Hank Taylor Posted September 1, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 1, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Just picked up a Leica M6 GMBH with a nice Summilux f1.4 35 MM. Both are in excellent shape. My question is the Summilux # 29917XX lense considered a great lense for street and and indoor shooting. I understand that the new Asph lenses are suppose to be sharper, but sharpness is not necessarily that critical for me. I like a lens that has charactor and can reflects the sceen I'm shooting. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted September 1, 2009 Posted September 1, 2009 Hi Hank Taylor, Take a look here Hank Taylor. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stuny Posted September 1, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 1, 2009 Hank - It is a fine lens and well suited to street shooting and interiors, though you might find it not wide enough for some interior shots. Welcome to the Forum. Be certain to show us photos taken with your kit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted September 2, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 2, 2009 A second opinion: That lens is a dog. It is quite mushy wide open, with lots of coma, and veiling glare spreads out from even moderate highlights so that you are oftern hard put to find anything sharp in the image. All right, the lens is OK from 4 on. I owned it and sold it, exchanging it for a Summilux ASPH. 35mm is of course the classical focal length for street photography, though I have often supplemented it with 21mm. But you would do better searching for a good used v.4 Summicron (first serial no. 2,974,251) or why not a new 35mm Voigtländer Color-Heliar? This is a very good optic, the speed is high enough for most purposes, and the new Pancake-II M mount is extremely compact. The build quality is very good, and the price is laughable. The old man from the Age of the 3.5cm Elmar Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 2, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 2, 2009 I have an old Summilx 35, and keep it just for it's a fine chrome item of the very frist year of production... frankly, in user terms, is better to forget it's a 1,4 ; just to attenuate Lars' statement... ...2,8 can be a decent stop to start: with black and white film its distinctive flare at 1,4-2 can be a someway tasty oldtime look... but with color is simply annoying. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted September 2, 2009 Share #5 Posted September 2, 2009 I like much the latest version of the pre-asph Summilux 35/1.4. At full aperture, it is rather soft but has the famous Leica glow and it is a unique lens for portrait IMHO. From f/2 on its finger print is close to that of the Summicron 35/2 IV with good sharpness, reasonable contrast and smooth bokeh. Flares a lot though so a hood is mandatory. Also it is not codable by Leica for use with the M8. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted September 2, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 2, 2009 ... frankly, in user terms, is better to forget it's a 1,4... I have the opposite opinion as far as the latest version is concerned. http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/3880111617_956880236a_o.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted September 2, 2009 Share #7 Posted September 2, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have the opposite opinion as far as the latest version is concerned.http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2668/3880111617_956880236a_o.jpg I admit it can be MY item... it has a 1960 number 1,765.xxx even it seems that official intro was in 1961... coating (surely) and glass formulas (probably) have been updated in such a long lifespan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted September 2, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 2, 2009 My version remains soft at f/1.4 compared to the Summilux asph or even the CV 35/1.4 SC that i use as well. But it is so nice a softness that i can't think of a better 35mm lens for portrait. Matter of tastes of course. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted September 3, 2009 Thanks for your opinions, which just proves everyone has their own opinion when it comes to lenses and women! I'm going to stick with this lense, try shooting with it on my trip to Irleland this November. I was planning on taking my Nikon D 40 but now that I'm interested in returning to film I'll be looking forward to trying out this lens along with my 28mm f.28 ASPH, a Voighlander 50mm F1.5, and a 15mm f/4.5. Will be taking the M6 and another M6 LLC. If I have the room was also thinking on taking my old 111 c which is as old as I am (1937). As a matter of fact in much better shape then me. Thank for your comments Hank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roguewave Posted September 3, 2009 Share #10 Posted September 3, 2009 Hank, my 35 Summilux is # 2992342. I love the very special rendering of this lens wide open. In the right light & in the hands of the right person, it can transport the viewer into a special place. It's very sharp where it needs to be & gentle as well. Although it lacks the close focus range of the modern ultra sharp ASPH versions, it has a magical quality all it's own. If I want a super sharp image I use the Summicron or Elmarit, but sharpness alone is not beauty, nor a substitute for it. There's plenty of very sharp, well framed images drawn with the modern ultra-sharp Leica lenses that have no soul. I love using my 35 lux at dusk. In the magic hour, faces are drawn, rendered & bathed in a glow that I find is very pleasing & suggestive, rather than applying a sledge hammer to my subjects. After all, we aren't using our kit as a copy machine, but as an artist's brush. Take this lens out for a long walk in soft light with someone you love. Enjoy it. You will never tire of it's beauty. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share #11 Posted September 3, 2009 Thank's Ben for the nice reply, you write with feeling and emotions. Someone who appreciates that magic moment when light and subject come together and your able to feel it and capture it. A lens that lets others see what you saw is worth keeping. I'm not about to get rid of my Summilux. You convince me, Hank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 7, 2009 Share #12 Posted September 7, 2009 All the pics here were taken with a mid '60s 35 Summilux. It's my favourite Leica lens of all time. The last one, of my pal Jane, was taken at 1/8sec at 1.4 in candle light, tungsten light and vapour discharge streetlight. It's a lens with more personality than many photographers know what to do with. Hope these pics help you decide that it's worth getting used to - you need to do that. Shoot a lot of pics with it and see what it does in various situations and get used to it. I would seriously suggest that if you don't have the correct hood for the lens you hunt one down and use it - regardless of how much it costs to buy It makes a difference. Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/95188-hank-taylor/?do=findComment&comment=1021938'>More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share #13 Posted September 8, 2009 THANKS FOR YOUR COMMENTS AND ENJOYED LOOKING AT THE PICTURES WHICH ARE IMPRESSIVE. When I get some shots back on my next trip using this lens, I'll post them. Hank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share #14 Posted September 8, 2009 Dogder, by the way, what film did you use for the shot of the lovely lady. Loved the color. Hank Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 8, 2009 Share #15 Posted September 8, 2009 It was most probably Fuji Sensia 200. Got a load free once. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share #16 Posted September 8, 2009 Thank you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
msweeney Posted September 19, 2009 Share #17 Posted September 19, 2009 All the pics here were taken with a mid '60s 35 Summilux. It's my favourite Leica lens of all time. The last one, of my pal Jane, was taken at 1/8sec at 1.4 in candle light, tungsten light and vapour discharge streetlight. It's a lens with more personality than many photographers know what to do with. Hope these pics help you decide that it's worth getting used to - you need to do that. Shoot a lot of pics with it and see what it does in various situations and get used to it. I would seriously suggest that if you don't have the correct hood for the lens you hunt one down and use it - regardless of how much it costs to buy It makes a difference. Just a quick question about the nice lady-in-candlelight photo... is that coma in the background out-of-focus lights? I don't think I've seen an example of it, only heard about the coma that a 35mm Summilux pre-asph can exhibit. Wonderful images! I'll have to see if I can find one of these lenses some day when I save up some more $$$. ~ Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted September 19, 2009 Share #18 Posted September 19, 2009 Exactly that Mike - lights out in the street. Jane wasn't very entertained when I told her that it wasn't the picture of her that I wanted, but rather to see what the old lux would do in the mixed lighting wide open. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hank Taylor Posted October 29, 2009 Author Share #19 Posted October 29, 2009 Finally figured out how to get my shots posted, therefore, I would love to show you a few shots recently taken with my pre- ASAP 35mm Summilux These were shot on Kodak Ektar 100 and the negatives developed and a CD made at Costco for less than $5. Hank Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here… Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/95188-hank-taylor/?do=findComment&comment=1094124'>More sharing options...
aesop Posted October 29, 2009 Share #20 Posted October 29, 2009 ...hey, Hank, I own both the pre-asph and the current ASPH versions of the 35mm Summilux, so here's my take on the matter. The pre-asph is permanently attached to one of my MPs and sees a lots of use. I shoot with it wide open in low-light (always with the designated hood) and absolutely love the results - it has a wonderful fingerprint which cannot be replicated by any of my current super-duper Leica lenses. Sure, it flares if not used within its limits, but once you get to know the lens, the resulting prints will blow you (and any other observers) away. The ASPH version is a superb lens and is used occasionally but, in my opinion, it is all about sterile sharpness or resolution. Yawn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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