Leica psychology?

[markdemeny]

I finally decided to make the leap and get an M8 in the near to mid future, but

in the meantime get myself a 28mm Elmarit ASPH that I can use and enjoy on my M6.

 

Of course, I head down to my local shop and they have a few new lenses - but no

28mm. A quick call to Leica indicates an 8 week waiting period(!)... hmm... so I

start looking at the standbys and I see out of stock everywhere... Vistek, B&H,

Adorama... nothing. All back-ordered.

 

So my question is this; is the 28mm super-popular because it's a 35 equivalent

on the M8, or is this typical for lots of Leica glass?

 

I have to be honest, after all this, if I actually found a copy I would buy it

in a second (instead of the usual hesitation when dropping that sort of money

for a wee little lens)... do you think this scarcity helps drive our attachment

to our Leica cameras and lenses? When I finally get it will I feel that warm

fuzziness like a music nerd finding that rare bootleg imported album from Japan

(only 500 pressings made!) times, like, one hundred?

[paul_neuthaler]

I think everyone is chasing it because it is a great lense at a cheap (for Leica) price & the 28mm frame is eminently suitable for the M8 crop.

[steve george]

Interesting point - I guess it depends on your motivation(s). I'm far from a completist and I'm not a collector and for me the actual acquisition of gear is quite dull :-)

 

For me the excitement is the prints that justify to me the cost and effort of the purchase. Seeing my first black and white prints from a 50mm Summicron gave me some of the fuzziness you refer to but the buying of it didn't. True, I have attachment to my M6 and 50mm Summicron, but that is because they are my preferred tools for black and white photography, and less to do with the objects themselves...for a long time I felt the same attachment to my Nikon FM2 and 35mm f2, now long sold and rarely, if ever, lamented.

[pico]

Hey, call a Jones a Jones. Why dress it up in psychology?

[35mmdelux]

Leica is a very small company and the world to supply a big place. I had several 28 Elmarit Asph avail to me but decided on buying a pre-asph Version 4 and save myself $500 in the process. Nice well balanced lens.

 

Next year when the 28 Elmarit Asph is on the used market I'll pick one up.

[bob soltis]

Mark,

 

try Mark Comon at Paul's Photo in Torrance California; Naomi Meir at Bel Air Camera in Hollywood, or Scotty at Dodd Camera in Cleveland.

[Bill Blackwell Images]

There is a considerable back-order for the new Asph Elmarit because they are "reasonably" priced compared to most other Leica lenses (in fact, less expensive than its larger non-asph predecessor) and they approximate a standard (37mm) wide-angle lens with the M8's 1.33x crop factor.

 

Much of the Leica stable is back-ordered (including the M8), not just the 28mm Asph Elmarit.

[aplumpton]

Demand. When you receive it, check the mechanical movements on the new 28 2.8 ASPH. A European reviewer complained about this not being up to normal Leica smoothness level. My new M8 has a very very stiff bayonet mount, and few I have talked to like the shutter release's lack of smoothness (compared to pre M6 M models). This is not enough to warrant a no to purchase but we must give Leica Portugal and Leica Solms feedback! These are probably minor points but no doubt related somewhat to current Leica "philosophy", design or (also likely), QC.

[billsr]

While you're waiting for Solms to catch up, Zeiss has a nifty 28mm lens. I like mine a lot. Reasonably priced by Leica standards, as well.

[dennis_cheng1]

28mm Elmarit ASPH is one of the cheapest and a very useful lens for M8. If you buy it brand new from authorized dealer, you also can get a coupon for two lenses coded by Leica free.

[stephen_w.]

I could never work around the 28 length after trying several times on film, but I'd get one for the M8.