Hello from a newbie......

[Paul Jenkin]

Hello there.

I've been a keen photographer for many years - since my dad bought me an Edixaflex 35mm for my 13th birthday in 1974. Wish I still had it....! It's nice to be back to basics as my other gear is Nikon D200 / various lenses. Fantastic equipment - but I still love film.

Via a circuitous route, I'm now the owner of a nice little M6 and 35mm f2 Summicron-M and eager to get my first roll of film back, scanned and ready to post for some critique and advice.

I've seen a LOT of great stuff in the various galleries and, though I doubt I'll be up to that standard in a hurry, I'd welcome a few tips and pointers as you see fit. Be as positively critical as you wish - I see it as part of my learning curve.

My main interests are travel, landscape and street photography - though I did used to do the occasional wedding and portrait for family and friends (non-pro).

I'm not looking to get any more gear right now but if anyone's got any ideas which two lenses might make up a complete set from 28mm to about 90mm, I'd welcome the feedback. Is it worth considering Voigtlander lenses for the M6 or should I save up the pennies for the Leica equivalents?

Anyway, I hope I'll fit in and enjoy my time here. Look forward to hearing from you as and when.

Regards,

Paul.

 

[Paul C. Perkins MD]

I'd opt for a 21 and a 90/100 lens.
No point confining oneself to Leitz offerings - Voigtlander has amazing optics that cost a fraction of the Leitz equivalents. There's also the late 1950's and throughout the 1960's offerings from Canon - which are very good - but becoming more expensive thanks to collectors.

Paul

 

[Uwe_Nds]

Hello there.

I've been a keen photographer for many years - since my dad bought me an Edixaflex 35mm for my 13th birthday in 1974. Wish I still had it....! It's nice to be back to basics as my other gear is Nikon D200 / various lenses. Fantastic equipment - but I still love film.

Via a circuitous route, I'm now the owner of a nice little M6 and 35mm f2 Summicron-M and eager to get my first roll of film back, scanned and ready to post for some critique and advice.

I've seen a LOT of great stuff in the various galleries and, though I doubt I'll be up to that standard in a hurry, I'd welcome a few tips and pointers as you see fit. Be as positively critical as you wish - I see it as part of my learning curve.

My main interests are travel, landscape and street photography - though I did used to do the occasional wedding and portrait for family and friends (non-pro).

I'm not looking to get any more gear right now but if anyone's got any ideas which two lenses might make up a complete set from 28mm to about 90mm, I'd welcome the feedback. Is it worth considering Voigtlander lenses for the M6 or should I save up the pennies for the Leica equivalents?

Anyway, I hope I'll fit in and enjoy my time here. Look forward to hearing from you as and when.

Regards,

Paul.

Hello Paul,

First of all, welcome and I am looking forward to seeing you pictures!

Regarding not getting any more gear now, you are definitely in the wrong place...😀

I bought a Konica Hexar RF because I wanted a rangefinder with built in meter for my Russian Industar 61 and my Jupiter-12 and the Hexar RF was a bargain I just couldn't resist. Oh, and I strongly believed that I would not need any other lenses...

I can strongly recommend the Voigtländer 25/4.0 (which I got in LTM mount).
The Color Skopar 35/2.5 is a sharp lens, but IMHO lacks a specific signature.

The M-Hexanon lens 28, 35, 50 and 90 are great, but some of them are now quite hard to get. 50 and 90 seem to turn up more often than the 28 and 35.

There's also great lenses from Leica and Zeiss. The 50 Summicron would complement your 35 very well.

So my idea would be to go for the Voigtländer 25/4.0, a 50 Summicron or M-Hexanon and the 90 M-Hexanon (to start with...) 😉

Then, there's also the Russian lenses e. g. Jupiter-8, the 1950ies Leica lenses e. g. 50 Summitar, the pre-war Leica 9cm/4.0 Elmar...

Best regards,
Uwe

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Thank you so much for your speedy responses.

Oh dear - addictive as that, is it?

I should have known, though, I was the same when I started with digital photography. Mind you, the excuse I had was that technology was changing and I needed to keep up with the times. With the M6, I seem to have done a 180 degree about face and am heading back to the good old days of prime lenses and thinking about 'how' to shoot rather than just 'what' to shoot. I hope I'll be a better sniper than a machine-gunner....!

My main problem has been to remember to take off the lens cap. I reckon I've lost 5 or 6 shots off the first roll. That just doesn't happen with an SLR. Still, I'll learn, I suppose.

The guy at the shop I bought the Leica from had a second-hand (but mint) Voigtlander 28mm f1.4 - which I might persuade my wife to buy me for Christmas. The other lens I fancy is a quick (f2 or f2.8) 90mm lens which would double up as a portrait lens and something to compress perspective if I do some travel / landscape shots.

Anyway, hope to post something later this week when the film comes back from the lab.

All the best. PJ.

 

[vrgard]

Congratulations on acquring a great kit. You can do much just with your M6 and 35 Cron. My recommendation is to go slow with acquiring lenses and spend more time getting to know the gear you have. However, that advice definitely falls into the "do as I say and not as I do" camp since I jumped on the bandwagon a couple of years ago (after discovering this site) and have acquired way more gear than I can honestly say I know well. Despite my recommendation to take it slow, I do second Uwe's recommendation of the Konica Hexanon 90 M lens. It's a perfect match for your M6 and is less expensive than the Leica 90 Summicron, albeit a bit slower at 2.8. If speed isn't a concern for you, a great inexpensive alternative is the Rokkor 90 is a very nice lens as well. An alternative to consider is the CV 75 lens since your M6 does have 75mm framelines. Some complain that the 75 framelines are difficult to work with because they're only little corners rather than full framelines. But the CV 75 is a nice and very reasonably priced lens. Regardless of whether you get a 75 or a 90mm lens, a 35 & 75 or a 35 & 90 kit provides you with a great range without bogging yourself down with too many lenses. Welcome, good luck and I look forward to seeing some of your work!

-Randy

 

[Rafael]

Welcome to the forum Paul. If you are looking for a two lens kit, 35/75 is a pairing that seems to work for many. Personally, I often opt for 35/50.

Edit: Oops, Randy got in ahead of me on that one.

 

[Nikon Bob]

Paul

Hi, and welcome. If you want to build a travel kit around your 35mm I would suggest a 21 and 90 or something similar. When I got my M it came with a 35mm and a 90 Fat Tel Elmarit 2.8. The 90 is small and compact as well as being a decent performer. For a wide I went with a VC 21mm F4 plus M adapter and never looked back. As a bonus the CV works well on my SM Leicas. I would not hesitate to by another CV lens.

Bob

 

[ferider]

Welcome !

Like Randy and Marc, I recommend a 75. Short enough to act as normal
lens, long enough for portraits.

The 75/2.5 Heliar is a great lens, inexpensive and has similar characteristics
to your Summicron, IMO.

On the M6, the 90mm framelines are almost too small to use effectively for me.

Best,

Roland.

 

[vrgard]

Not to challenge Roland's second of my CV 75mm recommendation, but an inexpensive solution to the small 90 framelines on the M6 is to get one of those Hong Kong (see ebay) viewfinder magnifiers. Costs about $50 and makes the 90mm framelines on a .72x viewfinder M6 much easier to use.

-Randy

 

[peter_n]

Welcome Paul and I'm the n'th person to recommend a 35/75 pair. The CV 75mm is an excellent lens as pointed out above. Keep your eyes peeled in the classifieds here... 🙂

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Well, I knew my optimism about not seeking additional lenses would never last......

I've gone and asked the guy at the camera shop to hold the CV 28mm f1.9 on one side for me. It's in super condition and, looking at the reviews it's had on here and elsewhere, £200 isn't a bad price for a s/hand one that will probably outlast me...!

The 75mm CV looks most likely to be next in line - although there are some excellent s/hand examples of the Leica 90mm f4 out there at £250-£300 ish. I'd love to go 100% Leica but I don't think the film really cares which lens the light passed through en-route to the emulsion.

At least I know to ask for money as Christmas presents - that or film, or a scanner. Maybe some filters....or even an 'ever-ready' case.

Aaarrrggghhh!

 

[adietrich]

Hi Paul,

Did you consider doing B&W slides? I like what I get back from the guys at DR5 (http://www.dr5.com)

Regards,
Arne

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Well, I got the first batch of photos processed and have posted them in the gallery if anyone wants to have a look.

I also bought the CV 28/f1.9 'Ultron' aspherical and will be taking some more film in to be processed today.

Great fun.........!!

Paul.