28mm Summicron vs Elmarit

[250swb]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I think Rene Burri will find the Summarit far better than the 28's he has used in the past, but as I doubt he pays for his own Leica's anyway then lenses and bodies can be down to what Leica want to promote at the time or even on a 'try this' basis.

 

All Leica lenses are very, very, good, but I think only a few are very, very, special and manage to please in a way that ends up defying rational explanation. They mould the light in a super realistic way not normally seen or expected, and better than pixel peeping for sharpness they show it in the full frame print. It is the way that the 28mm Summicron can defeat the starkness of the digital sensor and still make an image with depth and 'roundness' which makes it very, very, special (and it is even better with film).

 

Steve

[MarkP]

Steve,

 

I think you've done a good job of describing what cannot be quantified.

I completely agree with you about the 28 Summicron's characteristics.

[algrove]

I just love my 28 cron,but was thinking of getting the 28/2.8 for when I want to match various lenses with the same filter size.

 

E39- 28/2.8, 35/2, 50/2 or 50/2.8. 90/4 macro, 135/4.

[Guest Marc G.]

topics about the 28 summicrons always make an excellent read as the 28 summicron fanclub meets there regularly beautiful lens

[Printmaker]

I debated long and hard over this choice for the last 6 years. I love the 28 mm FOV but the frame lines in the viewfinder of my M9 were a problem with my glasses. Well cataract surgery solved the glasses problem. Then there was always the question of keeping my kit simple with just the 35/50/90 lenses. Often it was just the 35 on my camera and a 90 in the bag or pocket. Then there was the price... gulp. But I just bought a 28 Summicron. The price was just too good to pass up... so I guess I'll just have to get a bigger bag.

[CalArts 99]

The 28mm Summicron has become my favorite lens. I agree that it's truly a special lens; very modern yet 'classic' at the same time. And particularly with film (fwiw, I no longer use Leica for digital, only for film.) Personally, I think that I'd even keep it over the 50mm Summilux despite the focal length.

 

It's almost glued onto my M4, and usually used wide open (I don't wear glasses and just use all of the frame of the M4.)

 

With Fuji Neopan 400 at f/2:

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Guest Marc G.]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

The 28mm Summicron has become my favorite lens. I agree that it's truly a special lens; very modern yet 'classic' at the same time. And particularly with film (fwiw, I no longer use Leica for digital, only for film.) Personally, I think that I'd even keep it over the 50mm Summilux despite the focal length.

 

It's almost glued onto my M4, and usually used wide open (I don't wear glasses and just use all of the frame of the M4.)

 

With Fuji Neopan 400 at f/2:

 

It had the same effect on me. The 50 Summilux asph was basically glued to either the digital or analog camera, depending on which I was currently using. Once I got the 28 Summicron it basically completely replaced the 50 as my standard focal length once I saw the images on a screen. It's simply that good.

[fursan]

Leica 28mm cron asph?

 

One of the very best from the Leica lens stable. Bar none.

 

Make some images.

 

Then make your decision.

 

Not on what I say.

[mp58]

I have never used the 28 Elmarit, so I cannot compare. I am, however, immensely happy with my 28 Summicron.

[sdk]

I have both ASPH lenses, and have used them on M7 and M9P. To me the main difference between the two is not sharpness at the plain of focus (a slight misnomer since neither has a flat field) but the rendering of out of focus parts of the image. At medium distance (2-3 meters) Summicron 28mm delivers more sketchy out of focus backgrounds at f/2-f/5.6 to my eye, while the Elmarit ASPH 28mm has smoother background in this aperture range at medium distance with a more medium format like rendering and greater apparent depth of field. At close focus (0.7-1M distance), however, the Summicron has smother out of focus background, where the Elmarit gets some bright ring effect in its bokeh. And of course the Elmarit has no f/2 so it cannot isolate the subject or work in low light quite so well as the Summicron.

 

On my M9P neither lens delivers perfect color correction into the corners with Leica’s built in lens profile corrections (not sure if this is better with the M Typ 240 since I don’t have one). My 28mm Summicron on M9P suffers from the same fault in all four corners, rendering some vignetting at all apertures, with a sudden fall off as slightly cyan dark, right at the very corner. My 28mm Elmarit ASPH has a different pattern color casts, with the lower left corner rendering cyan and the lower right magenta, with gentler vignetting of tonality than the 28mm/2. The easiest way I have found to fix these flaws is the Adobe DNG Flat Field Plugin (Plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom | Adobe Labs) for Lightroom. I use reference photos shot with a piece of opaque white plexiglas that I cut to the size of a credit card, and the plugin uses these to remove either the color cast or color cast plus vignetting, and generates a new DNG file from your original raw image with the correction applied. This technique works very well for any wideangle that suffers the problem (like my 24mm Elmar ASPH and Zeiss ZM wideangles).

 

Overall, I prefer the 28mm Elmarit ASPH look for landscapes, while I think the Summicron is better for indoor photojournalism applications and artsy use of f/2.

[gjames9142]

I don't do tests, but I do take a lot of pictures and make a lot of big prints. I started on the M9 (and now the MM) with a v4 28 Elmarit, which I loved. I more recently bought a 28 Cron, assuming it to be "better". I have come to the conclusion that I prefer the V4 on the M9. The main difference is the V4's better vignetting performance -- 1.8 vs 2'1 which can be critical in some circumstances. The v4 has more even skies, is better when photographing evenly-lit 2-D surfaces. Both have excellent resolution and "drawing." I am using the Cron on the MM, especially at night, where these characteristics are not an issue. I get a feeling, oddly enough, that the V4 is better in the corners at around 5.6-8 -- it may because of the light fall-off, or field flatness. For what it's worth.

[Marct40]

I have both ASPH lenses, and have used them on M7 and M9P. To me the main difference between the two is not sharpness at the plain of focus (a slight misnomer since neither has a flat field) but the rendering of out of focus parts of the image. At medium distance (2-3 meters) Summicron 28mm delivers more sketchy out of focus backgrounds at f/2-f/5.6 to my eye, while the Elmarit ASPH 28mm has smoother background in this aperture range at medium distance with a more medium format like rendering and greater apparent depth of field. At close focus (0.7-1M distance), however, the Summicron has smother out of focus background, where the Elmarit gets some bright ring effect in its bokeh. And of course the Elmarit has no f/2 so it cannot isolate the subject or work in low light quite so well as the Summicron.

 

On my M9P neither lens delivers perfect color correction into the corners with Leica’s built in lens profile corrections (not sure if this is better with the M Typ 240 since I don’t have one). My 28mm Summicron on M9P suffers from the same fault in all four corners, rendering some vignetting at all apertures, with a sudden fall off as slightly cyan dark, right at the very corner. My 28mm Elmarit ASPH has a different pattern color casts, with the lower left corner rendering cyan and the lower right magenta, with gentler vignetting of tonality than the 28mm/2. The easiest way I have found to fix these flaws is the Adobe DNG Flat Field Plugin (Plug-ins for Adobe Photoshop Lightroom | Adobe Labs) for Lightroom. I use reference photos shot with a piece of opaque white plexiglas that I cut to the size of a credit card, and the plugin uses these to remove either the color cast or color cast plus vignetting, and generates a new DNG file from your original raw image with the correction applied. This technique works very well for any wideangle that suffers the problem (like my 24mm Elmar ASPH and Zeiss ZM wideangles).

 

Overall, I prefer the 28mm Elmarit ASPH look for landscapes, while I think the Summicron is better for indoor photojournalism applications and artsy use of f/2.

 

I have ordered my m240 but being new to Lieca I am looking at my options for 28mm cron vs elmarit..I will be doing landscapes only with this lense and want the sharpest corner to corner as possible and not so concerned at max aperture. Which one do I go for?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sm23221]

I can't say enough good things about the Summicron-M 28. Sometimes a bit too wide but most of the time just right.

MM, 90 secs, f/4.0, ISO 320

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[hansmezger]

Elmarit über alles!

 

Tried both and went with the Elmarit! The Elmarit seemed to have more contrast, less vignetting etc.. Also the M is a heavy camera and paired to a heavy lens it becomes front heavy tilting forward which is not pleasent. The Elmarit is very compact and light!

[Guest]

A Summilux 28 mm I'd love to try but don't have to pay for…

If you only find time to take pictures in the dark for half the year, your lens can't be opened wide enough.

[leica1215]

when at film era, we depends on film iso which can't be too high or quite noise on the print, now with the digital we can use 1600 or 3200 before noise comes in. what do you think use higher ISO setting instead of buying one stop more and heavier lens?

 

I am not sure if this is good way to go, welcome any input.....Thanks

[Guest Marc G.]

I don't think most people would notice the 90grams of the Summicron vs the Elmarit. 90 grams is next to nothing really.

[semi-ambivalent]

I don't think most people would notice the 90grams of the Summicron vs the Elmarit. 90 grams is next to nothing really.

 

Perhaps some people balk at the additional 2,200 (US) dollars. No shame in that, and Leica1215 has a point about digital's high ISO performance negating (to some extent) the need for f/2. The Elmarit ASPH is also a very new design with a long life ahead of it, if that's something you worry about.

 

s-a

[Guest Marc G.]

Perhaps some people balk at the additional 2,200 (US) dollars. No shame in that, and Leica1215 has a point about digital's high ISO performance negating (to some extent) the need for f/2. The Elmarit ASPH is also a very new design with a long life ahead of it, if that's something you worry about.

 

s-a

 

Point taken. No replacement for the Summicron planned though. Neither for the Elmarit. Both 28mm offerings are superb.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[DMJ]

Shame about the hood though. So many lenses around this lens' length just look the part with no issues of flare. The summicron has been around since 2000 & I wouldn't be that surprised (as so many other lenses that are wider & narrower around it have modern problem free hoods) if it was updated soon.