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28mm lenses


Jennifer

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I'm debating buying a 28mm lens and am torn between the Elmarit and the Summicron. I'm attracted to the Elmarit because of its size and, for Leica, it's relatively cheap. There, however, seem to be rather mixed reviews on this lens. The Summicron is by all accounts a sterling performer albeit it's much larger and the additional speed, though nice to have, isn't absolutely essential ( I have the Lux 35 FLE). So, I'd be interested in opinions from those that are or have been real world users of either one or both of these lenses.

 

P.S. Of course, there's also the upcoming(?) Summilux 28 though I guess that'll be huge both physically and price wise.

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Jennifer, I bought the current Elmarit together with my new M8, essentially to replace a 1966 version of the lens. It is a super lens in every way. At the time I did receive advice on the forum to go for the Summicron version but, on balance, I felt the Elmarit was the right choice for me. When I need extra speed, though less so nowadays, I have a 35mm Summicron. I now use the lens rather more on my M9 (not upgraded).

 

The Elmarit is a gem of a lens in performance, size and weight. Unless you need the ability to narrow the depth of field or shoot habitually in dark places, you rarely need the extra speed.

 

I have a similar Elmarit on my X1, bought new at launch and not upgraded. One reason for my satisfaction with that compact camera is the outstanding image quality drawn by the Elmarit lens, albeit a 24mm (36mm equivalent on full frame). I also have a 21mm Elmarit and 90mm Elmarit. Both yield excellent results in modest packages. You would not be disappointed with the performance and ownership of a current 28mm Elmarit ASPH lens.

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Hi,

 

The Elmarit seems a super lens in every way except "Italian Flag Syndrom", that is very slight colour shifts on sides. These are normally only visible at my photography during winter white-off conditions. So if you are out there documenting icebears during winter this might be a problem.

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Jen

I have both and love the rendition of both. I use the Elmarit for long distance travel and like its 39mm filter size which mates well with my APO50 filter size. I shoot MM during the day and for luminance it is a fine lens. Never been to Polar bear country so no Italian flag. It must have something to do with frozen air particles between the lens elements. Went to Italy this summer with the Elmarit and saw no flags, but then the weather was warm.

 

There is nothing wrong with the 28 cron. In fact, it performs very nicely. Is it worth the extra money? It all depends on where your images will end up. I print 13x19 as "proofs". So to me that is the final result-a print. Web images are not my priority. I am of the old school where I believe any 12MP camera will suffice for web images even assuming a 50% crop factor. My only complaint of the 28/2.0 is the stock Frankenhood that is provided. I now use it with the old, pricey and no longer made Leica hood #12466 which is MUCH nicer to use and for my eye blocks the RF view less than the original Frankenhood.

 

For prints, neither lens will disappoint. In fact on many occasion I prefer the contrast of the Elmarit plus its diminutive size which you already mentioned. Considering the price differential I would say the Elmarit the better buy since if you ever go with the 12466 hood you can add $500-$600 to the original 28/2.0 lens price.

Edited by algrove
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I have the Cron and the fourth version Elmarit. I much prefer the Elmarit for colour. I usually keep the Cron on my MM, and the Elmarit on the M9. It vignettes much less than the Cron, and has to my mind a more pleasing colour rendition. Very good resolution -- and smooth. This is all a matter of taste, but I don't like contrasty lenses. I wouldn't mind trying the new Elmarit on the MM -- the compactness is tempting. You can also save money with the V4. It's one of the few Leica bargains.

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I'm debating buying a 28 mm lens and am torn between the Elmarit and the Summicron. I'm attracted to the Elmarit because of its size and, for Leica, it's relatively cheap. There, however, seem to be rather mixed reviews on this lens.

You shouldn't take those 'mixed reviews' too seriously.

 

 

The Summicron is by all accounts a sterling performer ...

So is the Elmarit-M 28 mm Asph.

 

 

... albeit it's much larger, and the additional speed, though nice to have, isn't absolutely essential ...

So it appears as a no-brainer to me: If the Elmarit's small size appeals to you and lens speed isn't critical then go for the Elmarit.

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( I have the Lux 35 FLE).

 

If you work with filters, perhaps you have some that you swap between lenses as needed, like a polariser, ND, etc., then the filter thread can be important for convenience if nothing else. The FLE has a 46mm filter thread, and so does a 28mm Summicron, whereas the Elmarit has a 39mm thread so you need a step up ring (and then can't use the lens hood), or you need to carry 39mm filters.

 

The 28mm Summicron is one of Leica's best lenses, and although the Elmarit is a fine lens if it came down to only having the option of the Elmarit because of finances, then I'd save even more money and get a CV 28mm Color Skopar instead.

 

Steve

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I just today returned my 28 cron b/c it wasn't focusing spot on, even though yesterday I took it to Leica NJ and was told it was within tolerance.

 

I don't find it super sharp in any case. My 50 lux asph and 35mm lux fle are sharper IMHO. More importantly, in terms of overall rendering, it was nice but I wasn't wowed. The bokeh is nicer than my 35mm fle but no where near the creaminess and balanced look of the 50mm lux asph.

 

To be honest, I am not in love with the 28 cron. I wouldn't go to bat for it like, say, the 50mm lux asph (which you rare if ever hear negative things about) or the 75mm summilux.

 

I have shot probably 8K-10K or so exposures with it in the past 3 months.

 

I am back to the drawing board with the 28mm, which I have decided is my day-to-day focal length.

 

It will either be the latest version of the elmarit, the new summilux or back to the cron (which will need to focus better). In the meantime, I've strapped my 28mm summaron to my MM which is probably the sleeper of the bunch for gritty street shooting on the MM.

 

 

If i were you, I would try them both, particularly in very bright high contrast situations and see if you can handle the contrast of the Elmarit. That seems to be one of the most often discussed characteristics that to many is not desireable.

Edited by A miller
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I used the 28mm Elmarit-M ASPH for 3 years, then switched to the Summicron, both on film.

 

If the size is attractive and you do not need f2 then the Elmarit is a stellar lens as many others have said. However, in my view the rendering is completely different. I much prefer the rendering of the Summicron. Yes, they may be indistinguishable at f5.6 and above, but on larger apertures they are very different in my opinion. The Summicron is very similar in rendering to the 50mm Summilux ASPH, while the Elmarit is much more contrasty. So I didn't change from one to the other for the f2 per se, but for the rendering. Of course f2 opens up other opportunities as well and its nice to have.

 

Regarding hoods, I use the one for the non-FLE 35mm Summilux ASPH. Perfect for it. As far as size the summicron without hood is the same length but heavier than the elmarit with hood. There is no question here that regarding size the little Elmarit wins big (over any other modern Leica lens today), and it is a pleasure walking around with it all day.

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Many thanks to everyone for their input. I'm still in two minds, but will continue to mull over the pros and cons whilst also keeping an eye on what comes up for sale.

 

If you work with filters, perhaps you have some that you swap between lenses as needed, like a polariser, ND, etc., then the filter thread can be important for convenience if nothing else. The FLE has a 46mm filter thread, and so does a 28mm Summicron, whereas the Elmarit has a 39mm thread so you need a step up ring (and then can't use the lens hood), or you need to carry 39mm filters.

 

The 28mm Summicron is one of Leica's best lenses, and although the Elmarit is a fine lens if it came down to only having the option of the Elmarit because of finances, then I'd save even more money and get a CV 28mm Color Skopar instead.

 

Steve

 

Accepted filters are also a consideration more so as I not only have the FLE but also the Lux 50, both 46mm.

 

A really good used Cron 28 seems to go for about double the price of the Elmarit 28 in similar condition. So the worth of any added value to me of the Cron over the Elmarit has to be considered, that being said the cost of the Cron is certainly not in itself a deal breaker.

 

............... Finally, however, though many say that performance trumps size ...... believe me boys, size still matters. ;)

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Jennifer, Do not overlook the V4 Elmarit. This is not nostalgia. It was a very well made and expensive lens in its day, and people I think overlook it because of GAS. I have just finished a book on a Canadian prison which is being published by Black Dog in London this month, and all the images except for one, were shot with the Cron and the V4, with the black and white done with the Cron, because there was quite a lot of night and low level work. The V4 is seriously under-valued. Geoffrey James

 

Geoffrey James (photographer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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