Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/11/19

[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]

Subject: [Leica] Any opinions/experience with the Zeiss 4/18mm?
From: photo at frozenlight.eu (Nathan Wajsman)
Date: Wed Nov 19 21:55:16 2008

Since this is a Leica list, I expect people will be pleased to learn  
that I have decided that M8 prices have fallen sufficiently to buy one  
some time during the next few months. So I am thinking of lenses to  
use with it. Clearly, a 35mm will serve as a standard lens, but what  
to use for wide angle? The various 21mm offerings are not wide enough  
for me; they translate into 28mm in film terms, and that is a focal  
length I never got comfortable with. To me, it is neither fish nor  
fowl: not wide enough to really capture the big expanse but too wide  
to use for, say, se?orita photos, without getting so close that you  
get slapped in the face.

Leica's own WATE or whatever is called is too expensive and I have no  
need for all 3 focal lengths. The 15mm lenses from Voigtlander and  
Zeiss are not rangefinder coupled. I know that they have great DOF so  
focusing is not critical, but still I want rangefinder coupling.

 From what I see out there, the 4/18mm Zeiss M lens seems to fit the  
bill, both in terms of focal length (corresponds to 24mm, one of my  
favorite focal lengths when I was shooting film) and in terms of  
reasonable price (KEH has one at the moment for just under $1000). But  
is it any good? I have read Erwin's write up on the ZM lenses, and it  
is quite positive. But when he wrote it, he did not have this  
particular lens.

Anybody out there using the 18mm?

Nathan

Nathan Wajsman
Alicante, Spain
http://www.frozenlight.eu
http://www.greatpix.eu
http://www.nathanfoto.com

Books: http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/search?search=wajsman&x=0&y=0
PICTURE OF THE WEEK: http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws
Blog: http://www.fotocycle.dk/blog




Replies: Reply from red735i at earthlink.net (Frank Filippone) ([Leica] Any opinions/experience with the Zeiss 4/18mm?)
Reply from hoppyman at bigpond.net.au (Geoff Hopkinson) ([Leica] Any opinions/experience with the Zeiss 4/18mm?)
Reply from leowesson at gmail.com (leo wesson) ([Leica] Any opinions/experience with the Zeiss 4/18mm?)