Quick vote: 35 Cron ASPH or 50 Cron for M9P?

[ChristianD]

I just took the plunge and bought a new M9P after having shot with an Epson RD1 a few years back.

Now I want to find a great all around lens. I'd like something that's fast, performs well in low light settings, but versatile and not break the bank.

I've been considering a 50mm Summicron-M, or a 35MM Summicron-M ASPH. Frankly, the Summilux's look awesome, but not in my budget right now.

I often find the opinions on RFF to be helpful in these types of situations-- so which of these two lenses would you get if you could have just one?

I'm leaning towards the 50mm, partly because it's more affordable, and I also thought that there's the possibility of upgrading to a 35mm 1.4 ASPH in a couple yrs if I have the extra cash.

I'd love your thoughts.... Thanks!

 

[Calzone]

The VF'er on a M9 is 0.68. I think the 35mm frames are great.

Anyways it really depends on your personal perfered FOV. I favor the 35, but also know that 28 is my most used, inparticular a 28 Cron.

Cal

 

[f16sunshine]

What is your usual subject material?
I often am shooting Portraits rather than "street" scenes.
The opportunity to have a bit more subject working distance and better subject to background separation in the final image makes the 50mm a better fit for me.
Look over your work from the last year or two and see how if at all the lens(s) you where using influenced the images you captured.
Congrats on the M9P !

 

[jsrockit]

What do you like photographing with more? You have to have a favorite focal length no?

 

[DRSummi]

If you like the 50mm FOV, the 50 Summicron is a winner. It has the Leica look and goes well with the 28 Summicron, in the future. If your 28 purchase is not certain, the 35 Cron makes a great choice for now.

 

[Calzone]

If you like the 50mm FOV, the 50 Summicron is a winner. It has the Leica look and goes well with the 28 Summicron, in the future. If your 28 purchase is not certain, the 35 Cron makes a great choice for now.

There's some wisdom here. 28-50 makes a nice long-short pair. For street 28 is my fav FOV.

Cal

 

[ChristianD]

What do you like photographing with more? You have to have a favorite focal length no?

Good question. When I shot with the RD1, I had two lenses, a 28mm Elmarit and 50mm Summilux. I actually found the 28mm to be most versatile of the two, but I felt the 50mm Summilux produced more of my favorite photos (due to the DOF).

 

[Lss]

I often find the opinions on RFF to be helpful in these types of situations-- so which of these two lenses would you get if you could have just one?

It's really a choice only you can make based on your own preferences, but I think your current plan of getting the more affordable 50 first and then upgrading or adding a more expensive 35 later sounds good.

But to answer the actual question, I would go with the 35 as an only lens. Overall, a slightly wider lens suits me better and it is perhaps better suited for a variety of situations almost regardless of the photographer (you will probably find some exceptions in this thread). When needed, you can crop to get a narrower field of view, although you always lose some quality in doing so. On the other hand, you can get a wider view and great quality by stitching, but that approach lends itself best for fairly static scenes or quite special applications. The 35 way is certainly more convenient.

Of course, if you are willing to consider other brands, you will have more options. I assume you are looking to buy new. The Summicrons are good low light lenses, but you can easily go a stop faster for less money with Voigtländer. Voigtländer is great glass. Zeiss also offers fantastic 35mm and 50mm lenses. And if you will consider used lenses, you can pretty easily get a set of good lenses for the price of one 35 Summicron.

 

[icebear]

If you shoot more street scenes or groups of people, some landscape now and then and only want to buy one lens, I'd also go for the 35mm.
It's definately the lens I use most often. You will have much more siuations covered with a 35 than with a 50.
A lot of times you can not step back far enough with a 50mm and then you will not get the shot.

 

[Tom Niblick]

I take 90% of my photos with a 35 Summicron. I have a 50 Summicron in my bag that I use sometimes to shoot portraits but more often I'll reach for my 90 Elmarit. When I travel, I almost always just take my 35 and 90 along with 2 spare batteries and a few cards. This small, light weight combo covers nearly every need.

However, I'm thinking about getting a Monochrom. When I do, I'll pair that camera with a 50/28 combo. B&W, for me, is not just a different way of seeing but a different way of framing as well. The 50 gives a more intimate photo. Extraneous crap is excluded and only what the mind sees is left. The same is true for the 28. Rather than going with a super wide 21 field of view, with a 28 the extraneous is removed and the vista matches the view the mind clearly sees.

Color tells a different story. With color, the 35 yields a more natural view of the world. You may see differently but this is how I work.

 

[ramosa]

Good question. When I shot with the RD1, I had two lenses, a 28mm Elmarit and 50mm Summilux. I actually found the 28mm to be most versatile of the two, but I felt the 50mm Summilux produced more of my favorite photos (due to the DOF).

IMO this should guide your choice. But remember the 1.5x crop. Thus, your 28 had a 42 FOV, while your 50 had a 75. That would make for a normal lens and a portrait lens.