Re: Leica Lens Combination

[Paul Schliesser <paulsc@eos.net>]

> Does this mean I need a 90mm, 21mm and maybe the normal 50mm?  What 
>     will the 50mm give me?  Some say they don't need a normal lens 
>     ("boring").  Some say the 35mm is idea for most of their work.  Some 
>     say something inbetween a normal and long, i.e. 75mm.  
>     
>     If my budget is too small, what two lens would you recommend and also 
>     what would be the one first lens if I am limited to one?
>     

Ken,

The choice of focal lengths is a very personal one, but here are some 
things to think about.

One thing that you might find interesting is the different way you will 
"see" with the M6 viewfinder. Seeing a large view with a floating 
frameline is a different-enough experience that you might find yourself 
using different lenses than you might expect. For instance, like you, I 
had never much cared for the 35mm focal length on SLRs, but I find that I 
use it a lot on my M-series bodies. Now I find that I'm using it more on 
my SLRs, also. I also use 50mm a lot more than before.

For me, the handling of the camera and the viewfinder are more important 
than the quality of the lenses. I would use this camera even if the 
lenses were of average quality. If you don't feel comfortable with the 
camera and it doesn't feel natural to use, I think it will affect the 
quality of your pictures more than that extra little bit of contrast or 
resolution will. How lucky that Leica lenses are among the best lenses 
made.

After using an M6 for a while, you will find it easy to lean to see the 
framelines even when the camera is not at your eye. Being able to look at 
your subject and flip the frame preview lever back and forth will be a 
real treat when you first start using it. An M6 will take some getting 
used to after an SLR, however. You need to look at the rangefinder patch 
to focus, for instance, and not depend on the large viewfinder image, 
which is always in focus and shows no d-o-f effects. I know this sounds 
obvious, but it will take a little time to become completely automatic. 
One big advantage over an SLR is that you can always tell which way to 
turn a lens to bring something into focus, depending on whether the 
rangefinder image is offset to the left or right. On a manual-focus SLR, 
you usually need to hunt back and forth a bit.

Just as a suggestion: why not buy a new body and then, at least 
temporarily, buy used lenses. You can easily resell or trade any lenses 
which you find you don't use, and should not suffer too much financially 
in the process. There are a lot of used lenses out there which have been 
babied or even not used at all, at substantial savings over new lenses.

I'd steer away from the 21mm as a first lens, since it needs the 
accessory viewfinder and is not as convenient to use. How about the 28mm?

35mm-50mm-90mm is the "classic" Leica lens trio. These will also be the 
fastest and most easily obtainable, and are arguably some of the best 
lenses in these focal lengths ever made. If you go longer or shorter than 
the 35mm-90mm range, the fastest lenses will be f/2.8. There are older 
(and less expensive) lenses in the 35mm-90mm focal lengths which are no 
slouches--the old 50mm DR Summicron and any of the 35mm Summicrons come 
to mind.

I personally have never lusted after the 75mm. Wide open at close 
distances, it's at the limit of the rangefinder's ability, so you must 
focus very carefully. Compared to the 50mm Summilux, (also f/1.4) it's 
big and very heavy, and for me 75mm is not enough longer than 50mm to 
make it worth the tradeoffs. It's supposed to be a very high-quality 
lens, however.

- - Paul