Guest Mr. B Posted January 17, 2014 Share #1 Posted January 17, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) Which version of the 35mm Summircon do you like the most? Why? Mr. B Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted January 17, 2014 Posted January 17, 2014 Hi Guest Mr. B, Take a look here Which version of 35mm Summicron. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
adan Posted January 17, 2014 Share #2 Posted January 17, 2014 Version 4 - last non-ASPH - produced 1980-1997 (approximately - my reference book has gone AWOL). Why? Improved sharpness and clarity over the previous 6-element 35s (and codable for the digital bodies, unlike the earlier versions), and compared to the current ASPH version: at least as sharp, less harsh contrast, less pink, smaller and lighter. Not without its faults: can occasionally "self-disassemble" if the rectangular lens hood is used to torque the lens when removing it from the camera; while known as the "King of Bokeh" its bokeh is actually variable, depending on aperture, lighting, and relative subject/background distances, and can sometimes be a sea of bright rings more like a mirror lens (and sometimes very smooth and attractive). Corner resolution is weak until stopped down below f/5.6. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leffe Posted January 17, 2014 Share #3 Posted January 17, 2014 I have just recently bought the latest one. It is awesome. On the M (240) it gives you the classic M look, I find. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgk Posted January 17, 2014 Share #4 Posted January 17, 2014 Of the pre-Aspheric 35mm Summicrons, the V.4 has the 'best' performance, especially wide open, but in comparison the Aspheric outperforms it, even wide open - in terms of the 'standard' parameters by which lenses are technically assessed, that is. Personally I prefer the V.4 as do many others for its less clinical and precise look (I'm not going to be drawn into the bokeh thing here) - an older fashioned view I suspect. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted January 17, 2014 Share #5 Posted January 17, 2014 I've used the v2 since 1969, and have always been pleased on film, despite the reputation. However, on digital I found the Summarit 35 is a lot better, but I could be happy with any of Leica's 35s. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Marc G. Posted January 17, 2014 Share #6 Posted January 17, 2014 I'd skip any of the Summicrons and get the Summarit instead. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 17, 2014 Share #7 Posted January 17, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) I own both 35/2 v4 (since the eighties) and 35/2 asph (since 2011) that i now use on R-D1, M8.2 and M240 bodies exclusively. Never noticed any pink cast with either so far but i use IR-cut filters for colour which could explain that possibly. My v4 is significantly softer at f/2, flares more than the asph and suffers from focus shift at f/4 and f/5.6. I prefer its small size and general OoF rendition though even if i like that of the asph at f/2. My ideal 35/2 would have size and bokeh of the v4, sharpness of the asph and CA of a better lens if any. An f/2 Summarit sort of with less CA and more sharpness on edges and corners. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWW Posted January 17, 2014 Share #8 Posted January 17, 2014 (edited) At one time I had three 35mm lenses at the same time, the Summilux ASPH, Summicron ASPH, and a late model Summicron V4, so got to try them out side by side. Although they had differences, I liked the overall performance of all of them. I decided to sell the Summicron ASPH and keep both the Summilux ASPH and the V4 since they counterbalanced each other with their imaging characteristics and size and weight. This enabled me to use whichever lens that was most suited for the situation. In any case, I really do like the small size and light weight of the V4, it makes the camera much less front heavy. Edited January 17, 2014 by JWW Typo Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
albireo_double Posted January 17, 2014 Share #9 Posted January 17, 2014 V4 "King of Bokeh" / the last pre-asph. Nicely sharp slightly stopped down but remains smooth and pleasant, without out of focus areas getting nervous. The Asph version is sharper wide open (and perhaps overall) but not as pleasant, especially where faces/portraits are in the image. The V4 is also very compact. I use the Lux 35 FLE on the M240 now, my recollections are from use on the M9. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianUK Posted January 17, 2014 Share #10 Posted January 17, 2014 Seems to date on this post I'm going to be the odd one out... but for me with black and white, it's the Asph. I like it's 'snap' and 'clinical' rendering. It's been a friend for thirteen years. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaques Posted January 18, 2014 Share #11 Posted January 18, 2014 my v1 goggled Summicron is RAZOR sharp wide open. If there are sharper lenses- I don't need them: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m-lenses/253049-view-through-older-glass-47.html#post2334438 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ansel_Adams Posted January 18, 2014 Share #12 Posted January 18, 2014 (edited) I prefer the V5 ASPH. If you are enlarging your prints then you can go larger with more detail etc. compared to the previous versions. I think it is also easier to get a copy in excellent condition compared to previous versions. For the price I think the ASPH is the best value for the $$$. Looking on eBay there is often just a few hundred $$ between the different versions. I would rather have the newer lens myself. But to be honest, once you print your work (and I am talking darkroom prints), there isn't really much difference between how they look. The ASPH has a slightly narrower DOF compared to the previous versions up to about f5.6 where they equal out, which some-people interpret as the previous Crons having nicer bokeh, but actually its just narrower DOF, so images can have more pop to them with the ASPH as a result, and backgrounds appear more blurred. But beware, there is a certain nostalgia that afflicts many on the web who hang on to what has gone before, somewhat irrationally. No doubt the ASPH will be much sought after when its replacement is announced... remember the V4 was not considered anything special until decades after its replacement! Photography is after all a nostalgic pursuit. Photographers are nostalgic people. Images not considered anything special at the time, take on a special quality decades later. The Vivian Maier phenomenon. We do not appreciate the present. We are always looking back. We are obsessed with capturing time. Perhaps it is a fear of death. Edited January 18, 2014 by Ansel_Adams Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
almoore Posted January 18, 2014 Share #13 Posted January 18, 2014 the V4 was not considered anything special until decades after its replacement! Even leaving aside the false notion that this lens disappeared decades ago (you could still buy them new up until about ten years ago), it was considered a very special lens in its day. Very small, very light, very sharp from f2.8 and with beautifully smooth tabbed focus, it only really loses out to the current lens at full aperture. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 18, 2014 Share #14 Posted January 18, 2014 The 35/2 v4 was indeed considered one of the very best 35s with the Summicron R then. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ansel_Adams Posted January 18, 2014 Share #15 Posted January 18, 2014 The version IV Cron basically ceased production around 1995, thats almost 20 years ago, hence my comment about several decades. The version V ASPH started production in 1996. And whilst it is true that Leica still made the version IV up till 1999 when 200 were made, the numbers were by then not significant. I am sure Leica would have made more if the demand was there, but it was not. The version IV is a very nice lens. It just wasn't held up to be so "precious" as it has since become, particularly over the past 5 or so years, with the crazy prices we now see being charged for it. It is hardly rare after all, this is a lens that sold over 50,000 copies! In comparison the version V ASPH has sold over 100,000 copies in a similar time frame, which are both significantly more than the version III, etc. Version IV is a nice compact lens, but at least in the circles I was moving in in the 1980s and 90s when it was current, was not anywhere near as hyped as it is now. It was just a slightly better lens compared to the verison III, not a lot in it really, in a nicer/more compact, but less sturdy body. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
semi-ambivalent Posted January 18, 2014 Share #16 Posted January 18, 2014 We are always looking back. We are obsessed with capturing time. Perhaps it is a fear of death. Tomorrow at 22:10 I am turning 60, so shut up will ya. s-a Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stein K S Posted January 19, 2014 Share #17 Posted January 19, 2014 At one time I had three 35mm lenses at the same time, the Summilux ASPH, Summicron ASPH, and a late model Summicron V4, so got to try them out side by side. Although they had differences, I liked the overall performance of all of them. I decided to sell the Summicron ASPH and keep both the Summilux ASPH and the V4 since they counterbalanced each other with their imaging characteristics and size and weight. This enabled me to use whichever lens that was most suited for the situation. In any case, I really do like the small size and light weight of the V4, it makes the camera much less front heavy. Exactly Stein Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ansel_Adams Posted January 19, 2014 Share #18 Posted January 19, 2014 Not sure how you can say the Cron ASPH is front heavy and then choose the Summilux ASPH .... I have my M6/Cron ASPH in my hand right now and not front heavy at all. Balances fine. Perfectly vertical when hanging from the straps. My Blad on the other hand with the 80mm CFE, thats front heavy! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lct Posted January 19, 2014 Share #19 Posted January 19, 2014 The 35/2 asph is less front heavy the 35/1.4 FLE for sure but more so than the tiny 35/2 v4. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ansel_Adams Posted January 19, 2014 Share #20 Posted January 19, 2014 The 35/2 asph is less front heavy the 35/1.4 FLE for sure but less so than the tiny 35/2 v4. I have had both in the past, and whilst the V4 is more compact I did not notice any difference in camera balance. In both cases the body weight more than compensates for the lens. How did you arrive at this conclusion? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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