uganda Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 If you were to have the good fortune of becoming the owner of a Leica m, which lenses would you buy? (as far as focal length is concerned, for Environmental Portraiture). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nacke Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Real simple, The old 21 f3.4, 35 f2 and 90 f2 all German. My German 28 f2.8 "sucked" and it cost me a lot of $ in the 80's. Loved my M2's and 6's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 Real simple, The old 21 f3.4, 35 f2 and 90 f2 all German. My German 28 f2.8 "sucked" and it cost me a lot of $ in the 80's. Loved my M2's and 6's I've owned the M2 and M6 also! (No, Chuck and I are not related. We just have some related PJ experiences. I consider Chuck to be a far more experienced PJ than I. ) I see Leica M cameras as specialty tools; frankly, I'd rather use a SLR for an environmental portrait. The SLR has visual intimacy and is capable of acting as a substitute and doing the work of any other system (view cameras, 6x6). Rangefinders come into their own when shooting fast-breaking situations where the photographer is trying to capture action. Are you asking about film or digital Leica M's, Uganda? I guess it doesn't matter since you asked about lenses. I've owned the 35 f/2 Summacron and a 90 f/2 and 90 f/2.8. Right now I still have the 35. I prefer using ultra-wides on my Nikons, because we automatically adjust for distortion with wides on an SLR. I think of the 35mm lens as being a must-have for the Leica. I wonder if Chuck agrees? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeRay Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 I have the type 240 and an M6 TTL and use the 50mm Summicron as my main lens on both. I have a number of other M mount lenses but I favour the 50mm FL which enables me to include some background detail in the shot. Realistically of course it all boils down to the type of shooting you intend to do as to what focal length you employ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Rooney Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 I have the type 240 and an M6 TTL and use the 50mm Summicron as my main lens on both. I have a number of other M mount lenses but I favour the 50mm FL. Realistically of course it all boils down to the type of shooting you intend to do as to what focal length you employ. You're right, of course, ReeRay. But Uganda did say what he wanted a Leica lens for: environmental portraits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeRay Posted December 13, 2013 Share Posted December 13, 2013 I have the type 240 and an M6 TTL and use the 50mm Summicron as my main lens on both. I have a number of other M mount lenses but I favour the 50mm FL. Realistically of course it all boils down to the type of shooting you intend to do as to what focal length you employ. You're right, of course, ReeRay. But Uganda did say what he wanted a Leica lens for: environmental portraits. ................ which enables me to include some background detail in the shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uganda Posted December 13, 2013 Author Share Posted December 13, 2013 I'm talking about the current Leica m (type 240) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uganda Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 The reason why I have been thinking of Leica, because I am thinking that the Leica is "more discrete" than the D700 I have - but to use gear based around what I already have would be cheaper.. Unhappy with the wide angle lens I currently have, I've been looking at alternatives. Leica do have a good reputation for quality... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allan Bell Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 The reason why I have been thinking of Leica, because I am thinking that the Leica is "more discrete" than the D700 I have - but to use gear based around what I already have would be cheaper.. Unhappy with the wide angle lens I currently have, I've been looking at alternatives. Leica do have a good reputation for quality... I recently purchased the Fuji X-E2 and find it smaller, lighter, more discrete and cheaper than the M9. For the price of the Leica you could buy the X-E2 plus a few Fuji lenses and/or buy the M mount adaptor and use Leica lenses. Allan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kilpatrick Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 I've been looking at this as the Sony A7R is doing the job of Leica body for me. When I used an RF kit, it was two Minolta CLE bodies (for the smaller size and auto exposure) with 28/40/90mm set, plus a 135mm Elmar, and a 20mm Russar. For environmental portraiture the 28mm was always most used. But I liked the 40mm focal length. For my A7R I have a 40mm Voigtlander Nokton f/1.4 MC, for £300 there really is nothing better (RRP £430 or so). I have just got a Carl Zeiss Tele-Tessar 85mm f/4, not so sure about this. I'm missing a 21-24mm but there are some issues with corner shading which are not easily addressed. The M240 may overcome these. There is one recommended lens which is free from colour shifts and corner smearing - the Voigtlander 21mm f/1.8 ASPH. For Leica, it might be necessary to get this lens optically coded, not sure. It's about £900. The other lens which is famously free from all technical issues on all full frame RF digital cameras is the Leica 16-18-21mm Tri-Elmar but at over £4k and limited to f/4, not a choice for all uses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uganda Posted December 14, 2013 Author Share Posted December 14, 2013 Thanks - I'm interested to learn how the Sony A7R stands-up for quality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed Endicott Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 Uganda - if you are on Facebook, there is a group called "Leica Losers". This is one of the most informative groups I've seen with relation to Leica cameras and lenses. I had a M6TTL and a few months ago I upgraded to a MP. I own a 35mm Summicron (vintage 1975) and a 50mm Summicron (Vintage 1985) - my preference is not based on aperture, but more on the size of the lenses. I will eventually add a 28 and 90 to the collection but I am saving my pennies for a M240 next year. From discussions I have read within the Leica forums, many prefer the newer ASPH glass over traditional glass. My lenses are pre-ASPH and I have nothing to compare to (and I'm happy with what I have). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReeRay Posted December 14, 2013 Share Posted December 14, 2013 A good review here and some further reviews of various M mount lenses http://www.pebbleplace.com/Review/Leica_M_Type_240_Page_1.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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