Best Lenses for M8

[sunil mehta]

I currently have an MP with a 50 Summilux Asph and have signed up for an M8. I can afford one more lens and would like some advise on what that should be. My typical photography is family and travel shots and close-ups of stuff I plan to sell on auction sites. Any suggestions from users out there?

 

[ywenz]

Buy the CV 15mm. It's a great wide angle.

 

[willemvelthoven]

I would get an 15mm CV 4.5 lens as a cheap effective wideangle and the 28mm/1.9 CV that will be your short standard lens that still is rather light fast. nicely complementing your 50 that is now a very cool portrait lens. these two cost less than 1 leica lens and you won't see the difference. (well, with the wide ange you'll see a difference because if you go with leitz, you won't have a wide angle)

Of course you can also buy the new tri-elmar. that will cost you 3x the price and will give you f 4.0 only.

not so nice for traveling...

 

[rhd2q_rff]

I would get an 15mm CV 4.5 lens as a cheap effective wideangle

I am so new I don't even know what a CV lens is or where to buy one . . . I am also looking for lenses for a M8.

I assume CV is an abbreviation for the manufacturer???

 

[ywenz]

Cosina Voigtlander =
Good, and reasonably priced japanese lenses

... www.cameraquest.com sells CV lenses

 

[rhd2q_rff]

Cv

Cv

T

Cosina Voigtlander =
Good, and reasonably priced japanese lenses

... www.cameraquest.com sells CV lenses

Do you also buy a viewfider adapter to fit in the flash shoe -- for a lens like this? I believe the M8 viewfinder only works with 24mm and above. Thanks!

 

[J. Borger]

I currently have an MP with a 50 Summilux Asph and have signed up for an M8. I can afford one more lens and would like some advise on what that should be. My typical photography is family and travel shots and close-ups of stuff I plan to sell on auction sites. Any suggestions from users out there?

I would just add an 28mm .. perhaps the new 28 asph because it is so compact. But who can give another person a good advise about focal length .. ? ... a 15mm would be a compete waiste for me for instance ..

 

[peter_n]

I would think the 24mm ASPH which would be 31mm on the M8. Leica apparently thinks so too, they just announced a 22% increase in the price of that lens in Europe. I guess we can expect that to happen here in the US too.

 

[Bob Ross]

I would just add an 28mm .. perhaps the new 28 asph because it is so compact. But who can give another person a good advise about focal length .. ? ... a 15mm would be a compete waiste for me for instance ..

There is a lot of truth in your comment about lens advice. We all have different minds eyes. I tend to like short teles, because that is the way I narrow my attention to the subject. With rangefinders I like space around the frame to help in composition.
There is another thing to think about and it is the subject distance/field of view geometry. With a 27mm X 18mm sensor, a lens equal to the long dimension (or 28mm) will give 1X magnification. That is, if you have a six foot person as a subject and stand six feet from the subject, you will get head to toe in the frame in portrait orientation. A 56mm lens from the same distance will get you half a person A 35mm lens is twice the short side of the sensor, so the short side of your field of view will be half the distance to the subject. Think about your style and how close you like to be to the subject and how much of the subject you usually want to capture.
Bob

 

[kshapero]

24mm or 28mm, whatever you can afford. go with cv

 

[jaapv]

An extreme wideangle like a 15 mm is indeed not what springs to mind for somebody who routinely uses a 50 mm now as that lens will get you into specialized wide-angle territory. The equivalent length to 50 mm on a M8 is a 35 mm, of which there are any number of choices, both new and used. For instance a good used Summicron 35 asph will set you back about 1500$ and that is about the best "standard "lens one can imagine for a M8. There is nothing wrong with CV lenses, especially not the price/quality ratio, as some posters suggested, but they cannot be dedicated to the M8 if that is what you wish. If you want to go a bit wider, the advice above about 28 or even 24 mm is completely sound. 28/50 for daily use sounds perfect. The new 28/2.8 which should be a modern classic, will cost about 1500,-- $.

 

[Grober]

ANY clean, usable 35mm Summicron you can find.

 

[edlaurpic]

I posted this also in another thread, but thought this might be where this post belongs . . .I am fortunate to have been able to pick up the 21 2.8 asph, 28 f/2 asph and 35 f1.4 asph when they first came out. However, when I am walking around, bicycling, boating, I almost always opt for smaller lenses than these because, to me, what sets the Leica RF apart (and the R-d1 temporary surrogate for the M8) is its compactness.

One of the things I discovered was that I could use an old lens shade from a 50 summicron on the 35 summicron and not experience any vignetting because of the magnification factor. This may sound stupid, but I would definitely use the 21 2.8 and 28 asph lenses more if they had smaller lens shades. Are there any alternatives for the original lens shades of these lenses? What about using them without shades (which I have never done).

Also, when I recently wanted to have a really compact outfit using the R-d1, I chose a VC 12, VC 21, VC 28 , the 35 summicron asph and a 1954 50 3.5 elmar. This was an incredibly light and compact outfit. I left the little VC 28/35 finder on top (to estimate 21 and 28 frames) except when I wanted to see the full coverage of the 12, in which case I used the 12D VC finder. Amazingly, the clear winner with all of the images I shot was the 50 year old elmar! And it was of course the smallest, lightest by a wide margin.

A major factor in owning the Rd1 and using it and in my having ordered the M8 is its compact size. Otherwise I would be happy to use the 5D, which produces superb images (with a little smart sharpening added), but I tend only to use it when size and weight don't matter.

So I guess the broader question is whether, by using the super compact vc lenses (light gathering aside), one gives up a lot (I have been too lazy to do a direct lens to lens comparison to the leica lenses so far, but maybe that is what I will need to do to get a good handle on the compromises I make when I use the little VC lenses).

I should add that when I have been willing to ignore size and have used the 28 f/2 asph or 21 asph on the rd-1, the results have been terrific, but the experience of carrying the camera with the larger lenses was less pleasant.

Sorry to ramble . . .

comments appreciated

 

[peter_n]

[snip] This may sound stupid, but I would definitely use the 21 2.8 and 28 asph lenses more if they had smaller lens shades. Are there any alternatives for the original lens shades of these lenses? What about using them without shades (which I have never done).

I've replaced all the huge Leica shades with eBay dealer heavystar's shades. None cost more than $10 and they are terrific. I'll attach a picture of the heavystar hood on my 35/1.4 ASPH so you can see what they look like.

I would say you can probably get away without a shade on the ASPH lenses quite a lot of the time. They are supposed to be quite flare-resistant and that has been my experience too.

 

[Gabriel M.A.]

My typical photography is family and travel shots and close-ups of stuff I plan to sell on auction sites. Any suggestions from users out there?

A CV Heliar, I hear it's the sharpest lens in the whole wide world.

 

[hopf]

I have bee looking for alternative lens shades also.
I am particular fond of the rubber lens shade on the 40mm lens from the cl.
One of the main reason i ordered the new 28mm elmarit is ists size with shade mounted. Even though I will still look at getting or making an alternative shade.
One option would be to screw on a filter with out the glass or mabe stackking to filter rings which will protect the lens from bumps and help a little with flair.

I did look up B&H for colapsible rubber lens shades and they have quite a variety. What I did not see was lens capes to go with the shades..

I posted this also in another thread, but thought this might be where this post belongs . . .I am fortunate to have been able to pick up the 21 2.8 asph, 28 f/2 asph and 35 f1.4 asph when they first came out. However, when I am walking around, bicycling, boating, I almost always opt for smaller lenses than these because, to me, what sets the Leica RF apart (and the R-d1 temporary surrogate for the M8) is its compactness.

One of the things I discovered was that I could use an old lens shade from a 50 summicron on the 35 summicron and not experience any vignetting because of the magnification factor. This may sound stupid, but I would definitely use the 21 2.8 and 28 asph lenses more if they had smaller lens shades. Are there any alternatives for the original lens shades of these lenses? What about using them without shades (which I have never done).

Also, when I recently wanted to have a really compact outfit using the R-d1, I chose a VC 12, VC 21, VC 28 , the 35 summicron asph and a 1954 50 3.5 elmar. This was an incredibly light and compact outfit. I left the little VC 28/35 finder on top (to estimate 21 and 28 frames) except when I wanted to see the full coverage of the 12, in which case I used the 12D VC finder. Amazingly, the clear winner with all of the images I shot was the 50 year old elmar! And it was of course the smallest, lightest by a wide margin.

A major factor in owning the Rd1 and using it and in my having ordered the M8 is its compact size. Otherwise I would be happy to use the 5D, which produces superb images (with a little smart sharpening added), but I tend only to use it when size and weight don't matter.

So I guess the broader question is whether, by using the super compact vc lenses (light gathering aside), one gives up a lot (I have been too lazy to do a direct lens to lens comparison to the leica lenses so far, but maybe that is what I will need to do to get a good handle on the compromises I make when I use the little VC lenses).

I should add that when I have been willing to ignore size and have used the 28 f/2 asph or 21 asph on the rd-1, the results have been terrific, but the experience of carrying the camera with the larger lenses was less pleasant.

Sorry to ramble . . .

comments appreciated

 

[Palaeoboy]

With a 1.33 crop factor, I think that the days of cheap 40mm Summicron/Rokkors are almost over! On an M8 giving you 53mm and equivalent quality cropped as a 50mm Summicron on film and also more compact to boot, there is your new standard lens.

In 12 months time we will be saying "in the old days you could get a user one of those for 250 bucks, ahhh those were the days"

 

[Bob Parsons]

{snip}One of the things I discovered was that I could use an old lens shade from a 50 summicron on the 35 summicron and not experience any vignetting because of the magnification factor. This may sound stupid, but I would definitely use the 21 2.8 and 28 asph lenses more if they had smaller lens shades. Are there any alternatives for the original lens shades of these lenses? {snip}

The shade for the 35mm Summilux ASPH will fit and lock onto the 28mm Summicron. It's much smaller than the original and more conducive to being used and carried. I use it on the R-D1 without any vignetting problems, hopefully it may just work on the M8.

Bob.

 

[wparsons]

Sunil,

I have a 35, 50, 75, and 90 for my M's. I use the 35 for a lot of stage photography and therefore was looking for a new wide for the M8 I have ordered.

I settled on the 24mm f2.8 asph for 2 reasons.
1. The images from it that are included in a review on Sean Reid's site, Reid Reviews at http://reidreviews.com/reidreviews/ , available at a very reasonable subscription rate. The images from this lens are stunning. Sean's reviews are equally stunning -- and required reading for RF users.
2. Irwin Puts thinks this is the single most important lens for an M user to own.

I got mine on eBay for about the same price as the new 28mm lens that will arrive at the same time as the M8.

Your 50 will become a 63 on the M8, a little more flattering for portraits.

Regards, Bill

 

[greggebhardt]

The 50 is going to be slight telephoto so you need to go wide. How wide, that you need to decide but a new 28mm Leica would be a great addition!