Summicron 35/2 ASPH - love/hate

[delander †]

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I am new to this forum, and I just bought a new M9 and a new Summicron 28mm Asph lens. My first Asph lens. I have much older 35mm Summicron, 50mm Summilux, and 90mm Elmarit which are all pre-ASPH I had originally used on my M6 and work great on the new M9. I don't know how my new 28mm ASPH comapres to the equivalent 35mm ASPH, but I find it extremely contrasty right off the bat. Also the photos taken are very dark, compared to my 35mm lens under the exact same conditions. Not sure if I should be changing my settings for the Aspherical lens? Man, it sure takes a different photo than my older lenses. Is going to take some getting used to.

 

The 28mm summicron ASPH is widely regarded as being one of Leica's very best lenses, less contrasty than the 28mm elmarit ASPH. It should not be producing darker images overall than your older lenses. The 35mm summicron ASPH is, to me, similar to the 28mm. I like both lenses very much.

 

Jeff

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[Jeff S]

I have the 35 and the 28 Summicron asph. While both are terrific lenses, I prefer the 28. Can't explain it in technical terms but, like my 50 Summilux asph, it just has something nice going on; and seems to handle harsh light a bit better than the 35. It's one reason I'm sticking with the M8.2, which allows a similar FOV to my former film Ms.

 

Jeff

[menos I M6]

The 35 Cron ASPH has been my first 35mm.

I loved it on film (mostly pushed, fast BW film during night shooting).

 

I hated it on the R-D1, which really exposes it's inherited biggest flaw - ugly ghosting, when shooting with bright light sources in the frame (the R-D1 is not as well optimized with micro lenses on the sensor as the digital M, so it indeed exposes this nature of the 35 Cron ASPH).

 

One can see this specific ghosting behavior on film and on the M8.2 in a much milder fashion, but it is there.

 

Apart from this flaw, it is probably the most detailed, flat field, no distortion, sharpest lens, Leica makes - right there with the 50 Lux ASPH.

 

I added an early 35mm Summaron LTM and explored the niceties of low contrast imaging.

I added a Lux ASPH v1 for the extra light and truly love this lens.

 

The Lux is less pin sharp, has more distortion (not critical though) and an overall more pleasing rendering.

It's size and weight over the "tiny" Cron poses no issues to me, so the Cron mainly stays completely unused.

 

Somehow though, I never came around selling it, as indeed it extends the kit with it's characteristics.

If I would have to pick one 35mm for all around use, it would definitely be the Lux.

 

(I added a 35 1.2 Nokton lately in the pursuit of an even more classical rendering, fitting better to the Noct f1, but largely fail with it's very different controls from the Leica lenses - it's a superb lens, I would def. choose over the 35 Cron ASPH, but it indeed handles less intuitive and quick, as the Lux ASPH).