Which camera for 28 and 50mm?

Godfrey said:
The Summaron-M 28/5.6 is a lovely lens! It makes any body lighter and handier. I've used it most on the M10 Monochrom, a little on the M10-R. It took a bit of work to find the proper 34mm green filter for it...

While I zone focus with it quite a bit (easy with a 28mm lens @ f/8), at close up distances (~6 feet or less) I always use the rangefinder.

G
Click to expand...
I use mine almost always at f5.6 for the light fall off at both ends of the 36mm axis of the frame. It’s great for portrait orientation photographing trees, darkening the sky and moderating foreground content. Not sharp to the corners, but I think undersold by Leica in regard to how little compromise there is in its qualities compared to modern designs. I guess they had to warn customers. But after using this I hardly want the sharp high contrast of my 28 Elmarit ASPH for most shots I take.
 
A point & shoot w 28mm? The Ricoh GR....would fill the bill. Personally though, the lack of replacement parts for cameras w electronics, keeps me in the mechanical end of the pool & i like the clean bright unobstructed vision of an accessory viewfinder....
Realistlcally cameras aren't made w/ do-it-yourself repairs in mind. There is service available pretty much most places in the world....
IMG_7131.jpg
 
38Deardorff said:
A point & shoot w 28mm? The Ricoh GR....would fill the bill. Personally though, the lack of replacement parts for cameras w electronics, keeps me in the mechanical end of the pool & i like the clean bright unobstructed vision of an accessory viewfinder....
Realistlcally cameras aren't made w/ do-it-yourself repairs in mind. There is service available pretty much most places in the world....
View attachment 4860179
Click to expand...

This is fantastic advice on your part, thanks.
 
piero2025 said:
Hello,

I am shopping for a camera. The focal lenghts I like are exclusively 28mm and 50mm (the 28 much more than the 50).

Many excellent fixed lens rangefinders exist in 35mm, but my eye just does not see the world in 35mm. 28mm is the ideal lens for me.

The idea is that I shoot many photos "instinctively" in 28mm and I forget to check the framelines. My brain considers that the photo is what it sees in the whole finder. When 28mm is the largest set of framelines, that is not a problem - I don't get crop.

With the 50mm, my photos are much less instinctive and I don't forget to look at the frame lines.

If a point and shoot rangefinder existed in 28mm, I would get that and a second 50mm point and shoot (of which many excellent ones exist), which could easily fit in a practical soft case, but the shortest point and shoot I know of is 35mm.

What to buy? To the best of my knowledge, these are my options:

- Zeiss Ikon ZM, perfect viewfinder (the 28mm is the largest set of framelines ) but the focus system on rangefinder can get out of whack quite easily, and you cannot fix it yourself, which is a big no-no for me. I am quite surprised that German engineers thought acceptable sending the camera back just for calibrating focus
- Konica Hexar - same as above
- Leica - 28mm is the larget set of framelines, you can fix focus yourself, but I could buy two or more cameras of other brands for the same money
- Bessa R2/3: don't have 28mm framelines, can fix focus yourself. To which degree 28mm corresponds to the whole finder? That could work for me - I would instinctively do the right framing
- Bessa R4: 28mm is an intermediate set of framelines, my eye would instinctively go for the 21mm framelines and the photo would be cropped.
- Contax G2: it's a toy camera, nobody fixes it anymore, the batteries are a nightmare ecc.
- Others?
Click to expand...
In your case since you are in essence a 28 shooter I’d say the Konica Hexar RF is a great choice. Great frame lines.
 
I just use the entire frame on my Leica M2's when shooting 28mm. After years of experimentation I've gravitated to this old model as my mostly (as in almost always) used camera and have several of them. After initial service, reliability has been excellent. Ironically, I feel these old cameras might serve longer than newer offerings because they don't rely as much on spare parts for repairs.
 
steveyork said:
I just use the entire frame on my Leica M2's when shooting 28mm. After years of experimentation I've gravitated to this old model as my mostly (as in almost always) used camera and have several of them. After initial service, reliability has been excellent. Ironically, I feel these old cameras might serve longer than newer offerings because they don't rely as much on spare parts for repairs.
Click to expand...
Hard to beat simplicity.... (I've since replaced the MP w the M4....and will always miss my black M2)
40672119452_498b6a47b2_z.jpg
 
Leica Q3 and Q3 43 would be perfect.

I had the same thought many years ago to carry two cameras with 28mm and 50mm so owned a .58x MP for the 28mm and a .72x M7 for the 50mm. After some time I decided it was a hassle and just traveled with one camera with 35mm and zoomed with my feet. But I know what you mean and currently prefer 28mm mostly. This is because I go out looking for a particular type of photo appropriate for 28mm or wider, whereas while traveling I shoot what I can get thus need flexibility.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom