M6 TTL with 0.58 viewfinder??

Hi,

As I am just a beginer,for the start I decided to get 35mm,50mm,90mm

lenses only. But I am confuse which viewfinder match well with the

above lenses. 0.58? 0.72?or 0.85? I need your advise.Thank you.

You must be one very rich beginner. That's like $8,000 worth of beginner equipment.

 

Anyway, my guess is that the .58 with the 1.25 magnifier on it will cover all your needs. The .85 is good if you are going to do alot of stuff above 50mm (like alot of 90 and 135). I'm sure my more experienced colleagues will have better insight. I just can't believe this list of "beginner" equipment.

 

-Ramy

Fatima,

 

Id be inclined to get the middle of the road .72 as this covers the wide range of focal lengths that you specify. <BR>

 

A .85 will be too big for use with a 35mm but perfect for 50 and 90<BR>

A .58 will be fine for 35 and 50, but too small for a 90<BR>

 

You can get the magnifier, but I reckon this will get on your nerves each time you change lenses you have to unscrew the mag as well.<BR>

 

You are lucky as a beginner to be able to choose 3 lenses plus a body! I had to start off by buying a second hand lens then waiting 3 months before I could afford a second hand body! ;]<BR>

 

If you are new to M6 photography, I would start off with just 1 lens (either the 35 or 50mm) until using the camera becomes second nature. After that you will know what lens you want next (or indeed if you like the M style of photography!). <BR>

 

After years of using a M6 and different lenses, my ultimate cimbination would be just 2 lenses, a 24 Elmarit and a 50mm Summilux.

The last model I would get would be the 0.58. This unit is not, in

my experience up to focussing a 90 mm lens (at least not

without extreme care). If you don't wear glasses, and like to use

the 90, get a 0.85. If you "standardise" around the 35, get a 0.72.

FWIW, I started with 0.58 +0.85 with 35 and 90 and found the

lack of "interchangability" of bodies a major irritation. I ended up

swapping the 0.58 for a 0.72. I still find the 90 (apo in my case) a

royal pain to use - though it does produce beautiful images.

Perhaps 0.72 and v/f magnification (when your using the 90 for

prolonged periods) would be nice.

Dear Lotto winner,

 

why get just one? And I don't understand how you could possibly

live without the fab 28/2 ASPH. Then again, the 24/2.8 is soooo

delicious. And then there's the Tri-Elmar for those days when you

feel to lazy to cart around all those lenses.

 

Seriously, if you're just having one, and considering the spread

of lenses you've chosen, and that you're just getting into M

photography, the .072 should be a serious consideration. It was

the standard for most of the M6 production run for just that

reason.

Fatimah - I have just read what Karl said (he posted as I wrote) -

I agree whole heartedly. Given my time again, I would

undoubtedly get just a 50 (or a 35 if I were more bold!) and wait

to see what I felt I needed. Of the photographers whose work I

admire, I often notice the correlation between how few lenses

they use and the quality of their photography.

Yes Steve, I had a 90 elmarit as well, but got rid of it as shots taken in a hurry with this lens wide open were all out of focus! (Even though I was sure the rangefinder images overlapped) I now dont dare go anything higher than 50mm and find myself more and more drawn towards really up close wide angle photography.

i am guest at this forum for the first time and this was the first question i opened. actually i am quite astonished about your reactions concerning the question above. why should one not take several lenses to shoot? if you think leitz-lenses are too expensive then use a cheaper system! (by the way - i am sure nobody will recognize a difference in the results of anybody's pix). moreover i do not think i will ask any questions about any piece of equipment at this forum, who knows what comments will come!

 

concerning the viewfinder: i consider 0.72 to be the best choice in this case.

I agree with Ramy, if you wear glasses, start with the .58 and SLOWLY master the technique with a 50MM or the 35MM. If you don't need glasses stick with the .72. As your comfort zone expands, you can add other lenses and/or another body. You may very well change your view of photography as you become familiar with the system.

Put the balance of your funds in a money market. By the time you need it, the interest will be sufficient to acquire another lens.

Herwig, The M system was designed to be a light and compact outfit, so it defeats the point by lugging around loads of lenses (of which about 70% wont get used during a shoot. If you constantly need to change lenses I would say that a SLR and zoom lens would be a wiser choice.

by the way thats what 'I' would do. Doesnt mean that you have to do the same. Do whatever suits you not what other people say.

<i>A .58 will be fine for 35 and 50, but too small for a 90</i> <p>

 

I am sorry, but I must wholeheartedly disagree with this statement! I have successfully used the my .58 body with my 90APO at f2 for over a year now without any problems. IMO, blanket statements like this perhaps are more indicative of user shortcomings than equipment shortcomings. <p>

 

However, given the three lenses you mentioned, the .72 body is probably the clear choice. The .58 lacks 135 framelines should you decide in the future you want that focal. Conversely, the .85 body lacks 28 framelines and could prove a very cramped viewfinder with the 35 lens attached. My second choice of body for the lenses mentioned would be the .58 plus 1.25x magnifier; that is unless you thought your next lens might be a 28, in which case the .58 is a dream. Just ask anybody who uses that combo.<p>

 

;-),

Remember these things when making your decisions:

 

1. The .72 models were designed to be the best compromise for all-around shooting. In fact, the M2 was introduced as the "wide angle M" to satisfy photojournalists who shot with the 28 or 35 much of the time, as opposed to the "normal" shooter, who was supposed to use a 50 most of the time on their M3. (M2, M4, M4-2, M4-P, M5, M6, M6ttl, M7)

 

2. The .85 model was introduced in 1998 to satisfy users who used a 50mm or longer lens most of the time or who wanted an updated M3. (In fact, the .85 was probably produced in response to the feeding frenzy around the M6J that had the M3-like finder of the mid-1990's. I'm sure that pissed more than a few people off that their unique M6J's were trumped by the pedestrian M6 .85's.)

 

3. The .58 model was introduced in 1999 (?) primarily to satisfy eyeglass wearers who couldn't see the outer framelines (28) on a .72 body with their glasses on. It's best for those using 28-35mm lenses most of the time (there's no 24mm frameline, but the outer edge of the VF is approx the size of the 24mm FOV).

 

So if you use glasses and you use a 35mm lens, you'll probably get the most practicality from a .58 body. It will not work as good as the other bodies for the longer lenses used wide open, but it's perfectly acceptable as long as you're not shooting lots of stuff at 90/2 or 135/2.8.

 

If you don't use glasses, the classic .72 finder is usually the best choice for the 35/50/90 combo.

 

If you're primarily a 50 & 90 shooter, buy the .85, but realize that the 35mm frameline is invisible if you use glasses on that model.

 

Skip

For this spread of lenses I'd suggest the .72 if you don't wear glasses, and the .58 if you do. I personally prefer the .58, but that's because I use a 28mm a lot more than a 90 (and like Jack, I find the 90 works just fine on the .58). When I was using just your three proposed lenses I was very happy with the .72 finder.

 

FWIW, I think the .58 finder is absolute magic with a 35mm lens. The frame lines seem to be just the right size, and the lack of a 135 frame gives you a the least cluttered view since the M2. Just something to think about.

Agreed with all the above answers. To summarise-More Wide Angle 0.58,

longer than 50mm try 0.85 or best all round 0.72. Glass wearer 0.58.

I have a 0.58 M6TTL and use it for 24,35,50 and best combo of all 75/1.4.I wear glasses. Now, you have all the infor you need.

My 2 cents