How do you feel about 24mm (84º diagonal)?

b.espahbod · 03-25-2009

How do you feel about 24mm (84º diagonal)?
does anyone have any sample pictures, I have absolutely no experience with this focal length.

notturtle · 03-25-2009

I feel it is somewhere between 28 and 21

which is a good thing if you want to simplify things and accompany the 24/5 with a 35. For film use, I would not add it to a 21 and 28 however as it then becomes marginal. The reason why I presently use 21 and 28 is that I can use the latter with most M bodies (0.72 or preferably 0.58) and the former with a finder. The 24 would otherwise be appealing but using the entire 0.58 finder or acquiring a R4A/M are not ideal solutions as they are either less clean or require yet more spending. For M8 users the 24 sounds ideal....

The new Leica 24 3.8 performs spectacularly, but then again you can buy a 28 Zm and a 21 4.5 (plus finder) for the same money (well, less if you get a CV finder). If you already have a 28, adding a 21 makes some sense rather than going for a 24 due to the finder issue. If leica produced a 0.52 or similar body I would be all over 24mm, but that is not going to happen now is it!

hans voralberg · 03-25-2009

Used to love it with the 25/2.8 Biogon. Now I use the 21mm

waileong · 03-25-2009

24 mm is a great focal length for indoor shots where 35 or even 28 mm is too cramped. It's as wide as one can get without worrying about a spirit level.

figfoto · 03-25-2009

When I was shooting film I had the 24mm on one m6 and the 35mm on the other, 90mm in bag. The 24mm for me was wide enough, very sharp [even wide open] handled distortion very well.
It now lives on the M8, kind of like a 'wide 35mm' with the 1.5 crop factor, so I could see myself in the future getting the new 18mm for the wide shots. I still find that lens even on the M8 indispensable.
I have quite a few pics taken with the 24mm with film and M8 on the gallery.

Ronald M · 03-25-2009

Notturtle repeated my opinion.

You don`t want a 21 24 28 35, but 24 35 works for me.

Unless you need a fast lens, 24 CV will do ya, small and cheap. There is a RF coupled version now, but I wanted a screwmount lens as it is universal. If you can`t scale focus a 24, hang up the camera bag.

Pickett Wilson · 03-25-2009

I like the 24 - 35 - 50 combination. And my most used zoom on FF DSLR is the 24-70. Any wider than 24 and you really have to pay attention to edges.

peter_n · 03-25-2009

The choice of a focal length is really very personal. I came to the 24 from the 21, a focal length I didn't like after working with it for about two years. I immediately loved the 24 and use it quite a bit. I think the thing that bothered me about the 21 was that you have to fill up the foreground so you need to go looking for subject matter that suits the lens (perhaps the wider you go the more true this is). The 24 is a lot more suited to happenstance as you're wandering around.

If you want to try the lens there are plenty to fit a RF. CV has two, the LTM and the M-mount, Zeiss makes the 25, and Leica makes three 24mm lenses. I use the 24/2.8 Elmarit and I'm thinking seriously about getting the new 24mm Summilux. I want to see more pictures first though. My main use of the 24 is as a third lens when I'm traveling. My travel kit is a 35 and a 75 and the 24 is there for scenes that are a bit too wide for the 35.

If you want to see some really excellent pictures using the focal length take a look at the book Invasion 68: Prague by Josef Koudelka, just about all of those pictures were taken with a 25mm CZJ Flektogon. Below are a few shots from my Elmarit taken on a recent trip to Berlin:

Livesteamer · 03-25-2009

I don't have a 24mm for my Leicas but I have an old Nikon 24mm f2.8 that is one of my all time favorites. If you compose the shot carefully it will not look wide but will cover a wide angle. If you tilt it a little it can look really wide. A great lens available for little money. Someday I will get one for my Leica but first I want a good 21mm since I already have the Nikon 24mm. Good Luck, Joe

Erik L · 03-26-2009

very practical but i dont have a wider lens to compare to

bastian a. · 03-26-2009

I like 24mm very much. On an SLR and RF it is a very good addition to 35mm and/or 50mm and it is not too wide / too special (a 21mm sometimes is much harder to handle).

B.

Larry Manuel · 03-26-2009

I suggest buying a relatively inexpensive one [ Voigtlander 25mm f/4] and try if for a whole year. Then decide if you like it. I used one for several years as my only lens. Then I bought a new ASPH f/2.8 Leica 28mm. There's no way I could afford a Leica 24mm; but I'd love one.

If, after a year, you don't like it, the resale value is quite high.

Keith · 03-26-2009

[quote=peter_n;1020369]The choice of a focal length is really very personal. I came to the 24 from the 21, a focal length I didn't like after working with it for about two years. I immediately loved the 24 and use it quite a bit. I think the thing that bothered me about the 21 was that you have to fill up the foreground so you need to go looking for subject matter that suits the lens (perhaps the wider you go the more true this is). The 24 is a lot more suited to happenstance as you're wandering around.

If you want to try the lens there are plenty to fit a RF. CV has two, the LTM and the M-mount, Zeiss makes the 25, and Leica makes three 24mm lenses. I use the 24/2.8 Elmarit and I'm thinking seriously about getting the new 24mm Summilux. I want to see more pictures first though. My main use of the 24 is as a third lens when I'm traveling. My travel kit is a 35 and a 75 and the 24 is there for scenes that are a bit too wide for the 35.

If you want to see some really excellent pictures using the focal length take a look at the book Invasion 68: Prague by Josef Koudelka, just about all of those pictures were taken with a 25mm CZJ Flektogon. Below are a few shots from my Elmarit taken on a recent trip to Berlin:

Peter ... please tell me more about pic 3 ... that is spectacular art!

raid · 03-26-2009

I liked the 24mm les for SLR use in the past, and now I like to use my CV 25mm/4. Tihe 24/25 mm is a real wide angle lens without excessive distortion.

Trius · 03-26-2009

I am 180deg opposite from Peter ... after years of shooting a 21, I acquired two 24s, and just cannot work with that angle of view. For whatever reason, I cannot get good framing, and I get more distortion with the 24s. Granted, the 21 is very well corrected, but still. And I have no issue with 28mm. YMMV.

peter_n · 03-26-2009

Yep, lens choice is very personal. You have to try everything for yourself.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith

Peter ... please tell me more about pic 3 ... that is spectacular art!

Keith this is a monumental sculpture by American artist Jonathan Borofsky - literally monumental - it is over 100ft. tall. It's on the River Spree in Berlin near the Treptower Park U-bahn station and I was visiting Treptower to see the vast Soviet war memorial and cemetary in the Park that's in one of the other pictures above. The intention of the artist was to remind the viewer "that both man and molecules exist in the world of probability and that finding wholeness and unity within this world remains the aim of any creative and spiritual tradition".

So there you go...

Another couple of pix below, the first one with the Elmarit 24, the second with a 35mm Summicron:

gavinlg · 03-26-2009

24mm is one of my fave wider focal lengths. A lot of folks like the more classic ultrawide(14-21)-28-35-50. I've found I don't like the 28mm that much, it's not wide enough but also not long enough. 24mm is about as wide as you can go for environmental portraits and the like without needing to be careful where you put things in the frame.

Kent · 04-13-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by raid

I liked the 24mm les for SLR use in the past, and now I like to use my CV 25mm/4. Tihe 24/25 mm is a real wide angle lens without excessive distortion.

Exactly my thoughts!
I love to shoot with 24mm on my DSLR (or with the 25mm of my Lumix

).
But with Rangefinders I prefer th 35mm, 40mm or even the 50mm perspective to real wide angles.
Although, RFs are great for WW, I know...

My general preference is between 35 and 85mm.

BTMarcais · 04-13-2009

as everyone's saying, lens choice is definitely a personal thing, and you're going to have to try it out and come up with your own opinion.
That said... I love the 24mm focal length, but on my SLR's, never felt the need on the RF. It's a great pair up w/ my 50, or 43mm pentax limited, on the SLR. Plenty wide enough without the compositional challenges of a real ultra-wide, still fairly easy to use.
On the RF side I prefer a 21mm. Pairs well w/ my 35's for me, no need for anything in between.
-Brian

maddoc · 04-13-2009

I had a CV 15/4.5, Biogon 25/2.8 ZM, and Elmarit 28/2.8 III. While the 15 was to wide the others were not wide enough for me. Getting the Super-Angulon-M 21/3.4 two years ago, I found the wide angle lens that fits my style best. Together with a 35 and 50 it makes a good lens setup for me.