35 mm lens purchase opinions needed

[tobenama]

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I'm thinking about purchasing a new 35 mm lens for my Leica M9. I have a Voigtländer 35 mm F1.2 Aspherical V2 and while it's a quite good lens, it's big and heavy. So now I've been wondering if I should buy a Leica Summicron 35 mm F2.0 Asph or a Carl Zeiss Biogon 35 mm F2.0. The Zeiss 35 mm F1.4 would be an excellent lens, but it is as large as the Voigtländer I already have. I'd like to have the 35 mm Summilux, but the price point is a bit above my comfort level. Any opinions on the lenses mentioned and suggestions about lenses I did not mention. Voigtländer has also 35 mm Classic F1.4 which is very affordable, but I heard it has focusing issues with the M9 (correct me if I'm wrong). I'd like to have faster lens than F2.0, but I also would like that the lens isn't very large, because if it is, I could use the Voigtländer I already have.

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[earleygallery]

Welcome to the forum.

 

You won't find a fast lens that's much smaller than what you have - it's laws of physics at play.

 

The Summicron is excellent of course, and the Summarit f2.4/5 is also said to be as good or better for some people.

 

My 35 is the Voigtlander Skopar f2.5 - I actually use the LTM version which has a smaller barrel than the M, and a focus tab which I like. Super little lens and fast enough for 99% of the time.

[pgk]

The Summarit is small, neat, cheapish (for Leica) and the slight f/stop discrepancy is not a big deal IMO. Given that you have an f/1.2 lens then you can cover fast aperture photography already (albeit at the expense of size) so I'd look at the Summarit too.

[tobenama]

Well, I did not remember the Summarit option at all. It's small and affordable and if the F2.5 is not enough, I have the Voigtländer. But for daytime photography it might be a good option. Also the Carl Zeiss 35 mm C Biogon F2.8 is another option that is not exactly fast, but small it is.

[MarkP]

The 2.8 Biogon excellent resolution with little distortion, but is a very high contrast lens.

[TomB_tx]

I've tried a lot of 35mm lenses since getting my M9, after being happy with a 1969 v2 Summicron on film for decades. I love small lenses (although the v2 is almost too small with its little tab aperture control), so I got the Voigtlander 1.4 for size and speed, and have gotten some lovely images from it, but also missed focus on some. Next, the Zeiss f2.0, which is sharper and has more contrast, but was larger than I like. Then I found a used Summarit 2.5, and I feel it gives the best combination of image quality, size, handing, and price. It stays on my M9 most of the time. I liked it enough I added the 50mm version.

I also have a v1 35 Summicron for my M3, and a 2.8 Summaron that I use on film. Of these two I prefer the Summaron.

[AceVentura1986]

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I have the Voigtlander 35 f/1.4, and find that it's actually pretty god and very underrated. At 1.4 it's soft, but not objectionable so. I tend to use it at 2.0 where I find it's completely competent. At 5.6 it's razor sharp, at least toward the center. I stay away from 4.0 due to focus shift. 

[Stealth3kpl]

The Leica 35/1.4 pre asph is worth considering. There's a lot of glow from aberrations and a loss of sharpness at 1.4, but at f2 it is very good. I have a side by side comparison with the 35/2 Asph at f2, and there is very little to choose between the two (on film) but the Asph has more contrast. That test was for a central subject too, so I'd expect the area of sharpness to be wider in the Asph summicron. The 35/1.4 pre Asph is a delightfully small lens too, and feels great in use with its positive focus feel and aperture dial clicks. Some will say get the Voigt 35/1.4 in preference as it's practically the same but I believe it shows more barrel distortion. 

I'm afraid I have far too many Leica 35mm lenses, but they each have their charms. I have the 2.8 Summaron which is very sharp (I use it for hill walks in the daylight), the mk 4 summicron which has nice character (but which I feel I will sell since getting the 35/1.4 pre Asph), the Summicron Asph which is compact and very sharp (my holiday lens), the 35/1.4 preasph as discussed, and the Summilux Asph FLE which is very sharp but big compared to the other offerings. If I had to choose just one I would be hard pressed to decide between the Summicron Asph and the 35/1.4 pre Asph, two very different lenses. At gun point it would be the Summicron Asph even though some say it has no character.

if you're keeping your f1.2 Voigt I'd say get the Summicron Asph. You'll have a sharp good contrast lens with modern rendering in a compact lightweight body, and your Voigt as a classically rendering arty low light alternative.

Pete

[ozkanakman]

I had the voigtlander 35 1.2 II for a while and although it is a fantastic lens sold it due to size and weight. I also used a Zeiss biogon 35 2.8 and summarit m 35 2.5 for a while with success. Sold both because I had was looking for a faster 35 mm lens. I currently have a summilux m 35 asph v1 which is much smaller compared to the voigtlander. Image quality is simply outstanding. I also have a voigtlander 35 2.5 skopar in LTM which is tiny, light and provides excellent images considering it's price point. Image quality is not leica, but definitely good enough for daily use. I use the skopar most of the time unless I need the extra speed.

[ramarren]

I spent forever picking a Leica 35mm, probably three years using the Color Skopar 35/2.5 (which works well). I finally found a minty Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 v2 (1972 manufacture).

 

It is absolutely wonderful: small, fast, glowy and silly wide open to razor sharp two stops down. Love it, used on my M9, now on my M-P. Will never sell it. :-)

 

G

[luigi bertolotti]

Summicron asph TOP, Summarit best buy.

[billo101]

Summicron, 8-elements or King of Bokeh, ASPH is too perfect and boring.

Summilux pre for dreamer...

[padam]

You'll probably hear about a different 35mm lens in almost every post, so I'll add that you could try and replace the Nokton with the 35/1.7 Ultron (both the smaller cheaper LTM and the brand new, much improved VM versions are good options)

 

https://lepetitphotoblog.wordpress.com/2015/09/05/voigtlaender-ultron-35mm-f1-7-asph-vintage-line/

 

The ZM Distagon is also a very nice replacement for the Nokton, sharper, lighter, internal focusing, although it is a lot more expensive.

 

http://leicarumors.com/2015/10/15/striking-a-balance-the-zeiss-35mm-f1-4-distagon-t-zm-review.aspx/

 

As a low cost, small alternative, the Canon LTM 35/2 is quite good as well (there is a Canon 35/1.5 LTM as well, but it is not as good optically, and its collectible status means that it is very pricey)

[TRIago]

35 cron asph. Can't go wrong with it.

[Chronomania]

I think I have tried almost all leica, zeiss and cv 35mm over the years and my absolute favorite is the summarit 2.5 : sharp, subtle, compact, a tad classic but modern, it gave me much more pleasure than any summicrons (even vers. IV) and vignettes far less than the zeiss. A perfect combo with the cv 1.2 which I also own.

[Mornnb]

The Summarit is an underrated lens. It has a very high contrast and true to life colour look. It's compactness and high contrast also makes it a perfect black and white street photograph lens.

 

However I would still pick the 35mm Summilux FLE or the Zeiss Distagon 35mm 1.4. These are both superb lenses with very sharp wide open performance. The Summilux has less smooth bokeh, though I find it to have a colour tone that is more subtle and pastel.

 

Compared to the Summarit and the Summilux, the Summicron is weaker than what both of these lenses are best at and IMHO is the worst choice.

[rramesh]

The Voigtlander 35 1.2 II is an excellent lens, but yes, a trifle heavy.

 

For a smaller size you might want to also consider the Voigtlander 35 f/2.5 Skopar. Small and very good. You can keep the faster lens for the time you need to go wide open and use the Skopar as an everyday lens. 

 

I have also heard great things about the new Voigtlander 35 f/1.8 Ultron which is a remake of an earlier classic.

[250swb]

My favourite 35mm lens on an M body is the LTM version of the CV Skopar. It may not be the best technically, it definitely isn't the most expensive, but the combination of excellent image quality and size makes it the winner.

 

Steve

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Hallo,

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[earleygallery]

My favourite 35mm lens on an M body is the LTM version of the CV Skopar. It may not be the best technically, it definitely isn't the most expensive, but the combination of excellent image quality and size makes it the winner.

 

Steve

 

Same here Steve, I get consistently good results with the Skopar, it seems very resistant to flare (and the LTM version has a metal hood attached, and the focus tab). I actually bought it after Sean Reid recommended it to me, if I recall correctly he said he actually preferred it in use to the Summicron, although technically the Summicron is probably better in the corners etc.

[IWC Doppel]

I have used and owned a number of Lecia 35's, but not the original Summilux. Given your criteria I would buy a MkIV summicron or Summilux ASPH. those are both fantastic lenses on the M9.

 

My 35mm's that are forever keepers are 35 Summilux Aspherical, 35 MKIV summicron and 35mm Summaron f2.8