Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/13
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yes, I did! That was my first Leica kit 2 years ago......a chrome R8, a 35 Summilux and an 80 Summilux. I took that kit to Asia for a month and loved every minute of it. I'd say my ONLY complaint was weight and bulk, but it was not unmanageable. A lot of people have written me and said I should keep BOTH systems. I know it would be ideal, and it's not the finances that bothers me, it's the necessity of carrying TWO complete kits around the world with me when all I like to travel with is a backpack and a shoulder bag! Objectively, anyone would HAVE to choose the R system if they were looking for all-around versatility simply because, by definition, the M system does not comfortably accomodate long lenses and super-wides. When I was in France recently, I found the 35 not wide enough, and the 90 not long enough. Funny, but when I was in Asia, the 35 was plenty! The bottom line is, as much as it will hurt to sell my M6HM, I would be better served by a complete R system. I am not a photojournalist and I do not shoot in the Supreme Court, so the ultra-quietness of the M is just a luxury, not a necessity. Truthfully, I would rather have a narrow angle spot meter than a super-quiet shutter. I seem to remember from when I had my R8 that the R8 shutter is not so loud anyway. The main M feature I will miss is portability and compactness. Francesco At 04:27 AM 12/13/98 , Pascal wrote: >On 13-12-1998 07:15 Francesco wrote: > >>I am starting to think that the perfect small R kit is an >>R8, 19/2.8, 35/1.4, 80/1.4, and 180/2.8. I just wish Leica >>would update the wide angles to ASPH. > >Francesco: > >If memory serves me well, didn't you start with an R8 plus Summilux 35 >and Summilux 80 about a year and a half ago? You said you were >disappointed with both lenses at that time because of the narrow >depth-of-field at the widest stops and the corresponding difficulty to >focus precisely. >I still have the Summilux 80 and can acknowledge that difficulty as well. >I used a Summilux 35 for two days and liked it a lot. It is not as good >as the Summilux-M 35 ASPH at the corners at the widest f-stops. The >Summilux R is scheduled for a makeover, at least that's what I have been >told. It is difficult to specify a timeframe though. >As for the 19/2.8, you won't ever regret this. This lens has a stunning >performance, it's simply the "best" 18-19-20 mm lens on the market. >Don't know if you shouldn't try out the new Summilux 50, this lens is >also stunning! I have tried it out and its performance at the widest >stops is awesome. Imagine you had a setup consisting of the three >Summiluxes (35, 50, 80). That would be something like a dream (I like >high-speed lenses a lot, not in the least because they make it much >easier to focus because of the bright viewfinder image you have with the >R8). > >Pascal >NO ARCHIVE > >-------------------------------------------------------- >See my photo pages at http://members.xoom.com/cyberplace/ >-------------------------------------------------------- ><<< PGP public key available on request >>> >