Leica on a Budget

[@tor2919]

Great pictures and lens kit!

[@JimmyCheng]

This is a very smart and rational collection of lenses. All you need really.

[@johnkasianowicz6536]

That’s a great selection of lenses for travel at superb prices! I picked up a (ridiculous) number of M lenses from Josh at Leica Store Miami over the past two years. They include several you mentioned (Elmarit 28 mm and Summicron 90 in Silverchrome). These render differently than my Summilux 28 and APO-Summicron 90 and I love them. If you ever have a need to do close-up work, the newer versions of the Summilux 35, APO-Summicron 35, and Summilux 50 are a delight to use. At subject distances < 0.7 m, they’ll require using the rear LCD screen or an EVF. I’ve also had good luck with the Macro-Elmar 90 collapsible + the Macro Adapter M.

[@bryonpowers]

Congratulations on your new Leica.

[@jklphoto]

Great kit! Perfect setup for a rangefinder! Very well produced video too!

[@willjw93]

love it. always love seeing what lenses best suit people and why! ive gone for a 28, 35, 50 summicron. with the 50 only really being used for portraits with the 28mm being used for story telling. that extra DOF at f2 helps with portraits sometimes. those situations where im only carrying one lens, it is always the 35mm summincron, this is my default focal length for everyday. ive been playing with a 90mm f2.8. I just cant make it work for me.

[@GastonShutters]

For me is Elmarit 28, Summilux 50 ver 11891 ( or Summarit 50 f2.5), Summarit 90 f2.4

[@gregspov]

The 90mm Summicron f/2 is way heavier than the other two lenses in my bag. I'll have to try out the Summarit 90 f/2.4 and the 90mm f4 Macro Elmar to see if they would be better for those few occasions I need the reach while traveling.

[@stephenelliott7071]

Such a compact light travel photography setup. I think that's very important because the vacation/holiday and enjoying yourself is the priority, but it's also nice to capture some great images too! Every camera manufacturer has similar so just pick something similar...For me it's a Fujifilm X-Pro 3 with a 16 f2.8, 23 f2 and 50 f2 - in FF terms a 24mm, 35mm and 75mm.

[@mcmasterphoto]

Great video! love the camera set up!

[@RS-Amsterdam]

Solid story 🎉 Thanks for sharing😊

[@joerg_koeln]

The idea of having some small lenses is a good one, the selection of the focal lengths makes complete sense to cover > 95% of the situations during travel unless you're on a safari. Funny to see, what "budget" means in the Leica world. I have some older Leica-R lenses which are really affordable, Leica M never was.

[@mignav464]

3:38 Every Elmarit Asph 28 is coded. Top tip for 50mm is the Summarit 50 f2.5, best bokeh of all non-Summilux Leica lenses, because it is non-aspherical. Just as sharp if not sharper than the Summicron 50. Hidden gem in the lineup.

[@ankerwiedemann]

I have the exact same setup for my M10 and chose the same focal lengths for the same reasons. Even the 90 Summicron though an older version which I will probably never really learn to appreciate. So instead, I keep my 90 mm Elmarit-R which is so much easier to work with and renders beautiful portraits. It took me a year or so to figure out what content to put in my kit bag but it has felt increasingly homely, and I begin to grow and melt together with my M10 now. It even shows in my work, and I love it. I agree that it has meditative qualities to work with the rangefinder and its organic intuitive feel. I also try to not bother too much about the difficulties in complex lighting situations but rather play, shoot spontaneously and experiment. It's just a truly great camera to record your impressions and express them. Thx for a great video!

[@gregspov]

Well said! I’ve been using the 90 Summicron this weekend and I’m finding it frustrating to nail focus on subjects between 15 meters and infinity. At f/2 the depth of field is surprisingly shallow and the focal plane moves a lot with very small turn of the ring.

[@barthonhoff5547]

A Leica M10-p owner: 28mm , 50mm V4 and 90mm Pre-Asph Summicrons as travel around kit. Or when I want really small I take the Leica CL with the 16mm, 30mm and 56mm Sigma’s with me.

[@deejaybeephoto]

Very good, clear presentation. Thank you!

[@lottic]

I hope you enjoy your kit! I also shoot the M10R; my 28mm is the Elmarit V1 ASPH, 50mm is the V4 Summicron , and 90mm is the 2.8 Elmarit-M. I disagree with you regarding the V2 28mm being sharper for digital than the V1; The V1 is bitingly sharp even on 40MP. The benefit of the V1 is the smaller lens hood profile. V4 50mm was due to the focus tab, and I prefer a fixed hood. The 90 Elmarit-M is compact and likewise quite sharp. The hoods from Squarehood are a game changer for the 28 and 50.

[@gregspov]

Thanks for the info. Just goes to show how consistently good Leica glass is across the range and model versions.

[@ChalrieD]

That 90mm lens is my favorite lens. Frankly I’m all about the 21 mm and 90 mm, the 50 doesn’t get used much on the road. And btw, use black tape to get rid of that red logo and use a beater bag not a camera bag and nobody will look twice at your setup.

[@PatrickColpron]

Good on you going with Leica glass for your Leica camera, that's the way to go. This said a 35mm is all you need for travel, it makes no sense to go on a trip with more than one lens. I only take multiple lenses for editorial assignments. Holidays and travels, just one lens is needed.

[@gam3955]

OMG I’ve the same lenses for my M-P. They’re very good. I use them with my LUMIX S1R too 😂

[@sc1]

Good kit. I have the 28 Elmarit and 50 Summilux. I haven’t committed to 90mm yet.

[@gregspov]

The 90mm is my least used Leica lens. If I am shooting landscapes I’ll usually use my Canon 70-200. But when I’m traveling light the 90 is nice to have. The only thing is that it is tricky to focus with the rangefinder. Early on I missed focus a lot. But shooting landscapes is easy, just twist to infinity.

[@gregspov]

By the way, saw you also submitted a photo to the Red Dot Forum webcast. Nice.

[@sc1]

@@gregspov Thanks, I use the Q3 to film some of my you tube videos. I was hoping they would tell me which 28 M-lens to sell: the Summilux or the Elmarit.

[@gregspov]

@@sc1 yeah, same here with the 50. I planned to sell the Summicron after getting the new Summilux but haven’t pulled the trigger yet. Eventually I will but I like the small Summicron 50mm and the more vintage look in the bokeh.

[@brianzoowab]

Same here, plus a 35 summilux pre asph. Have a 90 elmarit but not liking it.

[@wolfgangsimon1056]

My three lens set-up: Dual-Hexanon 21/35mm, Summilux 1.4/50mm and Tele-Elmarit-M 2.8/90mm

[@curiouslizard]

Great kit! For me it’s the M10R, 21mm f/3.4, 35mm FLE, and 75mm APO. I keep a visoflex handy a well.

[@gregspov]

It seems like either 28/50/90 or 21/35/75 is the ideal pattern. I always thought I was a 28/50/90 guy, but lately I've fallen in love with my 35 Summilux and so I'm thinking long term of getting a 21 and a 75 and maybe selling some of the other lenses to fund.

[@alanjackson7428]

Did you consider the 90mm f4 Macro Elmar M for travel?

[@gregspov]

I’ve never tried one, but the macro would be really appealing to be able to get close-up detail shots. Most Leica lenses until very recently had a minimum focus distance of 70cm due to the rangefinder limitations. So it would be great to have the option for close ups.

[@alanjackson7428]

@@gregspov i was thinking more towards the lenses compact, lightweight, size. Likely you would use for landscapes f8-f16 much like the f2 version

[@Narsuitus]

I like your 28/50/90mm affordable Leica three-lens travel kit. It is very similar to my Contax three-lens travel kit: 28mm f/2.8 Zeiss Biogon 45mm f/2 Zeiss Planar 90mm f/2.8 Zeiss Sonnar

[@gregspov]

Back in the early 2000s I almost bought a new Contax with lenses. The brochure (back when camera makers still printed them) itself was gorgeous. Love that system.

[@oliverlison]

I love Zeiss lenes. I have 5 or 6 Zeiss lenes. Beautiful.

[@StefanDietrichZRH]

I am wondering between the 90mm Summilux F2.0 vs Summarit F2.8. If it's the least frequent used, maybe Summarit is better because lighter. Less Portrait capabilities maybe?

[@gregspov]

Agree, if it’s for travel I’d go with the lighter lens. The 90 Summicron is the heaviest Leica lens I own. The main argument for the f/2 would be portraiture. Otherwise I’d save the weight.

[@peterfritzphoto]

Very interesting video, Greg. Sadly, Australian prices are around triple what you’re paying in the US.

[@gregspov]

Ouch! Yeah, sometimes in the United States we take for granted how affordable things are compared to the rest of the world, especially people who live in states with no or very low sales tax compared to the high VAT in Europe.

[@jacobh5817]

Excellent choices and very good deals too, if I might add. In terms of focal lenghts it’s a classic 3-lens reporter setup. The 2-lens equiv. would be a 35 and 75. I hoover between the two, based on how much to carry. I’ve opted for the 28 Cron black paint, the new 50 Lux with close focus and the 90 APO to go along the M11-P or M7. Whenever I need more pseudo macro, I leave the 28 at home and add the Q2. After 35+ years shooting fashion/beauty for a living, I’m done with carrying large cameras and lenses. Now that I’m slowly retiring, I only use what I’m able and willing to carry. That even includes a nice M43 for long lenses, zoom and video work. Great stuff, without the backpain.

[@gregspov]

Agree. When I was a photojournalist I carried two Canon 1D Mark II bodies, one with a 16-35mm zoom and the other with the EF 70-200mm. Plus the 24-70 and a flash in the waist pack. It was a heavy load. I even hiked across the Andes with that kit all in a ThinkTank Photo backpack. I couldn’t imagine carrying that much stuff anymore. I recently went to Cuba and only took my M11-P with the new 35mm Summilux. It was great.

[@brianmiller921]

Do you find the 28mm is wide enough for the interiors of cathedrals, castles, etc? Or do you take multiple shots and stitch them together?

[@gregspov]

Definitely need wider for specific shots you mentioned. I’ve been thinking about trying out one of the 21mm lenses. The dirty secret is that I often use the wide lens on my iPhone for those situations. Yes, it would be better to have a dedicated ultra-wide if I were going to use the pics in a book. But that is part of the trade off I am willing to make to travel light. I often will carry just one lens and use my phone to grab something at a different focal length. If it’s just sharing with family on FB no one ever notices the difference.

[@brianmiller921]

@@gregspov I am thinking of getting the Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5 III or a pre-owned Zeiss 15mm f/2.8. I prefer the size and weight of the Voigtlander but if I found a good deal on the Zeiss I would suck up the larger size for the quality and f/2.8

[@brianmiller921]

@@gregspov For me I think 15mm 28mm and 50mm would be what I carry as I lean more toward architecture and cityscapes when I travel.

[@gregspov]

@@brianmiller921 back in my photojournalism days I covered a lot of events in churches. The Canon EF 16-35mm was glued to my camera and usually set at 15mm.

[@brianmiller921]

@@gregspov Ha! In mine I had a 35mm f/2 on one F3 and a 105mm f/2.5 on another.

[@ronanderson2130]

Wonder if you have to pay duty with used lens from Japan. If so how much?

[@gregspov]

I did not. It sure how that all works but wasn’t an issue for me.

[@webersteve1547]

Good kit. Sooner or later you will add a 21 (or 18) eventually dropping the 90

[@gregspov]

Yep, I’m planning on the 21 next. Just need to sell some other kit to fund it :) Back in my photojournalism days 20 years ago I either shot really wide (16-35mm zoom) or long (70-200mm zoom). Now that I mostly shoot Leica I’m spending most of my time either at 35mm or 50mm. I like the change to a more narrow band.

[@steveramsay5941]

So where’s the budget in this….?

[@richardsimms251]

Nice video

[@danielcoburn7696]

Good Kit brilliant

[@brankobelfranin8815]

I don't about affordable, but yes they are great.

[@KariKumpulainen]

I use the same focal lengths, but with different lenses. I changed summicron V5 to summilux ASPH because I’m also 50mm guy and use it nearly always so decided to spent a little more for that one extra stop of light. And I never liked the bokeh summicron made. For 28mm, I also have elmarit. Actually 2, the pre-ASPH v4 and my latest purchase, Elmarit-M ASPH. They both have unique place in my heart but for different reasons. For 90mm, I first started with Tele-Elmarit-M (thin), which I never liked. Sure it was small and light for travel, but for some reason it never felt right. I changed it to newer Elmarit-M which is totally different beast in IQ. That I would only change for APO Summicron.

[@eek0212]

if im the one pick one, ill choose 35mm cron 4th generation. It have close to modern Leica performance and most importantly very small and light.

[@gregspov]

My desert island lens is definitely the 35mm if I could take only one.

[@jpmongol]

35 summilux with m10. Done.

[@gregspov]

If I had to grab one body and lens to use for the rest of my life… the 35 lux is magic.

[@nelsonmeeks]

Looks like I might be dumping my giant cannon 😮

[@recreationalplutonium]

travel lens collection: 35mm

[@gregspov]

Yes. I am working on a video about my trip to Havana, Cuba. Took only the 35 Summilux.

[@r423fplip]

I took a Ricoh gr3 and gr3x.

[@NetvoTV]

Hey Sir Grey, my name is Johnny and I'm a freelance logo designer, I'm currently looking for more works to help me get back on track in life, are you interested to have a logo for your channel to improve your branding to increase your loyalty and views? I would love to have the honor to design a photography inspired monogram logo of your vision! Let me know if you interested to make it happen! Maybe it will help me get a Nikon Zf in coming future too! :-)

[@Leicam10]

“Much much sharper” is atleast one much to much.