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The New 35mm Summicron?


mahakalaka

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Hi Gang, long time!

 

Sorry if this has been discussed already (it has to have been, right?) but I couldn't find anything.

 

Just wondering, what is the general consensus of the new 2016 35mm Summicron? Slightly less clinical than the previous one (not my words, I never owned one, but that was the word in the "street")? Or just same same but new?

 

And fetching further, anyone have experience with this lens and the 35mm Zeiss 1.4? You have a favorite?

 

These are the two I'm trying to decide between, but whichever I get, it will mean I have to sell something, and I don't have much left to sell, so I don't want to make a mistake!

 

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated! Cheers,

Max

Edited by mahakalaka
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................................

Just wondering, what is the general consensus of the new 2016 35mm Summicron? Slightly less clinical than the previous one (not my words, I never owned one, but that was the word in the "street")? Or just same same but new?

 

.......................

 

 

 

I may misunderstand the idea of "clinical" in this context. I take it to mean free of imperfections. What else could it mean?

 

May I ask what you understand it to mean, and how then could a new lens, assuming it to be an improvement, be less clinical?

Edited by Peter H
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I guess it's one of those things that's hard to put in words, cause everyone will read them differently.

 

But compared to many other Leica lenses, the old 35mm Summicron ASPH had a reputation of being very sharp, but lacked in character. No glow or "magic". Lol, how is that for a description?

 

Anyways, I'm really just wondering if the new one has a different look, or if it's the same but with a different hood and minor adjustments?

 

11 aperture blades instead of 8 should mean something, I'm just not sure what. Apparently the out of focus area should be smoother? But again, I'm more interested in hearing if anyone has any thoughts on the general look.

 

Cheers

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Much written about the 28s and nothing, as far as I can find, about the 35.

Strange silence.

If it were more than just a few extra aperture blades, Leica would be crowing and samples seeded to a few trend setters to spread the word. 

This does not seem to be the case.

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I just sent back the ZM 35/1.4 after a 4-day rental. I also own the 35/2 ASPH (purchased around 2006) and the Zeiss 35/2.8. Optically the ZM/1.4 was impressive and the build and feel were impressive as well. The downside was the size. It's a big, heavy lens and blocks a decent portion of the VF.  If you live at 1.4 and f2 and don't mind the size, it's a fantastic option to the Leica 35/1.4 ASPH.  35 is my main focal length and toyed with the idea of selling my ASPH and getting the 1.4 to have a small, compact 35 and a fast 35. Consider the ZM 35/2 too.

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Thanks Jim, but this is about the very recent 35mm Summicron release. Anyone tried it yet, or know about how it differs from the previous ASPH version that many of us are familiar with?

 

Are the only differences the aperture blades and the hood?

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I asked the same question in the German part of the forum and despite a considerable amount of 352 viewers in two weeks I reveived no answer. So it seems that the 2016 version of the 35/2 ASPH has not yet been sold or reviewed...

Edited by DirkB17
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If I have understood it correctly, there is no change in the optical formula on this one as opsed to the 28s, only the aperture blades. So the color rendering and sharpness should be the same.

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Thanks for the replies!

 

Think I'm just going to bite the bullet and get the new Summicron. I'm sure I'll be happy with it, even if it is basically the same as before. In any case, it will be different from my copy of the V3 35mm Summicron.  :)

 

Cheers,

Max

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I saw this same question on another forum. It seems there are no test reports or comparisons as yet.

 

Apparently the only change in design which will make a difference is the increase in aperture blades so you should see rounder OOF highlights. The rest is AFAIK cosmetic.

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I saw this same question on another forum. It seems there are no test reports or comparisons as yet.

 

Apparently the only change in design which will make a difference is the increase in aperture blades so you should see rounder OOF highlights.....

Only when stopped down, presumably.

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FWIW, Jono reviewed the old vs new 28 Summicron (on the SL)...  http://www.slack.co.uk/leica-m-resolution.html

 

Haven't seen anything similar for the 35.

 

Jeff

 

Hi There Jeff

 

Andreas has just put the 28 report on the blog here as well ( http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-news/2016/06/old-new-leica-28mm-summicron-asph/ )

 

I did do a comparison of the old and new 35 lenses last year - but the new lens was a prototype, so I couldn't post it.

However, I couldn't see any difference between the 2, either at close quarters or at infinity.

 

I also tried to see the difference in the bokeh with the extra aperture blades, and I couldn't see anything there either (but I didn't try THAT hard :) )

 

As I understand it the Aperture blades and the new lens hood are the only differences - I'm not even aware of the coatings having changed.

 

The 28 Elmarit on the other hand has improved nearly as much as the 28 summicron.

 

All the best

Jono

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Thanks for the update, Jono. Disappointing news for the messes (with the exception of "lct" and his/her focus shift-less copy  ;) ). Essentially new housing for an amortized optical cell? Maybe it's a transitional piece until the next M beams down to Earth.

 

I am compelled to quote...myself:

 

11 blades vs  8 blades...same optical design. Probably new coatings.

 

Different vintages of the same cru.

 
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