joeq Posted January 8, 2011 Share #1 Posted January 8, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) notwithstanding the obvious differences in dof, are some apertures inherently sharper than others on this lens? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 8, 2011 Posted January 8, 2011 Hi joeq, Take a look here 35 f/2 sharpness. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
ho_co Posted January 8, 2011 Share #2 Posted January 8, 2011 Have you checked Leica's tech specs? You can download them complete with MTF curves at: Leica Camera AG - Photography - Lenses For a more historical reference, Leica used to offer also Erwin Puts' book "Leica M-Lenses - Their Soul and Secrets." I'm sure it's still available somewhere. And see his site for further analyses--Home. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
svenning Posted January 8, 2011 Share #3 Posted January 8, 2011 My personal experience: F/2.8 and F/4.0 will give you the sharpest pictures with a 35mm Summicron-R. All the best - Svenning, Denmark Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 8, 2011 Share #4 Posted January 8, 2011 F/8 is the sharpest aperture but one can hardly see significant sharpness differences since f/4 with both Summicron-M and Summicron-R latest 35mm lenses. Leica's Technical data: http://tinyurl.com/35lewe6 (M) http://tinyurl.com/38cb45k ® Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer Posted January 8, 2011 Share #5 Posted January 8, 2011 notwithstanding the obvious differences in dof, are some apertures inherently sharper than others on this lens? Which lens do you mean? There are a great many f/2 35s. Not all behave the same way. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmas Posted January 8, 2011 Share #6 Posted January 8, 2011 notwithstanding the obvious differences in dof, are some apertures inherently sharper than others on this lens? Yes, but what lens are your worried about. If you are critical, i.e. look, or your shots need to be the same in the corners and centre, that is very difficult for a 35mm lens on 24x36. The 50's summaron f/2.8 sets a standard at /5.6 very difficult to detect an improvement with later (& faster lenses) lenses, - in practice, the asph or the ZM are better than the older lens wider opened. If you shoot hand held with fast film I'm not worry too much, 1/15 f/2 wont be that sharp. Most of the time I use a f/2.5 CV, before that I normally used a J12... Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeq Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share #7 Posted January 8, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Have you checked Leica's tech specs? You can download them complete with MTF curves at: Leica Camera AG - Photography - Lenses For a more historical reference, Leica used to offer also Erwin Puts' book "Leica M-Lenses - Their Soul and Secrets." I'm sure it's still available somewhere. And see his site for further analyses--Home. Wow - that looks way too technical for me. Thanks, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeq Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share #8 Posted January 8, 2011 Which lens do you mean? There are a great many f/2 35s. Not all behave the same way. A new Leica Summicron - does that help? Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xmas Posted January 8, 2011 Share #9 Posted January 8, 2011 Hi That helps. At /5.6 or smaller only the corners should be detectably softer in definition, if you are shooting brick walls. Wider apetures you may notice increased softness 'creeping out of the corners'. But you may need a sturdy tripod and high resolution film to detect these trends. Leicas are about spontenous, Eugene Smith used antique lenses. Noel Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeq Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share #10 Posted January 8, 2011 Hi That helps. At /5.6 or smaller only the corners should be detectably softer in definition, if you are shooting brick walls. Wider apetures you may notice increased softness 'creeping out of the corners'. But you may need a sturdy tripod and high resolution film to detect these trends. Leicas are about spontenous, Eugene Smith used antique lenses. Noel got it - thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted January 8, 2011 Share #11 Posted January 8, 2011 Unless you're using a tripod all the time then really it's not worth any time worrying about it. Leica don't make lemons. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
UliWer Posted January 8, 2011 Share #12 Posted January 8, 2011 notwithstanding the obvious differences in dof, are some apertures inherently sharper than others on this lens? As a general rule - general doesn't mean that it is always right - you can achieve the utmost sharpness at two stops lower then maximum aperture. That would be f/:4. With the best modern lenses you can achieve the optimum with less stepping down (the 2/90 AA is said to have it's optimum at f/:2.8, on stop down; the 3.4/135 Apo-Telyt at f/.4 - a half stop down; older lenses need to be stopped down more for their optimum: the pre aspherical 1.4/50 is said to have it's optimum only at f/:8 -- which would mean 5 stops down.). Though earlygalleries caveat is right: you won't see much difference in reality between 2 or more steps down. In the Leica Pocketbook, 7th edit Puts says that the optimum of the 2/35 asph. is between f/:2.8 and f/:4. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaapv Posted January 9, 2011 Share #13 Posted January 9, 2011 That does depend on the lens. Some Leica lenses are indeed diffraction limited, so the highest resolution is obtained at the widest aperture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ho_co Posted January 9, 2011 Share #14 Posted January 9, 2011 Basically, Joe, "sweet spot" or "best performance" doesn't mean that much with Leica lenses. Generally, they are designed to behave pretty well wide open; they'll improve a bit as you stop down one or two stops. On digital, f/5.6 is probably the point beyond which the lens doesn't improve, and diffraction effects start to seep in. With film, you might go to f/8 without seeing noticeable losses. Two stops down from wide open is generally a safe bet with any lens. Leica lenses are designed to keep as much of that good performance as possible as you open them up. That's a major reason they cost what they do. They're still surprisingly good at full aperture. In practical use, you shoot for what you can get. 1/15 sec at f/2 for most people will be more practical than 1/4 sec at f/4. The main thing is: go shoot. If you're like most of us, you'll find the lens holds its own at any aperture. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer Posted January 9, 2011 Share #15 Posted January 9, 2011 A new Leica Summicron - does that help? Thanks. Does new mean ASPH or does it mean NOS (new old stock)? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 9, 2011 Share #16 Posted January 9, 2011 The OP is referring to the current 35/2 M lens: http://tinyurl.com/35lewe6 (sorry to repeat) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
christer Posted January 9, 2011 Share #17 Posted January 9, 2011 The OP is referring to the current 35/2 M lens: http://tinyurl.com/35lewe6 (sorry to repeat) how do you know? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stunsworth Posted January 9, 2011 Share #18 Posted January 9, 2011 how do you know? Because when someone asked him which lens he was referring to he replied "A new Leica Summicron" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted January 9, 2011 Share #19 Posted January 9, 2011 Does new mean ASPH or does it mean NOS (new old stock)? What do you think it's likely to mean? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 9, 2011 Share #20 Posted January 9, 2011 how do you know? The current 35/2 is from 1996 so a new old stock would be quite a collectible don't you think so? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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