28 cron/ M8 = ?/M9

[RobertJRB]

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I have and used the 28 cron ASPH for some years on the M8 and really loved the combination. Was on my camera for about 80 or 90% of the time.

It has been said before but the 28 cron has some great rendering.

 

Now having the M9 I notice 28mm is to wide for me for my most used lens. So bought the 35 cron ASPH.

 

The 35 cron is great with good sharpness, great build ect. But it seems to not have that little inch extra the 28 cron has.

Besides that I now have a expensive 28 I don't use that much and a cheaper 35 I try to use a lot.

 

So thinking about changing the 35 cron and maybe (if I can get myself to sell it) the 28 cron for a 35 lux. But since its hard to get hold on one, let alone try one. I can't really judge if the 35 lux will have the same oemph (to give it a name) as the 28 cron.

 

Any users here who have both 28 and 35 lux? How do they compare? Is the 35 lux just a faster 35 cron, or does it has that nice rendering?

 

And, how does the 35 lux asph non fle compare to the FLE and the 28 cron?

 

thanks!

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[wattsy]

Any users here who have both 28 and 35 lux? How do they compare? Is the 35 lux just a faster 35 cron, or does it has that nice rendering?

 

And, how does the 35 lux asph non fle compare to the FLE and the 28 cron?

 

Comparing rendering of lenses is "Pseuds Corner" territory and I've never directly compared these lenses (though I use both regularly) but I think it is fair to say that the 28 Summicron and 35 Summilux ASPH do have a different flavour. For one thing, the 35 FLE has very little of the natural vignetting you get with the 28. The 35 also lacks the subtlety of the 28. In fact, I don't think the 28 Summicron can be fully substituted for by any of the recent crop of 35mm lenses (I have owned all the 35mm lenses made by Leica during the last ten years) – so, in a sense, you are wasting your time looking for an equivalent replacement.

[RobertJRB]

Comparing rendering of lenses is "Pseuds Corner" territory and I've never directly compared these lenses (though I use both regularly) but I think it is fair to say that the 28 Summicron and 35 Summilux ASPH do have a different flavour. For one thing, the 35 FLE has very little of the natural vignetting you get with the 28. The 35 also lacks the subtlety of the 28. In fact, I don't think the 28 Summicron can be fully substituted for by any of the recent crop of 35mm lenses (I have owned all the 35mm lenses made by Leica during the last ten years) – so, in a sense, you are wasting your time looking for an equivalent replacement.

 

Thank u. I was afraid this is the case. Heard only of the 50 lux ASPH and 90 APO ASPH having something of the 28 cron.

 

Is the 35 lux ASPH and/ or ASPH FLE as clean as the 35 cron ASPH? Or do they have another flavour? I see many shots online, but can't really tell by looking at them.

[01af]

The Summicron-M 35 mm Asph is great with good sharpness, great build, etc. But it seems to not have that little inch extra the 28 mm has.

The Summicron-M 28 mm Asph on the M8 corresponds to a 38 mm lens on a 35-mm full-frame camera. So the Summicron-M 35 mm Asph on the M9 is slightly wider than a 28 mm lens on the M8.

 

However unless using both combinations (28+M8 and 35+M9) side by side and comparing the results directly to each other, this minor difference should not really affect picture-taking. Sure, lens renditions will also differ subtly ... but there is nothing you can do about that. Either you keep using the 28 mm on the M9, to keep the lens characteristics—but get a wider field-of-view. Or you switch to a 35 mm lens, to keep the field-of-view (basically) constant—but lose the particular 'flavour' of the Summicron-M 28 Asph. In exchange, you'll get the particular flavour of a Summicron-M or Summilux-M) 35 mm Asph ... which is no better or worse, just different (slightly). If you don't like either option then I'm afraid you'll have to stick to shooting with your 28 mm on the M8.

 

In my opinion, the significance of the particular drawing, or flavour, or characteristics of the various lenses often is vastly overrated these days. Sure, there are differences—subtle ones between modern lenses, greater ones between old and new lenses—but your results usually don't depend on these (the occasional exception notwithstanding).

[giovanni]

Any users here who have both 28 and 35 lux? How do they compare? Is the 35 lux just a faster 35 cron, or does it has that nice rendering?

 

Sorry, just to understand, could you post two pictures to show why you like the 28mm and what you don't find on the 35 summicron?

[bpalme]

I went through the same thing. IN my opinion the 35 lux does have the special look I like.

[IWC Doppel]

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Regarding MTF's and contrast/resolution, particlarly wide open the 28 Summicron ASPH is ahead of the 35 Summicron ASPH.

 

Outside of the recent long lenses the only lens I know that 'beats' the 28 at F2 on the MTF front is the standard or wide is the 50 APO.

 

I have owned the 35 Summicorn ASPH. and the pre FLE 35 Summilux ASPH. I have tried the 35FLE and in terms of sharpness they are comparable. The closest look to the 28 is none of the above tbh.

 

I will post a few pictures if I can reagrding the 35mm Summilux ASPH. and the 28 Summicron ASPH.

 

Difficult to describe in many ways but in a single sentence the 28 has a more modern look, in terms of performance, but has very few of the drawbacks, looking every bit as 3D as some of the older lense (More so than the 35 Summicron ASPH IMO), has a nice soft bokeh, without any of the harsh oddities associated with some modern lenses. The 35 Summilux ASPH. is a very nice lense indeed a little more classic with a slower transition from in to out of focus and over overall a little softer than the 28 (no softer than the 35 Summicron APSH) . Both the 35 Summilux ASPH. and the 28 Summicron are superb lenses IMO and with a budget of say £4.5k and a gap between 21 and 50 I'd have the 28 Summicron and 35 Summilux ASPH. every time

 

Not sure if this is very fair but somehow the 35 Summicron ASPH in comparison to the above is a little more ordinary IMO

[nelly]

I also own both the 28mm summicron and 35mm summilux and still find myself drawn to the character of the 28 and would find it hard to part with it as I find it a special lens.

[skinner]

I also own both the 28mm summicron and 35mm summilux and still find myself drawn to the character of the 28 and would find it hard to part with it as I find it a special lens.

 

+1 I've got both as well and the 28mm is a real bridge lens for me. It's wide enough to give me a classical landscape shot but also forces me to get in close for life and people shots with the added bit of drama that I don't get from the 35mm. For an event, especially indoors, the 35mm wins every time. Different need, different lens.

Cheers

Steve

[lars_bergquist]

I have owned and used most of them. The 28 with the M8, also the first version 35 Summilux ASPH, and I now use the FLE version.

 

I never had much use for the 28mm f.o.v. on a full frame camera, but I agree that it was very pleasant to use on the M8. The 35mm Summicron and the 35mm Summilux FLE are very much alike in their rendering, so do not expect any revelations there. You will find the Summilux a Summicron with an extra 1.4 stop, so if you do not need the speed, leave it alone. It is my use-it-on-nearly-everything lens, but I went this way in the days of Kodachrome 64. I doubt that I would spend the extra dough today.

 

The old man from the Silver Age

[RobertJRB]

Sorry, just to understand, could you post two pictures to show why you like the 28mm and what you don't find on the 35 summicron?

 

Okey, first two shots, one with the M8 and 28 cron and the other with M9P and 35 cron.

Tried to find 2 simular pictures but its kinda hard since I don't own the M8 any more and don't have the 35 cron that long:

 

M8 with 28 cron @ F2 iso 160

big:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7598121932_0000a99271_k.jpg

 

 

M9 with 35 cron @ F2 iso 160

big:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/7598121932_0000a99271_k.jpg

[RobertJRB]

And now a fast test I did just now in my backyard.

 

Camera on tripod, shutterspeedmode in A, iso 160 and auto white balance.

This is the way I shoot the most, so wanted to know how they come out with these settings.

 

Than opened in photoshop and cropped the 28 file to a 35 crop and adding tekst. No further changes to the pictures whatsoever.

 

Set A

 

 

Set B

 

[RobertJRB]

Set C

 

 

Set D

 

 

Mainly in set C I see a big difference. But to me it looks like its most to do with vignetting. Also the colours of the 28 cron seems a little more lower in saturation and the bokeh is not as smooth, little more present.

[RobertJRB]

Thanks guy's!

 

I have owned and used most of them. The 28 with the M8, also the first version 35 Summilux ASPH, and I now use the FLE version.

 

I never had much use for the 28mm f.o.v. on a full frame camera, but I agree that it was very pleasant to use on the M8. The 35mm Summicron and the 35mm Summilux FLE are very much alike in their rendering, so do not expect any revelations there. You will find the Summilux a Summicron with an extra 1.4 stop, so if you do not need the speed, leave it alone. It is my use-it-on-nearly-everything lens, but I went this way in the days of Kodachrome 64. I doubt that I would spend the extra dough today.

 

The old man from the Silver Age

 

Thanks, will stick with the 35 cron for now.

[Gerard]

Ain't life queer. I had the 28mm Cron for ages on my M8 and never really fell in love with it. But since purchasing my M9; I've really started to enjoy it.

 

28 on 'full frame' really isn't that wide. But, in my humble opinion, it's just wide enough to offer a bit more excitement than the 'standard' focal length the 28 Cron became on the M8.

 

Beyond the effect of the focal length, I can't see what you'd miss from the 28 Cron on the M8 to the 35 Cron on the M9. The results from both are going to be pretty damn close.

[bpalme]

Ain't life queer. I had the 28mm Cron for ages on my M8 and never really fell in love with it. But since purchasing my M9; I've really started to enjoy it.

 

28 on 'full frame' really isn't that wide. But, in my humble opinion, it's just wide enough to offer a bit more excitement than the 'standard' focal length the 28 Cron became on the M8.

 

Beyond the effect of the focal length, I can't see what you'd miss from the 28 Cron on the M8 to the 35 Cron on the M9. The results from both are going to be pretty damn close.

Great photo. Maybe I need to revisit mine.

[01af]

Mainly in set C I see a big difference. But to me it looks like its most to do with vignetting. Also the colours of the Summicron-M 28 mm seems a little more lower in saturation and the bokeh is not as smooth, little more present.

The Summicron-M 28 Asph's colours are cooler (more bluish) by a very small amount, contrast and colour saturation are slightly lower, and—most significant difference—depth-of-field is a bit wider ... and accordingly, backgrounds are less blurred due to the shorter focal length in conjunction with the smaller effective image format after cropping.

 

You cannot take pictures that are exactly equal in every aspect with two lenses that have different focal lengths. You'll get different fields-of-view, or different perspectives, or different depths-of-field. To get the same depth-of-field when shooting both lenses from the same distance (and then cropping accordingly), you'd have to stop down the 35 mm lens by 2/3rds of an f-stop. But then it won't be wide open anymore which will affect sharpness and vignetting.

 

Bottom line—don't try to compare a 28 mm lens to a 35 mm lens. Instead, ask yourself this: Does the field-of-view of a 28 mm lens on 35-mm full-frame format work for me? If it does then use it. If it doesn't then sell it. As simple as that. However don't be too quick with your answer to that question. If you don't need the cash desperately then grant the Summicron-M 28 Asph some time to grow on you ... let's say, a year or so. Then decide.

[IWC Doppel]

Interesting how the 35 Summicron ASPH fares above, your 35 looks a better than my copy did, the 28 was a lot better

 

Low light 28 Summicron vs 35 Summilux ASPH., you can see the different look (28 first then 35)

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Hallo,

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