Wishlist

On this page, I will collect whatever photographic gear pops into my mind or I happen to stumble upon or read about that I would like to own. There are of course things that I might actually acquire in the nearer future, and there are things that I will probably go on dreaming of for quite some time.

M-mount lenses

  • Minolta M-Rokkor 28mm f/2.8 (without bubbles, preferrably), Konica M-Hexanon 28mm f/2.8 or Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8. All three translate to a 37mm equivalent semi-wide “reportage” focal length. I don’t know yet if the 35mm field-of-view suits me, but I’d like to find out. Also, I’d like a compact walkaround lens in addition to a
  • Voigtländer Nokton 35mm f/1.2. The “über-35″, the ultimate 35mm lens if speed is the issue. As I do a lot of available-light photography and love shallow depth-of-field, I’ve come to terms that despite its wonderful rendering the f/2 Biogon is a bit too slow for my needs, especially since it is currently my only lens for the M8.

Micro Four Thirds lenses

Assorted gear I don’t actually need, but would still like to have

  • Sigma DP2 (41mm eq. f/2.8 fixed lens, 4.6 MP Foveon X3 sensor). For one thing, I’m impressed by the output of Foveon sensor based cameras that I’ve seen so far. Color, sharpness and detail are outstanding (whilst challenged by the Leica M9 nowadays). The reason I’d want the DP2 (and not the DP1s with its 28mm eq. focal length) is that I’ve grown quite fond of the 40mm fov since I’ve got the Lumix G 20/1.7 pancake for my E-P1. I think this is the most versatile focal length for VF-less cameras.
  • Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30. I had one for two and a half years and loved it. It had a magnificent Leica-designed 12x zoom lens (35-400mm, f/2.8-3.7) that delivered crisp and clear images at any possible setting. I’d love to have one of those again. The only drawback with these was their (even for 2005) only just acceptable performance at any ISO rating higher than 100.
  • Leica M6 Classic rangefinder film camera. As good as an MP, but considerably cheaper. I could use my M-mount lenses with this :-)
  • Thumbs-Up EP-1 accessory thumb grip for Leica M cameras, to use with my M8. Increases ergonomics when holding the camera in one hand, and helps getting clear shots at slow shutter speeds.

Things I can only dream of

The ideal E-P1 setup

  • Wide: M.Zuiko 9-18
  • Normal: Lumix G 20/1.7 (+)
  • Tele: Lumix G 45-200 (+)
  • Portrait: Voigtländer Nokton 40/1.4 or Olympus PEN F/FT 40/1.4 or 42/1.2 or Zeiss Biogon 35/2 ZM (+)
  • Macro: Lumix G 20/1.7 (+) with macro lens

The ideal M8 setup (maybe to be renamed to: “My currently favoured M8 setup although I’m changing my mind about this every other day or so”)

  • (Semi-)Wide: Minolta M-Rokkor 28/2.8 or Konica M-Hexanon 28/2.8 or Leica Elmarit-M 28/2.8
  • Normal: Zeiss Biogon 35/2 ZM (+) or Voigtländer Nokton 35/1.2
  • (Semi-)Portrait: Zeiss C Sonnar 50/1.5 ZM or Voigtländer Nokton 50/1.5