peter_n
Veteran
No you won't. I used a 21 for a couple years and never got on with the FL. I sold it and got a 24 and I've been happy ever since. As many have said in this thread it can be used in more situations and goes well with the 35. I use the Elmarit and like it a lot, so much so I had two of them at one point.
Ben Z
Veteran
This kind of thing is a very personal choice and needs to be based on the shooting preference of each individual. The late Galen Rowell who was an acquaintance of mine, loved the 24mm focal length. I tried to get along with it, but never could. I own one, an old Nikkor, and rarely use it. I prefer 21/35/90 as my 3-lens Leica outfit. Especially with the IQ of the M9, cropping 21>24, 35>50 or 90>135 results in no (to me) significant loss, if the composition really calls for it.
w1234ale
Member
ok money aside, which 24? Lux, Elmarit, elmar?
Noctilux095
Newbie
Why stop at one - get all three if you could - horses for courses.
And Leica lens price hold pretty well and likely you will have only small depreciation costs if you decide to sell them later.
Cheers!
Tom Niblick
Well-known
And Leica lens price hold pretty well and likely you will have only small depreciation costs if you decide to sell them later.
Cheers!
Buy good late model used lenses and they will appreciate. A used 24 Elmarit ASPH at, say $2,500 to $2,750, would be a solid investment. Stan Tamarkin has one at $2,995 that is 6 bit coded and a 1 year guarantee. He might take less if it was cash or check.
Leigh Youdale
Well-known
I use CV glass on both the Bessa and the M6 so I can't speak about Leica lenses but I have or have had the 15mm, 21mm, 25mm, 28mm, 35mm, 50mm, 75mm and 90mm lenses all at the same time.
I use wides a lot when travelling, particularly in Europe, for town and scenic shots. In those circumstances I use the 25mm a lot, the 21mm less so. But I recently sold the 25mm because the M6 has framelines only to 28mm and thereafter I need to use an accessory viewfinder (not a problem with the R4A). And I felt that the difference between 21/25/28 was just too little to justify three lenses in that range so I cut out the middle one even though I think it's a very useful focal length to have on its own.
If I didn't have such a selection already and had only (say) a 35, then I would definitely prefer to have the 25 and dispense with the 21 and 28 focal lengths. It's a more generally useful lens and shows little distortion. The 21 is great but you have to be a bit more careful about keeping the camera level to avoid the well-known distortion effects. The 28 isn't wide enough for a lot of situations and the 15 is almost a novelty lens and gets little use.
I use wides a lot when travelling, particularly in Europe, for town and scenic shots. In those circumstances I use the 25mm a lot, the 21mm less so. But I recently sold the 25mm because the M6 has framelines only to 28mm and thereafter I need to use an accessory viewfinder (not a problem with the R4A). And I felt that the difference between 21/25/28 was just too little to justify three lenses in that range so I cut out the middle one even though I think it's a very useful focal length to have on its own.
If I didn't have such a selection already and had only (say) a 35, then I would definitely prefer to have the 25 and dispense with the 21 and 28 focal lengths. It's a more generally useful lens and shows little distortion. The 21 is great but you have to be a bit more careful about keeping the camera level to avoid the well-known distortion effects. The 28 isn't wide enough for a lot of situations and the 15 is almost a novelty lens and gets little use.
Swamiji
Newbie
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
I have always (or at least since 1964 when the SA 21f3.4 came out) been a wide angle user. They do have a bit of a learning curve - but once you get used to the angle of view, they tend to do the job.
My personal preference is a 21/35/50 kit - with either a 75 or 90 carried along "just in case" Not too bulky and covers probably 99% of what I want to shoot.
I have been using the new 21f3.4 Super Elmar for the last couple of month. I like it - very good performance, particularly @ 3.4 (actually about as good as you can imagine at that aperture). Once you hit f5,6 lenses like the C Biogon 21f4.5 (which has marginally less distorsion than the SE 21/3,4) or the VC 21f4 performs as well as the SE 21.
Of course, I still have my Super Angulon 21 and in spite of being 30 years old, it still does a credible job - with all it's flaws (2 stop edge fall-off, slightly soft corner at f3.4 and an aperture ring that is virtually impossible to use with the hood attached) - it is a favorite of mine - partly for sentimental reasons too. Shot a lot of pictures with Super Angulon's over the decades.
In the 24/25 range - best bang for the buck, the Zeiss Biogon 25f2.8 - I would run that against ANY other 24/25 made.
My personal preference is a 21/35/50 kit - with either a 75 or 90 carried along "just in case" Not too bulky and covers probably 99% of what I want to shoot.
I have been using the new 21f3.4 Super Elmar for the last couple of month. I like it - very good performance, particularly @ 3.4 (actually about as good as you can imagine at that aperture). Once you hit f5,6 lenses like the C Biogon 21f4.5 (which has marginally less distorsion than the SE 21/3,4) or the VC 21f4 performs as well as the SE 21.
Of course, I still have my Super Angulon 21 and in spite of being 30 years old, it still does a credible job - with all it's flaws (2 stop edge fall-off, slightly soft corner at f3.4 and an aperture ring that is virtually impossible to use with the hood attached) - it is a favorite of mine - partly for sentimental reasons too. Shot a lot of pictures with Super Angulon's over the decades.
In the 24/25 range - best bang for the buck, the Zeiss Biogon 25f2.8 - I would run that against ANY other 24/25 made.
jaapv
RFF Sponsoring Member.
Umm....sitting on his lap might have interfered with operating the plane.....
Teashop
Member
The 24mm Elmarit is an optically superb option but is a sizeable piece of glass and the standard hood does impinge on the viewfinder to some degree. Lately I find myself favouring physically smaller lenses so the Elmar looks very interesting as an 'everyday' carry around option. If you can manage with the slower lens it could actually get more use if, like me, you rate portability as important.
Also, as is often mentioned,with a .58x viewfinder you can use the viewfinder edge as a frame and save the use of an accessory finder.
Hope you find the right answer for your needs.
Also, as is often mentioned,with a .58x viewfinder you can use the viewfinder edge as a frame and save the use of an accessory finder.
Hope you find the right answer for your needs.