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Which Leica M-mount lenses are best for street photography?

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So I have been obsessing over my packing list for this Tokyo trip in three weeks and I am totally stuck on the glass situation. I am bringing my M10 and I have got about 3500 dollars to spend on a single do-it-all street lens but I keep going back and forth between two very different setups.

On one hand, I am looking at a used 35mm Summicron-M ASPH. My logic was that 35mm is the classic focal length for street and it is so tiny that I could basically walk around Shinjuku all night without my neck killing me. It is easy to zone focus which is huge for me because I am still a bit slow with the rangefinder patch when things are moving fast. But then I see these incredible night shots and I wonder if f2 is going to be fast enough when the sun goes down in those narrow alleys.

That leads me to the second option which is the 50mm Summilux ASPH. I found a decent deal on a pre-owned one that fits my budget perfectly. The look you get with a 50mm Lux is just so cinematic and I love that extra stop for low light. But I am worried it might be too tight? Like if I am in a crowded market will I just be getting headshots instead of the whole scene? I have heard people say the 50mm is better for more deliberate portraits but maybe it is too restrictive for general street stuff where you want that environmental context.

I also briefly thought about just grabbing a Voigtlander 35mm f1.5 and saving like 2000 bucks to spend on actual travel and food but I keep telling myself that if I have the Leica body I should probably stick with the Leica glass. It is a weird mental block I have.

Basically I am torn between the portability and ease of the 35mm Cron versus the rendering and low-light power of the 50mm Lux. Since I am going to be on my feet for like 12 hours a day which one would you actually want to have glued to your camera...


4 Answers
11

I have spent years shooting in Tokyo and weight is everything when you are hitting 20k steps a day. I have been very satisfied with the Leica 35mm Summicron-M f2 ASPH because it is tiny and works well for quick snapshots. You should definitely reconsider the third-party route to save some cash though. I recently used the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1.5 Aspherical Type II VM and have no complaints about the rendering or speed. It is plenty fast for those dark Shinjuku alleys. Saving that two grand for your actual travel expenses is definitely the smart move. You can eat like a king in Japan for that much. Stick with a 35mm for the wider field of view in crowded markets... 50mm often feels way too tight when you are actually in the middle of the action.


10

Been thinking about your dilemma... Honestly, I would suggest being careful with a 50mm in Shinjuku, it is just too tight for those narrow spots.

  • Look into a used Leica 28mm Summicron-M f/2 ASPH instead.
  • It handles the low light well and the depth of field is way more forgiving for zone focusing.
  • Just dont forget to check for any barrel wobble if you buy used glass.


2

Nice, didn't know that


1

Tbh I was kinda disappointed with the 50mm Lux for street work... unfortunately it is just too chunky and felt front-heavy on my M10 after a few hours. If you are worried about f2 being too slow at night but want to stay Leica, maybe look at:


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