What lenses to buy

[andy_leitch]

What lens/lenses would you suggest for taking street/architecture/portraits. I'll mostly be shooting whilst on holiday mainly in cities but also some portraits. I was thinking a 35mm and 50mm or a 28mm and 50mm. Also what kind of speed should i be looking for? Summicron? Summilux? Money is indeed an issue so if you can suggest one lens that'll be good for most work then i'd be more than happy. I'm just starting out and am thinking of getting the M7 + 50mm f/2.0 Summicron kit so i'd like advise from their.

I currently use a Pentax ME Super with a Pentax-A SMC 50mm f/1.7 and i feel myself wanting more width. I don't feel i need more length at all. As far as speed is concerned i only really need a little more speed when in churches so i think a tripod would sort that out more than anything.

Thanks

Andy Leitch

 

[Nachkebia]

Summilux 35mm f/1.4, you can take portraits with street and architecture, or all together 🙂 plus in any light situation, quality can`t get any better 🙂

 

[kbg32]

28 and 50 compliment each other nicely.

 

[telenous]

Hi Andy,

But if, as you say, you need more width, you should consider a 35 lens rather than the Summicron 50. The 'lux 35 is a universal application lens of outstanding quality but if you don't want to spend as much money the Summicron 35 Asph. can be had for less without any compromises in performance other than the obvious loss of one stop.

Oh, and welcome to the forum.

Best,

 

[Tom Diaz]

What lens/lenses would you suggest for taking street/architecture/portraits. I'll mostly be shooting whilst on holiday mainly in cities but also some portraits. I was thinking a 35mm and 50mm or a 28mm and 50mm. Also what kind of speed should i be looking for? Summicron? Summilux? Money is indeed an issue so if you can suggest one lens that'll be good for most work then i'd be more than happy. ... Andy Leitch

Andy, if someone threatened to take all my lenses away but one, I would keep the 35mm Summicron. For pictures in the streets a 35mm is outstanding. Set the lens on f/8 or f/11, set the focus to the hyperfocal distance, and you can shoot very fast in the street!

I agree with the previous post that the only thing better would be the Summilux (which I don't own), but you said money is an issue. In the street, you will not be shooting at maximum aperture very often. You probably will want the bigger apertures because you'll go out in the early morning or late afternoon when the light is good, and then, when the sun starts going down, you will open up more and more. Don't forget, though, that to preserve the look of scenes lit by sunset or sunset light, you may not want to shoot at the indicated exposure--you may want to close down a stop so the picture does not look like it was shot in brighter light than it really was. If you think you will shoot at night and/or that you will shoot portraits in bars and other interior places, a faster lens like an f/1.4 would be more like it.

If I could keep two, I would keep the 50mm also; I use it less often, but it is enough longer so I like it more for portraits than I do the 35. The 35mm Summicron has fine close-up performance and is great for pictures of groups of people, but you end up standing pretty close to people. If you want to take portraits of one person, filling the frame with him or her, the 50mm is kind of the minimum for my taste. The only superfast lens that I have is a 50mm, which works for me because when I shoot inside and in very low light it tends to be a portrait.

You must be excited to be contemplating such fine new equipment. Enjoy yourself!

 

[robin a]

If money is a issue,go for a 28-105 zoom for your Pentax.Then all your bases are covered and save up for a M7 kit.

 

[FrankS]

If you are currently using a 50 and want wider, and money is an issue, get a 35 Summicron. Just use that for a while. Eventually you will want a 50 for the Leica for portraits. You can get away with a $30 Jupiter 8 lens which is a 50mm f2 Sonnar design, great for people, or you can find a used Summicron.

The photo used in my avatar was shot with a J8.

As an aside, money is an issue for me too, so I got a used Summaron 35mm f3.5 lens for less than $150. Here is an example:

 

[venchka]

If you decide that a 50mm lens is needed, take a careful look at the 50mm f:2 Dual Range Summicron. I have only owned mine for a short time. The lens continues to amaze me.