Best Three Lens Kit for the Leica M8?

[bherman]

Ok, I got rid of my 28mm ASPH and just bought a 24mm, so now I have a 24, 35 and 50. If I were to go for a 4th lens for distance or portraits, should I go for a 75mm or 90mm (100mm and 120mm respectively on an M8)?

I'll probably need the 1.4x eyepiece magnifier as well for critical focusing.

Brad

 

[emdubya]

I'm planning on going down to a two lens kit: 50mm summarit-m and a 28mm elmarit ASPH. Just got the summarit and the elmarit is on the to-do list. Someday down the road I'll get a summilux or c-sonnar for low light.

This means you'll soon see a zeiss 35/2 and 25/2.8 biogon as well as a 1973 90mm summicron in the classifieds 😉

 

[bluepenguin]

How about three dream lens kit?

35mm Summilux Aspherical version (not ASPH)
50mm Noctilux f1.2
9cm Thambar f2.2

^^;;

 

[Dominum]

vc 28/2 ultron, vc 35/1.4 and a 50/2 zeiss.. perfect for my needs

 

[Mcary]

I'm trying to decided if I should keep my VC 35mm F 2.8 pancake and add a VC 25mm F 4 which would give me a 24,35 and 50mm or If I should sell the 35mm and get a 21mm F4 and 28mm F2 giving me a 21,28 and 50mm.
Also have a Canon 35mm F2 but not sure if I can mount a IR cut off filter on it.

 

[dof]

Brad,

Like you, I tend to shoot fairly bunched up between 28, 35, and 50mm lens options on the M8. I'd generally recommend going for the 75mm lens as the effective focal length of 100mm is a little better for all-around shooting. Even when it's length is not ideal for a given scene, I find I can usually take a step or two back to frame what I want.

However, the extra reach of the 90 will open up a different set of options/different way of seeing things than the range between 35 and 75. I find shooting with it does come at the occasional expense of it feeling like a specialty lens - more so than the 75.


All the best with your decision,

 

[nex100]

I was thinking more of 15, 35 and 75/90mm lens. 15mm for wide angle landscapes and architecture, 35mm for walkabout street photos, 75/90mm for a little more reach where you cannot walk to the subject.

 

[figfoto]

I find what works best for me is the 24mm on one M8 and the 75mm cron on the other.
I keep the 35mm cron and pre-asph 50 1.4 coupled and in the bag, but rarely get to use them. The 24mm elmarit (really a 32mm on a M8), covers 90% of my shots. Mounted on a M8, this combo produces very sharp files that I can extensively crop and still get a 8x10 keeper, ( minimal cropping 11x14 and up). The 24mm in my opinion is truly a bridge lens on a M8. The 75mm cron (really a 100mm on a M8), is the perfect focal length for portraits and reach shots.

Depending on your style, you can kinda get away with the 24mm and 75mm focal lengths for a lot situations.

 

[ramosa]

Brad:

I love the 28 Elmarit and the 50 Cron, but--for my own use--I think the 35 it too close to the others, which creates a narrow range of focal lengths from 28 to 50. In this light, some may argue for adding an 18 (or so) instead of the 35. I, however, would recommended adding something longer, such as, say, a 90, instead of the 35.

On my M8, I currently have four lenses: 18, 28, 50, and 80. And I assure that the 18 is not part of my three-lens kit. (In fact, it normally stays at home and leaves me wondering whether I should sell it.) But that, of course, relates to how I "see" and how I "shoot."

 

[Bavaricus]

My setup at the moment:

21 C-Biogon
35 C-Biogon
(50 Jupiter-3)
90 Summarit

Gives me all i need

 

[ramosa]

Yea, I'd try to return the 35 (or sell it). And, instead, go wider or longer. That way, your three lenses will cover much more of the range of focal lengths.

 

[beewee]

Right now I'm shooting 18, 28, 50, 90 on the M8.2. Just picked up a 35 as I feel it makes a better normal lens than the 50. I find the 50 to be a little too tight for my style and tends to be left at home but I'll hold onto it for when i move to full frame later.

... good lenses will only increase in value as long as you buy at a good price and treat them well.

 

[Gary B]

For travel in cities I like a VC15, ZM25 and a CV 35 f1.2 or Canon 50 mm 1.2. If I am out in the country I'll still take the CV 15 but add the Cron 35 and a CV 75 2.5 or a Elmarit 90.
Problem is I like the ZM 25 so much. Last trip I went on I think I made about 80-85% of my photos with it. I always liked a 35 on my film cameras and shot that way for a few years till I could try some other lenses.