New to rangefinders - 35mm vs 28mm

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gregk

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Hi all

After much deliberation I've taken the plunge and ordered myself an M8.

I'm now looking for a general purpose first lens and am struggling between the 28 and the 35. I will most likely add to the lens collection at a later stage but really want to have something that's versatile to start with.

Any suggestions or guidance would be appreciated.

Greg
 
Greg, the M8 has a 1.33 crop factor meaning that if you are used to a 35mm field of view, a 28mm lens is required to approximate that. The 35 will act as though it were a 48mm lens, etc.

Sean Reid's reviews of RF lenses should provide a great starting point. You will see that the Voigtlander optics offer tremendous "bang for the buck".

Have fun shooting! And Welcome to the Forum!

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22632
 
As everyone will tell you - it depends. Do you prefer a 35mm field of view (FOV) or a 50mm FOV on a 35mm camera? If the former then you would go for a 28. If the latter then a 35. Is size and speed important? If yes then there are more small fast(ish) 35s than 28s. The fastest 28 is the CV Ultron 1.9 which is relatively large (for an RF lens) but it has many fans (and rightly so). The next fastest 28 is the Summicron F2, but that is also large and very expensive. The new 28 F2.8 elmarit asph is relatively small, but a stop slower. And so it goes on .........................

Personally I like a 35 on the M8 and there are many good options at all price points for this focal length - more so than with 28s. We all have our own preferences and if I could only keep one of my lenses for the M8 it would be a 35. As it happens I have 21, 35, 50 and 90 but the 35 and 50 get the most use. I've always struggled with 28 on film as well as digital.
 
Hi Greg,

there is also a size/speed issue: a 28/2 will be much bigger than a 35 or 40/2, or even 1.4.

Welcome !

Roland.
 
I am a huge fan of the 35mm focal length. I own a collectible first version 35 1.4 aspherical and it was my lens that I used 97% of the time on my Leica MP. Naturally, when I bought my M8, I also bought the 28cron because it was the fastest lens to replace the viewing angle of my 35mm on my MP.
However, having shot with several lenses for nearly two months, I have to admit that even with the 1.33 crop factor, the 35 1.4 is still my most versatile lens. It is wide enough for a decent wide shot and long enough for a nice portrait. If I had to be with only one lens, it would be my 35mm. hands down, crop factor or not. Now, I've read about the backfocus supposedly caused by spherical aberration. therefore, I would only recommend buying this lens if you can try it out for focussing at different apertures and distances first. If you do get a good sample, you will see how versatile of a lens this is and how often you need that extra stop in low-light situations.
 
i have both 28/2.8 asph and 35/1.4 asph. cant go wrong with either focal lengths.

mostly when i'm around town or working (my camera is with me ALL THE TIME) i carry the 28. its small and i can literally use my M8 as a point and shoot. very good DOF.

when i'm out to specifically take pictures, i take the 35. much sharper IMO and the f/1.4 is dope.

good luck choosing :)
 
Thank you all for the advice and the warm welcome.

I had been leaning towards the 35 as a start but had read about the "backfocus" problem on the summilux. WOuld someone mind explaing what this is?
 
The 35 1.4 seems to have problems with backfocusing meaning when you focus at something up close (maybe 4 feet away), the focus ends up being a little further away than what your rangefinder indicates (maybe at 4 feet 1 inch). In practical application this means that you might focus on someone's eyes and his ears are in focus instead. My friend and I tested two 35 1.4 lenses and they both showed this problem, and some other people have confirmed this about their summiluxes. Supposedly, this is caused by spherical abberation. In addition to the depth of field becoming larger as you stop down, the point of focus also slightly shifts. The 50lux doesn't show this problem due to a floating lens element. At least this is Leica's explanation, which I consider unacceptable for a lens that has been one of their flagship lenses for all these years. I also am not sure whether this happens with every 35 1.4 since many photographers have reported no such problems. Therefore, I recommend testing it before you buy it. Put your M8 on a tripod, and line up three yoghurt cups or boxes half an inch staggered behind each other at about 4 feet from your camera. Focus on the middle one. If the middle one is perfectly in focus, your lens is dead on, if the furthest one is in focus, your lens backfocuses, and if the closest one is in focus, it frontfocuses. Repeat this procedure at all apertures from 1.4 to a about 2.8. As you start stopping down, the cup you focus on should still be the sharpest, although your depth of field becomes larger and all the cups will be slightly more in focus than at 1.4.
 
Many M8's had backfocus problems w/all lenses, not just the 35/1.4 Summilux ASPH. My M8 was 1 of them & had to be fixed in Solms. Prior to the M8, I had't heard of a significant # of 35/1.4 ASPH owners having backfocus problems w/that lens, but that may be because the zoom preview & quick feedback of the M8 has brought a previously hidden problem to light.

BerndReini said:
The 35 1.4 seems to have problems with backfocusing meaning when you focus at something up close (maybe 4 feet away), the focus ends up being a little further away than what your rangefinder indicates (maybe at 4 feet 1 inch). In practical application this means that you might focus on someone's eyes and his ears are in focus instead. My friend and I tested two 35 1.4 lenses and they both showed this problem, and some other people have confirmed this about their summiluxes. Supposedly, this is caused by spherical abberation. In addition to the depth of field becoming larger as you stop down, the point of focus also slightly shifts. The 50lux doesn't show this problem due to a floating lens element. At least this is Leica's explanation, which I consider unacceptable for a lens that has been one of their flagship lenses for all these years. I also am not sure whether this happens with every 35 1.4 since many photographers have reported no such problems. Therefore, I recommend testing it before you buy it. Put your M8 on a tripod, and line up three yoghurt cups or boxes half an inch staggered behind each other at about 4 feet from your camera. Focus on the middle one. If the middle one is perfectly in focus, your lens is dead on, if the furthest one is in focus, your lens backfocuses, and if the closest one is in focus, it frontfocuses. Repeat this procedure at all apertures from 1.4 to a about 2.8. As you start stopping down, the cup you focus on should still be the sharpest, although your depth of field becomes larger and all the cups will be slightly more in focus than at 1.4.
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