I think I'm going to buy my first Leica M6. Should I start with a 35mm 2.0 summicron or a 50 2.0 summicron. This is going to be a big jump from my Nikon f100.

-- Wayne Warren (littlefish172@hotmail.com), November 26, 2001

Answers

Start with the 50.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

Hi Wayne:

Either lens as a start would be an excellent choice. I started with an M3 and 50mm collapsible Summicron around 8 years ago. Today I use an M6 classic with either my 35mm Summaron or 50mm Summicron. I am finding that I am using the 35mm lens more frequently than the 50 mainly because when I have used the 50 in the past, it seemed as though I needed something wider for the types of photographs I was taking.The 50 is great for that "tight" shot while the 35 is better for a wider, less "tight" view. Best of luck with your selection.

-- John Alfred Tropiano (jat18@psu.edu), November 26, 2001.

Try looking at the Leica M section where this has been talked about.

Some possibilities:

• Taking the Leica Plunge
• About to take the plunch
• Lenses for a new M user?

You can find lots of discussion on My Next Lens which might be helpful too.

HTH.

Oh, and in answer to your question- Yes.

:-)

I started with the 90, quickly got the 35, and for next... I don't want to go there.

;-)

-- Tse-Sung (tsesung@yahoo.com), November 26, 2001.

My suggestion is to buy the 50 Summicron and spend several months getting to know the lens. You will want this lens eventually, and it is a great (indispensable for me) lens to know and use. From there you can build your system. Deals can be found - I bought my latest version Summicron in like new condition on Ebay for $500 US. Hey, I want all the Leica lenses, but for me the 50 Summicron (and yes, I own and use a 35 ASPH Summicron as well) is THE cornerstone lens. Whatever you buy, have fun with your Leica.

-- David (pagedt@chartertn.net), November 26, 2001.

I think it depends on what finder magnification your M6 has. I never used the 50 with my M6 0.72, cause the 50´s frame seemed to by too small for me. It´s a matter of taste after all. I always felt I couldn´t get "enough" on the picture, so the 35 was the normal lens for me. Since I got the 1.25x magnifier, which gives you a 0.90 finder- magnification I prefer the 50. You can shoot with both eyes open, which is very nice with the M6. Jürgen

-- juergen schliehe (juergen.schliehe@t-online.de), November 26, 2001.

35 for inside, 50 for outside (for me, anyway). Where do you do most of your shooting?

-- John Fleetwood (johnfleetwood@hotmail.com), November 26, 2001.

You will want them both...

However, if you will mostly shoot people, get the 50 first; if you will mostly shoot places, get the 35 first.

-- Dan Brown (brpatent@swbell.net), November 26, 2001.

Like Juergen, I started with a 35 (Summaron). I added the 90, so as to take advantage of both extremes with my M2. Initially I thought of the 50 as a boring lens; what everyone has. Today I use the 50 right along with the other focal lengths I've added, and use it just as often. I don't regret having started with the 35.

I would say to start with the one you think you'll have the most fun with, and add the other when you feel the need.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), November 26, 2001.

Start with the 35 - most Leica's users would be lost with out one! However, many Leica user's would say the same of the 50. The 35 encourages one to get in close, as is the Leica style - it gets my vote.

-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), November 26, 2001.

B/c Leica excels at lowlight photography, I love bringing my camera into bars, cafes, etc., with friends, and taking close up candids. So for that the 35 is great (on .72x). But, then again, once there was an crusty old blues guitarist sitting and playing at the base of an illuminated fashion ad in the metro station the other night. It'd've been a great shot: a larger than lifesized model looking over his shoulder. A longer focal length would've made a discreet portrait easier to make.

-- Tse-Sung (tsesung@yahoo.com), November 26, 2001.

Either works very well. Do you find yourself backing up to try to include more in a photo or stepping in closer to isolate your subject from the surroundings?

I tend to use the 35 more than the 50, and the 24 about right smack between them.

Godfrey

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), November 26, 2001.

Wayne:

I started with a M6 TTL and a 35mm Summicron ASPH. That kept me satisfied for a year only! Eventually I ended up buying the 50mm Summicron, 50 Noctilux, 90mm Summicron and 21mm/f2.8 ASPH lenses. I also had 135mm f2.8 and f4 lenses for a while but sold them both because I was not using them enough. Either the 50mm or 35mm will be a good starter lens. Both are superb performers. It depends on what focal length you feel most comfortable with for the majority of your photographic assignment

-- Muhammad Chishty (applemac97@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

...assignments........

-- (applemac97@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

Hey Warren, I too went to the M system after shooting with Nikon SLRs for years. Sounds strange, but a 50 on the M6 feels to me like a short tele. I don't know if the other responders feel the same. Anyway, after using a 90 and 35 1.4 asph for 5 years, I switched to the M6 .85 and added the 50mm summicron. It's love. I also bought the new M motor advance. It hasn't been off my camera. To answer your question... get the 50mm with the understanding that you will want a 35 eventually. You could live without the 50 for a while if you had a 35 and a 75 or 90. Hope you enjoy your stuff as much as I do.

-- Bill Henick (dhen1922@aol.com), November 26, 2001.

Wayne; we are a big comunity of Leica users, and it is logic you will read from us lots of opinions... get this... get that, every one of us has their own experiences, in my own I would recomend the latest 35/2 pre asph, because it is a gret lens and not so expensive now, on the other side I must confess you, I already want the 35/1.4 asph.

Try to get the latest and fastest design lens you can aford; a 50/1.4 or the 35 ´lux asph, I have read no one complains about this lens in one year of reading this place.

Any leica lens you get will be a joy, and latest ´crons are real jewels too.

You have no way to losse.

-- r watson (al1231234@hotmail.com), November 26, 2001.

I started with an M6 TTL, a 28-35-50/4 Tri-Elmar and a 90 Elmarit-M. Thus, I had a good set of focal lengths for outdoors but nothing really suitable for low light use. I was pondering what to do about this when the dealer happened to mention that he knew someone who had a 50 Summilux for sale at US$650. It turned out to be a nice, clean lens, so I ended up buying it and I'm really glad that I did!

My interior photography is mostly portrait-style and I like to separate my subject from the surroundings. To me, there is a huge difference between the fields of view of 50mm and 35mm. For my purposes, a 35mm 'lux or 'cron would have been too wide and limiting with its restricted close focusing. If I want to photograph the interior of a room, I can always use the Tri-Elmar with a tripod and/or flash.

-- Ray Moth (ray_moth@yahoo.com), November 26, 2001.

I started with the 35 and it is still my only lens. I envision that I will add a 90 sometime next year and stay with that two lens kit for several years. If I had a 50 right now I think my choice for a second lens would be difficult: the 28 or 90? - probably not a 35. The 28 would leave me lacking a tele, and the 90 lacking a wide. The 35 is a great first lens because of its "wide-normal" characteristics. The images from my ASPH cron don't look like wide angle shots at all, i.e. no "big nose" distortion. With close range subjects I can usually approximate the 50 frame with my 35 by taking two steps forward. So one way to look at it is if you think you can soon afford a three lens kit, e.g. 28-50-90, then starting with the 50 is fine, but if you're like me (limited budget!) and think that two lenses will be it for a few years, then starting with a 35 may be wiser.

-- Ken Geter (kgeter@yahoo.com), November 27, 2001.

I would vote for the 50 first, but get a 35 later. I have used all sorts of zooms and wideanges on SLRs, but have come back to the 50 on my M3 and IIIa as favourites. Why? It forces discipline when composing. If you haven't seen them already, take a good look at pictures taken by Leica legend Henri Cartier-Bresson (HCB), now in his 90s. Just about all his pictures were taken with a 50, and they are an inspiration. Of course, a lot of it is taste and there are many occasions where a wider or longer lens is more useful. But the 50 standard lens has been somewhat maligned I feel. It is capable of a great deal and excellent to start off with and to return to.

-- David Killick (Dalex@inet.net.nz), November 27, 2001.

Good question. Good answers. Best answer is "Get both". It's all a question of time and money. My first one was a 50 'cron and then I traded it in for a new 35 'cron. Then got a new 21 and then went back to get a used 50 'cron. Many fans use a 35 and a 50 even 50:50 (per cent of the time).

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 27, 2001.

To help or confuse your decision (or just an excuse to look at some images made with Leicas), here are some examples using an M6 and the two focal lengths:

50mm: N ational Geographic Family of Man 2

35mm: N ational Geographic Family of Man 2

-- Ken Geter (kgeter@yahoo.com), November 28, 2001.

In a my most brilliant flash of genius to date, I bought my first (.72) Leica with a 90mm lens only and lived with it for the next 4 months.

Alas, I cannot recall what that brilliant insight was...

Buy the 35 Summicron with a tab. You'll get used to it and then start hunting for a 50 next to latest mechanical version with the tab.

Once you get used to a 35 on the m6, you start thinking of the 50 as a shot tele portrait lens, surprisingly.

For instance, just look at Mike Dixon's brilliant 50mm portraits (and don't overlook his brilliant portrait subjects).

Oh, and the big jump from the Nikon F100 may well be backwards. But that's ok...

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), November 29, 2001.

Don't know whether to say "Sorry" or not... but for me, that big jump would be one forward.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), November 29, 2001.

Ken Geter: Wow! Thanks for the lesson in focused searches. Hil

-- Helio Gomez (hegomez@aol.com), November 30, 2001.