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5DII to M9 In need of urgent help with lenses

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It's a very difficult question to answer. And despite what anyone says, each and every lens has it's own look. My choice, with the M9 is as follows:

35/2 ASPH (essential)
50/2 (might sell)
50/1.4 ASPH (I'm starting to appreciate more)
90/4 macro elmar (preferred the f2 cron if I'm honest)

All silver versions.

The only lens I really want is the f/1 Noct

I've owned the following lenses but have never felt like I've missed them:

28/2.8 (I'm more a 50 man)
35/1.4 (spectacular but so so sharp)

I think it takes time (years) to experiment and find out what suits you best

Good luck!
 
Hello, No offens taken Danic :)

I have been looking at Leica again since the M8 was new.

Other than premature it is a very late decision as it is a lot of money for me. I was really ready to switch last year but decided to try out living with a X100 for a year to get the feeling. Now I am ready and I can afford it.

Best Regards
Pierre
 
Hi Tizzio, glad to hear you enjoy your Super Elmar 21/3.4 :)

What made you choose the 21mm over the 18mm?

Have seen any tests or comparison of these two lenses?

Best Regards
Pierre
 
Far as I know, the 21/3.4 is generally regarded as one the best UWA ever from Leica, as good as the super angulon. Another reason is that I find the focal length around 20-21mm renders the most pleasing architectural perspectives to my eyes.
 
Pierre from Sweden
Pierre from Sweden said:
Leading me to the conclusion:

The 21 Super Elmar, 35 Lux and 90 Cron is my 3 lens best combo for this family vacations to Hawaii. Only the 90 Cron is hard to find at this moment.
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As your priority is to have something up and running for the June holiday, it seems you have to make some compromises.

I think you could have a wonderful time even with a base kit of a M9 and a 35mm summilux. Anything else is a bonus.

Waiting will May 10th to see what's new is a very risky strategy - there may be nothing new in the M line; the odds of you being able to get to the top of the queue are small ; lens availability will get worse if there is a M10 etc.

I think you need to buy that M9 and 35 summilux ( and 21 ) on Tuesday - then spend the next couple of months getting to know it, practicing your technique and post processing. So when you do go your get the best from it.

In the months before you go, if you shop around, you will be able to find many 50mm and 90mm lenses - they don't have to be your first choice, Leica or new. If you buy used you can always sell them again for very little loss ( think of it as a lease )
 
That's not how you buy Leica lenses.
Buy one, get to know it, love it
Buy the next after this

I have done entire travel on a 50mm (although normally a 28mm and a 50mm)

What is your favourite focal length ?
Mine is 50mm.

Buy the 50mm f1.4 and revel in sharp edge to edge at f1.4 and the beautiful draw.
Take your time
Relax
Have a cigar
Leica is all about capturing the moment of life.
Best Rgds
 
The Summulux 50, in Silver of course.

Spectacular, took me awhile to get and I ain't ever letting it go!
 
i've shot with leica M film cameras for years (alongside SLRs and lately electronic TTL cameras) and found that it's unusual i need more than two or three lenses. of course, i have ten because i'm just as foolish as many others.

with the M9, since i bought this body, i've taken just a couple of photos with a 21, a couple dozen with a 28, a whole bunch with a 35 and 40, and a growing whole bunch with a 50. i've made three with a 135 and ten with a 90. wider than 21 (i've tried both 16 and 18 mm in the past) i never use.

best to be simple. pick a lens or two and work with them a while. seems you've decided to go with a 90 for sure. go for it then, add a 35 or a 50.

really doesn't matter too much which, they're all good lenses. once you get comfortable with them, add another lens. swap for a different one if you think you might like it better too. the less equipment you have, the more you can forget about choosing what to use ... you can think more about what to photograph.

z
 
Thank you all for your generous help and advice.

I am now decided on 4 lenses.

Leica Super Elmar-M 21/3,4 Asph
Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1,4 ASPH
Leica Summilux-M 50/1,4 Asph
Leica APO-Summicron-M 90/2,0 Asph

I will buy the 35 Lux and the 21 Super Elmar as soon as the shops open on Tuesday morning.
I will also put myself on waiting lists for the M10.
I will wait until after the 10May before buying a M9 or a M9-P.

The black M9/M9-P is more discrete and black aluminum lenses weigh less.

M9-P same camera as the M9 better screen protection, removed red dot and 5000kr more. Hmm,strange choice to make.

Reading this tells me that a M10 is really coming 10May2012.
http://leicarumors.com/2012/04/10/shortage-of-leica-m9-sensors.aspx/

Best Regards
Pierre
 
Four lenses is two too many to start out with. It will keep you from concentrating on taking photographs. Get a 28+50 or 35+75.

Even if you insist on getting a collection of lenses, take only one or two when you grab the camera to go out to take photographs.

And it is unlikely -albeit not impossible- an M10 will be announced on May 10th. The Photokina is a far more suitable platform. At any rate I will try and post from my iPhone during the event.

And even if it is, it is by no means certain that it will appeal to M9 lovers - it may be aimed at a wholly different customer base.
--
Jaap
 
Btw, I don't think there is one dealer keeping waitinglists for vaporware....
--
Jaap
 
Great choice...

Cheers.
Pierre from Sweden said:
Thank you all for your generous help and advice.

I am now decided on 4 lenses.

Leica Super Elmar-M 21/3,4 Asph
Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1,4 ASPH
Leica Summilux-M 50/1,4 Asph
Leica APO-Summicron-M 90/2,0 Asph

I will buy the 35 Lux and the 21 Super Elmar as soon as the shops open on Tuesday morning.
I will also put myself on waiting lists for the M10.
I will wait until after the 10May before buying a M9 or a M9-P.

The black M9/M9-P is more discrete and black aluminum lenses weigh less.

M9-P same camera as the M9 better screen protection, removed red dot and 5000kr more. Hmm,strange choice to make.

Reading this tells me that a M10 is really coming 10May2012.
http://leicarumors.com/2012/04/10/shortage-of-leica-m9-sensors.aspx/

Best Regards
Pierre
Click to expand...
 
Today I bought:

Leica M9-P
Leica Super Elmar-M 21/3,4 Asph
Leica Summilux-M 35 mm f/1,4 ASPH

Waiting for:
Leica Summilux-M 50/1,4 Asph
Leica APO-Summicron-M 90/2,0 Asph

Best Regards
Pierre
 
very nice - may your wait for the other lenses be short.
 
I really hope to get the 90 Cron before we leve for our vacation.

My wife thinks that 21-35-90 is all we really need. She got me thinking.

Do I need the 50 Lux?

Much less cost, one less lens to carry and far less lens changes in the field, less missed pics changing lenses, and less dust on the CCD are all mayor reasons to pause at these 3 great lenses. Less is more!

With no 50 Lux The 35 Lux will be on my M9-P for 80-90% of the time.

For the last year I have used a X100 nearly exclusively, not even touching my DSLR and many lenses for months. Did I miss the 50? Not really, some of my pics are less tightly framed.

I have talked myself in to this now, I think I will wait with the 50 Lux to se If I really need it.

Best Regards
Pierre

PS My M9-P is still in its box :( Terribly cold and rainy weather and I am in bed with fever. All I did today was to reed most of the M9 manual and I have also charged the battery. DS
 
Well the 50lux is a real gem IMO. I like to use as stand alone lems when traveling.

and produces wonderful bokeh and this 3D effect. The 90AA would do so but it big and heavy.

Before getting the M9, I was like you and used a 5D2 with mainly 35L, 85L and 70-200f2.8 and Now I use the M9 with 50lux and 35cron.
I have also the 90 elmarit but don't like the 90mm on the M. for me to travel
M9+50lux (+35 or for some 28mm) is a simple as to go.

I only kept w/ my 5D2 the 70-200L f2.8 IS if I need to shoot fast. for portrait anyways the 50lux will be a great one.. see my recent post

I feel you're going too fast in getting many lenses. try to get them one by ones.

the rangefinder approach is different than with DSLR and that's the beauty of it as I feel it forces to better compose.
Pierre from Sweden said:
I really hope to get the 90 Cron before we leve for our vacation.

My wife thinks that 21-35-90 is all we really need. She got me thinking.

Do I need the 50 Lux?

Much less cost, one less lens to carry and far less lens changes in the field, less missed pics changing lenses, and less dust on the CCD are all mayor reasons to pause at these 3 great lenses. Less is more!

With no 50 Lux The 35 Lux will be on my M9-P for 80-90% of the time.

For the last year I have used a X100 nearly exclusively, not even touching my DSLR and many lenses for months. Did I miss the 50? Not really, some of my pics are less tightly framed.

I have talked myself in to this now, I think I will wait with the 50 Lux to se If I really need it.

Best Regards
Pierre

PS My M9-P is still in its box :( Terribly cold and rainy weather and I am in bed with fever. All I did today was to reed most of the M9 manual and I have also charged the battery. DS
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--
Vadim
 
nice kit you decided on.

there's long been a debate over whether 50 or 35 mm is the 'right' focal length for a normal lens. if you 'see wide' more than you 'see tele', you tend to like the 35, otherwise you tend to like the 50. the choice is tricky, which is why i have 35, 40 and 50 mm lenses ... and i tend to use the 40 a little more than either of the others.

carrying less usually helps me more than having more choices to make when i'm shooting. so i only carry two or three lenses at most, and most often just one. i pick which one when i am getting ready to go shooting and stick with it.

nothing wrong with having lots of choices to work with as long as they don't get in the way. they do get in the way in the field, for me, so i reduce my choices by not carrying everything. saves my back/shoulder too.

z
 
50/2.0 Summicron vs 50/1.4 Summilux

Thanks vk2109 and zigorus,

I really like 50 and 35. I have used both as my only lens for long 4-6 weeks family vacations.

Having only the 50 at times I wished for a 35 for some shots especially when taking a few steps back simply was not possible, this made me miss some shots in old cities like Paris, at Eurodisney and at Efteling (theme park).

Having only the 35 I sometimes wished for my 50 but I never missed out on a shot as I could always take a few steps forward to get a better tighter framing.

50 vs 35 is an endless discussion. Both are near the real normal and I will eventually own both FLs as I like them both.

My wife now asks what is wrong with the little 50/2.0 Summicron?

Some say Half the price, smaller sharper and lighter than the 50/1.4 Summilux.

The two advantages of the Summilux that I find is: One stop faster at 1.4 and smooth boke.

Are there more advantages to the Summilux or the Summicron? Any disadvantages to either lens other than cost, size or weight?

Best Regards
Pierre
 
the thing with the 35mm is that we can use zone focusing..with the 50 is harder.

by having the 35 and 50 you don't really need both at summilux level...

35lux+50 cron or 35 cron+ 50lux could a nice combo at at lower cost

for DOF reason I prefer to have the lux on the 50mm.
Pierre from Sweden said:
50/2.0 Summicron vs 50/1.4 Summilux

Thanks vk2109 and zigorus,

I really like 50 and 35. I have used both as my only lens for long 4-6 weeks family vacations.

Having only the 50 at times I wished for a 35 for some shots especially when taking a few steps back simply was not possible, this made me miss some shots in old cities like Paris, at Eurodisney and at Efteling (theme park).

Having only the 35 I sometimes wished for my 50 but I never missed out on a shot as I could always take a few steps forward to get a better tighter framing.

50 vs 35 is an endless discussion. Both are near the real normal and I will eventually own both FLs as I like them both.

My wife now asks what is wrong with the little 50/2.0 Summicron?

Some say Half the price, smaller sharper and lighter than the 50/1.4 Summilux.

The two advantages of the Summilux that I find is: One stop faster at 1.4 and smooth boke.

Are there more advantages to the Summilux or the Summicron? Any disadvantages to either lens other than cost, size or weight?

Best Regards
Pierre
Click to expand...
--
Vadim
http://www.vadimkrisyan.com
 
Are you interested in collecting lenses or making worthwhile photographs? It's a question you might want to sincerely ask yourself. Buying gear like this because you just think you should have it, and always wondering which lens is 'better' is really more psychological than anything else. Ask yourself if it's really about making images or is it about something else?

You risk falling into a common consumerist trap of telling yourself you 'need' things, and allowing advertising and marketing mythology make your decisions for you.

It's amazing what can be accomplished with one lens, two feet, and a critical mind. Sometimes simplicity creates clear thinking and true brilliance. Just ask the Dalai Lama.
 
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