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28 Summilux


Paul J

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They have to overcome the size problem. A 24 (or 21) f/1.4 uses an accesory finder, so blockage of the built-in finder is irrelevant. Not so for a 28.

 

Also, as Leica has introduced the f/1.4 lenses, they have tended to dump the in-between apertures (e.g. 21 and 24 f/2.8s). Outside of the "normal" 35 and 50 lenses, they tend to stick with 2 lenses of each focal length (fast or cheap(ish)). In the case of the 28, that would mean dumping the outstanding Summicron.

 

The only "official" Leica word I've ever heard on a 28 Summilux was from Stefan Daniel (at PMA in 2007) - "We think f/2 is the better solution for the 28." I'd guess it would take a letter-writing campaign (and/or a "buyers' strike" on the Summicron), to make them see any different.

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Not withstanding the current pressures on production at Leica, they would certainly produce a lens if there was a proven demand for it. Or perhaps they'd do it for the fame (ie. to be the world's first to produce a 28/1.4 that is tack sharp wide open). I could be wrong, but frankly I think it's not a matter of 'if', but 'when' Leica will produce such a lens. The price and its practicality however, would be a different thing altogether.

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The jump from the old 28mm Elmarit to the current 28mm Summicron was was done without increasing length thanks to the addition of an aspherical element.

 

I suspect a 28 Summilux might be possible while to some degree restraining size increases.

But more aspherical surfaces ( diminishing returns compared to the first surface ?) and no doubt the need to add floating elements would certainly put the cost somewhere up alongside the 24mm Summilux lens.

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I can't see Leica doing it, remember what they made wide fast lenses for, low light, so its only the film users who need a faster lens than f/2 because everybody else can just increase the ISO. The argument that you can isolate the subject from the background starts to become redundant as a wide lens has so much DOF anyway. f/2 is fine.

 

Steve

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The argument that you can isolate the subject from the background starts to become redundant as a wide lens has so much DOF anyway. f/2 is fine

 

:confused:

 

I use the 21mm Summilux, and a surprising amount of near-far differentiation can be achieved - indeed f/1.4 frequently yields too little depth of field.

 

A 28mm Summilux would be exceptionally useful - IF they can keep the in-camera finder clear of too much blockage.

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F/2 would be fine in 24mm and 21mm too. Summicrons in these focal lengths would have been far more practical than the current Summilux monsters. These violate the very concept of the M – a small, light and handy camera to record life around us. The wide Summiluxes won't do that, because they do not come into the hands of photographers who want to do just that. The target group (there will always be exceptions, of course) are not photographers but rich gear collectors.

 

Or am I the only one who has not yet seen one interesting picture taken with one of these lenses?

 

Leica Camera AG need not care about who buys their lenses of course, as long as they pay up. And the wide Summiluxes are certainly excellent bragging lenses for all parties. I could have scraped up the money for a 21mm Summilux, but even if this had been much easier, I would still have purchased the Super-Elmar I own now. This is what I mean with a 'practical lens'. A Summicron – well, perhaps ...

 

The old agent provocateur from the Age of the Super-Angulons

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I do wonder if they will bring out a 21 and 24 Summicron.

 

It would fit into their range as the gap is now nearly 3 stops with the super Elmars. In the old catalogue 2011 the Elmarit's were £3,120 for the 21 and £2,860 for the 24. I think the Summicrons if they made them would be nearer £4k than £3k unfortunately.

 

I really like my 21 asph and 24 asph Elmarit's for size weight and image quality, they have a look that I really like.

 

I have the 28 Cron asph which is super sharp and very nice too, not sure why I use the 21 and 24 on my M8

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My only concern is that it will end up like the 21/24 Lux -- never used by wonderful photographers because they're so exorbitant -- in price, size, wieght, obtrusiveness.

 

I think I'd rather see a 21 Cron before a 28 Lux. Not that I don't love fast 28s.

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My only concern is that it will end up like the 21/24 Lux -- never used by wonderful photographers because they're so exorbitant -- in price, size, wieght, obtrusiveness.

 

I think I'd rather see a 21 Cron before a 28 Lux. Not that I don't love fast 28s.

Lenses that don't exist are also never used by wonderful photographers.

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Depth of field with 21 f/1.4 @ f/1.4 - The 28mm f/2 might look similar in the distance if I had pulled back to cover the same close up area. A 28 f/1.4 would be better.

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I for one would seriously consider a 28 Summilux, as long as it wasn't too big. 28 is my favorite and most used focal length. While the 28 Summicron is a wonderful lens, one of the best, there are times when I really wish I had another stop. I've thought about getting a 24 Summilux to fill this need/desire, but I fear that 24mm is a bit to wide for what I want.

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It would be!
That depends on the lens design. The current fast wides are "retrofocus" i.e. the lens barrel is longer than the focal length. Presumably they could go the other way and make a "reverse-retrofocus" (i.e. tele-lens) similar to the lens on the Olympus XA. In that case the 28 mm lens would be very compact. The main issue is whether such designs are compatible with all the other demands, like distortion, vignetting, CA etc. Presumably not - but who knows what tricks they have up their sleeves in Solms.
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Depth of field with 21 f/1.4 @ f/1.4 - The 28mm f/2 might look similar in the distance if I had pulled back to cover the same close up area. A 28 f/1.4 would be better.

 

Out of interest, what iso setting did you use for that photo? Was it an M9?

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The current fast wides are "retrofocus" i.e. the lens barrel is longer than the focal length......

 

Yep - a requirement for metering through the lens - to leave space behind the lens for the meter cell to "see" the metering band on the shutter blades. I can just see Leica, in the 21st century, coming out with a $7,000 lens that requires a return to hand-held metering. LOL

 

Not to mention that retrofocus designs are more digital-friendly (more telecentric). Witness the purple edges from the nice, compact, non-metering 21 Super-Angulons.

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