Analog Review: Leica 28mm Elmarit-M ASPH. (+ Zone Focusing and the 28mm Focal Length)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 เม.ย. 2019
- What started as a cut and dry review of the 28mm 2.8 Elmarit-M turned into a wider discussion about the 28mm focal length
- แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I’ve been watching your channel for some time now but since I finally switched to the m system I’m watching them all over again with a new appreciation 😄✌🏽
28 mm is really an advanced focal length IMO. After shooting 35 mm for a couple years I finally made the jump and now I will not go back. There is just something so dynamic about photos, particularly made on the street, when you get it right just looks incredible. I would really recommend that you persist and work a little bit harder for your shots, because the results can be awesome :-)
Stellar review and explanations. Well worth the subscribe.
Your zone focusing street tips are so useful. Thank you!
Thanks a lot for this in-depth review of the lens. I am looking into 28mm for my Leicas and am now tempted with the Elmarit thanks to your video. :) Great work and looking forward to your videos as they come.
Having just received a brand new leica MA these videos you’ve made have become a great guide and resource. Your videos are grounded and I’ve always felt that you have keen insights into what works and what doesn’t. I hope you will continue to be who you are and make content amongst all the dross surrounding you in TH-cam. I’m probably either going to get a 28mm summicron or a 35mm summicron.
An excellent review, thanks!
Loved the video Jonathan, keep the content coming. I thought your point comparing the focal length to that of an iPhone was really interesting, and not one I would have ever occurred to me. I can't wait for your next vid and my next dopamine hit :)
I have and i love this lens , specially when i am in a narrow space squeezed into the crowd . . . . on a M9 its just perfect
Great video, great images. Keep on doing your videos 👍🏻
That's a really useful set of guidelines for hyperfocal shooting, I've never thought of those distances with equivalent actions like throwing rubbish. Thanks a lot for that! The Elmarit and 50mm Summicron is my favourite combination for everyday shooting. Often, I'll leave the Elmarit on during the day, and use the Summicron at night.
just picked up a nikkor 28mm so really enjoyed how you focused a lot on the focal length in general since it seems to be not as common as a 35 here on youtube
Really enjoyed this review. Been looking at different 28mm lenses so I appreciated the focal length... focus...!
I love the 28mm focal lenght, find the depth of field very interesting for street photo and have your subject in focus
Love that shot at 13:31, nice video dude!
How do you only have 7k subs? Well, 7001 now ;) Thoroughly enjoyed your shots and commentary, keep it up!
I've a 21mm and then you get real close. But the 50mm is still my number ONE. Fine review, well done!
I love the colours in your footage. Muted and just nice. Keep making videos :)
Great Video! I'm diving into like M Range within the next few months and looking for a 28.
Great work! I'm a 35mm "type of guy" but is nice explore something wider sometimes...
I usually use an F2 with a Zeiss Distagon 35mm f2
Cant wait to go back to Hong Kong - hope you had a great time there
You are the MAN, thanks for your great video and your expertise.
I have subscribed to your channel 👍🏻👍🏻👋🏻
Good video, enjoyed it.
Either 24 or 35mm or equivalent focal length vins for me any day of the week - you are quite right about 28mm fatigue...
Great review and video, thank you. Said that 28mm is not my cup of coffee. 50mm is my choice most of the time.
great video thanks, i can never be with out my 28 and 40mm
10:10 I was thinking the same thing about the similarities to iPhone shots. Creating an interesting image when shooting wide with great depth of field can be a challenge. Or, perhaps, I rely too much on shallow depth of field and could use the challenge.
its so fun to watch this video as a hong kong local haha, nice video
I have this lens (although my hood screws on?). Superb and often matches my Summicron f2! Loving your shots!
I did enjoy the video. I just got my m6 and I already have a mamiya rb67 that I'll probably us exclusively for portraiture so I'm deciding on my street lens for the m6. I really want to put leica glass on it
Johnathan, great video, just picked up this lens last week! What king of strap is that on the M6? I have a M240 and M4 that I will need one for. Thanks in advance.
Inspiring ! 😀
Lovely little lens..
I to have an “issue” with 28mm but I’m forcing my self to shoot 28mm and the more I shoot the more images I see...
Great episode man...
🤩
//freddie
The apartments are beautiful.
The Leica 28mm Elmarit-M ASPH is my favourite lens. Your B&W photos are GREAT! You have a very beautiful leather strap. Where did you buy it? ciao
thanks for the review. I might need to buy this lens one day to shoot interior real estate.
You'll want something much wider to shoot interiors. Many real estate shooters use a 16-35mm or thereabouts, usually at 21 or 22mm. A lot use a tilt-shift lens to capture perfect right angles. 28mm just isn't wide enough to capture many rooms. If you must use a RF lens, try the Zeiss 21mm Biogon or the new Voigtlander 21mm f3.5. But generally, you're better off with a DSLR or mirrorless with an ultrawide zoom, and bracket your shots for exposure fusion later on.
Using an M-mount to shoot interiors is a bit of a wacky idea to begin with. You’d be better off with a 10 year old DSLR
very interesting thx
I agree with your points. I had this lens and sold it. I found it the sharpest lens I ever had but I just like 35mm better. The focal length of 28mm with a 0.7m minimum focus was an issue for me, on an SLR its a different story. I just find the 35mm more versatile. This lens is the best but I seem to like lenses with more character now rather than clinically good. When lenses are "perfect" on specs it is just boring to me, I like the quirkiness of old vintage lenses now. That being said great review.
Gosh, you should let Garry Winogrand know 28mm FL is boring... he had no idea.
Unfortunately, Winogrand is dead.
@@Joseph-wy2mq Because most phones have a 28mm lens I find its become the new standard and we are so used to seeing it. So I prefer seeing something different, it is a delight to the senses.
Nice shots! I'd love to visit Hong Kong. Your home looks so clean and nice as well haha, how did you manage to find a place like that in London? I just moved here last year, looking to move again in a few months
loving my 28 f2.8 biogon since the elmarit is way way over my budget.
Thank you. This was really helpful. I'm new to film Leica, M cameras and this is the first lens (and only one right now) that I own. I love environmental portraits like those two beautiful B&W's that you featured in this video. I, too, am shy about getting really up close to people. The tiny size of the Leica body (an M7 in my case) and this diminutive lens seems much less off putting to subjects, more like being photographed with a big cell phone that everyone is used to, so I do feel that compensates a bit.
28 mm is my favorite focal length in many situations 98 percent of the time I dont own the new elmarit . But own the pre asph one. Currently on my type 246 I use a zeiss biogon 28/2.8 ZM with a squarehood from shape ways. It is a joy to use. somehow the 28 mm gives the confident to risk much more and shoot crazy things.
I know what you mean about the risk more and shoot crazy things. It's a sweet spot between zone-focusability and hip firing that allows you to get close be confident in framing/focus without the airy and disconcerting perspective of a 21mm/16mm.
In fact, I think that 99% of well composed shots wider than around 24mm shots are of scenes that could be 'better' shot with something tighter - or are otherwise deliberately playing on the ultra-wide perspective.
@@JonathanNotley True but I most admit the 28 or sometimes wider makes me play more or have more fun with it. the crazy angles plus experiment more. Dont get me wrong a 50 is always a plesure but more predictive. Where wide angles are in my oppinion more fun and crazy. But we all have a favorite and yes depends very much for what you have to use it for.
Nice strap, where’s it’s from?
Cheaper alternative with very similar properties and a stop faster: CV 28/2 M-mount lens
Love the vid! Does your elmarit have any wobble on the front barrel? Mine has a little play. Curious if it’s normal. Thanks!
None on my copy, I’d get that looked at because it may just be as simple as tightening a screw.
@@JonathanNotley thanks for the reply! Luckily have a year of warranty.
What was the shutter speed set to mostly? I’m intending to get this lens for my M6😅
Very good lens I like this lens more than my Summicron 28mm then trade both for 28mm summilux and never look back .
Viewer from HK!
Great video. What’s the song that’s playing in the intro?
th-cam.com/video/5Q3Z2LYNwWI/w-d-xo.html
8:45 definitely a great shot. How are you metering when firing from the hip? Did you get a few ideas in your head beforehand and just use best judgement?
Thanks! I’m thinking of making a video on ‘metering by eye’ but essentially due to the forgiving nature of black and white film and the stable cloud cover I was able to meter once and then rely on my own judgement to open up/stop down when the lighting changed. If you think about it once I meter a side of the street once I’m good to keep shooting as long as the sun doesn’t move and there’s a similar amount of illumination. You can also instinctively just lock your shutter at ~1/125 or 1/250 and keep a finger on the aperture ring to react to changing light
@@JonathanNotley Awesome thanks for the detailed response. I think it would be a great idea to do a video on it. In general, there's not too many vids on here discussing metering.. good ones at least. You explain things really well and I/we appreciate it!
I like the video, but what did you use to record the audio? It sounds a bit like you are under water when you are outside.
Some of the audio on the street had a high pitched whine in the background so I had to ditch most of the high frequencies on the equaliser
I use a Røde videomic go in my Sony A7iii
Good job. Question... what are you developing your tri-x with ? Thanks...rb
HC-100 1:34
That’s a ratio not a time stamp ^ , I think they call it dilution-B or something in the notes
Don't know which version you have, but my 28mm Elmarit is bigger than my 50mm Summicron.
My smallest Leica lens is by far the 40mm Summicron f/2, originally designed for the CL.
This is the Elmarit-M Asph. Version 1, they replaced it in 2016 with the metal hood version which is like the 35 Cron update - just the hood changes and the lens is the same
@@JonathanNotley I just did some digging, and mine is a Version 3, produced between 1979 and 1993. Check for yourself, it is way bigger than your version. It's actually as long as the 28mm Summilux of my Leica Q, but about 1/3 slimmer.
@@JonathanNotley Got it, it's ASPH vs. regular. Don't know if it does anything about the output, but handling and size are not the same at all.
I truly think the Voigtlander 28mm Asph is superior by a substantial amount to the Leica Elmarit 28mm - the Voigtlander, just gave me superior contrast and vivid colors place dramatically sharper an image - Leica make excellent lenses but if you buy their budget you get budget.......the best deal for you buck is to pick up a Leica Q with a built in Summilux f1,7 - it is not a rangefinder and the lense is fixed but getting a whole camera for not much more than the summilux by its own .........Voigtlander has become my go to lens these days for my old Leica M series rangefinder cameras both film and the digital M8 which is a fantastic camera, superior to the m9 despite the cropped sensor but that old CCD just does a wonderful job
Does the Q take tri-x?
Hey, do you struggle to see the 28mm framlines with glasses?
Yea
Let me know when you come to Hong Kong next time, I will show you around the best places worth to visit, those will be out of the tourist guide.
I currently own 35 , 50 and 90 focal length for my film m system and thinking to get a wide lens, I kind of think that 28mm would be too close to 35mm
I'm struggling between 28 , 24 or 21, I have to buy myself external VF for the 21 and 24. and to be honest, Hong Kong is a small place there isn't much landscape worth to shoot.
so the wide lens will be more for street photograph, there are no shops here offering lens rental, no you can't rent one and experience it.
I know it is very subjective when it comes to focal length choice, but still want to hear suggestions from you guys.
I loved the size of the 28 Elmairt, but it's rendering was too clinical for me. I prefer the look of the 28 Summicron instead.
I think a 28 pairs nicely with a 50. This combo fits my needs 95% of the time.
The older cron, not the asph?
Christian Turner I have the ASPH 11672.
Love the part where u talk about how u focus.
Nice video? Great Lens? Excellent focal length for street photography? You can't beat Tr-X? Keep up the good work?
Thanks?
Maybe the 35mm is easier and more versatile. Thanks for HK visit.
Why does the pushing affect x-ray damage? You're not actually making the film a higher ISO which would make it more sensitive to that kind of damage, you're just underexposing.
The increased development shifts (pushes) the response curve to the right which opens up the shadows. It is more likely to display damage in these areas via defects such as increased shadow grain or slightly raised blacks. If you want to see some gnarly results then try putting one trix through an X-ray and then developing it at 6400 with a control roll. I see your point about it not affecting the right side of the histogram though. I guess it’s more a level of extent/damage limitation than it is totally avoiding the problem.
@@JonathanNotley Gotcha, you're risking bringing out the defects even more by overdeveloping. Makes so much sense now!
Better yet have them hand check which is legal in most countries even in China. Next, shoot at box speed and you’ll always get the best exposure designed specifically for the film. Pushing film was never something any photographer ever did for a specific look. It was done because of the lack of available light.
Man people urinate on their films ‘for a specific look’ these days I’m sure people push for contrast and grain.
man you did great videos but you need a better audio to make them better
I had problems with this high pitched whine for some of the HK audio, not sure what it was but it ruined a few clips and obviously I couldn’t fly back to re-record so I leant heavily on the high end of the equaliser to lessen it
this camera is not leicerr its leica...
the board game is chinese chess
8:20 with all the swear words
By Law you can request that the Airport perform a Hand Check and not run it through the X-Ray.
That’s just America. Heathrow got funny and I was too tired to ask in NZ 😩
ps. If you really want to take high speed black and white through LHR the trick is to label it 1600 speed regardless of your intention to push - if you use stickers you can even peel them off whilst shooting before you get confused in the darkroom. Their documentation lists their machines as x-ray safe up to 800 but they don’t understand the concept of cumulative damage.
@@JonathanNotley Many asian countries don't care. In Korea they told me I need a special permit from the Korean Government.
Clean the lens please...
Most of these pics could have been made bij any point and shoot camera
Remco Zwinkels Yeah or an iPhone, or anything else with a 28mm lens...
Having just received a brand new leica MA these videos you’ve made have become a great guide and resource. Your videos are grounded and I’ve always felt that you have keen insights into what works and what doesn’t. I hope you will continue to be who you are and make content amongst all the dross surrounding you in TH-cam. I’m probably either going to get a 28mm summicron or a 35mm summicron.
Glad to help! I also have a video on my channel about the 35mm cron. FWIW I've sold both these lenses and now use the 28 cron myself.