I planning to buy m7 body camera...but only want to buy one lens for everyday use for travels, and occasions.. So can anyone suggest which lens should i buy? thx.

-- kerwinchan (kerwinchan@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002

Answers

Well, the 35mm lens is a classic on the 35mm camera. And the 35/2 ASPH is small, light, and super sharp. However, this is a little like asking which wine to have with dinner. It's a matter of taste. For more dollars and weight, the 35/1.4 is a great all purpose lens. For one photographer who likes to keep it simple, "one camera, one lens" see David Allen Harvey.

-- Phil Stiles (Stiles@metrocast.net), April 03, 2002.

Hello Phil, this was a great link to terrific photographs by David Allen Harvey into the insight of CUBA. I enjoyed every single photo, itīs the kind of stuff I would love to take.

Nice of you to combine this with the recommendation of a 35mm lens ...

What can speak more for a camera than convincing shots?? The photographer of course, but the tool is important as well.

Best regards

-- K. G. Wolf (k.g.wolf@web.de), April 03, 2002.

Good advice but let's not confuse David Alan Harvey's advice to beginners with what he actually does. His workhorse is the 35/1.4-M ASPH but he also makes use of 28 and 50.

-- Anon Terry (anonht@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002.

Amen to that. Of course nearly all photographers have one focal length (even if they use zooms) that they use for the majority of their pics. Just decide what that is for you, and then decide how fast YOU (not anothers opinion) need that lens to be.

-- Tim Franklin (tim_franklin@mac.com), April 03, 2002.

i'm sorry but this is one of those questions that only you can answer. what focal length you use most often on your existing cameras? whatever that is, then that is probably the best first lens for your M.

users here advise you to purchase the 35. i purchased a 50 because that is the focal length i use most often.

you should rent lenses if you really can't decide; don't let others decide for you.

-- Dexter Legaspi (dalegaspi@hotmail.com), April 03, 2002.

This seems to have been said more often than anything else, so same player shoots again. Like maybe for your statistics collection. I started off with a 2/50 then traded it in for a 2/35A. If I could only have one single lens, it would be that 2/35A. For me, a 2/50 would be better than zero lenses. You have to know already what objects you're going to shoot most.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), April 03, 2002.

first of all, fantastic photos from cuba - thanks for sharing the link.

i went through the same thing. bought a M6 TTL and a 35/2 asph, but now i'm thinking of trading it for a 50mm, i shoot a lot of people and 35 is somewhat wide IMO.

good luck

-- pat (modlabs@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002.

If you only want one lens for travels and casual shooting, you have to seriously consider the Tri-Elmar. Even then, the upper limit is 50mm and you would want at least a 90, perhaps the Cosina APO- Lanthar. Frankly, I don't see the point in paying for a Leica M and then not using its main advantage over other, less-expensive alternatives: interchangeable lenses.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), April 03, 2002.

Getting ready to go into San Francisco today to sign some paperwork on a contract. My M6 classic will go with me with 35 summcron on it and 50 summicron in my pocket. May hunt the elusive orange antique streetcars that cruise Market Street and the Embarcadero. Buy the 50 first, use it and note how many times you felt the need or wished you had something wider. If there are enough times then get the 35 or 28 summicron next after you have saved for it. Good luck!

-- Don (wgpinc@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002.

I like my 35mm f/1.4. In combination with the 75 mm f/1.4, it's simple and takes care of my needs. You may want to think about what other lenses you will need in the future and perhaps match them as a set. A lot of people on here also like the 35-50-90 combination. The tri-elmar seems pretty slow, but may suit your needs fine.

-- James (snodoggydogg@hotmail.com), April 03, 2002.

I am also getting my first Leica in the form of a .58 M7 although have extensive experience with Nikon. My lens choices are 28/2 and 90/2 to accomodate the types of travel shooting I like to do. I have a 40mm Minilux as my second body to carry with the M7

-- Jim Lemmons (jlemmons@specialtylens.com), April 03, 2002.

I agree that this is the kind of question that you can only answer yourself. A 50 is my main lens (I don't even have a 35), but I don't know if you take the same kind of photos that I do.

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), April 03, 2002.

Hi all,

I've wrecked my back and my wife has put me on a strict camera / lens diet. One camera, one lens, no ands, ifs, or buts. She has spun cautionary tales in which I appear as the Hunchback of Notre Dame if I don't do as she says. She has also sweetened the pot by saying I can have the Leica of my choice once I have recovered.

Okay, which lens with my M6? My 35/2 ASPH. When the chips are down, you really confront what life is all about. 35/2 ASH is it.

(Don't say anything to anyone; today I am slipping my VC 15/4.5 into my coat pocket.)

-- Alex Shishin (shishin@pp.iij4-u.or.jp), April 03, 2002.

Yep, the 35 is it - if you must have one lens only the 35 will do. It will cover the vast majority of typical Leica photograpy, a 50 is simply not wide enough. The F2 Summicron is the perfect combination of size, weight and speed.

It really is a magical focal length and the one most of us simply cannot do without.

-- Giles Poilu (giles@monpoilu.icom43.net), April 03, 2002.

How about some examples? Here are Leica photos from Nat'l Geo with the two focal lengths:

35mm

50mm

I started with a 35A cron and lasted about 6 mo. before getting the current v. 50 cron. Maybe it's just the new lens phenomenon, but I hardly use the 35 since I've gotten the 50. I think the 50 cron is really more bang for the buck.

-- Ken Geter (kgeter@yahoo.com), April 03, 2002.

Actually, I have to go along 100% with Giles up there. Forgot to say this to you earlier, Kerwinchan: one of my favourite sayings here is "an M is a wide-angle camera anyhow", so that -- in strong contrast to an SLR, where the "normal" lens is usually a 50mm -- "the normal" in the M-family is more often a 35mm. (a) That's maybe all just my own opinion, and (b) that also then means that in SLR-land the first wide-angle lens most people talk about is always a 28, whereas in M-land it is almost always already a 21 or 24mm.

-- Michael Kastner (kastner@zedat.fu-berlin.de), April 04, 2002.