Lens for 28/35mm field of view on M8

[jenxi]

Hi,

I'm currently using a CV 35/1.4 on the M8. However, I'm looking for something wider to force myself to go closer when I shoot street. What affordable lenses would you recommend for the 28/35mm field of view? I don't need a fast lens for the type of shots I'm going for.

My concern is that it should bring up the right frame lines. The CV 21mm was the first lens I thought of but then I realised that the 21mm viewfinder would be useless.

[bonatto]

What's your budget?

[Lss]

Originally Posted by jenxi

My concern is that it should bring up the right frame lines. The CV 21mm was the first lens I thought of but then I realised that the 21mm viewfinder would be useless.

But you can use it with a 28mm viewfinder.

For the 35mm equivalent angle, you are either looking at the 24/25mm lenses (a bit wider than 35mm) or a 28 (a bit narrower than 35mm). These lenses come at various speeds, sizes, and prices.

[jsrockit]

Voigtlander 28mm 3.5 Color Skopar or 28mm Avenon 3.5 are both in the $500 range and have good ergonomics.

[IEDEI]

i just bought a later model E60 21mm Elmarit pre-ASPH and it is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic.

I felt no need to buy a viewfinder. the complete viewfinder on the M8 around the outer edges is perfect to see 21mm.

it's my new favourite lens....

[efix]

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8. Super sharp, contrasty, great colours. Loved it on my M8. It's "only" 2.8, so if you want to go faster, you'll need to resort to the Voigtländer Ultron (2.0 or 1.9). Also from Voigtländer is the 25/4, which is small but slow, and brand new the 21/1.8 (yes, f/1.8!), which is fast but huge.

Coincidentally, my Biogon is up for sale here in the classifieds ;-)

EDIT: Just noticed JSU beat me to the Ultron.

[IEDEI]

Originally Posted by JSU

24/25mm equates to about a 33mm FoV and with the M8.2 is the widest set of marks in the camera's viewfinder.

with my 21mm Elmarit, i can see the 28mm view on the edges of the viewfinder...perfectly! There are no lines, but there IS a line (the edge!)

[Roger Hicks]

Having gone through this when I got my M8, I found (to my surprise) that I preferred 21mm (=28mm, even though I don't like 28mm on full-frame) to 28mm (=37mm, which I found disquietingly longer than 35mm, despite the trivial difference) but I was gritting my teeth to by a 24 Summilux (=32mm) when the M9 appeared, thereby saving me money. Well, for a given value of 'saving'. I found the 21/2.8 Kobalux/Pasinon/etc. excellent. For several pics taken with this lens on an M8, see http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/m8.html

Cheers,

R.

[DwF]

I agree the CV 28 3.5 is a wonderful lens and it handles really well. The 21 Elmarit (pre-asph) is one of the real sleepers on the Leica lens market. I always enjoyed having mine on my M8. It's a great lens, bigger than some but handles very nicely on the M body; invaluable focal length in the city and will encourage you to get closer in.

My two cents.
david

[jenxi]

Thanks for all the recommendation! I'll have to see if I can get my hands on these lenses to give the a try.

Originally Posted by Lss

But you can use it with a 28mm viewfinder.

For the 35mm equivalent angle, you are either looking at the 24/25mm lenses (a bit wider than 35mm) or a 28 (a bit narrower than 35mm). These lenses come at various speeds, sizes, and prices.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by jsrockit

Voigtlander 28mm 3.5 Color Skopar or 28mm Avenon 3.5 are both in the $500 range and have good ergonomics.

That's a good price range

Originally Posted by IEDEI

i just bought a later model E60 21mm Elmarit pre-ASPH and it is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaantastic.

I felt no need to buy a viewfinder. the complete viewfinder on the M8 around the outer edges is perfect to see 21mm.

it's my new favourite lens....

So the 21mm on it frames it just nice? Would it be tricky to anticipate people moving into the frame?

Originally Posted by efix

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8. Super sharp, contrasty, great colours. Loved it on my M8. It's "only" 2.8, so if you want to go faster, you'll need to resort to the Voigtländer Ultron (2.0 or 1.9). Also from Voigtländer is the 25/4, which is small but slow, and brand new the 21/1.8 (yes, f/1.8!), which is fast but huge.

Coincidentally, my Biogon is up for sale here in the classifieds ;-)

EDIT: Just noticed JSU beat me to the Ultron.

I don't need fast. I'm happy to shoot at f/4 or smaller. Thanks for the recommendation!

Originally Posted by IEDEI

with my 21mm Elmarit, i can see the 28mm view on the edges of the viewfinder...perfectly! There are no lines, but there IS a line (the edge!)

That's great! I would prefer to have some space before the line so I can see people walking into the frame but I guess I'll have to compromise.

Originally Posted by Roger Hicks

Having gone through this when I got my M8, I found (to my surprise) that I preferred 21mm (=28mm, even though I don't like 28mm on full-frame) to 28mm (=37mm, which I found disquietingly longer than 35mm, despite the trivial difference) but I was gritting my teeth to by a 24 Summilux (=32mm) when the M9 appeared, thereby saving me money. Well, for a given value of 'saving'. I found the 21/2.8 Kobalux/Pasinon/etc. excellent. For several pics taken with this lens on an M8, see http://www.rogerandfrances.com/subscription/m8.html

Cheers,

R.

I would love to be able to move to the M9, since I already have a 35mm. But I'm not able to right now. Hmmm... so the 28mm would be a bit troublesome to use on the M8 since there's no exact frame lines for it. Am I right to say that?

[jsrockit]

Originally Posted by jenxi

Hmmm... so the 28mm would be a bit troublesome to use on the M8 since there's no exact frame lines for it. Am I right to say that?

No, on the M8, there are framelines for everything down to 24mm. Unless you mean framelines for a 28mm equivilent (i.e. 21mm full frame lens).

[pieter]

You already have a 35mm. I wouldn't buy lens too close to that. 35mm is already less than 50mm. So the 28mm and even the 24mm are too close to it, imo. Go with a 21mm with a 28mm viewfinder.

Besides, when you eventually go full frame the 21mm is nice focal length next to a 35mm. Imo.

[emiguevara]

I also shot the M8 with a 21mm, a CV, and it works just great by using the whole viewfinder (the lens actually covers a bit more than the viewfinder shows). I recommend putting some black tape on the frame illumination window, so that the viewfinder appears totally free of unused framelines.
And I also recommend the CV 21mm: it is a great little lens! And very cheap too. The DOF is fantastic when shooting in the streets.

[jenxi]

Originally Posted by jsrockit

No, on the M8, there are framelines for everything down to 24mm. Unless you mean framelines for a 28mm equivilent (i.e. 21mm full frame lens).

I meant framelines for a 28mm lens. That would be around 37mm so I'll have to guesstimate a bit with the 35mm framelines... though now I wonder if it would bring up that particular set of framelines.

Originally Posted by pieter

You already have a 35mm. I wouldn't buy lens too close to that. 35mm is already less than 50mm. So the 28mm and even the 24mm are too close to it, imo. Go with a 21mm with a 28mm viewfinder.

Besides, when you eventually go full frame the 21mm is nice focal length next to a 35mm. Imo.

Hmmm... that's a very good point. Thanks a lot!

Originally Posted by emiguevara

I also shot the M8 with a 21mm, a CV, and it works just great by using the whole viewfinder (the lens actually covers a bit more than the viewfinder shows). I recommend putting some black tape on the frame illumination window, so that the viewfinder appears totally free of unused framelines.
And I also recommend the CV 21mm: it is a great little lens! And very cheap too. The DOF is fantastic when shooting in the streets.

Wow. I really need to give this lens a go to get a feel of it.

[efix]

Originally Posted by jenxi

I meant framelines for a 28mm lens. That would be around 37mm so I'll have to guesstimate a bit with the 35mm framelines... though now I wonder if it would bring up that particular set of framelines.

The '35mm' framelines on the M8 are activated when you use a 35mm lens, and they correspond to a 47mm-equivalent field-of-view. A 28mm lens on the M8 activates the 28mm framelines, which correspond to a 37mm-equivalent f-o-v. A propos 'guesstimating': the framelines are inaccurate anyway.

[maggieo]

This is what you want- a CV 21 and a CV 28 VF:


Leica M8 with LTM Voigtländer 21mm color skopar f/4.0 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

I made most of these photos with that rig:

21mm Voigtländer Color Skopar f/4

[jenxi]

Originally Posted by efix

The '35mm' framelines on the M8 are activated when you use a 35mm lens, and they correspond to a 47mm-equivalent field-of-view. A 28mm lens on the M8 activates the 28mm framelines, which correspond to a 37mm-equivalent f-o-v. A propos 'guesstimating': the framelines are inaccurate anyway.

Oh! Now it makes sense. =)

Originally Posted by maggieo

This is what you want- a CV 21 and a CV 28 VF:
Leica M8 with LTM Voigtländer 21mm color skopar f/4.0 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

I made most of these photos with that rig:

21mm Voigtländer Color Skopar f/4

As I scrolled down and saw the photo, a little voice in my head sounded... ahhhhh*

That's a very beautiful setup!

[twopointeight]

I use the 28mm Skopar on an M8.2. Not only is it very sharp and has character, it makes the form factor of body+lens feel small and easy to carry.

[Tom Niblick]

I used a 21mm Biogon on my M8 and loved the results. Unfortunately it gave me a serious red edge on my M9 so I sold this lens. Now, with the new firmware in place, I'm thinking or reacquiring both the 21 and another M8 as both a backup for my M9 and as a B&W/IR shooter. Yes, the CV 21 is smaller and half the price but the 21 Biogon is outstanding.

Perhaps someone who owned both could give their opinion.

[tajart]

Mmmmmm, like all of you, I've tried a variety wides on a variety of m bodies.
Having been a longtime fan of the 28 fov, I was reluctant to go to the 21, on film, but I tried it when the 21 Kobaluxes were readily available and ridiculously affordable. It's the same old song, why did I sell that one?
Then a certain Tom we all know and love introduced us to the 25 Skopar Snapshot as it was called early on. Not trusting my judgement with a non-coupled lens, I sold it, missed it, purchased another...sold it, again missed what it could do, and finally bought the current m-mount coupled version, even living in the light challenged pacnw, I've decided never to sell this one.
After missing the 21Kobalux and not being able to find another, I decided to try the CV 21, which was nice, but just didn't quite sing for me, especially after seeing what others were doing w the pre-asph 21 Elmarit. Eventually I found one and love what it does on the m8.
Someday I'll have the pleasure to try some Zeiss glass, but in the meantime I'm happy, and agree with comments by DwF, and IEDEI.

[Scheelings]

I second that - It's my favourite street lens on the M8. It's easy to use, it has fantastic warm colours - its simply superb - and it's smaller than the more famous 25mm Biogon. It has very nice Bokeh.

Highly recommend.

Originally Posted by efix

I can wholeheartedly recommend the Zeiss Biogon 28/2.8. Super sharp, contrasty, great colours. Loved it on my M8. It's "only" 2.8, so if you want to go faster, you'll need to resort to the Voigtländer Ultron (2.0 or 1.9). Also from Voigtländer is the 25/4, which is small but slow, and brand new the 21/1.8 (yes, f/1.8!), which is fast but huge.

Coincidentally, my Biogon is up for sale here in the classifieds ;-)

EDIT: Just noticed JSU beat me to the Ultron.

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Tom Niblick

I used a 21mm Biogon on my M8 and loved the results. Unfortunately it gave me a serious red edge on my M9 so I sold this lens. Now, with the new firmware in place, I'm thinking or reacquiring both the 21 and another M8 as both a backup for my M9 and as a B&W/IR shooter. Yes, the CV 21 is smaller and half the price but the 21 Biogon is outstanding.

Perhaps someone who owned both could give their opinion.

Yours would have been the Biogon 21mm f/4.5? the Biogon 21mm f/2.8 is free of the red edges, from what I've heard. The f/4.5 lens is very nice on the M8 (impossible on M9), and I use an external viewfinder intended for 28mm, giving me a nice view of the surroundings. A good viewfinder is worth the money...

I like the 25mm Biogon a lot on both M8 and M9, extremely fine lens, and on the M8 it's handy to have internal framelines for it. I'd say 25 would be a good companion for a 35...

[maggieo]

The latest firmware update makes the CV 21/4 perfectly usable on the M9, Doug. I've had nary a problem with it.

Example:


NSOC Fall Fling, November 11, 2012 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr


NSOC Fall Fling, November 11, 2012 by Maggie Osterberg, on Flickr

[Doug]

Thank you Maggie, good to hear, but that's a different lens...

[maggieo]

DOH! Sorry, long day and brain is fried! Utterly crispy.