Mikhael S Posted December 16, 2009 Share #1 Posted December 16, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Dear All, I am about to buy an M9. Later next year I will have the funds for more lenses, but for the moment I will start with just a 35mm. Which of the following 3 would you recommend. Both size and quality are important for me. 1. Used 7 element pre-asph Summicron (made in Canada 1984) 2. New Summarit 3. New Voigtlander Color Skopar Pan II Pancake The Summicron and the Summarit are similarly priced. The Summicron and the Voigtlander, I believe, are similarly sized (I would really prefer a smaller lens for carrying around). Please could somebody tell me which is likely to be the best quality allround lens. Your help is very much appreciated. Mikhael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted December 16, 2009 Posted December 16, 2009 Hi Mikhael S, Take a look here Which 35mm lens for M9. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
yanidel Posted December 16, 2009 Share #2 Posted December 16, 2009 Dear All, I am about to buy an M9. Later next year I will have the funds for more lenses, but for the moment I will start with just a 35mm. Which of the following 3 would you recommend. Both size and quality are important for me. 1. Used 7 element pre-asph Summicron (made in Canada 1984) 2. New Summarit 3. New Voigtlander Color Skopar Pan II Pancake The Summicron and the Summarit are similarly priced. The Summicron and the Voigtlander, I believe, are similarly sized (I would really prefer a smaller lens for carrying around). Please could somebody tell me which is likely to be the best quality allround lens. Your help is very much appreciated. Mikhael If 2.5 is fast enough for you, than the Summarit is probably the best all around choice assuming it is the only one that is coded. Otherwise, #1 is an alternative if you are a bokeh fan. #3 is small and sharp but did not like the aperture ring and build quality so much. Note that I am currently experimenting with a 40mm Summicron on my M9. It probably has a lot of the characteristics of the pre-asph in a size smaller than the CV and half the price. Also, its FOV is a almost a perfect match for the 35mm framelines. But I need more time before having a definitive opinion, though I absolutely love the reduced size of this combo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 16, 2009 Share #3 Posted December 16, 2009 In this case I would go for the Summarit. For one thing, it is coded. Quality-wise, it is an excellent lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikhael S Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share #4 Posted December 16, 2009 Thank you for your quick replies. Can I ask what the implications of using an un-coded lens would be - ie option 1 or 3? Can one not find similar matches that will work with these lenses in the manual lens selection menu on the M9? F2.5 is fine for me (i'm used to f4 lenses on a Mamiya 7), but my worry about the Summarit is the extra size of it... Thank you Mikhael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
yanidel Posted December 16, 2009 Share #5 Posted December 16, 2009 Thank you for your quick replies. Can I ask what the implications of using an un-coded lens would be - ie option 1 or 3? Can one not find similar matches that will work with these lenses in the manual lens selection menu on the M9? F2.5 is fine for me (i'm used to f4 lenses on a Mamiya 7), but my worry about the Summarit is the extra size of it... Thank you Mikhael 35mm or wider, it is recommended to use 6 bit detection. Obviously, if you plan to use one lens only, the manual selection menu will work fine with you. The issue is when you change lenses and forget to manually adapt afterwards. As for size of the Summarit, if you also take into account its reduced weight, it is still one of the small packages available for the M9. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklotz Posted December 16, 2009 Share #6 Posted December 16, 2009 I've got the 75 Summarit, and think it is wonderful. If the 35 is anywhere near as good, I'll be buying one. If you get it, please report back and let us know how you like it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikhael S Posted December 16, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted December 16, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) Thanks again... Size and image quality are more important to me then weight. Do you know how I could find out exact difference in length between the Summicron (can one find lens shades for them?) and the Summarit? Thanks Mikhael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted December 16, 2009 Share #8 Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks again... Size and image quality are more important to me then weight. Do you know how I could find out exact difference in length between the Summicron (can one find lens shades for them?) and the Summarit? Thanks Mikhael There are no bad Leica lenses. The question is never the quality of a lens but the "fingerprint"or the way it draws, the bokeh, things like that. So could you define what you are looking for? As for size, I very much doubt that you would find much difference between the two, although I would think the Summarit might be a bit more advanced from an ergonomic point of view, better focus throw etc., but again this is a matter of personal preference. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicoleica Posted December 16, 2009 Share #9 Posted December 16, 2009 Thanks again... Size and image quality are more important to me then weight. Do you know how I could find out exact difference in length between the Summicron (can one find lens shades for them?) and the Summarit? Thanks Mikhael The exact specifications of the Summarit are available on the Leica website. But I think it is the smallest of the current Leica 35mm lenses available. I have one, and find it to be a real beauty of a lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted December 16, 2009 Share #10 Posted December 16, 2009 I've just bought the 35mm Summarit (for my M8) and my immediate impression is that it is a very good lens indeed and has higher flare resistance than my Summicron asph, or the other Summicrons that I have owned (v.1 and v.4). Personally I think that it would be the best option out of the 3 given. Without the hood its smaller than the asph and very similar in size to the older Summicrons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrism Posted December 16, 2009 Share #11 Posted December 16, 2009 I've said it before - the Summarit 35 and 75 are spectacularly good, especially at their low prices. I have Luxes for the evenings or if I simply have to have shallow focus, but otherwise one or other of the Summarits stay on the camera. Chris Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jplomley Posted December 16, 2009 Share #12 Posted December 16, 2009 You mention the Mamiya 7. Are you hoping that the M9 image quality will surpass that of the Mamiya 7 and Sekkor optics? Just curious. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmo Posted December 16, 2009 Share #13 Posted December 16, 2009 I had a 35mmF2.8 hung on my M6 for about 20 years. Rarely shifted up to a 90mmf2.8. I ordered one lens for the M9: 35mm F2.0 ASPH I'll think about another lens in a year or so [assuming the M9 shows up by then] Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jager Posted December 17, 2009 Share #14 Posted December 17, 2009 I'd vote for the Summarit. My first 35 was the CV pancake, a wonderful lens that made me fall in love with that focal length (this was on film). The bad news is that I fell so hard for it that I ended up buying the Summilux 35 ASPH. Just so you know, my bias is clearly towards Leica glass. And I prefer buying new wherever possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted December 17, 2009 Share #15 Posted December 17, 2009 You mention the Mamiya 7. Are you hoping that the M9 image quality will surpass that of the Mamiya 7 and Sekkor optics? Just curious. I have owned and worked with a long line of MF roll film cameras over the decades, including not a Mamiya 7, but a Mamiya 6, with its complement of lenses. It was a wonderful rig -- I even used it on a couple of backpacking voyages! But the M9 does beat it. Sorry about that, you film nostalgics -- but film has simply been overtaken and left behind. The old man from the Age of the Zeiss Super Ikonta IV Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted December 17, 2009 Share #16 Posted December 17, 2009 Yet another vote for the lovely little summarit. it's tiny and very good, with a nice bokeh into the bargain - splendid lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jklotz Posted December 17, 2009 Share #17 Posted December 17, 2009 I suppose I should mention that I've had the CV 2.5 skopar for quite some time, and while it is not of the build quality of the Leica's, it is quite good. For the price, it may be worth getting just to have for a while, and you can then take your time and get what you really want. Just a though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikhael S Posted December 22, 2009 Author Share #18 Posted December 22, 2009 Thank you all very much for the responses. Mikhael Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guido Posted December 22, 2009 Share #19 Posted December 22, 2009 I have owned and worked with a long line of MF roll film cameras over the decades, including not a Mamiya 7, but a Mamiya 6, with its complement of lenses. It was a wonderful rig -- I even used it on a couple of backpacking voyages! But the M9 does beat it. As a Mamiya 7 and M9 user, I can only agree as far as total weight, convenience and handling, and high ISO application are concerned. As for resolution, tonality and dynamic range, the M9 is great... but the Mamiya 7 is better still, nostalgic or not. BTW, why wasn't the Zeiss ZM 35/2 Biogon considered in this discussion? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
michali Posted December 22, 2009 Share #20 Posted December 22, 2009 BTW, why wasn't the Zeiss ZM 35/2 Biogon considered in this discussion? Probably because it's not coded. I have a 35mm Summarit, 35mm Summicron & 35mm Summilux. Value for money and performance you can't go wrong with the Summarit it's a great little lens. Speed aside, I prefer the Summarit it to the Summicron, it delivers lower contrast and creamier images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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