p.1 #4 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
In my case, architectural and cityscape photography almost always involves a shift lens. I have a full selection of Canon TS-E lenses that I have used frequently over the years, first on Canon bodies, then Sony, Fuji, etc. I can use them on the M11, but it's a bit of a headache to pre-set the aperture.
However, I have found that the older Nikon PC lenses are more than adequate and usually wide enough for most work. I have the newest versions of both the 35 and 28 (both from the 1980's if I recall). Both have manual apertures and are relatively compact. The 35 is a better lens, but the 28 is totally fine for most uses and is quite a bit wider. These lenses can usually be found for under $300. I have also had good luck with the Laowa 12-24 F/5.6 zoom lens when I need to go wide. This is an M mount zoom lens, so a bit of an oddity, but it is quite sharp at all focal lengths and pretty well corrected for distortion.
p.1 #5 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
josh-himes wrote:
In my case, architectural and cityscape photography almost always involves a shift lens. I have a full selection of Canon TS-E lenses that I have used frequently over the years, first on Canon bodies, then Sony, Fuji, etc. I can use them on the M11, but it's a bit of a headache to pre-set the aperture.
However, I have found that the older Nikon PC lenses are more than adequate and usually wide enough for most work. I have the newest versions of both the 35 and 28 (both from the 1980's if I recall). Both have manual apertures and are relatively compact. The 35 is a better lens, but the 28 is totally fine for most uses and is quite a bit wider. These lenses can usually be found for under $300. I have also had good luck with the Laowa 12-24 F/5.6 zoom lens when I need to go wide. This is an M mount zoom lens, so a bit of an oddity, but it is quite sharp at all focal lengths and pretty well corrected for distortion....Show more →
Hey Josh, I appreciate the insight into PC lenses, etc. ... I've also had Canon TS-E lenses.
BUT, that isn't the question.
This is specifically for use in the M mount (native mount, not adapted, etc.).
p.1 #6 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
RustyBug wrote:
What's your favorite M mount lens for architectural work?
Consideration to distortion, vignetting, etc. is of interest ... vs. computational reliance for corrections, etc.
Kent, I would have different lens choices depending on the focal length required for type of architectural photography I was doing. I think the perspective feature in Leica M cameras mostly negates the need for tilt shift lenses.
In the 21mm very wide range the SEM is fantastic.
In the 35mm or 50mm focal lengths the Leica APO Summicron M lenses are top level. The Voigtlander equivalents provide 95% of that level for a substantial cost savings.
I don't have a solution based on experience for focal lengths longer than that.
p.1 #7 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
RustyBug wrote:
Hey Josh, I appreciate the insight into PC lenses, etc. ... I've also had Canon TS-E lenses.
BUT, that isn't the question.
This is specifically for use in the M mount (native mount, not adapted, etc.).
It raises an interesting point though: how do you plan to deal with perspective distortion?
Since there are no native shift lenses, you‘ll probably have to fix it in post (and/or using the built-in perspective correction feature of newer Leica cameras). In this case it might make sense to look for a wider lens, as you’ll effectively or literally be cropping in, depending on the approach.
Imo a good rule of thumb is desired focal length for FOV / 1.5, to give you similar-ish perspective control to a true shift lens. So e.g a 15mm would be more or less similar to a 24mm shift lens.
Another concern is that objects at the edges of ultra wide lenses will always look unnaturally stretched. A matter of taste but personally I don’t like how buildings look towards the edges of <15mm lenses.. (this will also occur with longer focal lengths on shift lenses if they’re fully shifted btw)
I have chosen the 18mm Solinon as my ultra wide M lens as it‘s at the limit of what I think looks natural. It also has very low distortion. But I don’t shoot a lot of architecture either..
p.1 #8 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
If you do it professionally you need a shift lens, if not, I would pick 21 SEM. I used parallel to the 21 SEM the last version of Nikon PC 28 with adapter on M10. With the Nikon you can shift and have more from the building and less foreground - it`s a good lens. 18mm was too wide in my opinion and the Nikon is not sharp enough in the corners. I was using 80% of the time the 21 SEM and in very narrow situations the Nikon PC 28.
p.1 #9 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
The question isn't to find the best technical lens solution (I understand that involves movements) for professional architectural work ... just to be aware of the better M lens(es) options in this regard, that folks have found favor (or lack of disdain) with.
Maybe, if I asked a different way ... Which lenses do you like to use on a Leica M body (subset qualifier) that are least problematic when encountering architectural elements?
p.1 #11 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
RustyBug wrote:
The question isn't to find the best technical lens solution (I understand that involves movements) for professional architectural work ... just to be aware of the better M lens(es) options in this regard, that folks have found favor (or lack of disdain) with.
Maybe, if I asked a different way ... Which lenses do you like to use on a Leica M body (subset qualifier) that are least problematic when encountering architectural elements?
I visited two large cities recently--NYC and Mexico City--and traveled to each with different sets of lenses. For NYC, I took a 28mm Elmarit-M. Asph. and 50mm Summilux Asph. I used the Elmarit for 90% of my shots. I was trying to capture more context, conveying the sense of the space I was walking through, since I am fascinated by the way architecture/spatial design shapes our movement. I found the 28mm not wide enough in some of the photos I took. I was tilting the camera too much to capture the buildings around me. This led to excessively converging vertical lines, which is not always desirable in architectural photography features.
For Mexico City, I traveled with a 21mm f/2.8 Zeiss Biogon and a 35mm Summilxu pre-asph. I shot the lenses equally. With the 21mm, I was able to be "in" the space as I was photographing it. Less craning, less vertical line convergence. I don't have a lot of experience shooting a 21mm, but walking through the the José Vasconcelos Library, I felt that I was able to capture the vastness of the floating stacks as I ventured through a building that is beautifully illuminated by natural light.
I think it depends where you are and how much architectural space you are trying to capture, but a wider lens worked better for me. Probably a 24mm would also work well.
p.1 #12 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
Personally, I find that most if not all modern Leica-M wide angle lenses (WATE 16-18-21/4, SEM 21/3.5, and EM 24/3.8) with 6-bit coded, are all well behaved in terms of distortion, and vignetting, as well as for reliance for software corrections. I could not the same for some older M lenses, such as Elmarit 21/2.8 and Elmarit 28/2.8 V4, as their designs were more about center sharpness and environmental characteristics. For none 6-bit coded Zeiss ZM lenses, I really like the Biogon 25/2.8 and Biogon-C 21/4.5 (only for B&W M body). They have even smaller distortion compared with some of Leica lenses.
p.1 #13 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
RustyBug wrote:
The question isn't to find the best technical lens solution (I understand that involves movements) for professional architectural work ... just to be aware of the better M lens(es) options in this regard, that folks have found favor (or lack of disdain) with.
Maybe, if I asked a different way ... Which lenses do you like to use on a Leica M body (subset qualifier) that are least problematic when encountering architectural elements?
I don't care for distortion when shooting with film, so that was a big factor in first choosing the 35 f/2 Ultron, and then later the 35 f/2.8 Summaron.
p.1 #14 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
I'll second the Biogon 25/2.8. Significantly lower distortion than the Elmarit 24 and best in class flare resistance. I also think the Distagon 18/4 belongs on the list. At f/5.6, it's corner-to-corner sharp. Flare resistance is its biggest problem, and I only ever had problems with the sun at weird angles, never with artificial lighting, but, even there, it's not worse than the WATE or SEM 18. I picked up a gently used copy for my guy and his M11 as a stocking stuffer, and he's thrilled with it.
I'll cap off what's starting to read like a blue-dot fanboy post with the Biogons 35, both f/2.8 and f/2. Ultra low distortion on both, decent flare resistance, though I do recommend using the hood on the f/2. You can get some minor veiling flare in some scenarios, and, since you can't see it through the OVF, you can't hand shade around it effectively. By f/5.6, the f/2.8 lens is a little ahead in corner resolution, but I love the f/2 for its all-around performance.
p.1 #15 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
If you are using a film M or a Monochrom digital M body, the C Biogon 21/4.5 is hard to beat in terms of distortion control. It has practically zero distortion.
p.1 #17 · Favorite M mount lens for Architectural work ... ???
slavcho wrote:
If you do it professionally you need a shift lens, if not, I would pick 21 SEM. I used parallel to the 21 SEM the last version of Nikon PC 28 with adapter on M10. With the Nikon you can shift and have more from the building and less foreground - it`s a good lens. 18mm was too wide in my opinion and the Nikon is not sharp enough in the corners. I was using 80% of the time the 21 SEM and in very narrow situations the Nikon PC 28.
If you do it professionally this is probably the best digital tool. This and a digital back (Phase or Blad) but I think Kent mentioned Leica M. https://arca-swiss-usa.com/collections/m-line
