carstenw wrote:
You could fit your entire M kit inside the 135L, including Leica M9 and three lenses Okay, not the M9, but the three lenses.
Haha I know. It's just that I would probably only use a lens that long in certain situations, and in those situations, the extra bulk isn't the end of the world, and AF would be useful.
I've been keeping an eye out for a good price on a 90 pre-APO, but haven't seen one. Heck, even the price on used 90 APOs has gone up quite a bit. And there are other things I should spend that money on (a new monitor, etc.). But if I found one for $1500-1600, I'd break and buy it.
Luka, great shots! Beautiful rendering you are getting from the ZM 35/2. You have definitely changed my view on this lens.
Joakim, nice shots
Shaun, excellent shots. I love the colours and feel to the shots
I'm with you Carsten, the 90 AA definitely has magic to it. I also have the 90 Elmarit and I find it very sharp, but sterile. There are a number of earlier portraits, I took with it, and the shots were missing something IMO. I know Ashwin Rao is also a very strong advocate for the 90AA, and his shots do demonstrate the magic of this lens.
I also have the CV 50/1.1 Nokton, can be very sharp but still no comparison to the 50 Lux. I still find I am not picking up the 50/1.1, so intuitively it tells me, something is lacking in the feel I am looking for. Maybe I really need to learn how to use this lens properly.
Another important note, is if you searching for a second hand 50 Lux Asph, there quite a difference between the chrome and black versions. Unknowingly, I found the chrome version and being very scarce, I grabbed it. The chrome version is made of solid brass, very well made, but is about 120 gms heavier than the black version. This may or may not be an issue. I find the chrome 50 Lux Asph, an amazing piece of engineering, somewhat heavier, which I did not want, but it is fine.
Bijltje wrote:
Can't you just code the lens as 18 super elmar to avoid the colorshift? The coded 18 SE does't have problems on my m8 , and I can't inmagine it would on the m9.
I used the zeiss shortly when I was deciding between the leica and zeiss, it was uncoded and didn't give me any problems, but this was only for day, and offcourse on a cropsensor.
This slipped back a few pages, but I wanted to respond First, you can't just code with similar focal lengths; the corrections are for vignetting and color drift, and while two lenses of similar focal *might* be similar, they can be of quite different optical design, and therefore have quite different patterns of color shift. You also can't compare experiences on the M8 with the M9--they are totally different. That little extra bit of sensor in the M9 is vastly different due to the angle of incidence of the light rays.
As an example: The Zeiss 21/2.8 ZM is a great lens on the M9 with no red edge issues, even uncoded. On the other hand, the Zeiss 21/4.5 is awful on the M9 (although just fine on the M8)--terrible red edge issues, and you can't correct it no matter how you code the lens. Identical focal lengths; totally different designs and results.
In the M9, the camera profile with the most correction for red edge issues is the 21mm f/2.8 Elmarit-M pre-ASPH 11134. That profile will correct many other lenses well; for example, it can almost entirely correct the color drift of the Voigtländer 12mm.
Excellent blog Jeff! I will be interested in your 50/1.1 Nokton test comparisons on the M9.
My experience has been, the lens is suprisingly sharp at f/1.4 with a larger than expected DOF. This was also confirmed by Camera Clinic when they did the calibration check. Still not too sure about the feel and rendering of the 50/1.1 Nokton. I will revisit taking a variety of shots again, as it is a very interesting lens.
Yes I had the dreaded red edge issue, using the ZM 25/2.8 when I used the coding for 24/2.8 Asph rather than the 28 Elmarit Asph. It is not obvious which manual coding to select.
Joakim: Nice long exposure. How do you set the shutter speed on the M9 to 32 seconds? My dial only goes up to 8
By the way, I see that you are using both your 1DsIII and M9 on a regular basis. You've had them both for a while together so I'm wondering what your policy is on using them - i.e. how do you choose when to use one or the other?
Shaun: Cool film photos. Speaking of film, I should probably amend my statements about Leica and Zeiss rendering. On film I actually prefer Leica over Zeiss but the other way around on digital.
Charles: I think however that you were right about the 35/2. It does have a somewhat lower contrast compared to for instance the 35/2 ZE. I would say that it's perhaps a bit closer to the 28/2. I don't mind though as I'm not really looking to duplicate my 5DII Zeiss lens set.
I've run into two issuses with the M9, both annoying neither critical. One is that it tends to blow yellows and greens resulting in poor color separation. This can be remedied simply by lowering the luminance on those colors. Canon has a similar issue with reds. I think primarily it's a poor RAW conversion algorithm rather than the sensor that is responsible for it.
The second issue is that on average every two seconds I manage to smudge the !@##%! viewfinder and/or range finder window. As a result it loses contrast and focusing is much more difficult. I really need to find a way to hold the camerea without touching the glass.
My 25/2.8 and 50/1.5 are coming today (yay!) and I'll try to get some quality time with them. The problem is that it becomes very dark vary fast these days here in Stockholm. Sun rise is about 08:00 and sun set about 17:00. I have a lot of stuff going on at work right now so finding time to go out and shoot has become problematic.
Shaun, great set. The fourth one is my favourite, very nicely captured.
Luka, I totally agree that it is getting really hard get some decent light this time of the year. The red jacket the guy is wearing in the first photo is really what makes the whole photo. Well captured.
Luka, really nice shots! I am really liking your shots with the ZM 35/2 I really like #1 and 3.
Yes, with respect to smudging the RF window, you will learn quickly I still occasionally have this problem and I keep a lens micro fibre cloth in my pocket.
It is best to modify and keep the RAW camera profiles in ACR to suit yourself. Overall you will get much better results. Hopefully with the Adobe updates there will be better RAW correction algorithms.
Then of course you can modify to suit the effect you prefer. I am finding the latest embedded profile quite reasonable now with some adjustments. Of course you calibrate the colour profile using Colour checker passport from Xrite. Very easy and very accurate also. Here is the link to the blog: X Rite Colour Checker Passport
Yeah I think you offer up very valid and easy to digest advice.
I have to stop thinking of the M9 as a do all camera. It really isn't, which is why I'm scraping the idea of a 90, I have my 100MPZE and an 85ZE that I'm perfectly happy with for that kinda of work. And I think the 50Lux offers up some nice shallow DOF for when I wanna do some portrait type work.
The 28cron is a nice idea, but I don't even know if the 50Lux would ever leave my camera if I stuck it on. So I'm gonna scrap the idea of the 28cron pickup a 28CV and see how much I use it. If 28 is really a love love FL on the M9, I'll pick up the 28cron down the road when I have the funds...
Oh and about the bag...
You're missing out on all those "is that a lens in your pocket or are you just happy to see me jokes". I'd miss a lot of one liners if I stuck my lenses in a bag. They're going in the pockets, I'll just wear some comfort fit jeans if I have to (gasp).
Thanks again for the your suggestions, I think I'll start looking for a 50asph..
kidtexas wrote:
The 28 Summicron is smaller than the 50 Summicron, about the same diameter (if I recall correctly) but shorter. It does have a big hood, but the lens itself is pretty small. It's my favorite lens, but I really like the focal length.
I've not used the 28 Ultron myself, but I've heard rumblings of it having focus shift which can be a real pain in the butt for a digital shooter. How true that is, I don't know. It looks like a good value for the money, though if you can handle a slower lens, the 28/3.5 is tiny and reasonably priced. Also maybe the Hexanon 28/2.8.
When I had the 50 Summicron, I decided I wanted a faster 50 and picked up a Nikkor 50/1.4 for real cheap. It was a lot of fun (still have it) but too old school for regular use for me. f/1.4 was too inconsistent as well; I wanted a different fast 50. I ended up selling the Summicron and some other SLR lenses to fund a used 50 ASPH and i haven't looked back since. Fantastic lens. I'd much rather have it than a 50 Summicron + 50/1.1. That's close to 2k right there (or more). It's bigger than the 50 Summicron, but not awkwardly large.
If 50 is your primary focal length, and you like the look of the ASPH and don't want more 'character' (i.e. pre-ASPH 50), I would highly recommend the lens. Possibly the only one you'd need.
I personally wouldn't put any of these lenses in my jeans pocket. Once the rear cap is on, it'd be too bulky for me. I'd rather put them in a small bag.
As for 90's, I have the 90 macro. f/4 is fast enough for me and I like that it collapses. I toyed with the idea of getting a 90/2, either APO or pre, but I can't really justify them. They are big lenses so I'd probably just leave them at home most of the time. Anyway, when I need the extra stops, 99.9% of the time I'm going to go for a 50/1.4. It's more hand holdable (worth about a stop in my book) and is also stop faster than f/2. But that's just me. I'd be much better off picking up a Canon 135/2 L for much cheaper....Show more →
adamdewilde wrote:
You're missing out on all those "is that a lens in your pocket or are you just happy to see me jokes". I'd miss a lot of one liners if I stuck my lenses in a bag. They're going in the pockets, I'll just wear some comfort fit jeans if I have to (gasp).
Hehe, you might get that with the 28 Cron or 50 Lux ASPH, but if you put the 90AA in there, it would be "where can we find a room, fast?"
Adam, I don't think the 50 Lux Asph will dissapoint you....may not have the same impact in your pocket as the 90AA, but I am sure the 50 Lux will be stuck on the M9 anyway
charles.K wrote:
Luka, great shots! Beautiful rendering you are getting from the ZM 35/2. You have definitely changed my view on this lens.
Joakim, nice shots
Shaun, excellent shots. I love the colours and feel to the shots
I'm with you Carsten, the 90 AA definitely has magic to it. I also have the 90 Elmarit and I find it very sharp, but sterile. There are a number of earlier portraits, I took with it, and the shots were missing something IMO. I know Ashwin Rao is also a very strong advocate for the 90AA, and his shots do demonstrate the magic of this lens.
I also have the CV 50/1.1 Nokton, can be very sharp but still no comparison to the 50 Lux. I still find I am not picking up the 50/1.1, so intuitively it tells me, something is lacking in the feel I am looking for. Maybe I really need to learn how to use this lens properly.
Another important note, is if you searching for a second hand 50 Lux Asph, there quite a difference between the chrome and black versions. Unknowingly, I found the chrome version and being very scarce, I grabbed it. The chrome version is made of solid brass, very well made, but is about 120 gms heavier than the black version. This may or may not be an issue. I find the chrome 50 Lux Asph, an amazing piece of engineering, somewhat heavier, which I did not want, but it is fine....Show more →
Thanks Charles, good to know about the weight, and build quality, but honestly I'm a black M9 user, so the lenses would have to be black. I'm picky about such things
Okay, not the M9, but the three lenses.
