30 mm or 35 mm (or waiting for the 24 mm and the 30-90 zoom)

George,
The choice really depends on what you shoot, the 24 will be and I don’t think the overall size would be conducive to people-street photography. But if landscape is what you are after, wait for the 24. The 30-90 zoom will be a variable aperture lens and slower than the primes from what I hear. However a perfect set for me would be a 30, 45, 70 and 180. For me the 30 and 35 are too close in view to be practical, manual zoom (move self) would suffice for the most part.

Really anxious to see if the announcement will include some new S glass tomorrow hope for the 45 😮

-Al

Atanabe;2215 wrote: George,
The choice really depends on what you shoot, the 24 will be and I don’t think the overall size would be conducive to people-street photography. But if landscape is what you are after, wait for the 24. The 30-90 zoom will be a variable aperture lens and slower than the primes from what I hear. However a perfect set for me would be a 30, 45, 70 and 180. For me the 30 and 35 are too close in view to be practical, manual zoom (move self) would suffice for the most part.

Really anxious to see if the announcement will include some new S glass tomorrow hope for the 45 😮

-Al

Al,

We’ll see…..

David,
With the new H lens adapter, I guess there are a lot of new “S/H” lenses. The CS lenses in October now??? I would like to hear what you think of the H lens AF and handling on the S in the coming weeks.

-Al

Atanabe;2270 wrote: David,
With the new H lens adapter, I guess there are a lot of new “S/H” lenses. The CS lenses in October now??? I would like to hear what you think of the H lens AF and handling on the S in the coming weeks.

-Al

Al,

I just played with an S2 and HCD 35-90 earlier today. AF speed is pretty good, maybe a touch slower than an S lens (didn’t time it). The zoom is pretty hefty. Not sure that one makes a good walking around lens. There is no shutter lag. All-in-all, a very seamless experience.

The 50mm II and the 100/2.2 would be nice walking around lenses though. The 35-90 is an excellent lens, but you are right, it is a beast.

Kurt,
The 100 is a nice compact size and a favorite focal length for shooting, it may be a consideration for me. The ability to use a 300 AF is a real plus and used pricing is “affordable” cough cough. Would be nice to see the Leica plans for that lens, price and roll out. The 50 II from what I have read is a great lens but the size is about the same as the S lenses, again, time frame will temper my decision here.

It does open up a whole range of options though!

-Al

GMB;2213 wrote: I have the 35 mm. Recently, I could have bought the 30 mm, but then decided to wait. I did not doubt the quality of the lense–I am sure it as spectecular–but wondered whether I would use both the 30 and the 35 and, if not, which is the more useful.

I know there are some folks here who own both, and I would be very much interested in their experience. Did the 35 still get much use after you got the 30? For what purpose do you use what lens etc.

Also, any idea when (if?) the 24 is forthecomming or the 30-90 zoom?

Thanks.

Georg

Georg,

As stated by others it depends on what you are into photographing. When I was running my R system I had one of the original 19mm’s, a 35mm, a 90mm, a 180mm and a 400mm Telyt-R. As you can, kind of gather, each subsequent lens is about double of the one before it. I shot everything from the interior of boat cabins to landscapes and everything in between. My workhorse was my 90mm. Thought I must admit I had great time with my 19mm in Iceland taking pics of the largest waterfall in Europe, if you consider Iceland in Europe. This was a good setup for me and I took a lot of wonderful pictures. Personally though, I would wait for the 24. Knowing Leitz it will probably be a knock out lens. I really don’t agree with the one individual that said the 24mm “would (not) be conducive to people-street photography.” Personally, I think that Leica would be able to make it a people-street conducive lens when you consider my 19mm with was about 4 inches across the outside lens element and even larger with the lenshood and the new 19mm they had come out with which was considerably smaller and did not look much different that a 35mm lens. The entire lens diameter is only 2.8 inches. Please do not hold me to the fire for this comparison, because I am at the office on my lunch break and most of this is from memory, plus I have sold off most of my Leica stuff as it is. In any event I would wait for the 24mm. I must admit though waiting for this wide angle and a telephoto of length, it may be a long wait.

Tom L.L.

Tom L. L.,
The S2 is a large camera, made larger when you add a lens and the wides 30, 35, can be intimidating on the street. The size comparison of the 30 or 35 is a champagne bottle to the point where the foil is on the neck and about the same diameter. The old 19 R Elmarit was tiny compared to these lenses, that is why I felt that a 24 would not be conducive for street work. I tend to like my subjects’ head size to be prominent in the frame and to do this with a 24 would mean getting really close to the subject with a large camera. Kinda tough for candid work as you are intruding into the “personal space” to get this done. Some people have a talent for getting into a persons’ space without any problems, it is a real talent, a gift, hard to learn and master.

-Al

Any further experience regarding 30 vs 35mm?
I now have 35-70-120-180. I never carry more than 3 lenses (in case of the S-system due to size/weight)
I do however like 21mm for on the M9 (=24mm on the S2)… so my theoretical ideal setup would be 24-35-70-180…but thats pretty heavy.
So maybe 30-70-180?
However 30 often feels like a compromise lens to me-not real super wide, but with a pretty large gap to the 70mm lens.
But owning the 35 as widest lens I often wish to have something a little wider.

Wait a few more days and you will have more options. If you like it or not. 😉

But in general it is about your preferences. For myself I do not want to go wider as 30mm on the S2. Even if a 24mm on the S2 is interesting. But if you like to have something wider. Wait for the 24. You could also get rid of the 35 and 70 to buy the 30-90mm.

More options make life more complicated. :p

Pete Walentin;3061 wrote: Wait a few more days and you will have more options. If you like it or not. 😉

But in general it is about your preferences. For myself I do not want to go wider as 30mm on the S2. Even if a 24mm on the S2 is interesting. But if you like to have something wider. Wait for the 24. You could also get rid of the 35 and 70 to buy the 30-90mm.

More options make life more complicated. :p

30-90 sounds nice but I am afraid I would miss the speed of the primes. But maybe the 30-90 to replace the 35 and keepthe 70.
Is it know allready which widest f-stop the 30-90 will have?

Paratom;3063 wrote: 30-90 sounds nice but I am afraid I would miss the speed of the primes. But maybe the 30-90 to replace the 35 and keepthe 70.
Is it know allready which widest f-stop the 30-90 will have?

The 30-90 will have a variable max aperture of f/3.5-5.6. For me, the 30-90 will be an amazing landscape lens when shooting from a tripod. I’m almost always shooting stopped down to f/11 anyway. The zoom will allow me to keep my lens changes to a minimum and simplify filter mounting. I’m sure the fast 70 and 35 will still serve me well for handheld shooting.

I am curious how the 30-90 will look like (size wise) and how it will perform.

Paratom;3070 wrote: I am curious how the 30-90 will look like (size wise) and how it will perform.

I’ll let you know in a few days! 😀

David Farkas;3071 wrote: I’ll let you know in a few days! 😀

9000 Euro – wow . . . maybe I can live with just either 30 or 35

Yep, the price killed it for me too. I’ll still with the 35 / 70 duo. I was thinking it would $6995 US, and so for $7k I could have a fast prime or a slowish zoom. And that is what really gets me with the 30-90mm – it’s a slow aperture. If it had a constant F2.5 or F2.8, then I could sort of understand the price. But it’s not…

I also do not like the 3 pound weight. I have the Hasselblad 50mm F2.8 FLE – and it’s about the same size and weight as the 30-90. It’s not a “fun” lens on the S2. It’s heavy and it’s work to use it. The lens would be exhausting on a vacation.

Hopefully Leica rethinks the pricing.

+2

The price of the zoom is not justifiable considering it is neither fast, nor
even fixed (it is variable). I am disappointed and will also stick to the 35
and 70.

The 24 would be equivalent of a 19 on 35mm so it is extremely wide.
I would question whether it would be needed even for landscape– it might
indeed be better to stitch than use such a wide lens initially. But, I am
willing to at least try it.

PebblePlace;3153 wrote:

Hopefully Leica rethinks the pricing.

After using the HC 50-110 I think it comes down to the following:

S2 (New S?) users rarely balk at the price if the product delivers …. and with a slow zoom the question becomes what price for convenience?

Surely not 10K when your prior lenses fill the focal lengths…and you prefer to handhold or use a monopod…not a 20 pound tripod to support the glass.

In Leica World 10K is the new starting point…I expect that the prices will continue their heavenly ascension in spite of users real world economic concerns. The new M 50 Apo may merit the fee…a slow zoom, however stellar it be, may not.

Interesting times…avoid the vortex…Thorsten Ovargaard commented recently that he did not use the S2 much as it was so perfect as to be boring:

http://www.overgaard.dk/leica-M10-digital-rangefinder-camera-page-Leica-M10-Monochrome-Digital-Rangefinder.html

I was reading Annie Leibovitz’s Pilgrimage and she commented that Julia Margaret Cameron similarly avoided great depth of field as she found that limited DOF enhanced the beauty of her portraits…(Pilgrimage p. 197) – her technically flawed pictures were more appealing.

In short a technically perfect slow zoom may not appeal to those who prefer a different look and are willing to carry a bit more stuff…especially at these prices.

Bob

Sadly, the 30-90mm zoom price is about where I expected, but held out hope for a lower price. There are definitely trade-offs in the design of this lens. While I would have preferred a constant aperture, keeping the lens a reasonable size is more important to me. I plan to use the lens primarily for landscape so the slow aperture won’t be an issue since I typically shoot stopped down to f8 – f11 to gain some depth of field. The make or break for me on this lens will be the IQ, fall off, and out of focus rendering.

I currently have the S35, 70, 120, 180. I plan on adding the new 120/TS, the Elpro for the 180, and am debating on the S24mm which I have been waiting for in lieu of the S30mm.

In addition, I have a full compliment of H/C lenses I use on an H4D/60, and also use on the S2 with the H to S Adapter: HCD/28, HC/50-II, 80, 100/2.2, 150N, 210.

To complicate matters, Hasselblad has just announced their own HCD/24mm, which unlike the Leica S24 can be used in both CS and FP mode on the S2 providing sync speeds to 1/750 or 1/800 on the new S.

I rarely carry all these lenses to a shoot, on vacation, or when walking about. If I am working from a vehicle, I may take a lot of selections, then pick a few to tote in a Think-Tank lens changer bag.

By simply thinking ahead a bit, I can trim the bag to essentials. Totally depends on the creative objectives.

Without a doubt, the most useful “street” lenses in my arsenal are the Hasselblad 50-II which is similar to a 35mm FOV from a 35mm camera … and the S70mm.

Most used lenses for shooting a wedding are: S35mm for group shots without distorting people at the edges of the frame to badly … 30mm and 24mm are too wide. I also use the S 70 quite a bit … but without a doubt the most used now is the HC/100/2.2 which allows me to shoot with fill lighting at 1/500th or 1/750th shutter to better control brighter background and back-lighting situations, resulting in a very nice balanced lighting without blown highlights frequently experienced with available light back-lit subjects.

An example of the HC100/2.2 can be seen here:

http://www.reddotforum.com/showthread.php/804-Images-using-S-and-H-lenses-on-the-S2.?p=3354#post3354

-Marc

fotografz;3355 wrote: I currently have the S35, 70, 120, 180. I plan on adding the new 120/TS, the Elpro for the 180, and am debating on the S24mm which I have been waiting for in lieu of the S30mm.

In addition, I have a full compliment of H/C lenses I use on an H4D/60, and also use on the S2 with the H to S Adapter: HCD/28, HC/50-II, 80, 100/2.2, 150N, 210.

To complicate matters, Hasselblad has just announced their own HCD/24mm, which unlike the Leica S24 can be used in both CS and FP mode on the S2 providing sync speeds to 1/750 or 1/800 on the new S.

I rarely carry all these lenses to a shoot, on vacation, or when walking about. If I am working from a vehicle, I may take a lot of selections, then pick a few to tote in a Think-Tank lens changer bag.

By simply thinking ahead a bit, I can trim the bag to essentials. Totally depends on the creative objectives.

Without a doubt, the most useful “street” lenses in my arsenal are the Hasselblad 50-II which is similar to a 35mm FOV from a 35mm camera … and the S70mm.

Most used lenses for shooting a wedding are: S35mm for group shots without distorting people at the edges of the frame to badly … 30mm and 24mm are too wide. I also use the S 70 quite a bit … but without a doubt the most used now is the HC/100/2.2 which allows me to shoot with fill lighting at 1/500th or 1/750th shutter to better control brighter background and back-lighting situations, resulting in a very nice balanced lighting without blown highlights frequently experienced with available light back-lit subjects.

An example of the HC100/2.2 can be seen here:

http://www.reddotforum.com/showthread.php/804-Images-using-S-and-H-lenses-on-the-S2.?p=3354#post3354

-Marc

Hi Marc,this is my first post here but I also read getdpi a lot and know about your equipment from your posts there,I was wondering if you had to make a choice between hassy and the S system which would you choose.. do you think the S can match h4d-60 I.Q?

Robert