Printmaker Posted July 17, 2014 Share #21 Â Posted July 17, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) What mechanical issues did you have with the biogon? I'm actually considering the opposite direction, to sell my 21 SEM for a biogon mainly because I could really appreciate the better MFD. I tried to take some portraits with the 21SEM but they didn't look very pleasant. Â Its focus was off. I checked it against a ruler and it was off by an inch and a half close up and infinity never seemed sharp. It went home to Germany and came back a little closer but infinity was still soft. I then sent it to DAG and it was much better. All of this was back in 2007 - 2009. When I got my M9, I had red edges on most shots. Corner Fix and recoding the lens to a 28 Summicron helped. Then it stiffened up a bit after I left it home while away for a few months. A few hard turns fixed that but it was the last straw. I sold it and bought a 21 SEM and never looked back. Â In retrospect, I probably just got a bad copy. When everything functioned perfectly, the images were amazing. And others who use this lens love it. While the color rendition and contrast are typically Zeiss, I don't see any real world difference in sharpness between the Biogon and the SEM. And the Biogon is half the price and nearly twice as fast. Size and weight are about the same. I guess it just depends on your expectations. I just think that when a lens costs over $1,000, it better be perfect. Mine, unfortunately, was not. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Hi Printmaker, Take a look here M21/1.4, M21/3.4 or M21/2.8. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
rirakuma Posted July 17, 2014 Share #22 Â Posted July 17, 2014 I've read a few stories about these little issues and its kinda keeping me away from buying the biogon. Thanks for the update Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted July 17, 2014 Share #23 Â Posted July 17, 2014 The 21 Biogon is a great lens, but one of the challenges I had with my copy was light leaks on long exposures, which I needed for a landscape lens. Maybe the second hand version I was trying it was defective, but I was told that this could be an issue due to larger screws used on the Biogon near the mount. This made me switch to the SEM which I am very happy with. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rscheffler Posted July 22, 2014 Share #24 Â Posted July 22, 2014 Ramchand, thanks for linking to my writeup. That's an interesting point about light leaks. I've seen this mentioned by some others, too, in regards to some of the wide ZM lenses, such as the 21/4.5 and 18/4. I haven't done any long exposures with the Biogon but did experience problems with the camera not registering the 6-bit coding in bright light with my M9. I would have to press a finger against the lens mount in the area of the coding to get it to consistently register. Maybe it would be less of a problem with a properly engraved lens mount, but in my case, it was just permanent marker on the stock lens mount. It seems like a minor factor, but was always a frustration when editing images to notice the 6-bit coding inconsistently applied throughout sequences, and was a factor driving me towards Leica's lenses, among other things, despite the much higher prices. Â Each of these lenses are solid performers, with some being better in certain areas. Â If I was starting with Leica now, rather than back in 2010, and could only pick one 21mm with which to start, it would be the 21/1.8 Voigtlander. For my type of work, which involves lots of events like weddings and receptions, as well as natural and urban landscapes, it would do well at both and is an amazing value, relative to the others. Â My first 21 was the Biogon and one of my first tastes of Zeiss character. It's a great lens with the only fault being some field curvature evident wider than f/5.6. Not necessarily a problem unless you're photographing walls wide open. The later firmware versions for the M9 really helped minimize the colour shift problem. After some time with it I found it a bit limiting for indoor work, because with the M9 I really tried to stick to ISO 640 or lower, though 1250 isn't too bad. I often found myself at somewhat marginal shutter speeds where subject movement would be a problem. As a result I ended up with the Lux. My write up goes into much greater detail about the Lux, but in a nutshell, I feel it's a lens best used at or near wide open, or well stopped down. At middle apertures it has a problem with astigmatism in the mid zone area, which can result in poor rendering of off centre subjects. I use it a lot for weddings and nearly always at f/1.4 or f/2. Here it has some spherical aberration that IMO adds to the image, combined with quite strong vignetting. It works amazingly well in strongly backlit situations, retaining good contrast, such as a person against a window, though can purple fringe quite noticeably, too. In comparison, sometimes the SEM can look a bit too real and sharp. The current marketing tag for it would probably be "HD" reality. It also has a much flatter plane of focus, which can make it feel like the subject is stretched a bit more towards the edges. The stronger distortion of the Lux shows less of this effect and IMO is more pleasing for people photos. Sure, anything near the edges still has a look of wide angle stretched perspective, but to a lesser extent than the better corrected SEM. Â I'm a huge fan of 21mm and so far haven't been able to whittle it down to only one lens. Of the four, I've only sold the Voigtlander. While it's the best generalist, I felt the Lux and SEM excelled in certain areas I valued. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nordvik Posted July 22, 2014 Share #25  Posted July 22, 2014 I have recently traded my 2,8/21 Zeiss for a 3,4/21 SEM Leica. Neither are really sharp, but the best-21mm-ever Leica disappoint me most regarding sharpness (the Zeiss have color bleeding problems). I don't think the 21mm SEM reaches infinity (I have had two other brand new lenses with infinity problems).  (100% right side center, Zeiss 2,8 & 5,6. Leica 3,4 & 5,6) 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! Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/230509-m2114-m2134-or-m2128/?do=findComment&comment=2635664'>More sharing options...
goutui Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share #26  Posted August 25, 2014 I have recently traded my 2,8/21 Zeiss for a 3,4/21 SEM Leica. Neither are really sharp, but the best-21mm-ever Leica disappoint me most regarding sharpness (the Zeiss have color bleeding problems). I don't think the 21mm SEM reaches infinity (I have had two other brand new lenses with infinity problems). (100% right side center, Zeiss 2,8 & 5,6. Leica 3,4 & 5,6)  this is new info. to me!!! not sure if anyone else has come across this issue on SEM??? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGodParticle/Hari Posted August 25, 2014 Share #27 Â Posted August 25, 2014 Advertisement (gone after registration) this is new info. to me!!! not sure if anyone else has come across this issue on SEM??? Â Â Not with the SEM 21/3.4 but my new 24/3.8 did not reach infinity so I had to take it to Solms for a quick repair Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Clennan Posted August 27, 2014 Share #28 Â Posted August 27, 2014 My 21SEM is absolutely perfect FWIW.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NB23 Posted August 27, 2014 Share #29 Â Posted August 27, 2014 I'd go with the "M/" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newnew Posted August 27, 2014 Share #30 Â Posted August 27, 2014 My 21SEM is absolutely perfect FWIW.... +1 . never experienced any problem and mine is dead sharp at all distances. I am very much surprized by Norvik's images. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nordvik Posted August 27, 2014 Share #31  Posted August 27, 2014 Here are my other problems with infinity: http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/leica-m8-forum/226904-do-i-have-focus-problem-infinity.html  Unlike those two Zeiss lenses the 21 SEM was bougth used. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted August 27, 2014 Share #32 Â Posted August 27, 2014 My 21SEM is absolutely perfect FWIW.... Same here, mine is superb. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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