The Wide-Angle Choice: 21'lux or 28'cron

[Guest odeon]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hi there,

 

I'm thinking good things in nowadays. I need a wide-angle lens. I'm looking to Leica Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH and Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2.0 ASPH lenses.

So, both lenses are excellent. 21'lux is quite wide-angle. It offers more light, more wide and more price tag. But, it's a huge lens. I must use it with external viewfinder. I hate another viewfinder.

28'cron is good as 21'lux. It's compact, half-price. I can use it without another viewfinder. On the other hand, it's one f-stop slow and it's a bit old. First 28'cron ASPH produced in 2000. Maybe it will replace a newer version. I don't want to hear it, naturally.

 

What do you think?

Do you have a rumor about these lenses? Or, 28'lux?

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Guest borge]

Hi there,

 

I'm thinking good things in nowadays. I need a wide-angle lens. I'm looking to Leica Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH and Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2.0 ASPH lenses.

So, both lenses are excellent. 21'lux is quite wide-angle. It offers more light, more wide and more price tag. But, it's a huge lens. I must use it with external viewfinder. I hate another viewfinder.

28'cron is good as 21'lux. It's compact, half-price. I can use it without another viewfinder. On the other hand, it's one f-stop slow and it's a bit old. First 28'cron ASPH produced in 2000. Maybe it will replace a newer version. I don't want to hear it, naturally.

 

What do you think?

Do you have a rumor about these lenses? Or, 28'lux?

 

There is a BIG difference between 21mm and 28mm. Have you considered a 24mm? The Summilux 24mm was released in 2008.

 

Also, do you really need a fast wide angle? If not the Super Elmar 21mm and Elmar 24mm are great lenses.

 

I would go with the Summicron 28/2 ASPH myself. In fact it's going to be my next lens. But I have tried 21mm and 24mm and 28mm and 35mm previously and I know for a fact that I really want the 28mm focal length to go with my fifty. The difference between 21 and 28 is huge.

[mblaze]

I have both. 21 is a LOT wider than 28.

 

What other lenses do you have? I also have a 35 'lux, and find I rarely need the 28; if the 35 is too narrow, I either change perspective or go straight to the 21. But that's more of a matter of personal style.

 

One note: you can technically use the 28 without an external finder, but it's hard to see the whole frame in the rangefinder if your eye isn't right up against the eyepiece. If you wear glasses, forget it; you'll need an external finder with the 28 too.

[algrove]

I have from the 18.3.8, to the 28/2 and in between. I use them all in different ways. You must imagine how you plan to use your WA purchase and buy accordingly. If you do not need 1.4 most of the time, then skip that type of expensive WA lens.

[Paul J]

I have been mulling over wide angles for some time now and have decided to go with the 21 Summilux. My widest existing lens is 35mm and those times I want wider I usually want much wider, so I'm fine with the gap and I really love the 21mm focal length.

 

There is not a huge difference between 24mm and 21mm and many say they don't use a finder for the 24mm focal lengths. I've read that many people don't use an external finder once they have gotten to know the 21mm lens too. Well i'll find out anyway!

 

I would imagine I will shoot a fair bit stopped down also, fouccsed at 3m and shooting at f8 there will be a hell of a lot of depth to work with and not much need to hop between external finder and the built in M finder for fine focussing.

 

With all that in mind it's the 21mm Summilux for me.

[mblaze]

One thing about the 21 'lux. You pay a lot - in $$ and size/weight - for that extra couple of stops, and the benefit may be smaller than you think. If you need the extra light, then you need it, of course, and the 21mm/1.4 certainly delivers there.

 

But if you want to exploit highly selective focus at 21mm/1.4, you may be a bit disappointed. The DoF at the magnification of typical distances with a 21mm can make it very hard to isolate your subject even at wide open. You can do it , but can require very careful composition.

 

That said, I really do like the 21 'lux. When you need it, there's nothing quite like it.

[leica lux]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I also prefer the 21mm focal length when I need it wider than the 35mm.

 

Shame on my name, I have the Zeiss Biogon 2.8/21mm.

The aperture 2.8 is fast enough, and to separate subject the 0.5m closest focus distance helps as well.

 

That said, if one is looking for thiner DOF a 35/50mm focal lenght will do a much better job.

[algrove]

We all have our own reasons for this or that lens. The OP never mentioned with what type of shooting he intends to use the WA lens.

[Guest odeon]

Thank you to all.

 

I have only one lens: 50'lux I plan to buy a wide-angle lens and a 90'APO-cron in time. The wide-angle lens is prior, but not urgency.

I need a fit lens. 21'lux is too big. f/1.4 is great, but i wiil use it rarely. 21mm is more wide, 28mm is enough for me. The difference is not significant for me. I don't want use external viewfinder. 28'cron is more reasonable.

 

Otherwise 28'cron is old lens. Maybe Leica will renew it. 21'lux is up-to-date. The real issue is this for me. I want a current lens, not 14-old lens.

If Leica will not announce a new 28'cron in 10 years, i can choice it now.

[algrove]

Thank you to all.

 

I have only one lens: 50'lux I plan to buy a wide-angle lens and a 90'APO-cron in time. The wide-angle lens is prior, but not urgency.

I need a fit lens. 21'lux is too big. f/1.4 is great, but i wiil use it rarely. 21mm is more wide, 28mm is enough for me. The difference is not significant for me. I don't want use external viewfinder. 28'cron is more reasonable.

 

Otherwise 28'cron is old lens. Maybe Leica will renew it. 21'lux is up-to-date. The real issue is this for me. I want a current lens, not 14-old lens.

If Leica will not announce a new 28'cron in 10 years, i can choice it now.

 

You still did not mention what type of shooting you intend to use the with-landscape, street or whatever.

[mblaze]

Thank you to all.

 

I have only one lens: 50'lux I plan to buy a wide-angle lens and a 90'APO-cron in time. The wide-angle lens is prior, but not urgency.

I need a fit lens. 21'lux is too big. f/1.4 is great, but i wiil use it rarely. 21mm is more wide, 28mm is enough for me. The difference is not significant for me. I don't want use external viewfinder. 28'cron is more reasonable.

 

Otherwise 28'cron is old lens. Maybe Leica will renew it. 21'lux is up-to-date. The real issue is this for me. I want a current lens, not 14-old lens.

If Leica will not announce a new 28'cron in 10 years, i can choice it now.

 

If you want to be able to shoot wider than 28 sometimes, you can get a 28 'cron plus a Zeiss 21/2.8 (an excellent lens) and have both for less than the price -- and weight -- of a 21 'lux.

[thighslapper]

28/2 is a great lens.

 

Still produces fairly natural looking shots without the obvious distortion of wider lenses.

 

With care you should manage 1/8 sec on the 28 hand-held so f2 is plenty fast enough.

 

I have all the lengths from 135 to 16 and I tend to use 50 -> 28 -> 21 (or WATE)..... never found much use for 35 or 24 although they are also good lenses.....

[Guest Marc G.]

There will be no new version of the 28 Summicron as it is an excellent lens. It has become my standard lens, even though I do have a 50 Summilux too. Simply that good.

[rramesh]

Hi Odeon. Start with the 28 Cron. It's a great addition to the 50 Lux which you have right now. Sometime down the road, you will buy the 21 as it is very different from the 28. The 21 SEM would be a good choice.

[smkoush]

Otherwise 28'cron is old lens. Maybe Leica will renew it. 21'lux is up-to-date. The real issue is this for me. I want a current lens, not 14-old lens.

If Leica will not announce a new 28'cron in 10 years, i can choice it now.

 

I'm a bit confused as to what is the matter with the age of the 28mm Summicron. It is still currently produced, and by no means "old" (as compared to other Leica lenses, e.g., look at the length of production of the 35mm Summilux pre-asph!).

 

If you have the ASPH version of the 50mm Summilux, then the 28mm Summicron is a perfect match, the rendering is very similar, absolutely gorgeous!! The age of the design is not a problem in this particular case.

[algrove]

I'm a bit confused as to what is the matter with the age of the 28mm Summicron. It is still currently produced, and by no means "old" (as compared to other Leica lenses, e.g., look at the length of production of the 35mm Summilux pre-asph!).

 

If you have the ASPH version of the 50mm Summilux, then the 28mm Summicron is a perfect match, the rendering is very similar, absolutely gorgeous!! The age of the design is not a problem in this particular case.

 

It's rubbish to wait for a new 28 instead of just getting the 28/2 or the 28/2.8-the smallest lens Leica makes at a very respectable price for Leica glass.

[Guest malland]

I agree with algrove: the Summicron-28 ASPH is a modern lens or excellent design, and I would not expect a replacement for ages. The Summilux-21 is a rather specialized lens: you can google "Summilux 21" and "Ron Scheffler" for an excellent review of various 21mm lenses, including the Super Elmarit 21.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

Looking for Baudelaire [WIP]

[Guest odeon]

You still did not mention what type of shooting you intend to use the with-landscape, street or whatever.

I will use it with landscape and architecture photography in travel. For example i need a wide-angle lens in my last trip to Barcelona.

 

 

I'm a bit confused as to what is the matter with the age of the 28mm Summicron. It is still currently produced, and by no means "old" (as compared to other Leica lenses, e.g., look at the length of production of the 35mm Summilux pre-asph!).

 

If you have the ASPH version of the 50mm Summilux, then the 28mm Summicron is a perfect match, the rendering is very similar, absolutely gorgeous!! The age of the design is not a problem in this particular case.

I have a 50'lux ASPH.

Let's look at current Leica lenses and their production dates:

 

Leica Tri-Elmar-M 16-18-21mm f/4.0 ASPH - 2006

Leica Super-Elmar-M 18mm f/3.8 ASPH - 2009

Leica Summilux-M 21mm f/1.4 ASPH - 2008

Leica Super-Elmar-M 21mm f/3.4 ASPH - 2011

Leica Summilux-M 24mm f/1.4 ASPH - 2008

Leica Elmar-M 24mm f/3.8 ASPH - 2008

 

Leica Summicron-M 28mm f/2.0 ASPH - 2000

Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH - 2008

Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH (Floating Lens Element) - 2010

Leica Summicron-M 35mm f/2.0 ASPH - 1996

Leica Summarit-M 35mm f/2.5 - 2007

 

Leica Noctilux-M 50mm f/0.95 ASPH - 2008

Leica Summilux-M 50mm f/1.4 ASPH - 2004

Leica APO-Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0 ASPH - 2012

Leica Summicron-M 50mm f/2.0 - 1979

Leica Summarit-M 50mm f/2.5 - 2007

 

Leica APO-Summicron-M 75mm f/2.0 ASPH - 2005

Leica Summarit-M 75mm f/2.5 - 2007

Leica APO-Summicron-M 90mm f/2.0 ASPH - 1998

Leica Summarit-M 90mm f/2.5 - 2008

Leica APO-Telyt-M 135mm f/3.4 - 1998

Leica Macro-Elmar-M 90mm f/4.0- 2003

 

 

You can see, the elder lenses are 35'cron, 90'APO-cron, 135'APO-telyt and 28'cron. I think Leica will announce the newer versions of there lenses.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[MarkP]

I have the 21 SEM and Summilux, 28 Summicron ASPH, 35 Summilux ASPH, and the 50 Summilux ASPH, excluding the longer lenses.

 

None of us know what you photograph so your first decision should be whether you next want a 28 or 21mm lens. If you're not sure you should borrow or hire lenses in each of these focal lengths to see what suits you.

 

Although you're considering the 1.4/21 Summilux just be aware that for exactly the same price as the 21 Summilux ASPH you can have the 3.4/21 SEM and the 2.0/28 Summicron ASPH. I have both 21s but the SEM gets far more use. We could discuss the relative merits of the 21 Summilux and SEM later if you wish.

 

Both focal lengths will work well with the 50 but personally I think that the 28 is a more useful and versatile focal length than the 21. As others have written above and elsewhere, the 28 Summicron ASPH has extraordinary rendering and pairs perfectly with the 50 Summilux - these are my two most used lenses (and then 21mm).

 

I don't know why you are particularly fussed about when these lenses were first released - they are not computer hardware which is outdated as soon as the new model is produced and do not have a usual predicted model upgrade like Apple computers. Furthermore, as you will have seen throughout this Forum, fine older lenses are greatly prized by their users. I would be very surprised if the 3.4/135 APO-Telyt will be replaced in a hurry. Despite it's age it is still considered one of Leica's finest lenses and now with the release of the M it may become more popular as it is easier to focus wide open.

 

Just be aware that if a 28 Summilux is produced it will be very large, heavy, and expensive, probably in the price range of the 21 Summilux and again, for the same money you could probably have the 28 Summicron and a 21 SEM. Any 28 Summilux is likely to supplement the range rather than replace the Summicron - but I could be wrong. I would not want a 28 Summilux for day-to-day daylight use, same as I usually don't use the 21 Summilux in such situations.

 

My advice - get the 28 Summicron. It is unlikely to be updated in a hurry (see borge below)

I doubt you will regret the decision.

[Guest borge]

I think Leica will announce the newer versions of there lenses.

 

In 20 years maybe?

 

The APO Summicron 50 just replaced a lens design that was from 1979.

The current Noctilux (2008) replaced a lens design from 1976.

The current Summilux 50 (2004) replaced a lens design from 1961.

 

And so on...

 

The lens barrels and mechanics might have been tweaked and changed during these years, but the optical formula and coatings didn't.

 

The Summicron 28mm f/2.0 ASPH had a new optical formula when it was released. I wouldn't expect a new optical version of it for many, many years... So if you have 10-20 years of being patient, then wait...