Bill W Posted June 8, 2007 Share #1 Posted June 8, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) Not being a collector I guess I do not understand why this 35 lux is so rare. I have been trying to obtain a 35 lux and I get updates when new items are listed at ebay but this is a little crazy. eBay: *RARE* Leica Summilux-M 35mm Aspherical *NEW* ASPH (item 320124371549 end time Jun-17-07 03:37:37 PDT) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted June 8, 2007 Posted June 8, 2007 Hi Bill W, Take a look here RARE! Leica M 35 Summilux?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
howard_cummer Posted June 8, 2007 Share #2 Posted June 8, 2007 Bill, It is the first version of the 35mm Summilux Asph - with two aspherical surfaces hand ground - made in a quantity of less than 3000. It was replaced by the newer 35 'Lux Asph. You can distinguish between the two lens - the first version is called "Aspherical" and is so marked - the second is "Asph" marked. I had one when it first came out and sold it as a collectible when the second version was issued and prices had begun to rise. I got US$2500 for mine, I recall Cheers Howard (in Hong Kong) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted June 8, 2007 Share #3 Posted June 8, 2007 I think it's because it says: 'Aspherical' rather than 'ASPH' on the lens mind you, the Leica Price Guide http://members.aol.com/dcolucci/a.htm doesn't give it that big a premium. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill W Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share #4 Posted June 8, 2007 They claim less than 1000 pieces so a couple thousand of them must have been lost. I guess it drives up the price. Interesting though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
marknorton Posted June 8, 2007 Share #5 Posted June 8, 2007 The original had two aspherical surfaces which made it at the time very expensive to produce - the current one has just one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted June 8, 2007 Share #6 Posted June 8, 2007 I read that there are about 600 of them. They were hand-ground and therefore had a huge rejection rate. This lens is a handmade piece of art and does not suffer from the focus shift as the new version does. I own one of these and it is my baby. If I had to choose only one lens, it would be this one. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lensblur Posted June 8, 2007 Share #7 Posted June 8, 2007 Advertisement (gone after registration) So what is the history behind the development and improvement/digression of the 35 Lux? Do the current version (assume one walks in to a dealer and buy a new coded 35 Lux) less good than the first version? Thanks. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shootist Posted June 8, 2007 Share #8 Posted June 8, 2007 So what is the history behind the development and improvement/digression of the 35 Lux? Do the current version (assume one walks in to a dealer and buy a new coded 35 Lux) less good than the first version? Thanks. Supposedly yes the first version is a better lens. As far as the price being asked for it on eBay, if someone want to pay that much for it then it is worth it to that person. I'd like to know who buys it because I have a bridge I like to sell, cheap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 8, 2007 Share #9 Posted June 8, 2007 Ok, the first aspherical 35 lux is rare, excellent, and the item on ebay seems very nice and complete... but in my op. the price is pure foolish, I suspect an orchestrated bid-up to try some kind of speculation on a lens that was produced in not so a small number, not many years ago, in a timeframe in which the frenzy of "limited edition" was at a peak: Leica stated, at the announcement, that only 1000 would have been built, then production went on further (I have no precise news, but the 3000 here quoted can be right). The Tele-Elmarit 180 2,8 for Visoflex was surely built in less than 500 items (maybe 275 only) and seems to me is around 1500 $ or so: lux 35 of course is more a user lens, but I think that none is so silly to pay 6500$ for a lens that MAYBE performs A LITTLE better than a brand new one you can buy about half the price. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
carstenw Posted June 9, 2007 Share #10 Posted June 9, 2007 Ok, the first aspherical 35 lux is rare, excellent, and the item on ebay seems very nice and complete... but in my op. the price is pure foolish, I suspect an orchestrated bid-up to try some kind of speculation on a lens that was produced in not so a small number, not many years ago, in a timeframe in which the frenzy of "limited edition" was at a peak: Leica stated, at the announcement, that only 1000 would have been built, then production went on further (I have no precise news, but the 3000 here quoted can be right).The Tele-Elmarit 180 2,8 for Visoflex was surely built in less than 500 items (maybe 275 only) and seems to me is around 1500 $ or so: lux 35 of course is more a user lens, but I think that none is so silly to pay 6500$ for a lens that MAYBE performs A LITTLE better than a brand new one you can buy about half the price. Hey, that sounds like the same reasoning involved in buy a Leica vs. a Zeiss, or a Zeiss instead of a Voigtländer Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 9, 2007 Share #11 Posted June 9, 2007 I was only referring to the price at which the item of this thread was offered for; to me, is a tentative to heat collector's market: in user terms, I referred to the current 35 asph. that think is not so bad in front of the almost legendary "first aspherical" Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted June 9, 2007 Share #12 Posted June 9, 2007 I have an old LFI issue that discusses the 35mm focal length, and it describes the quality of both versions of the 35lux aspherical and asph as equal. The technolgy of the first version was based on the also handmade first version of the Noctilux. The development of a new type of glass, with which the aspheres could be blank-pressed instead of ground into its shape, led to the new version of the lens with only one asphere, which made this new lens more economical. As far as the price is concerned, I got really lucky buying mine used. Neither I nor my dealer knew what we were dealing with until a few months later, when I tried to buy a lens hood from my local dealer and the current version didn't fit. I was outraged at first that someone sold me an old lens as a demo, later delighted. As I said, it is my baby, and if I lost it, I might consider buying one for the current used price for three reasons:a) I love it like a Swiss watch i don't have any problems with focus shift, which the new version seems to exhibit, and c) for me, this focal length combined with the speed makes this the most versatile lens on my M8 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlancasterd Posted June 9, 2007 Share #13 Posted June 9, 2007 I was in Sarawak when the original 35mm Summilux aspherical was being produced and knew the local Leica dealer very well - I remember he got one and was very pleased with it. He also told me that the high price was due to the high rejection rate, but that some slightly imperfect lenses were 'starred' and sold at a lower price. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
luigi bertolotti Posted June 9, 2007 Share #14 Posted June 9, 2007 Wow ! A Lux 35 Aspherical with a star (*... a symbol well known to collectors) could become a collector's dream ! No matter if it's worst than the standard ones. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparkie Posted June 10, 2007 Share #15 Posted June 10, 2007 Wow ! A Lux 35 Aspherical with a star (*... a symbol well known to collectors) could become a collector's dream ! No matter if it's worst than the standard ones. the * annotation as far as I know were for duplicate serial numbers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard_cummer Posted June 10, 2007 Share #16 Posted June 10, 2007 I owned both the Aspherical and Asph versions for awhile and as I mentioned in my earlier post ended up selling the Aspherical when it became too collectible. I once did an unscientific side-by- side photo test, using slide film and shooting a forest scene, with the two lenses wide open. I didn't see much difference in the way they drew on film. If anything I think I preferred the bokah from the Asph to the bokah from the Aspherical (which might have been a tad sharper - if that is possible - in the centre). Both lenses are exceptional IMHO. Cheers Howard Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted June 11, 2007 Share #17 Posted June 11, 2007 I think the advantage of the 35lux aspherical was quite hidden until now. We can all agree by now that focus is much more critical on the M8 than on film. Now, people see a focus shift with the new 35lux asph as the lens is stopped down. While nobody seemed to notice this on film, with the M8 it has become a huge problem that the first version does not have. i just want to refer to Tim Ashley's posts regarding this focus shift. Other than that, the LFI article agrees that there is no discernible difference between the two lenses. On another note, this may just be me, but I take immense joy out of the fact that I am using a lens that has been handmade by a mastercraftsman. It is a piece of art. Just think about this: How in the world do you grind an aspherical surface by hand to these specs? This lens is the Swiss watch of photography. All Leica lenses are way overpriced, at least this one is overpriced for a reason. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean_reid Posted June 11, 2007 Share #18 Posted June 11, 2007 I think the advantage of the 35lux aspherical was quite hidden until now. We can all agree by now that focus is much more critical on the M8 than on film. Now, people see a focus shift with the new 35lux asph as the lens is stopped down. While nobody seemed to notice this on film, with the M8 it has become a huge problem that the first version does not have. i just want to refer to Tim Ashley's posts regarding this focus shift. Other than that, the LFI article agrees that there is no discernible difference between the two lenses. On another note, this may just be me, but I take immense joy out of the fact that I am using a lens that has been handmade by a mastercraftsman. It is a piece of art. Just think about this: How in the world do you grind an aspherical surface by hand to these specs? This lens is the Swiss watch of photography. All Leica lenses are way overpriced, at least this one is overpriced for a reason. Not all of them, though. The 35/1.4 Asph I'm testing shows very little focus shift. Cheers, Sean Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
BerndReini Posted June 11, 2007 Share #19 Posted June 11, 2007 That is great news, Sean. My friend is desparately looking forward to adding a 35mm to his collection. He loves my 35lux, but tried two different 35luxs and both of them backfocused on both his and my M8. I told him to hold out for your review before continuing his quest. Thanks for this little preview. I have been waiting for your results as far as focus shift in long anticipation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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