Tiny Travel Lens Choices

[brusby]

Post your examples of the smallest travel lenses with acceptable image quality?

On current trip to Denver I wanted to bring a camera and couple of lenses, but everything had to be small enough to fit in carry-on luggage together with a few days worth of clothing. So I picked a Leica M240, 1950's 50mm Elmar f3.5 and new to me TT Artisans 28mm f5.6.


TT Artisans 28mm f5.6. First outing with this diminutive lens. Saw this view while driving through the mountains. Only had time to hop out of the car and take a couple of hand held exposures before the clouds moved in, completely obscuring the sun and covering the entire area with fresh snow.
M2409342 by Brusby, on Flickr

50mm Elmar f3.5. Another view from the road.
M2409286 by Brusby, on Flickr

 

[raid]

I like using the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-aspheric. A great small lens.

 

[brusby]

Yep, good choice, and super versatile.

 

[Rayt]

Those are nice photos especially the first. Leica M bodies are small enough and if I want to go small I would bring a 35mm Summicron. For medium format the lenses are included with the Rolleiflex and are small enough.

 

[boojum]

I have three small LTM Canons: 28mm f/2.8, 35mm f/2.0 and a 50mm f/1.8. All small. The CV 35mm Nokton II f/1.4 is small, too. All good lenses.

 

[oldwino]

other than the somewhat fiddly aperture selector, it's hard to find fault with an Elmar 5cm.

 

[Dogman]

Voigtlander 35/2.5 and 21/4 Color Skopar. Great lenses I use on my Fuji X-Pro cameras. Even with the adapter they are still tiny.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I'm also follow great steps of OP's and using M. Used to be film M with not big Summarit-M 35 2.5.

My legit tiny attempt was with M-E 220 and 40/2 Minolta Rokkor CLE version and Orion 15 to Manhattan in the family van with three daughters.
2017.

 

[newst]

I keep a ready 'small kit' in a bag with a Canon P, the collapsible Serenar 3.5/50, a Serenar 3.5/35, and a Canon 3.5/100. I could add the Canon 3.5/28 and 3.5/25 lenses but that would require adding in their viewfinders too.

 

[agentlossing]

I'd love to see someone put the TTartisans 28/5.6 on a Minolta CLE. That would be a pretty cool small kit.

 

[Bingley]

My favorite compact lens kit for travel includes the CV Skopar 50/2.5, Leitz Summaron 35/3.5, and a small 28 (either the CV Skopar 28/3.5 or Canon 28/2.8).

The Canon suggestions by Boojum in post #5 above are all very worthy as well. Any of these lenses will perform very well on a Leica M240, particularly if you’re shooting b&w.

 

[Ccoppola82]

35 pre asph lux for 35 and 50 1.5 nokton v2 for 50. I also like a 90mm tele Elmarit. Light and cheap but good iq

 

[brusby]

Good tips everyone. I'm really enjoying seeing the image quality that can be squeezed out of such small, portable lenses. The big surprise for me was the 50mm Elmar.

Nice photos KoFe. Love the Statue of Liberty one.

 

[DownUnder]

Fuji and Nikon user.

Fuji - 18-55 zoom, 18/2.0, 23/1.4. In that order. Ideally, I take all three. In the real world, any one will do. Cameras (as I own them), XT2 or XE2,

Nikon - a 'loaded' situation. In order of preference, 28/2.8, 35/2.0, 50/1.4, 85/1.8. If forced to the wall and told one lens of die, the 28 would have it. Cameras (as per previous para), D700, D800.

In an ideal world, I would go with film, one camera and one lens. Again as preferred, Nikkormat with 35/2.0, Nikon F65 with 28/2.8, Voigtlander Perkeo I with one filter, a lens hood, and as much film as my backpack will hold and I can carry without falling over at my age. Or one of my four Contax G1s with a 21, 28, 35, 45 (the 90 I consider to be a total waste of time), or a Zeiss Nettar 1950 folder or one of my four Rollers, but let's not go beyond this.

Time passes, all things change, we adapt.

 

[DownUnder]

other than the somewhat fiddly aperture selector, it's hard to find fault with an Elmar 5cm.

Agree entirely. If I could find a good one for my iii that doesn't cost a thousand in Australia. The one I own is a crap heap and my Summitar 50/2.0 and collapsible Summicron 50/2.0 are basket cases. A classic case of too much, too little...

 

[raydm6]

35 Summicron-M v4 on an M6 Classic. Neat, tidy package.

 

[lxmike]

I'm also follow great steps of OP's and using M. Used to be film M with not big Summarit-M 35 2.5.

My legit tiny attempt was with M-E 220 and 40/2 Minolta Rokkor CLE version and Orion 15 to Manhattan in the family van with three daughters.
2017.

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filedata/fetch?id=4781167&d=1650413753

Love this shot, its very well thought out

 

[steveyork]

I would rather limit the focal lengths carried than the speed of the lens. Speed can give you some creative compositions. Over the years I've gravitated to the minimalistic 35/90 for a rangefinder, except -- ha, ha -- I dropped the 90, don't even own one. The 35, for me, can get most of what I want. Like the 50mm, so many great lenses in this focal length, most of them small and compact. Any Summicron and Voigtlander 35/1.4 is a terrific character lens. Anyway, two cameras, one f/2 and an f/1.4 and I'm good to go. Maybe I miss a few shots, but that's ok. I know some like to have multiple different focal lengths when they travel, that's their thing, but I just use my feet, and for me I take better pics when things are simplified. Having too much stuff, for me, just complicates everything. If you limit the focal lengths, that naturally takes care of most size and weight issues.

 

[kram]

Ha, Travel camera/lebs combo is my Contax T with it's 38mm f2 8 sonnar lens. More versatilty, Contax TVS II with a 28-56mm. Moving up in size and better lens Zeiss ZM (lighter and. Smaller than the,Leica Ms) with 35mm f2 ZM. Or if I want wider and smaller VM 28mm f2 ulton II.Than is a small lens for f2.

 

[oldwino]

I'm also follow great steps of OP's and using M. Used to be film M with not big Summarit-M 35 2.5.

My legit tiny attempt was with M-E 220 and 40/2 Minolta Rokkor CLE version and Orion 15 to Manhattan in the family van with three daughters.
2017.

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filedata/fetch?id=4781167&d=1650413753

Those are two really good photos.