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21Lux vs. 24Lux ... Opinions

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
So, now that they've been out there for a while and a few people on the forum have had an opportunity to try/purchase one or both, what are your thoughts on one versus the other on the M9?

Any red red edges with either lens on the M9?

Also, anyone shooting without a viewfinder on either/both?
 
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glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Kurt

I have both . The performance of the 21 is marginally better than the 24 but probably not worth considering as both are outstanding. I bought the 21 to have a 28FOV with the M8 and a fast aperture for evening shooting. You can see some of the images from the bridge in Paris.

When I got the M9 I went with the 24/1.4 thinking the 21 might be too wide. This is what I used for some of the images in Seville.

I use a finder with both (zeiss 21 or zeiss 25/28 ) . I like the 24/1.4 paired with the Noctilux for evening and night shooting. I can almost estimate the frame edges with the 24 without the external finder . The advantage of the 24 is that you get less lens wide angle distortion of faces etc . So for street and PJ type work the 24/1.4 is better for the M9.

The argument for the 21/1.4 is that it pairs perfectly with the 28/2 which is my favorite lens on the M9. The gap between the 21 and the 50 maybe too large. I like the pairing of the 24 with the 35 and with the many great 35 alternatives including the new 35/1.4 thats a good walking around set.

The RED edge shows up in certain situations but was not bothersome with the 24.

I also really like the 21/2.8 asph which is a great lens on the M9 (even with some RED edge ) ...this is what I use for my ultra wide . Its small and easy to carry ..not so with the 21 or 24 1.4 asph ..I only take them when I have a intention to use them frequently.

I would take the 24/1.4 for the M9 because the FOV will be better. But I would rather use the 28/2 for most assignments .
 

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
Thanks for your thoughts, Roger, lots of excellent information. The 24lux would probably be a great companion to my Noctilux as a low-light workhorse kit. Also, as I'm not much of a viewfinder kind of person, so getting by without the need to utilize one would be great. I also like the idea of a bit less distortion for people at the edges of the image.
 

bradhusick

Active member
Kurt,
The 24 is slightly smaller than the 21, so there's a bonus. Both are amazing. Don't forget to check with Tony at Popflash to see if he has a mint used one.
-Brad
 

KurtKamka

Subscriber Member
Thanks Brad, I will. I'll also be looking across the pond as the exchange rate has made this option attractive.
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Thanks Brad, I will. I'll also be looking across the pond as the exchange rate has made this option attractive.
Kurt I was doing he same thing on the exchange rate. I remember when pound dropped from $2 to a little over $1.50 and Leica hadn t adjusted prices . You could get a 501.4asph for a little over $2000. I was looking at Robert White have you found a dealer that has prices in euro s ? Roger
 
Hi Kurt - My decision to get the 21 over the 24 lux was similar to Rogers'. I really like the 28 cron on the M9. I found I wasn't using my 24 elmarit as I did a lot on the M8, as the 28 cron covered the shots I might have used the 24 very well, for me. I also never had the experience of shooting a true 21mm focal length on an M body and wanted to get into that way of seeing. So I got the 21 lux, (sold the 24 elmarit), and I love it. best....Peter
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
I have the 21 Lux. Got it in the UK during the period when its late unlamented PM was saving the British economy with a weak pound. I'm currently using it on the M9 for a setting which makes good use of its extreme wide angle and sharp undistorted edges. I've been wandering in the midst of a very chaotic construction site combining interesting odd objects in the near, far, and middle distances. Think of it as M9 does Friedlander in the Sonoran Desert. The constrastiest lenses work best at this, e.g. the 28/2.8 asph and the 21/1.4 both stopped down to about f/5.6. Not to everyone's taste, I expect, but I like the results and plan on using them for very large blowups.

scott
 

glenerrolrd

Workshop Member
Kurt

If you decide to buy this in the UK ....you should call or email them to work out the details. My guess is these lenses are out of stock and they don t fix the price . I ve used Robert White with good success but they have been out of stock on several occasions when it appeared that they had the item.

Roger
 

Paratom

Well-known member
I had both the 21/2.8 and 24/2.8 and replaced the 24 Elmarit with the 24/1.4.

So far I am happy with the decision because of several reasons:
1) I like to use the lens for "people and kids", for fast shooting and I thought that 24mm fov fits this better and I need to take less attention regarding leveling the camera etc. compared to the 21mm fov which is more extreme

2) you buy a 1.4 lens to be able to shoot at 1.4 - this means shallow DOF. As soon as you have moving things in your image or some action, it can be a problem to change between internal finder (for focusing) and external finder for framing. With the 24 I can use the internal finder in focus-critical situations and still frame at least close what I intent. (even though I have the Leica Digilux 24mm finder on the camera all the time)

Again, I am quite happy with the decision. My 21 and 28mm lenses stay at home a lot. 24 and 50 Lux is a beautiful combo. And I do not only carry it for low light shooting, they also have a great rendering IMO.
 

turtle

New member
With the 24 you can get away with the internal finder for fast shooting and use a hot shoe finder when you have time. This IMO is really important for more dynamic work.

I use mine on a 0.58 film M so the whole finder is actually a hair wide, but I have used it on a 0.72 just fine with some guesstimation.

Performance is great and rendering very nice.

I suspect the 24 is a touch weaker than the 21 because they pared the size down to make it usable on the M8. Were it as big as the 21 it would block too much of the viewfinder. I am using my 24 a LOT for low light work, with a 50mm mainly, until I get a fast 35 that is. 24-35 is a great combo. 24 has nowhere near the same wide stretch effect of 21. Its odd, but true to my eyes.
 

Hacker

New member
I have both f/1.4 lenses. Happy with the quality of the lenses. The use of the external viewfinder is a must for me and I use the Leica ones. (My wide angle rig)

 

Vlad

Member
I have both f/1.4 lenses. Happy with the quality of the lenses. The use of the external viewfinder is a must for me and I use the Leica ones. (My wide angle rig)

Splendid, now I just creamed my pants just a little.

Thanks a lot.
 

turtle

New member
Hacker, Is there a 24 3.8 asph in that pile of obscenely clean looking equipment - you make me feel neglectful!

If there is, how would you describe the contrast difference between the 24 lux and 24 3.8 Elmar asph? I find the 24 lux about perfect and working really nicely with my Summarits. I have been tempted by the 24 3.8 for a walkabout bright light lens, but not if the contrast is a lot higher. I hear it is?
 

Hacker

New member
There was an LFI article on the wide angle lenses, called the Magnificent Seven. The seven lenses tested were the Tri-Elmar, 18mm Elmar, 21mm, 24mm Elmarit, 24mm Lux, 24mm Elmarit and 24mm Elmar. I put the lenses on the magazine and took the photo.

I really don't notice much contrast difference between all the ASPH lenses, and the only reason I still keep the "slower" lenses is due to their smaller size. The 28mm ASPH is the most contrasty if there is a measurement to what contrast is.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
I also have both ... having recently added the 21/1.4 ASPH. I originally got the 24/1.4 ASPH for use on the M8s to make up for losing something close to my favorite 28mm field-of-view. Now two M9s have replaced the M8s for my paid work.

My absolute favorite available light M9 wedding kit is the 21/1.4 and 28/2 using the old fashioned bullet finder for fast lens changes without fussing with separate finders ... not as accurate, but for me shooting fast paced candid wedding stuff requires speed over more dead-on framing accuracy ... (the Noctilux 0.95 is glued to the second M9 where I use a thumbs-up for grip security and steadiness).

The next favorite kit is the 24/1.4, 35/1.4 and 75/1.4 ... however, I'll probably sell my 24/1.4 ASPH with a Leica 24 finder as it now sees less use on the M9s ... mostly because the 28/2 is my most used lens on the M9, and 24 is a bit too close when taking a 3 lens kit.

While there are other 24/1.4s, I know of no other 21/1.4 ... it really is a unique lens.

-Marc
 
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