Street photography with the M10 and one lens (summer trip to Europe)

[raid]

It is the old thread of picking one camera and one lens or two for our family trip.
Last Christmas break we were in Barcelona for ten days. I used the Leica M10 (not R) with the Summilux 35/1.4 Version 1 for evenings, while I used the Hologon 16/8 for daytime photography. The Hologon was too restrictive for me. Some images came out very nice looking, I admit. I feel like returning to use a fast 50mm lens as my main lens and maybe add the tiny 35/1.4 Summilux for the wider view when needed. Our trip will include a concert by Taylor Swift, but I will most likely lock up the camera and lenses in a safe and not risk having them taken away from me at the concert. Do I know many songs by Taylor Swift? No. I have no clue what I will be listening to.
If you are planning for a summer trip, which photography equipment will you take with you?

The M10 is a very reliable camera. I have two batteries for it. Using mainly one lens will keep the set basic and functionable. Which 50mm lens?

Zeiss Sonnar 5cm 1.5 (1937) in ltm.
CV 50mm 1.0 M
Canon 50mm 1.4 ltm
Nikon 50mm 1.4 (Millenium)

I am not sure which one to take with me.
I hope that nobody here feels "insulted" by this thread.

 

[sojournerphoto]

For a simple trip with my wife - our daughters would quite possibly find a way to join us - probably M11 with Zm C-Sonnar 1.5/50. The alternatives that might sway me would be my M-A for body and the TYArtisan 1.4/50 Asph. Obviously all interchangeable and choice of body would be a simple film or digital choice and the lens choice more based on whether I was in the mood for focus shift as I was packing my bag 5 minutes before leaving.

This summer is our 25th wedding anniversary and we are taking our (small, even by UK standards) Campervan to Scotland. I am unlikely to bring a big and extensive fleet of cameras🙂

Mike

 

[sojournerphoto]

Sorry, so to answer your question, I’d probably take the Sonnar, but might flip to the Canon at the last minute. Either way, I’d be happy.

 

[raid]

Congratulations on your special wedding anniversary!

 

[sojournerphoto]

Congratulations on your special wedding anniversary!

Thanks Raid. It feels special.

Back a few years I have happy memories of watching your daughters growing up in parallel to ours. Now, I take great delight in Dourbalisters pictures of his growing family.

I look forward to seeing pictures from your trip.

Mike

 

[raid]

Mike, the children grow up and they are not kids anymore.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Zeiss Sonnar 5cm 1.5 (1937) in ltm.

But you could have guess I'd say that one... You are going to Europe! Flaunt, it Baby, Flaunt it!

 

[raid]

I don't want to flaunt it, Brian. It is a blessing that we can have such trips.
The Sonnar is my favorite 50mm lens in my collection of 50mm lenses.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

My vote:
Leica M10 + CV 50mm f/1.0

 

[robert blu]

I would go with the CV 50mm 1.0 M Raid. And perhaps a ND filter! Keeping it simple.

 

[raid]

The CV 50/1 is a great lens, Bill and Robert.
No ND is needed for a family trip. At ISO 100 and F 16, it should do well without the ND filter.
The Sonnar is lighter, though.

 

[Yokosuka Mike]

Raid, why not go totally crazy and get you hands on a Voigtländer 50mm f1.5 Heliar Classic SC VM lens and take it with you!

Otherwise I'd take the Voigtländer 50mm f1 Nokton Aspherical VM lens. The results you got with it last year were outstanding!

BTW, I always find your annual summer trip thread interesting and entertaining.

All the best,
Mike

 

[raid]

I have the regular Heliar 50/1.5 and 50/2. I hesitate to spend money on another lens now.
The old Canon 50/1.2 is a sharp lens, Don Goldberg adjusted the lens elements in it.
I hardly ever use the CV 50/1.1.
I just need one lens.

 

[Deleted member 65559]

If it were me, I wouldn't lug around a 50 f1 as an only lens.( i did own the Noctilux). I have the Canon 50mm 1.4 and it has a pretty long throw. I know i'd miss some shots. My sweet spot would be the 35mm Summilux. It focuses quickly....it's also the way i see the world. It is by the way the daily carry favourite of Peter Turnley. Since you used the 16mm a lot i think the 35mm is perfect..(If you can't get good photos with the Summilux get closer 😉 )
If i were choosing for you from your list... it would likely be the 50mm 1.5 Sonnar.
If you have more than 1 50mm lens (& i know you do.....) I wouldn't be buying anything.

 

[raid]

So you warn me of the extra weight of the 50/1. I agree, but it is an awesome lens. Each image snaps into focus. I will have the Summilux 35/1.4, which is a very good lens for general photography.

 

[Sonnar Brian]

I always get traumatized when selecting a very few lenses for a trip. It is not easy! Of course in my case it is more like "Which 5cm f1.5 Sonnar to bring?"

Make the thread into a Poll, let RFF decide for you...

 

[Deleted member 65559]

So you warn me of the extra weight of the 50/1. I agree, but it is an awesome lens. Each image snaps into focus. I will have the Summilux 35/1.4, which is a very good lens for general photography.

They are all awesome lenses Raid. That special quality is almost never the issue....& you say "general photography like it is a bad thing. To span some years, Abbas, Eddy Van Wessel, Peter Turnley to name just a few have made superb images with a 35mm lens....

 

[Retina43]

Raid,
Stick with your favourite Sonnar, or, as a change, the “Japanese Summilux” Canon f1.4/50mm.

 

[Mute-on]

I vote for the Sonnar, as it is obviously very special to you. However if it was me, I’d just take the 35 Summilux to do it all.

We are going to the UK in June, for which I am planning to take my M262 with 28 Elmarit M ASPH, and a small point and shoot zoom camera for backup.

 

[brusby]

I'm with Deardorff about not choosing the f1 lens, but for maybe different reasons. In addition to the obvious size and weight advantages of smaller, slower lenses, they are also often better optically in almost all regards for documenting things more accurately than faster lenses, all else being equal, because it's usually much easier to make more highly corrected small lenses than their faster brethren.

The M10 is good at higher ISOs so the one, two or even three stop difference in max apertures should almost be insignificant.

Also, if I were photographing in beautiful new surroundings and wanting to document things well, I'd seriously consider abandoning the current in-vogue style of photography that is so popular -- shooting at widest apertures which produces a very narrow band in focus with fuzzy, out of focus foregrounds and backgrounds. Instead I'd be stopping down to bring more into sharper focus and to minimize aberrations. Better for documentation although admittedly not so moody feeling.

The 35mm Summilux is excellent from the point of view of portability and image quality. I own and love it. Although I'd probably try to shoot it stopped down at least a stop or two to f2 or f2.8 to clear up some of the natural aberrations and inherent blur that can be very obvious at widest apertures.

For a 50mm I would probably pick your f2 Heliar or even a Summicron or Elmar (f2.8 or even f3.5). I just love the rendering of slower lenses with their generally fewer aberrations. All the lenses you listed will make beautiful images. But I've found that many f1.5 lenses just don't clean up as well or get as sharp as their faster cousins at similar apertures.

Wishing you all the best on what sounds like a wonderful vacation!