35 Summarit-S bokeh

[dritz]

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With the release of the 28 Summilux-M ASPH I thought I'd (avoid) work and push the depth of field of the equivalent 35 Summarit-S. Just a couple of grab shots but they do show some of the DoF fun that may be had with that fast wide angle lens. After nearly 3 years with the S2, I feel like I'm just starting to make reasonable use of it.

 

Regards,

Dean

 

 

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[John Black]

If willing to accept the Leica S and lens size, generally I feel the Leica S lenses produce smoother bokeh.  For example, my Leica 35mm F1.4 ASPH FLE is prone to nervous or busy looking bokeh, whereas the 35mm Summarit S is much more likely to not have that nervous / busy look.  Likewise, the 50 Lux ASPH M and 70mm Summarit S both net a very similar "look", except that the Leica 50mm Lux ASPH's bokeh can fall apart in the corners with double imaging and some smear, whereas the 70S at F2.5 has a smoother, more uniform bokeh all the way into the corners.  I struggle with the Leica M ASPH lenses - love their wide open sharpness, but that sharpness is almost at always at the consequence of the bokeh.  Whereas the Leica S lenses seem find a happier balance with sharpness and bokeh.  Of course, there is a minor size trade off 

 

 

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[otto.f]

'Nervous bokeh' ... what a concept! 

For me it fully depends on what I want to convey whether I choose the ?nervous? bo-keh of the 35FLE or the smoother bo-keh of the Summaron 35. The 35 Summicron IV, called the King of Bokeh, has a bo-keh that is not always clean from some nervousness either. 

That on a larger format the bokeh is smoother is quite logical, that is not so much a very special characteristic of the design of the Summarit S. On a larger format however, bokeh in the foreground tends to get muddy. If you want smooth bokeh per se, you might be better of with Zeiss lenses, if you're using M cameras that is. 

[John Black]

"That on a larger format the bokeh is smoother is quite logical" - really?  35mm S vs 35mm M are both 35mm lenses.  In theory the 35 FLE's bokeh would get progressively worse on a larger sensor.  The most direct comparison would be a 35mm Summarit M and 35mm Summarit S shot at the same distance, S cropped to match the M's FOV.  

[Dougg]

I have noted generally smoother bokeh with larger format images vs small format. Possibly due to less magnification in scaling-up to viewing size, one of the main attributes of going bigger. I'd think the Summarit-S 35 could usefully be compared with 28mm (maybe the new Summilux as dritz suggests) on full-frame, and 18mm on APS-C, say.

[dritz]

Comparisons may speed learning.  That the 35 Summarit could provide a look similar to the 28 'cron or 'lux is really helpful in deciding when to use that lens versus, say, the 30-90 zoom. As an amateur my experience accumulates more slowly than the experience of a professional. Nearly 3 years with an S2 and I'm finally accumulate enough experience to be effective with it -- not an expert... just effective.  There remains a distance between my mind's eye and my images, but that distance is closing.  I'm not looking for a reason to own it but I am looking for the experience to understand it.

 

I'm reminded of the film Citizen Kane, his deathbed recitation of "rosebud", his sled and emblem of life before infinite choices. As has been noted many times on this site, we all have equipment whose IQ is a magnitude better than those of the great photographers of the 20th Century. That we have such choices is wonderful but also a burden. Sometimes I think of a zoom lens as evidence of laziness... but then I shoot and event and I'm very glad to have it because it shortens the distance between vision and realization. This leads me back to a lens. We know of folks who have three 50mm lenses or 35mm . Heck, even two version of what should be an identical lens (e.g., Summilux-35 ASPH and Summilux-35 ASPH FLE).

 

What does such variety bring us?