My Leica kit includes four lenses: 24/2.8, 35mm/2.9, 50/2.0, and 90/2.8. In the interest of portability, I'm thinking of changing the mix, reducing the load to only two lenses: 28/2.8 and 75/1.4. Is this a mistake or would it give me more versatility in fewer lenses?

-- Gulley Jimson (gulleyjimson@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002

Answers

Hi, Gulley:

IMHO there is no way to tell but you could find out by yourself by shooting film enough to get to a useful conclusion (very original advise, you see)

It is your personal taste, isn't it ?

Best of luck !

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), January 29, 2002.

Gully,

Why not go with a 35mm 'Lux and a pair of electric roller skates to zoom you back and forth? Of course, that 100 amphour 12v battery required by the skates may not be convenient, either. ;-)

It would seem to me that versatility and lightening the load may not be compatible. Versatility comes from having more focal lengths to use from a given point, rather than fewer. So, perhaps this is one of those matter vs. anti-matter things. Perhaps you could establish a connection with the photography school at the local college, and get a bunch of assistants under the guiz of mentoring them.

-- Ralph Barker (rbarker@pacbell.net), January 29, 2002.

More versatility in fewer lenses unfortunately equals SLR+zoom. (Bleeccchhh!)

My suggestion - get the 28 and the 75, slowly if you have to (you really want them, don't you?) and keep everything else.

Wouldn't you rather torture yourself deciding which two lenses to take with you rather than endure the heartache of selling/trading your very nice collection of Leica primes?

-- Hil (hegomez@agere.com), January 29, 2002.

I'd keep all the lenses, but carry less, max 3 lenses. Reduce weight when it effects your photography.

When I had Nikon gear, I toured Europe with a 24 f/2, a 50 f/1.8, and a 105 f/2.5. I could've left the 50 at home.

Cheers,

-- David Carson (dave@davidcarson.com), January 29, 2002.

Gulley:

The 75 'Lux is big and heavy enough to count as two of any of the lenses you would trim out anyway, thus in reality only reducing your weight by one lens. I suggest you go to a camera store and feel that sucker on a body before you take the plunge. Also, you might find yourself surprised by what you can accomplish with just your 35 and 90 in the bag...

:) Cheers,

-- Jack Flesher (jbflesher@msn.com), January 29, 2002.

A very personal thing...

I've had a 5 lens, two body M kit for a while: M6TTL + M4-P + 15/ 24/35/50/90 lenses. Too much equipment, I just don't need/use it all. After much thought, I decided that my ideal kit was something like one body plus 21/(35 or 50)/75 lenses. I've already sold the M4-P and 24mm lens; the 15 and 90 are available if anyone's looking. (Email me privately).

I will likely keep both the 35 and 50, add the Voigtländer 21 and 75 for their light weight and small size, and carry at most three lenses at a time (21/35/75 or 35/50/75 or 21/50/75; the other triple is not interesting to me). I will more often only carry two and then space them widely - 35+75, 21+50, 21+75.

You have to see what works to free you from equipment hell yet allows you to get the photos you want.

-- Godfrey (ramarren@bayarea.net), January 29, 2002.

Option 1) sell the 24 and 35, buy a 28. Option 2) sell the 35 and 50, buy a Tri-Elmar. I would go for the latter option. That said, my normal carry outfit for the M is 2 bodies, 15 or 21, Tri-Elmar, 90 or 135, plus 35/1.4ASPH which I carry mostly at night if I have someplace safe to leave it, along with my 3rd body. Otherwise I end up carrying all of it. Compared to a typical travel pro's 2 F5's, 17- 35/2.8, 28-70/2.8 and 80-200/2.8, my kit is a featherweight.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), January 29, 2002.

Hello Gulley.In my opinion your existing kit of lenses is excellent.Each lense is relatively fast and light weight and as previously stated the 'Lux 75mm although a good lense would prove a bulky addition and wouldn't have the reach of the 90.If your kit has been recently completed I would give it a little more time before paring it down. The question of lens combination seems to be an eternal dilemma for most photographers,including me. I think it comes down in most cases to simply being able to take as many pictures as you can in the time you have available, and if you are not careful too much equipment can clutter your thinking. It's funny,but I think I enjoyed "Leica" photography as much and took as many pictures as a youngster with an old M3 with collapsible Summicron as now, with all the "gear".Regards.

-- Sheridan Zantis (albada60@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

Hi,

I think you have a good kit, don't sell any lens if I were you. But depends on your style, you can experiment to limit yourself to 2 lenses combo everytime you go out, then you'll see which lenses match to what project in a few weeks.

For me, I don't change lenses that often in the middle of a scene, so generally bringing 35mm and 50mm with 1 body.

My 2nd body is for different format, either B&W or slide if I want more than one foramt at shooting, for that matter, 35mm and 50mm are mounted on 2 bodies with 90mm unmounted. Sometimes for place with good wide-angle chance, I throw in my small v'lander 21mm.

Also I always have a small P&S in my car, either zoom or fixed, it helps sometimes.

Fred

-- Fred Ouyang (yo54@columbia.edu), January 29, 2002.

I would go Tri-Elmar and 90 Summicron (apo). In my experience that is just right.

-- kirk tuck (kirktuck@kirktuck.com), January 29, 2002.

Gulley

This would be a good kit, although I think that 35mm and 75mm might work better and you could have the 35mm'lux (nice to not have to think about max apertures when changing lenses). I often use a 35/80mm combo with the R and it is a great combination. Sure, some things you can't get, but so what there are always different shots to take somewhere else. Two lenses is good for the brain - it is a simple either or choice. You could also try the 35 and 90SAA combo if you want to go longer, but the good thing about the 75/80 is that it is almost a standard lens, so very useful.

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

Gulley:

Just to complement my first posting: I can´t see a clear advantage in doing what you intend to do (maybe because I don't know what your photo needs are).

But the set of lenses you already have is excelent, as many friends have already told you. Just choose two of them according to your intended subjects when you go out shooting.

And alike others friends here I don't think there is a way of getting more versatility with less lenses at hand. Only possible exception: having 1.4 aperture available IF you really miss it now.

Regards

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), January 29, 2002.

First time I ever heard of buying a 75 f/1.4 to LIGHTEN a camera bag!

I guess I'd lighten the load by keeping what you have and just carry 3 (or 2) lenses at a time. 24/90, 35/90, 24/50, 24/50/90, 24/35/90.

As mentioned on another thread recently, keep a log over 6 months of the shots you missed through not having an f/1.4 tele lens. THEN maybe consider the 75 or replacing the 50 - unless of course you've discovered you don't need f/1.4 after all.

-- Andy Piper (apidens@denver.infi.net), January 29, 2002.

Gulley- My experience is, the heavier-- and more valuable-- your kit is, the less likely you will have it when needed. I don't have it now, but my ideal kit would be the M6 TTL, a 28 cron and the 75 lux, the SF-20. Once, when I was in a restaurant, in a rather scarry part of Chicago, I left my camera bag on the ledge where you put your feet when at the counter. I finished the meal, got up, paid the bill and left. Couple hours passed before it dawned on me that I had forgotten the camera! I called the place, which had just closed, and they said, "Yes, we have your camera stuff." I rushed back from some distance away and retrieved it. Can you imagine a bag filled with Leica camera & several lenses and the person saying, "Nope, ain't seen a thing!" From that time on, I always placed my car keys in the camera bag. That way, I would not get very far without the camera.

-- Frank Horn (owlhoot45@hotmail.com), January 29, 2002.

Never Never Never sell any of your Leica equipment unless you absolutely positively need the money. Best Wishes, Don

-- Donald Wansor (wansor@optonline.net), January 29, 2002.

Gulley, in the interest of portability, you have the ideal kit now. There's nothing ideal about skipping from 28 to 75; or about packing a lens as heavy as a 75/1.4. Just get a Lowepro Nova 1 bag, or Domke f5, maybe leave behind the lens you think you'll least need on a given shoot. But don't leave it too far behind.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), January 29, 2002.

I'd go with just a 28 and a 90. I hear the 75 is heavy enough to cause back strain by itself.

-- Tom Nutter (tmnphotos@erols.com), January 30, 2002.

I hear the 75 is heavy enough to cause back strain by itself.

An I heard that William Wallace was a looming 10 feet tall with hands that could each squash a watermelon and a stride which cracked the sound of thunder when he walked the foothills of the Highlands!

;-)

-- John (ouroboros_2001@yahoo.com), January 30, 2002.

And he looked like Mel Gibson...

-- Robin Smith (smith_robin@hotmail.com), January 30, 2002.

We had the 75 'Lux, but sold it. The lens was was too heavy for my spouse to use successfully with her M6 without either a tripod or monopod for su pport. We're down to a 24/2.8 ASPH, 50 'Chron and a 90 Tele-Elmarit.

-- George C. Berger (gberger@his.com), January 30, 2002.

You obviously have way too many lenses. Give some to me.

-- Steven C. Baldwin (stevencbaldwin@yahoo.com), January 31, 2002.