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35mm lens comparison


kaspart

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I will add a Summicron V1 to my much smaller 35 collection at some point, it has a very interesting look and worth experimenting with, are they all yours ?

 

They are mine. The comparison is to figure out which ones have to go. I simply can't justify keeping that many….

The V1 will stay for sure.

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Nice comparison, thanks.

 

Regarding field curvature please note;

The chart on the right is quite closer to the camera than the center chart, you where not shooting paralell to the fence...

 

Counting the poles from the center I think you're right about not shooting 100% parallel. But in consequence the chart on the right is rather further away than closer.

Anyway, I'm not claiming the comparison to be scientific correct.

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I did a mini version of this exercise a while ago and ended up not bonding with the FLE (only borrowed and not owned), and the 35 ASPH I have kept the 35 Summilux Aspherical, 35 Summaron f2.8, 35 Summicron V4. I might see if I can pick up a V1 then whittle down to two :cool:

The 35 Summilux apsherical (unfortunately) does have some magic, and whilst not worth the current secondhand prices is superb.

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They are mine. The comparison is to figure out which ones have to go. I simply can't justify keeping that many….

The V1 will stay for sure.

 

It took me a while to appreciate things about the lenses I had, particularly colouring, the 35 APSH does seem to tend towards 'pink' and somehow this is difficult in certain lights to match say the same shot with a V4, and I don't like the effect the 35 ASPH has. The slight yellow tendency of the V4 I do ! Also for me the 35 ASPH seems to render images a little 'flatter' than the V4, which can create a greater sense of image depth (particularly at f2.8-f4).

 

Good luck, did you have them adjusted or CLA'd the V1 is stellar !!

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I'm doing mostly b&w so the coloring is not priority for me.

The old lux I had to send to Leica for adjustment as it was completely off. The 2/40 was a bit wobbly so I let it tighten by Leica. The others have all been fine since I got them.

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Interesting, and compliments for the patience in publishing...:o... I was too lazy to do the same when tested my bunch of 35s (similar to yours in number...without the Tri, the Lux asph and the CronV4... but with Summaron and Elmar 3,5) : globally my preferite are :

 

1) Summicron asph - by far the most used from the day I got it.

2) Summicron 1st

3) ex aequo Summilux 1st and Summaron 35

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My favorite is the Summicron V4. Apart of it's optical qualities I like the compact and lightweight design.

 

Thanks for your summary! Sorry, but I really can't get a hold on the test pictures to make a good comparison, because Flickr is so badly organized (reason why I left it since the new lay-out).

I am considering the 'lux FLE, but it seems that the V4 is just as good? I did a short test with these two at my dealer. I already own the V4, as well as the Summaron, which surprised me enormously. The 1.4 FLE however gives me a terrific bokeh at 1.4, which seems unsurpassed.

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Guest Ansel_Adams
Thanks for your summary! Sorry, but I really can't get a hold on the test pictures to make a good comparison, because Flickr is so badly organized (reason why I left it since the new lay-out).

I am considering the 'lux FLE, but it seems that the V4 is just as good? I did a short test with these two at my dealer. I already own the V4, as well as the Summaron, which surprised me enormously. The 1.4 FLE however gives me a terrific bokeh at 1.4, which seems unsurpassed.

 

Just open each image in a separate browser tab and flick between them. The differences soon become obvious. The the Summicron ASPH is the closest to the FLE from the examples posted. I am not seeing the love for the V4 at all, it looks to flare easily and is not in focus across much of the field, perhaps it is better with film.

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I have the 35 Summilux ASPH FLE and the MATE, and the 40 Summicron.

 

I was considering a v4 Summicron to pair with my 75 Summilux for consistency of rendering & colour although I was reasonably satisfied with the 40 Summicron. Very pleased to see how well well the humble and underrated 40 Summicron fared here in comparison.

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  • 1 month later...

Really appreciate your comparison - thank you for your hard work.

 

Hands up, to current bias… I'm a novice using lux 35 v2 pre-asph, cron 35 (current version), cron 40C. To date I view my snaps via macbook pro 15" antiglare.

 

It's a strange thing… so it is. To my eyes clearly the weakest lens in the test is the 40C - yet, for my pics it remains my favourite lens by a country mile! I find this confusing… calling into question the relevance of such tests for personal lens selection, suggesting you really have to own/borrow and compare various lens for yourself to arrive at a worthwhile conclusion, good luck frankw.

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So I was just at the Leica Store in Los Angeles today looking for a 35. I had an optically excellent but mechanically ugly Summarit 35 that I just sold on eBay, and went in wondering if the 35 Lux FLE was worth the money over the Sunnicron ASPH.

 

So I shot some photos on my M Monochrom at various apertures and distances with all three current Leica 35s. Money was not an issue, so what did I buy?

 

Another Summarit. The Lux was gorgeous wide open, but a bit clinical stopped down. I found the bokeh of the Summicron a bit harsh, with hard edges surrounding out-of-focus highlights. The Summarit was gorgeous all around, just as my last one was.

 

So in the end, I bought another Summarit, only this one shiny and new. It is my favorite 35mm lens, with the tiny size and light weight a bonus. A bit slow, yes, but beautiful.

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Thank you for the job.

I much more prefer the rendering of the Summilux 35/1.4 Asph. than that of the FLE that is too much "surgical" to me.

Would be interesting the same comparing some Voigtlander lenses also.

I'm quite impressed by the 40 Cron that is one of my lenses.

And love the Alvar Aalto vase :)

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This statement was not based on pure image quality.

I'm shooting almost exclusively b+w on film (Tri-X or Acros) and never bothered much about pixel-peeping before. The V4 just feels right on my MP. It has the right size for my hands and I like the pictures I get with it.

But since I did this comparison I used the V1 more and must admit that I start preferring it's rendering and sharpness over the V4. Not based on anything scientific though.

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This statement was not based on pure image quality.

I'm shooting almost exclusively b+w on film (Tri-X or Acros) and never bothered much about pixel-peeping before. The V4 just feels right on my MP. It has the right size for my hands and I like the pictures I get with it.

But since I did this comparison I used the V1 more and must admit that I start preferring it's rendering and sharpness over the V4. Not based on anything scientific though.

 

I agree with the B&W nature of the V4, in color I would prefer the FLE as far as I can judge from borrowing it for one afternoon from my dealer

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