so I totally impulse bought an M6 body off a guy on marketplace cause it looks cool and ive literally never used a film camera before lol. Im gonna be mostly using it for travel and walking around taking random street pics of my friends and stuff. My budget is pretty fried at this point tbh so cheaper is better... anyway I have no idea what glass to buy or even what half these terms mean, like do I need a 35mm or 50mm? what is the best lens for a complete beginner like me?
Everyone pushes the new Chinese ultra-cheap lenses, but honestly the build quality on those is pretty hit or miss for a beginner. Look for a used Voigtlander Color Skopar 35mm f2.5 instead. You can find them for around $350. It is tiny, incredibly sharp, and the mechanical build matches the M6 properly without costing Leica money.
Bump - same question here
- ngl 35mm is definitely the move for street stuff
- grab a cheap TTArtisan or 7Artisans to start so you don't break the bank
> My budget is pretty fried at this point tbh so cheaper is better... anyway I have no idea what glass to buy I'm no expert but I just looked into this exact same research process last week and it is completely overwhelming. Trying to figure out frame lines, mount types, and RF coupling almost made me give up entirely. Here is what I found out during my deep dive. The 35mm focal length is generally recommended for beginners doing street photography because it gives you a wider field of view and a greater depth of field, which makes zone focusing much easier when you are starting out. You do not need to be as precise with your distance estimates compared to a 50mm lens. I was looking at the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 and the TTArtisan 35mm f1.4 M-mount. The Voigtlander sits around $600 new while the TTArtisan is closer to $200. Both provide a mechanical aperture ring and focus tab, which you need for the M6 rangefinder patch to couple correctly. Honestly, the hardest part is just accepting how expensive Leica glass is in general. Finding a decent budget lens without getting scammed on eBay is a nightmare. Good luck figuring it out.
Before spending more money, what is your exact remaining budget in dollars? Look at the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 for good value.
No way, I literally just dealt with this yesterday. Small world.
TL;DR: Don't buy anything over $200 right now, especially with a fried budget (seriously, watch out for fungus inside old glass — dealers wanted $400 to clean mine, but I fixed it for twelve bucks with some naphtha and patience). Cost per year on a cheap lens is practically zero if you DIY the minor stuff. Look for something basic and mechanical — trust me, keeping costs low saved me a ton when I started out.