Shade Posted October 6, 2011 Share #1 Â Posted October 6, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Guys, I'm thinking of getting one of these summarons (the ones with the goggles). Any of you have personal experience with the lens? Â The one I'm getting is in mint condition. Â But I'm wondering if I should spend on a Cron pre asph or perhaps a Summarit instead. Â The thing is I *heard* that the Summarons use a different glass material at that time, and have a certain characteristics to it's pictures that are not replicable to other Leica lenses available today. It's the same with the 50 DR and the 90 Elmar (If I am not mistaken). Â Please correct me if I'm wrong, but please share any information you might have here. Â Many thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted October 6, 2011 Posted October 6, 2011 Hi Shade, Take a look here Leica 35mm F2.8 Summaron.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
andybarton Posted October 6, 2011 Share #2 Â Posted October 6, 2011 I have had a couple of these (without goggles) in my time and they were excellent lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #3 Â Posted October 6, 2011 To Mods: Sorry if posted in the wrong section, and thanks for moving it. Â Andy: Any certain qualities or differences that you might have noticed other than the lens being "excellent"? Sorry I don't mean to be rude, but I personally believe almost all Leica lenses are excellent naturally . But I was wondering if this summaron had something different about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andybarton Posted October 6, 2011 Share #4  Posted October 6, 2011 It's not as clinically sharp or contrasty as the 35 Summicron ASPH that I use now, but for about £300, it's a steal. In my experience, the f2.8 is sharper than the f3.5, which has much more of a "fifties" look to it.  I certainly wouldn't sell one, in good clean condition, to buy a Summarit. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #5 Â Posted October 6, 2011 Thanks for the extra info Andy, that's the kind of answer I'm looking for. The Summarit I have tried and yes they have a more modern look to it. I am trying to set up a meeting with the seller this week to give the summaron a try and see what may excite me. But I wanted to see what "I have to expect" first before I make the call. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted October 6, 2011 Share #6  Posted October 6, 2011 The lens is fine, but I wonder if you will learn to love the goggles – especially on a camera with a finder magnification less that 0.92x.  The old man with the varifocal goggles Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 6, 2011 Author Share #7 Â Posted October 6, 2011 Advertisement (gone after registration) Lars, sorry to ask, but what would the goggles exactly do to my viewfinder? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted October 6, 2011 Share #8 Â Posted October 6, 2011 Great little lens. I would try and find one without the goggles, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bocaburger Posted October 6, 2011 Share #9 Â Posted October 6, 2011 I had one of those and found it an excellent performer, but that was back in the film days. How it performs on the M9, or what alternate coding works best (there is no code for the Summaron) I don't know. My lens was goggle-free, and unless you're using it on an M3 I wonder why you would want the goggles. It makes the lens heavier and definitely bulky, and even if the goggle's glass is sparkling clear, it still reduces the viewfinder contrast noticeably. One thing about the Summaron I found irritating is the infinity lock, although I imagine it could be disabled (I chose not to, for resale reasons). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hendriphile Posted October 6, 2011 Share #10 Â Posted October 6, 2011 The goggled Summaron was made for the M3. It lets you see the 35mm field without an external viewfinder and with good eye relief (for eyeglass wearers). Â I purchased one heavily advertised as "mint" by a Hong Kong dealer on *bay,which had focus offset (it focused behind the intended subject), necessitating a trip to Sherry. Â So caveat emptor. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lars_bergquist Posted October 7, 2011 Share #11 Â Posted October 7, 2011 Lars, sorry to ask, but what would the goggles exactly do to my viewfinder? Â The lens will key in the 50mm finder frame. The finder image will be 'minified' even further so that the 35mm field of view fits the 50mm frame. There will also be considerable distortion. Â The old man with the varifocal goggles Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scsambrook Posted October 7, 2011 Share #12  Posted October 7, 2011 The lens will key in the 50mm finder frame. The finder image will be 'minified' even further so that the 35mm field of view fits the 50mm frame. There will also be considerable distortion. The old man with the varifocal goggles  I've owned both the 35mm Summaron and Summicron with the viewfinder unit. The "distortion" will be outside the actual frame you will be using. It never bothered me either on the M2 or the M8, nor did I find focusing a problem either. If you have to wear glasses, the "goggled" version actually makes seeing through finder easier - in my opinion, that practical gain outweighs the theoretical loss in focusing accuracy. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share #13 Â Posted October 7, 2011 Now the seller have both the summaron and the summicron with goggles and they are both in very very mint condition. Im having a headache now.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
scsambrook Posted October 7, 2011 Share #14 Â Posted October 7, 2011 Mmm, that's a headache indeed! Â If you need an f2 lens, then you must get the Summicron. But if you don't, then the Summaron is really very little different at f4 and smaller apertures. And it will probably be a lot cheaper. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 7, 2011 Author Share #15 Â Posted October 7, 2011 The summaron is definitely significantly cheaper than the summicron. But to my surprise their physical dimension is exactly the same. The only difference is the glass is of larger diameter in the summicron. And that's really about it. I thought the summicron would be slightly larger and heavier.. But they are exactly identtical. I don't have to use f2 all the time, but its something nice to have when it gets darker.. I'll sleep on it and see.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted October 7, 2011 Share #16 Â Posted October 7, 2011 Guys, I'm thinking of getting one of these summarons (the ones with the goggles)... I'm wondering if I should spend on a Cron pre asph or perhaps a Summarit instead... Depends upon what you are after. Speed? -> Summicron. Sharpness? -> Summarit. Bargain? -> Summaron. Beware that the goggles are usefull only with the M3. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
microview Posted October 7, 2011 Share #17 Â Posted October 7, 2011 I have had in the past, and very recently tried, a 35 3.5 Summaron. I liked the softer image character. But do look out for barrel distortion (ie check the verticals in a street photograph). That's principally why I didn't get the one in fabulous cosmetic order currently offered in Aperture London. And the 3.5s were prone to flare and getting a hood might be expensive/difficult to find (I used a rubber collapsible as it screwed into the thread). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share #18 Â Posted October 8, 2011 I will extensively try both and see which would be best for me. My main lens is my classic 50 lux, but I would like a 35mm for on the go and street. So Im not exactly sure what Im after hehe.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shade Posted October 8, 2011 Author Share #19 Â Posted October 8, 2011 I finally decided on the summicron, but I'm given the option that whenever I wanted the summaron I can always trade it back with no loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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