Seeking lens advice for light travel

[GMB]

My wife and I are going for a six week trip to Japan this September/October. We want to travel (very) light, i.e., no checked luggage. I intend to take M10 along. Question: What lenses. 4 is the maximum I want to take. I have 24 2.8, 28 2.0, 35 2.0, 50 1.4, 50 Noctilux, 75 2.0 and 1.4, 90 2.8, and the MATE. I think I will certainly take the MATE (for daylight shooting). I am also leaning towards the 59 1.4 for a fast lease (the Nocti would be fun but it’s much more heavy). The 90 2.8 is next on the lest as it is a very versatile small tele. But what else? I could also do only 28, 50, and 90 and be really light. Or I leave the M at home and buy a Fuji with 2 zooms.

 

[Shashin]

For Japan, I would take the 24mm, 35mm, and 75mm. Or drop the 35mm and go with the MATE. The 24mm would be good as spaces are small in Japan. If you are headed for the mountains and plan to summit, the 90mm might be useful, but long vistas are not common. Having lived in Japan for 16 years, I found that the wide to normal range is more useful than the normal to telephoto.

The Fuji idea is not bad either. But what about the Fuji with one zoom and the Leica with the MATE?

Naturally, you will be able to buy anything you forgot when you get there...

 

[Godfrey]

On my last trip, I carried the M-D with 35 and 50 lenses. It worked great as a kit. I used the 50 for over 90% of my exposures.

I'm on a six week trip now. decided to take the CL with 28 and 50 lenses, a slightly wider normal, and a short telephoto. It's working equally well as a kit. So far, I'm using the lenses about equally. It's like having a 40 and a 75 for the M, a very handy pairing.

If I were to carry a third lens with either kit, I'd want a 21 for the M and a 16 for the CL. That's why I have the WATE. But I don't use an ultra wide enough on travel.

G

 

[jlindstrom]

No checked luggage means very limited weight. I’d go with the 28/2 and 50/1.4.

After packing in everything else, if there’s room 90/2.8. But only if there’s extra weight to spare from everything else.

Probably want to have camera + lens hanging on a shoulder strap, just to get that weight of the cabin luggage.

 

[glenerrolrd]

No checked luggage means very limited weight. I’d go with the 28/2 and 50/1.4.

After packing in everything else, if there’s room 90/2.8. But only if there’s extra weight to spare from everything else.

Probably want to have camera + lens hanging on a shoulder strap, just to get that weight of the cabin luggage.

28/50/90 or 24/35/75

 

[glenerrolrd]

you need a backup camera

fuji x100 ?

 

[Thorkil]

My wife and I are going for a six week trip to Japan this September/October. We want to travel (very) light, i.e., no checked luggage. I intend to take M10 along. Question: What lenses. 4 is the maximum I want to take. I have 24 2.8, 28 2.0, 35 2.0, 50 1.4, 50 Noctilux, 75 2.0 and 1.4, 90 2.8, and the MATE. I think I will certainly take the MATE (for daylight shooting). I am also leaning towards the 59 1.4 for a fast lease (the Nocti would be fun but it’s much more heavy). The 90 2.8 is next on the lest as it is a very versatile small tele. But what else? I could also do only 28, 50, and 90 and be really light. Or I leave the M at home and buy a Fuji with 2 zooms.

Fuji: a 10-24/4 OIS is a very good all round wide-lens, it could be your main lens on a X-T2 or X-H1, I don't know the 56 f1.2 R, but it should be very good (no OIS), but then you perhaps need the IBIS in the X-H1. And if you go for the X-H1, then please take the dreamy and outstanding 90/f2 (no OIS) with you, and try to concentrate on this for a whole day, you will be rewarded.
best thorkil

 

[GMB]

Thanks for the good advice. I checked out the X—H1 today. Max be I take that camera instead of the M10. It has the added advantage of video.

 

[Godfrey]

My trip is proceeding along nicely with just the Leica CL and the two lenses, R28 and R50. Works well for me, don't need any backup (although I do have my iPhone 8 Plus).

G

 

[GMB]

I gave up the idea of a Fuji. Makes no sense to leave the M10 at home. Japan seems to be an ideal destination for the M. As regards lenses, I purchased the Voigtländer 15 mm Super Heliar III for really wide and now tend to add the 28/2 and the 50/1.4. Nice simple 3 lens kit. I could add the 75.2 (But do I need it? The M10 has so much resolution that I can crop from the 50.) or the 32/2.0 (But will I use it?). Also, I wont take a back up. My wife has a small Canon and, if ever something dramatic happens, I am sure I do find a camera shop somewhere in Japan.

My biggest problem is that I seem to have lost the battery charger and need to get a new one before I leave.

 

[Shashin]

For reference: http://tokyocamerastyle.com

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

Just saw this. Personally, I would think the 15 is too wide for regular use, but the 24/2.8 is a wide lens that produces surprising midtone contrast and is not too big. The 50/1.4 will be very useful for details and people at medium distances. Your 75/2.0 will do the rest (faces), if you have room for it. I haven't used the MATE, but I understand that it falls behind the more modern lenses in contrast. Several have pointed out that Japan is crowded and interior spaces are small.

I was in Japan in summer 2015, and I seem (looking at the albums) to have shot almost everything with an M240 and a 28/1.4. That worked well, but I see places where I could have shot wider (and I currently like the 24, hence the recommendation).

You will not be alone:

L6003551 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

L6003558 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

I did also use a 50/1.4. Here's a somewhat atypical example:

L7003031 by scott kirkpatrick, on Flickr

scott

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

Reviewing my Japan albums from July 2015 at https://www.flickr.com/photos/133969392@N05/albums , I think 24/35/50 would have been a great combination for what we saw. The 24 needs an external optical viewfinder (the electronic viewfinder for the 240 is awful, but the VF 20 for the M10 is pretty decent) -- I use one from Zeiss for 25 mm and do OK. With two bodies on that trip and two lenses, I never had to change a lens, which is also nice.

 

[asiafish]

My wife and I are going for a six week trip to Japan this September/October. We want to travel (very) light, i.e., no checked luggage. I intend to take M10 along. Question: What lenses. 4 is the maximum I want to take. I have 24 2.8, 28 2.0, 35 2.0, 50 1.4, 50 Noctilux, 75 2.0 and 1.4, 90 2.8, and the MATE. I think I will certainly take the MATE (for daylight shooting). I am also leaning towards the 59 1.4 for a fast lease (the Nocti would be fun but it’s much more heavy). The 90 2.8 is next on the lest as it is a very versatile small tele. But what else? I could also do only 28, 50, and 90 and be really light. Or I leave the M at home and buy a Fuji with 2 zooms.

I'd take the 35 and call it a day. My last trip to Japan I actually went a step further and left my Leica kit at home and took just the Fuji X100F with the tele attachment (makes it a 50mm equivalent).

 

[Godfrey]

Another follow up: Still happy with the 28/50 lenses and the CL, although the 28 is getting the bulk of my use.

A future kit for this kind of trip might be the same 28 paired with the M-Rokkor 90mm f/4 for a real tele jump, and supplemented with the WATE (16-18-21mm f/4) for a wider capability. Still a small kit, but a bit more versatility.

G

 

[algrove]

24/3.8, get the APO50, and 90/2.8

For a backup camera get a used M10 since many are available now with people upgrading to the new M10-P or whatever they call it.

 

[mkerouac]

After lugging around a full frame DSLR kit for years, any M based Leica kit seems super light. If it were my decision it would be the WATE, the gen 2 EVF, 35mm, 50mm (not the Noct) and 90mm. Adding the fourth lens increases your load by maybe a pound. I would hate to go that far and that long and wish you had one tele with you.

 

[GMB]

Thanks again for all the good advice. Arrived in Japan yesterday. Eventually, I went for 24, 35, 50 and 75. Will see how it goes.

 

[Paratom]

Thanks again for all the good advice. Arrived in Japan yesterday. Eventually, I went for 24, 35, 50 and 75. Will see how it goes.

Hello Georg,
I wish you a great trip and to see some inspiring images. I think you made a good choice with the M10 and those lenses.
Tom

 

[GMB]

Thanks, Tom. The trip is fantastic so far. Only the weather and light could be better. Very happy with the choice of gea. The 50 and the 24 get by farthe most use and, to be honest, would have been sufficient. Will post some shots when back. Georg