

The Summilux is currently out of question for practical considerations 😛

The Cosina Voigtländer seem to be a winner, and the limited tests I made with it against the ZM 4.5/21 showed better resolution and less purple in the corners. But that test was on a Sony NEX.

My question is really which of the above lens will behave the best on the M8 when mounted with an IR filter and hand-coded.

The Sean Reid test of the 21mm RF lenses on the M8 is quite old and dates back to the early M8 firmware with poor cyan correction.

 

[AncientCityPhoto]

I settled on the VC 21 f/4. Frankly I could not justify the Leica 21 f/1.4 at this time, so the VC 21 f/4 was my next choice!

I love it. I disagree with everyone's coding though. A lot of people code it as the ASPH 21. I compared codings directly on mine and found the 21mm Elmarit 2.8 non asph coding to be the best. Fantastic results with this.

I use this lens for panoramic work amongst other things and love it. I am currently working on a review of it for my blog. Here is a sample shot with the M8 and long exposure.

http://gallery.ancientcityphoto.com/photos/1225143142_QFKL3-O.jpg

I haven't found and problem with the marker coding. (single dot) I use an IR filter on it and really haven't had an issue with cyan. With the right coding and the crop factor of the M8, it seems the 21mm is just right!

Also...you don't need an external viewfinder. I have actually been framing with the 28 with great results. On a tripod I will check the 24mm frame lines for more accuracy. Once you honestly test it a few times and see what you get versus what you see, you might find you can eyeball it too. The 21 does not get that much more outside the 24mm lines. It's basically what your viewfinder shows overall.

 

[AncientCityPhoto]

Here is a shot in color. The reddish color is accurate, not drifting. There was a major forest fire influencing the color of the clouds and the air that day. It was unbelievable.

http://gallery.ancientcityphoto.com/photos/1225344705_9MeQy-XL.jpg

 

[fiatlux]

I settled on the VC 21 f/4. Frankly I could not justify the Leica 21 f/1.4 at this time, so the VC 21 f/4 was my next choice!

I love it.

Yes, the CV 4/21 seems to be the no-nonsense choice. I must admit I'm still tempted by the CZ, partly because of the look & feel, and also tempted by the slight gain in speed of the 2.8/21.

Also...you don't need an external viewfinder. (...) It's basically what your viewfinder shows overall.

That's what I thought. After all. the M9 and M8 share the same rangefinder and the M9 has 28mm framelines.