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Archive 2011 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

AshNZ
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Folks,

I have some Nikon lenses for sale and I'm planning to pick up an M8 when it does sell. I've set myself a budget of $2000 for lenses. I currently have no M-mount glass and I probably wont look to add any for another 2 years. I'm definitely happy to buy used but I like decent condition gear - however with this budget maybe I should be looking at 'Bargain' stuff? I would like to use the M8 for landscape shots so I feel I need something relatively wide (or perhaps I just get a shorter lens and stitch?) and also 'everyday' and 'travel' photography.

Edit: I also value size, small is easier to travel with!

What would you get and why? 1 lens? 2, or more?

Thanks for you help!
Ash

Edited on Oct 11, 2011 at 11:26 PM · View previous versions

Oct 11, 2011 at 11:05 PM

redisburning
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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

zeiss 25mm biogon
zeiss 50mm f1.5 sonnar

that's what I would get with 2 grand though I haven't used either (or any m mount lense) so take that for what it's worth. I'd use the 25mm as a general purpose lens and the sonnar as a portrait lens.

Oct 11, 2011 at 11:23 PM

CVickery
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

I recently moved to an M8 and trust me $2,000 can disappear quickly on lenses. Based on my admittedly limited experience I'd suggest the following smaller, wider(<~50mm equiv) lenses:

ZM 21/4.5 - Sharp, colorful, flare resistant, but needs to be coded or use "cornerfix" ~$900
CV Color Skopar 28/3.5 - Sharp, decent color, vignettes ~$400
CV Color Skopar 35/2.5 - Sharp, decent color ~$300
Leica Summaron 35/3.5 - Sharp, well built, Leica color ~$600
Leica Summicron-C 40/2 - Sharp, well built, Leica color, look is similar to Summicron 35/2 pre ASPH ~$500 (great lens and real bargain, I'm selling mine soon, but only because I bought a Summicron 35/2 IV)

I'd also consider the ZM25/2.8 and ZM35/2.8 based on what I've seen, but I've not used them. The CV line also has some other nice lenses that seem good, but which I haven't used. Other sites of interest:
http://www.antiquecameras.net/home.html
http://www.reidreviews.com/index.html (paid site, but generally worth the money)

You need to think about which focal lengths you are likely to use and work from there to your budget. The M8 has 24/35, 28/90, 50/75 framelines but these should be used as a guidelines only since the framelines are approximate (ie the 35mm frameline works great with the 40mm lens)

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:05 AM

Ajay C
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

I recently acquired a CV 35/1.2 V2. Rendition is pretty close to Summicron 35/2, not as contrasty as the Leica lenses wide open, but most of the way there..

Also, you might get a better response if you posted this question on the Leica thread.

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:13 AM

najibs
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

FOr wide angle landscape shots like you're doing, look no further than the ZM 25/2.8. As a general purpose lens, add a ZM50/2, and you're set, all for under $2k.

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:17 AM

Tariq Gibran
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Ok, I'll play as a non Leica M owner.

Buy the Leica Elmarit M 28 2.8. It will use up all your allotted money new or two thirds of it used (use the difference to buy a wider CV used lens perhaps). Why? A friend of mine, who is a true Leica nut, claims the combo of this lens and the M8 is magic. He even misses the combination as compared to his M9 and anything mounted on it. This 28 will offer you a moderate wide on the M8 which should cover all the uses you mention perfectly. If you find you do need something wider, pick up an inexpensive CV as a second lens. Buying the Leica will not leave you always wondering if your getting the most out of your camera!

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:25 AM

kosmoskatten
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p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Tariqs advice on the Leica Elmarit M28/2.8 is good. It works really well on the M8.

I would give another vote for the Zeiss ZM25/2.8. It works great on the M8. I have it on the M9 and it is a stunning lens. Pretty much any of the ZM lenses would be a good bet. Voigtländers I have very limited experience with but I would choose lenses that would work well on full frame and not only on crop.

I have the Zeiss ZM 18/4, the ZM25/2.8 and the ZM 50/2. All work well on crop/full frame and the latter two fits your budget well.

/ Henrik

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:31 AM

CVickery
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p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

I'd concur with the advice on the Leica 28/2.8 Elmarit Aspherical. Tiny size and IQ looks great. However, be aware earlier versions were bigger and didn't have quite the IQ of the the Aspherical. I had an opportunity to compare an earlier version with my CV Ultron 28/1.9 (which I didn't include above since it's a 'larger' lens). The Leica with it's hood was larger, just over a stop slower, and the IQ was similar to the CV28/1.9...with perhaps the edge going to the CV Ultron (Note..this was a quick test only)

Oct 12, 2011 at 12:50 AM

AshNZ
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p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

So general consensus so far, is a strong recommendation to look at the ZM 25 or the Leica 28 2.8 ASPH. I really like that the 28 has so little distortion.

Denoir (Luka) had a great ZM 35 2 vs 35 Leica 1.4 comparison that really helped my understand the different rendering of the two lenses - hopefully I can find something similar for the ZM 25 vs Leica 28

Perhaps I could look to add a 15mm or 18mm for wide shots.

My cropped 'kit' would be:
28mm = 37mm
15mm = 20mm

As I'm not that interested in portraits this is definitely at the right end of the focal length spectrum for a starter kit. The other lenses suggested - I'll have to start researching!

Thanks for you input.
Ash

Oct 12, 2011 at 11:20 AM

Bijltje
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p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

For me 28mm is the must have focal length for the M8.
WIth only 2000 dollars budget I would pick the 28 elmarit ASPH since its a real joy to use (small and with focusknob) and has some real good performance.

But, if you want more than one lens the biogon 28 might be the better choise. I have had one and the performance were absolute outstanding. Now I have a 28 summicron, but to me the 28 biogon really was on par with it. Only it has less speed.
Together with the 28 biogon the 50 planar makes a nice set.

Oct 13, 2011 at 03:33 AM

AshNZ
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p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

I found a couple of shots of the 28 2.8 ASPH here: Link

I'm worried that this lens doesn't have the 'Leica Look' that I see so readily in the 28 Cron or 35 Lux/Cron. However, I really haven't found too many 28 Elmarit ASPH shots to confirm or deny as of yet

Now I'm woundering if I go for an older faster lens in the same focal range...
Again, the small size does really appeal to me!

Oct 14, 2011 at 10:06 AM

carstenw
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p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

The 28/2.8 ASPH is very sharp, but is more contrasty than the 28 Cron, and thus closer to Zeiss lenses than many Leica lenses. It doesn't really have any faults though, just a different rendering style.

Oct 14, 2011 at 02:06 PM

Brody LeBlanc
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p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

I recently made the move to rangefinder shooting. About two months ago I purchased an m8 and was faced with the same problem of trying to find affordable glass. Due to my budget I couldn't really afford to spend much but I'm pretty happy with what I ended up with. Started with a Zeiss 25 f2.8 then got a Jupiter-8 50/2 (just for kicks) and I'm currently waiting on the CV 35/1.2 II to arrive. The Zeiss 25/2.8 is honestly a great lens as everyone has said, I've also heard great things about the Zeiss 28/2.8 and have seen reviews saying it's arguably better than the Leica countpart. The main reason why I'm getting the 35/1.2 II is for the lowlight capibilities, the 25/2.8 is a fairly bright lens but I found myself wanting a lens with a bit more light-gathering abilities. It'd be amazing to see Zeiss put out some wide angle f1.4 lenses for the zm line.

Oct 14, 2011 at 02:27 PM

lovinglife
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p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Look on craigslist. Try to find a 35mm summicron asph for that price.. you may need to wait but they are there.

Oct 15, 2011 at 10:35 AM

JimBuchanan
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p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

najibs wrote:
FOr wide angle landscape shots like you're doing, look no further than the ZM 25/2.8. As a general purpose lens, add a ZM50/2, and you're set, all for under $2k.

ditto, and possibly a little cheaper.

Oct 15, 2011 at 07:22 PM

AshNZ
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p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Update; Still no M8 yet (but that should be resolved soon)

Looks like I have ended up buying a 28 Summicron. Completely out of my 'budget'! I hope this isn't a habit (but I think it will be). I fussed and fussed over the 28 Elmirat ASPH but never really found photos that excited me. I doesn't seem to have a very unique Leica 'look' or rendering. Obviously the maximum f stop of 2.8 doesn't help with that.

The two lenses that stood out to me upon a lot of research are the 28 summicron and the 35 Lux. The Lux ASPH being even more expensive I have gone for the cron. My plan (at this stage) will be an M8 with a 28 cron, 75 cron (or lux) and maybe something wide like the 18 or 21 much later. Like all things in life, plans can change but this is where I am now.

Nov 13, 2011 at 10:52 PM

najibs
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p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Start with the 28, and once you use it a bit, see what your needs become...

Nov 14, 2011 at 12:05 AM

h00ligan
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p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

lovinglife wrote:
Look on craigslist. Try to find a 35mm summicron asph for that price.. you may need to wait but they are there.

I just saw an 8+ go for $1795 from a large retailer...I was annoyed because it was gone when I went to buy it. :/

Nov 14, 2011 at 12:07 AM

CVickery
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p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Sweet lens....congrats.

Nov 14, 2011 at 12:12 AM

Bijltje
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p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · $2000 glass budget for M8 - help!

Not really 2000 dollar budget any more, but great choice! And trust me, it will be a habit for sure

Nov 14, 2011 at 04:21 AM

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