Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH V1 vs V2

[leicashot]

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Ok guys, so I'm currently making a Leica M9 video review, and along with that will come a comparison of these two lenses. I called them V1 and V2, cause I'm excluding the original designated 'ASPHERICAL' model. Without going into too much detail, I'd like to post some initial impressions to get some conversation going. I'd also like any advice you may have for me making this review.

 

Firstly, I need to let you know that I have a perfect working black Summilux ASPH V1, without any noticeable back focus and/or focus shift issues, and the V2 test sample I received from Leica appears to be of correct working order.

 

My initial conclusion is that they are quite different lenses, and the objectives when designing and producing these lenses are/were different.

 

- V2 is a little sharper wide open in center and definitely sharper at the edges, compared to V1 which isn't bad to begin with. The performance is very close to the 50/1.4 ASPH but not quite as bitingly sharp. The added depth of field seems to emphasize the 'apparent' sharpness increase at the f/1.4 aperture.

 

- Colors look similar but I see a slight edge going to the V2, which reminds me again of the 50 Lux ASPH. Still need to test this further.

 

- Depth of field on the V2 is greater wide open. This is evident at closest focusing distance of 0.7M and medium distances. Therefor when focusing at close range, the focus point has a wider depth of field so focus inaccuracies are less obvious and hit rate is higher.

 

Please understand I haven't started shooting the comparison yet, so no formal testing has commenced. I took these two images for a quick comparison. Yesterday with the V2 and today with the V1, so they are not identical, but do give you a good idea of what I am talking about. I had the camera set to auto lens profile so there was no correction for the V1 lens. Also the aperture values are incorrect in the metadata. Post processing included conversion from DNG, with added contrast, color and slight sharpening to get them looking the way I like them.

 

V2 at f/1.4 at 0.7M close focus

 

V1 at f/1.4 at 0.7M close focus

 

Comparison with Noct 0.95 wide open at 1M close focus

 

Please don't be too judgmental on this initial impression as it's only that - an 'initial impression'.

 

Oops. just realized it's in the wrong forum - should be customer forum. Moderator?

[leicashot]

V2 100% crop

 

V1 100% crop

[leicashot]

Another with V2

 

V2 100% crop

[lars_bergquist]

I have owned the v.1 but sold it and bought a v.2 instead.I have in fact owned the pre-ASPH lens too, and a horror it was.

 

First, I must point out that the performance of both lenses (disregarding the v.1 focus shift, which is real even in cases where the user imagines it is not there, because it is designed in) is practically identical. You must understand that there is individual variation in lenses, because there is variation in the lens components, and these are individually assembled. I would say that the differences you see between your two specimens are (a) due to slight focus shift in one of the lenses, and ( individual specimen variation.

 

Of these two causes, (a) was the reason why I got rid of the v.1. Worrying about cause ( is plain pedantic, unless you have had the extreme bad luck to acquire a "Monday specimen". These are extremely rare with Leica lenses, while they are so common with "Voigtländer" lenses that I simply won't touch them. In my book, the v.1 is simply the old v.2, minus the focus shift. Simple.

 

The way to shoot a real comparison between v.1 and v.2 is to bracket focus in both cases, so that you get maximum focus in both cases. Then you compare. Ideally, you should make a double-blind test of the results, so that it all becomes perfectly objective. But I dare say that my characterisation of the v.2 will stand up to a test like this. The differences will be found to be "within experimental error". Don't anxiously delve into microscopical differences. That way lies paranoia.

 

The old man who tests lenses by shooting bookshelves