Which 35 1.4 non-lux lens for the M9?

[m4gnus]

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Hi everyone

 

First of all; this is my first post here, though I have been reading a lot on this really nice forum.

 

I am a photojournalist student from Denmark, and has just entered the world of rangefinders. I do not know that much about equipment yet, which is why I have made this post.

 

I want a 35 mm. lens for my Leica M9, and after looking through a lot of my pictures, and thought really much about it, I have come to the conclusion, that I want a 1.4 lens. I will really be in need of the extra stop from a summicron or another 2.0 lens - and yes, maybe I will lack a little on the sharpness or something else, but I will regret it, if I do not buy a 1.4 lens.

Secound of all; I can not afford the Summilux 1.4 asph. It is simply too expensive, as I have just spend my lifes savings on the M9 (I am a student).

 

And therefor, I ask all you clever people; which 35mm 1.4 lens, that will fit an M9, will you reccoment me to buy, and why? My budget is maximum around $2000, but it would be nice, if the lens could be found cheaper.

 

I really appreciate every reply - it is a big help for me.

 

Best regards,

Magnus

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[Clandrel]

How about an older pre-asph Summilux?

[Peter.S]

May I suggest the Voigtlander 35 1.2 . Lense is big, but draws nicely. Never liked their 35/1.4 offering, but the 35/1.7 (discontinued) they made was actually not bad. Alternative a second hand pre asph Summilux.

[sanyasi]

I hate to spend more of your money, but you should consider subscribing to Sean Reid's web site: Welcome to ReidReviews. I notice that he has at least three reviews that might be relevant to your search. I'd also check the Luminous Landscape website.

 

I have no experience with Carl Zeiss or Voightlander lenses, but many people write favorably about them.

 

Good luck.

 

Jack Siegel

[01af]

I am not aware of any alternative to the Summilux-M 35 mm (Asph or pre-Asph) besides the Voigtländer line of 35 mm lenses for the M mount. These come (or came) in lens speeds of 1:1.7, 1:1.4, and 1:1.2. All other brands' 35 mm M lenses are no faster than 1:2 as far as I can tell.

 

So it seems it's either Leitz/Leica or Voigtländer.

 

However ... maybe you should re-consider your decision. While a 1:1.4 lens is very nice to have indeed, on a digital camera such a high lens speed is far less important than it used to be on film. I am waiting for a new Summilux-M 35 mm Asph lens for almost half a year now and bought a Summarit-M 35 mm as a temporary solution a few months ago. I am surprised that I am hardly missing the Summilux speed in real life, much unlike I anticipated, and the little Summarit turned out a real gem.

 

So, being on a quite restricted budget at the moment, you should really consider a slower lens. Buy your Summilux later, when money isn't so tight anymore, and get a Summarit-M or a C-Biogon ZM for now. If you buy it from the used market then you'll hardly lose any money on re-sale (if you still want to sell it then in the first place). In any case, you will enjoy a fine 35/2.5 or 35/2.8 more than a poor 35/1.4—and most likely, sooner or later you're going to replace a cheap 35/1.4 with the real thing anyway.

[lars_bergquist]

That is a piece of very sound advice. F:2 will go very far indeed today, especially on a Leica M which can be held at quite slow shutter speeds, due to the lack of flapping mirrors and aperture mechanisms. The least expensive f:2 option is the Zeiss ZM. Zeiss lenses are very solidly built, and good value. Though nearly all of them are actually built by Cosina, quality control is much stricter. If a dealer returns a lens with problems to Zeiss, they will also exchange it promptly. They have a reputation to defend.

 

You will however want to have it permanently coded quite soon.

 

For chrissake do not pick up a pre-aspherical 35mm Summilux. They are loved only by people who love coma, astigmatism, flare and veiling glare. You can get these things much cheaper than with a M9 (no names!)

 

The old man from the Age of the 3.5cm Elmar

[rickp13]

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you can search here, on the rff forum, an on flickr and other photo sites by lens type, and find 1000s of photos made with various pre-asph summiluxes, summicrons, summarits, zeiss and vc lenses. you may even be able to borrow 1-2 from friends or a dealer for at least a brief test.

 

if any of the photos resemble the type of work you do, or the results you expect from your 35mm lens, then make your choice. it probably won't be the only 35mm lens you ever own, so it's not a purchase for a lifetime.

 

good luck

 

rick

[guillaumep]

I'm a photojournaliste too and work 98% with my M9. I have an 5d and a 70-200 / 2.8 for sport like Hockey. I bought à Voightlander 35mm 1.2 2 years ago with my M8.2. I loved this lense. I still use it on my M9. I have a lux 35 ASPH (not the last) but I have a lot of problem with it. 3 times to Solms and still not OK.

I love the 35 1.2 because it is not expensive and you dont have to worry about your lens when you work.

 

F2 is not enough for photojournalism. Even with the M9 and LR3.

voightlander 1.2 at 1250 iso is better than a leica cron at 2500 ISO

 

Guillaume

[lars_bergquist]

One lens that is a distinct possiblity is the last, pre-aspherical v.4 Summicron. Properly coded, this lens is remarkably good -- rather better on the M9 than with film. And it is extremely compact.

 

I took this picture ten months ago (with possibly the first M9 delivered in Sweden) and the results convinced me that the lens (from 1983) was worth a CLA and factory coding. The f-stop, I think, was f:4. Note the handling of point sources of light.

 

Spiffy work, Herr Mandler!

 

The old man from the Age of the 3.5cm Elmar

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[michael_b_elmer]

Magnus, I am very impressed that you have been able to save enough for a M9 from your SU. And I must compliment you with your taste in equipment. A 35/1.4 is perfect for photojournalism, and although a 35 Summicron asph is most certainly an excellent lens, you would miss the full opening for the work you do. My advice: stick to Leica!

 

A Leica 35/1.4 asph or non-asph will be difficult to find, especially at that price.

 

However, one of the most reputable dealers, Meister Camera, Hamburg, has a 35/1.4 non asph at 1199 € in condition B. I can't see whether the sunshade is included, but they can provide you with that too. Since they are in my experience very nice people - that probably would like to begin a lifelong acquaintance with a young photographer - you might be able to negotiate the sunshade into the deal or to negotiate the price a bit down, if you try.

 

Meister Camera Berlin have a 35/1.4 asph with sun shade in condition A-B for 2.995 -€. This may seem a bit pricey, but again: negotiation sometimes does wonders!

 

Good luck, I think you will be happy whichever of these lenses you choose. And good lúck with your study.

[lct]

...which 35mm 1.4 lens, that will fit an M9, will you reccoment me to buy, and why?...

Aside from the asph Summiluxes, your only choice is CV 35/1.4 MC, CV 35/1.4 SC or pre-asph Summilux (latest version preferably).

I own both the latter and a CV 35/1.4 SC but i have no experience of them on the M9 so take what i say with a pinch of salt.

The pre-asph Summilux is a unique lens if you like some softness and the famous Leica glow at f/1.4 and to a lesser extent f/2. At f/2.8 and on it is as sharp a lens as the Summicron from same period. Smooth bokeh as well but the lens flares a lot if you shoot against the sun or other light sources.

The CV 35/1.4 SC is ever worse flare wise but it is sharper than the Summilux at f/1.4 and f/2 with no glow but smooth bokeh as well. Better avoid it (at least mine) from f/2.8 to f/4 because of focus shift. F/5.6 and f/8 are sharper but not as much as the Summilux.

[Jaybob]

I just saw this in another post I was also reading

 

From the M9 instructions

 

– Some examples of the Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4

(not aspherical, manufactured from 1961–1995,

Made in Canada) cannot be fitted to the LEICA M9

or will not focus to infinity. Leica Customer Service

can modify these lenses so that they can be used

on the LEICA M9.

 

Thank Hoppyman for this...

[250swb]

Magnus, I recommend subscribing the small amount and joining Sean Reid's web site. He only gives common sense reviews and all the lenses you should be looking at are discussed, pro's and con's, with a bias towards real world use and not just the theoretical best. Same goes for all the other focal ranges for your Leica.

 

I would also recommend the Summicron route (unless you can afford the latest 35mm Summilux) as the alternative f1.4 lenses are generally prone to idiocyncracies of some sort or another. For photojournalism I'd not want to be thinking about at which aperture focus shift is taking place for instance, I'd want to know the lens was focused when working quickly. I'd also not want to be having to explain 'the Leica glow' to a picture editor when he's asking why the image isn't sharp (because you were shooting an older f1.4 lens or a CV copy of that lens).

 

Steve

[m4gnus]

Thank you so much for replys, everyone.

 

My friends has an older summicron I can borrow, untill I have saved enough for the new summilux.

 

Thanks

[henning]

If your budget is a bit tighter, and even if it isn't the 35/1.2 from Cosina is a good choice. It isn't quite as contrasty as the 35/1.4 asph (either version) from Leica, but it has negligible focus shift and is very even in it's performance. When I compared them after the Nokton first came out my results showed that the Nokton was somewhat more even in performance than the Summilux ASPH, with the Summilux only being superior in the slightly higher contrast, very slightly better performance at f/8 and smaller and the lens being smaller and lighter. Overall, in use the Nokton was the equal and in some cases superior to the Summilux, especially at the widest apertures. You just have to get used to the size.

 

The non-asph Summilux is optically noticeably inferior in a number of ways. It has way more coma and astigmatism, focus shift and flare at the wider apertures. It is reasonably sharp in the centre wide open, but very soft towards the corners. The Nokton 35mm/1.4 from Cosina is a slightly updated copy of the old Summilux and performs slightly better. If you like the pre-asph Summilux look, you deserve to try the new 35/1.4 from Cosina. These two lenses don't come anywhere close to the performance of the two Summilux ASPH or 35/1.2 Cosina.

 

These, plus the 35/1.7 from Cosina, 35/1.8 and 35/1.5 Canon and 35/1.8 Nikkor in SM are the only choices for faster than f/2 lenses for the Leica, and of these the 35/1.7 is the only one worth considering.

 

As a sidenote: I use the f/1.4 ASPH which I got soon after it came out in the mid-90's, a v4 Summicron and the Nokton f/1.4 on the M cameras. I dislike the size of the f/1.2 Nokton enough that I didn't get it. I might yet, though, but only after I get the new ASPH. The other two lenses I got for their 'look's' and also size. My first 35, of dozens, was an f/3.5 Summaron in the late 50's.

 

Henning

[Tony Wright]

Hi Magnus,

 

most of us have asked ourselves how to get a fast inexpensive 35mm lens many times! To help inform your decision you might access information from:

Luminous landscape

and

Voigtlander lenses

(Sean Reid & Erwin Puts)

for state of the art information from Sean you would have to subscribe but you can probably use Erwin' s data to extend Sean's observations to full frame.

 

cheers

 

Tony

[thompsonkirk]

I do documentary rather than journalistic work, & I love my 35 pre-aspherical Lux. But have to nix it – strongly – as a modern photojournalist's lens. It's way too prone to image-damaging flare, & a PJ can't put up with that sort of unpredictability.

 

Also, with Leica's poor high ISO performance relative to other cameras used by photojournalists, f2 is not a wise suggestion. A larger aperture is important for available lightt.

 

The Nokton 1.2, heavy as it is, is by far the wiser choice.

 

Kirk

[leicashot]

I do documentary rather than journalistic work, & I love my 35 pre-aspherical Lux. But have to nix it – strongly – as a modern photojournalist's lens. It's way too prone to image-damaging flare, & a PJ can't put up with that sort of unpredictability.

 

Also, with Leica's poor high ISO performance relative to other cameras used by photojournalists, f2 is not a wise suggestion. A larger aperture is important for available lightt.

 

The Nokton 1.2, heavy as it is, is by far the wiser choice.

 

Kirk

 

Agreed. Easy answer. The next best lens to the Leica ASPH is the Nokton 35/1.2. I just posted images here:

 

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93943

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M