Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/21
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Tarik and welcome to the Leica addiction :-) Whether you prefer the "regular" M6 or the HM (0.85 mag) M6 depends on what kind of lenses you use most often, whether you wear glasses or not, etc. If you use mostly 50mm and longer lenses, then the HM is better; if on the other hand, most of your photos are with 28mm or 35mm lenses, then the regular M6 is best (the HM has no 28mm framelines, and the 35mm framelines are hard to see, especially if you wear glasses). If you use the 24mm or 21mm lenses, then it doesn't matter, since you need an external finder in either case. As for lenses, the combination you mention sounds sensible (35mm, 50mm and 90mm). But which 35mm Summilux are you talking about? The standard advice is that the old Summilux is not that great, while the latest ASPH is nice, but bulky and expensive. Unless you need that extra stop, you might consider the 35mm f2 Summicron ASPH instead; it will save you lots of money and considerable weight, while providing unparallelled image quality. I just upgraded to this lens from my old 35mm Summicron, after taking some pictures with a borrowed one. A similar story in the 90mm: the current f2 Summicron is widely considered inferior to the f2.8/90mm Elmarit-M, so again if you can forgo the extra stop, you can save both money and weight. If you need the extra stop, you should wait until next year, when the new 2/90mm lens shown at Photokina becomes available. I have the Elmarit, and I think it is my sharpest lens. In the 50mm, I have the Summilux and like it very much. It is my standard lens on my M3 (my M6 is usually equipped with the 35mm Summicron). The Noctilux is a wonderful lens, but again, I think it is a waste of money unless you really think that you will be shooting at f1 a lot. Otherwise, the Summilux or Summicron 50mm lenses are cheaper, better at the smaller apertures, and weigh a lot less. In general, the Leica nomenclature is as follows: Summilux lenses are f1.4, Summicron are f2, and Elmarit are f2.8. The best source of information about Leica lenses is Erwin Puts' web site: http://www.imx.nl/photosite/leica/leicahome.html or the official Leica Camera home page: http://www.leica-camera.com/home_e.htm For actually buying the stuff, I assume that prices in Sweden are as high as those in Denmark and Norway. So, you can save a lot of money by buying by mail from Germany or other places on the continent. For example: Foto Hobby in Frankfurt: http://www.foto-hobby.de/ The Leica Shop in Vienna: http://www.leicashop.at/ And since both of those countries are fellow EU members, you will not have to pay any customs duties or additional VAT when the package arrives in Sweden. Happy shopping! Nathan Tarik Mackmood wrote: > Hi everyone, I'm very new to Leica and would love any assistance i can > get. > > I've just joined the list and want to ask the simplest of questions. > This is related to my newly refinding my love for photography develpoed > by borrowing an M6. > > This has led me to sell my Canon EOS fully auto camera and concentrate > on buying a new M6 with the possibility of 4 lenses with it. > > Can someone explain why one would need the new x0.85 magnification > factor, are there any benefits, and will i get no framing lines for a > 35mm lens or smaller? > > Secondly, which lenses should I go for? I can currently afford to go for > 3 lenses + body and this will expand over time. The Choice it to go for > 35mm f1.4 summilux, 50mm f1.4 summilux and f2 90mm summicron. > > Whats the differences between Summilux, summicron, and noctilux. > If i budgeted to by the f1 octilux 50mm as my prime, would it work > happily in its position as the prime lens? > > Thanks all in advance > > Tarik - -- Nathan Wajsman Overijse, Belgium Photography page: http://members.tripod.com/~belgiangator/index.html Motorcycle page: http://www.geocities.com/motorcity/downs/1704/index.html