35 lux FLE or CRON? Or Both?

[mandelbrot]

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HI all,

I was thinking to add to my set of lenses the 35 cron asph. I actually have the 35 lux asph and I want to keep it because it is a great lens. Since this is a FL I like I would like to add a smaller lens, I.e. cron 35 asph. Is that a good idea or do you suggest anything different? Both lenses i be used on M240. Thanks

Edited May 26, 2015 by mandelbrot

[Mark T]

Don't get both. Two lenses that essentially do the same thing excepting the obvious aperture difference is a waste of money and will leave you indecisive. If you must get another lens at 35 mm get something really small, like a cv 35/2.5, or something that is totally different, like a 35/2.8 summaron. The summaron is both really small and is a classic.

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[indergaard]

The 35 cron flares easily.

The 35 lux does not.

 

Use the 35 lux without the sun shade and it is about the same size as the 35 cron with the sun shade. The cron needs the shade. The lux doesn't.

 

The size and weight difference isn't noticeable.

[M9reno]

My Lux FLE most definitely needs a shade.  And the shade is vented so that there is no real gain in visibility by taking it off.  If I had to sell a Leica lens it would be the FLE.  I much prefer my old 2.8 Summaron.

[jdlaing]

Both. There can never be enuff lenses.

[algrove]

Makes sense to have only one 35 coming from a guy who has too many which just ties up funds that might be wanted for other FL either wider or longer.

Edited May 26, 2015 by algrove

[lct]

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I don't like the bokeh of the Summilux FLE above f/1.4, too sharp for my tastes, so i use the lens mainly in low light a full aperture when i need sharp results. Same for the 35/1.4 pre-asph when i want to get its famous "glow" at f/1.4. For day-to-day use, my favorites are the Summicron 35/2 asph (always in my bag) and the Biogon 35/2.8 when i want more contrast. I like much the Summarit 35/2.5 as well but i use it on crop cameras essentially due to its weaker performances in borders and corners of the full frame format. FWIW.

[JWW]

I paired up my Summilux FLE with the V4 Summicron. The V4 makes a good light weight and small sized option for those occasions that I need or want those features, noticeably lighter and smaller than the Summicron ASPH.

[nelly]

In my opinion the Summilux 35mm f/1.4 FLE is an amazing lens with 3d like quality and I personally love the bokeh

This is my lens of choice on my M9 and am always blown away by it's rendering and edge to edge sharpness

My only complaint is the price.

Edited May 26, 2015 by nelly001

[MarkP]

I went through the same process a while ago.

 

I have the 1.4/35 Summilux ASPH (FLE) and felt that I wanted a 'lite' lens for more 'casual' photography.

 

As it was to be a 'second' lens I decided against the: Sumicron both because of it's cost for a second lens and that many reviews put the Summarit as a suitable alternative, the 2.0/35 Biogon because of it's size, and the 2.8.35 Biogon-C because of it's very high contrast.  

 

So I bought a 2.5/35 Summarit - lovely lens, both rendering and size/ergonomics.  Really nice going out with such a small compact lens.

 

However, in the end I found that it was rarely used because I had moved away from 35mm as my main FL (I tend to use 28 & 50 unless I want a single general purpose lens for which the 35 Summilux covers all the bases except for size). So I couldn't justify keeping two 35mm lenses as the Summarit ended up just sitting there, and the corners with the Summarit were just too soft (no, not pixel peeping).

 

I obviously couldn't come at selling the Summilux so sold the Summarit for not much less than I paid for it .  Don't know what the outcome would have been if I'd bought a 35 Summilux ASPH but probably would have been the same.

 

In other words, unless you really want a more compact 35 for day-to-day use stick with the Summilux.

 

(I do at times think I'd like a v3 or 4 Summicron for sympathetic rendering with the 75 Summilux but have successfully resisted).

Edited May 26, 2015 by MarkP

[reaperman]

I paired up my Summilux FLE with the V4 Summicron. The V4 makes a good light weight and small sized option for those occasions that I need or want those features, noticeably lighter and smaller than the Summicron ASPH.

Similar here. I paired my Summilux FLE with the V3 Summicron. I'm quite happy with that combination.

[http200]

I paired up my Summilux FLE with the V4 Summicron. The V4 makes a good light weight and small sized option for those occasions that I need or want those features, noticeably lighter and smaller than the Summicron ASPH.

 

+1, I have the same setup, the v4 cron is incredibly lightweight and performs quite well, it's now my walk-around lens, a lightweight setup makes you want to carry your gear everywhere.

[Mornnb]

I went through the same process a while ago.

 

I have the 1.4/35 Summilux ASPH (FLE) and felt that I wanted a 'lite' lens for more 'casual' photography.

 

As it was to be a 'second' lens I decided against the: Sumicron both because of it's cost for a second lens and that many reviews put the Summarit as a suitable alternative, the 2.0/35 Biogon because of it's size, and the 2.8.35 Biogon-C because of it's very high contrast.  

 

So I bought a 2.5/35 Summarit - lovely lens, both rendering and size/ergonomics.  Really nice going out with such a small compact lens.

 

However, in the end I found that it was rarely used because I had moved away from 35mm as my main FL (I tend to use 28 & 50 unless I want a single general purpose lens for which the 35 Summilux covers all the bases except for size). So I couldn't justify keeping two 35mm lenses as the Summarit ended up just sitting there, and the corners with the Summarit were just too soft (no, not pixel peeping).

 

I obviously couldn't come at selling the Summilux so sold the Summarit for not much less than I paid for it .  Don't know what the outcome would have been if I'd bought a 35 Summilux ASPH but probably would have been the same.

 

In other words, unless you really want a more compact 35 for day-to-day use stick with the Summilux.

 

(I do at times think I'd like a v3 or 4 Summicron for sympathetic rendering with the 75 Summilux but have successfully resisted).

 

 

I find the 2.5/35 Summarit to be an excellent street photography lens, it's small and unimposing. It has very high contrast and great colour rendering. However it is slow and not especially sharp.

My main 35mm is the ZM Distagon 35mm 1.4. It reviews as performing better than the 1.4/35 Summilux ASPH (FLE), and at half the price it seemed like the obvious option. However, it is quite a large lens.