[Leica] observations about the "More than 1 Ms" thread

[PetersonAG at NAVSEA.NAVY.MIL (Peterson Arthur G NSSC)]

Okay, I'll "mention...using a Tri-Elmar for the situations where multiple
lens choice is important."  It's great; I love it!  Photographing at marches
and demonstrations in Washington, D.C., I nearly always use the Tri-Elmar,
mostly at 50mm, sometimes at 35mm, and only rarely at 28mm.  At night, of
course, the f/4 maximum aperture would be a problem.  But morning, midday,
afternoon, or early evening, with Tri-X, I'm usually at f/16 or even f/22
anyway, and so the f/4 maximum aperture couldn't matter less.  Nor is "the
size...[a]...turn-off."  It's shorter and lighter than either of Leica's
current 90mm lenses for the M.  Unlike the Leica-R zooms I've tried (the
35-70mm f/4 and the 80-200mm f/4), the Tri-Elmar features a three-part
depth-of-field scale that displays the differing in-focus ranges at the
various apertures for each focal length, and that's a feature I find very
handy (why the R zooms should lack it eludes me).

As my use of the 28mm focal length is relatively infrequent (and as I
usually also carry a 90mm, "just in case"), the M lens I'd really like would
be a 35-50-90 Tri-Elmar (or a 35-50-75-90 Quad-Elmar), even if the maximum
aperture had to be f/5.6.  But I've been told that such a lens would have to
be too big to mount on an Leica M camera, where it would block too much of
the viewfinder.  Yet if Leica can mount a 7-22mm zoom (equivalent to 28-90mm
on a 35mm camera), and with an f/2 maximum aperture, on the new Digilux 2
viewfinder camera, I don't see why the 35-90mm range should be out of the
question for an M camera.

Art Peterson
Alexandria, Virginia


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard F. Man [mailto:richard-lists@imagecraft.com]
Sent: Friday, May 21, 2004 7:00
To: lug@leica-users.org
Subject: [Leica] observations about the "More than 1 Ms" thread

Of the people that mentioned which Ms they carry, I believe only two mix M7 
with other Ms. This could just be that M6/M4/M3 sold outnumber the M7 by 
many many factors, or it could be that like Ted suggested last year, it is 
just much easier to go with all Ms that work "similarly."

No one has mentioned using a Tri-Elmar for the situations where multiple 
lens choice is important. Probably different people have different reasons, 
but I suspect the size and slow speed are turn-off for some people.

Thanks for answering. Late last year I bought a used M6TTL and Noctilux to 
complement the M7. I sold the M6 a few months ago since I can use the cash 
more than I can use the camera then. Yesterday I just sold my Noctilux 
mainly because with the type of low light photos I do (costumers in 
horrible hotel lighting), a small amount of fill flash work better most of 
the time, and I still have my 35/1.4ASPH. I am somewhat itching to get 
another M7 since in the costuming shoots, a mix of 35 and 75/90 work very 
well. Then again, may be I should wait a couple months to get the Epsonina 
R-D1.

// richard (This email is for mailing lists. To reach me directly, please 
use richard@imagecraft.com)