[Leica] Re Leica 21mm F2.8 pre ASPH

[eazydraw at googlemail.com (Swanny)]

I have been reading with interest all the conversations , which have been 
helpful and enlightening,  

Yes it is a brand new M9 and yes i'm putting 'old' lenses on it , however 
being new to Leica & talking with authorised dealers close to me
(well within 3 hrs drive one way, being a long drive in UK terms) and seeing 
lenses they have , I'm of the opinion that rather than having a body
with no lens to use it for many months while i save up to get the latest / 
current lenses is a stalling of learning new skills of rangefinder 
photography.

I live in the UK, I'm Lloyd Pickering (i'm in my late 40's) & my nickname is 
Swanny (from childhood swimming a long story and nothing to do with 
photography at all) 

I have bought online from ebay yes also the online shops of UK dealers and 
in person over the counter,  there are it seems a very short supply of 
'current' lenses here, 
before buying my 35 lux (classic) i tried both current 35 F2 and 35 F1.4 
ASPH (not floating) in the end choosing to learn with a lighter, smaller 
lens with no viewfinder blockage, 
for similar reasons i have the 90 tele-emarit M both from Ken Rockwell's 
review and also in trying a 90 F2 and talking to a dealer  

So perhaps as i'm new to the community it helps for you all to realise that 
when you don't have ooodles of cash (M9 came from an inheritance) and a 
Leica was
primarily bought out of childhood memory my father had an IIIf when i was 
growing up, although i was never allowed to use it (sadly it was lost or 
sold ? as were the lenses over the years before
he passed on) and as my photography will always be amateur.

I get LFI magazine which arrived today and interestingly says about my 
proposed purchase "was really not a great catch" , still the new 21 F3.4 
without finder would cost me more than double what 
I'm paying and may not arrive till the end of the year (or so my authorised 
UK dealer tells me) , in which time i shall hopefully got the hang of how to 
shoot with a 21 and perhaps i shall then agree Mark 
with your comments or perhaps i won't , but either way not shooting 21 till 
perhaps well into 2012 (after all not only would i have to await delivery i 
also need to save up to afford it) doesn't satisfy my 
urge to understand what using a 21 is all about.

I know, I know i hear the groans already why doesn't he buy a VC or other 
non-leica lens ??? well yes i have thought about that and in the end i 
decided after talking to others who 'know" to stick, 
with leica glass on a leica camera. Most of what i've read on the net and in 
talking with UK dealers tells me that yes in time i can move the lenses on 
without losing too much if anything 
(which is great compared with most things in life),however i'm also aware 
that most people regret not keeping lenses that may have faults but they 
have learned to live with, 
after all i'm not looking for perfection just the best i can do as i learn 
about using this lovely rangefinder camera that i bought.    

So when coming across the LUG and seeing on the pages 'don't be one of those 
who join post nothing and leave' i thought great a place to read and learn 
and as time goes on share 
some of the photos i've taken with lenses i've sought thoughts & feelings on 
rather than a place to castigated in? 

So to finish for now I "think i'm enjoying" being on here

Swanny

Choosing to see the positives in older things  
 

 

Message: 10
Date: Fri, 01 Jul 2011 02:53:03 -0400
From: Mark Rabiner <mark at rabinergroup.com>
Subject: Re: [Leica] M lens 21mm F2.8 pre ASPH
To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org>
Message-ID: <CA32E70F.11159%mark at rabinergroup.com>
Content-Type: text/plain;       charset="US-ASCII"

The context of the argument is just that.
Its a brand new M9 the guy just got and now he's putting a 1980 Elmarit 21
on it. 
An M8 as Sonny says makes a 21 into a 28mm anyway and much of what an
imperfect ultra wide optic has not going for it is going to be cut off the
sides. Making it less of a big deal. (though its a big lens)
But this guy has a brand new M9.

By the way we don't know the guys name nor are we able to ascertain what any
of his work looks like. And it smells just like Lug being eBay helper to me.
Not the smell of tuna and pasta, but of the lug being played.  It may be we
have a guy who just hit the bid button and wants feedback in case he "wins"
but its no big deal one way or the other as the lens will be back on the
block again in a few months or weeks. I hope I'm wrong. But the guys a
cipher. And I doubt he was really joining the LUG.

Ordinarily if someone goes out and buys a brand new M9 and puts a half assed
optic on the front of it I call that a damn waste.

But if a guy's just playing with money it's not going to matter one way or
the other. As "where's the beef?" there isn't any.


Mark William Rabiner
Photography
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/lugalrabs/
Cars:   http://tinyurl.com/2f7ptxb