kengai Posted July 31, 2016 Share #1 Â Posted July 31, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) what is the best 35mm for Street photography? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted July 31, 2016 Posted July 31, 2016 Hi kengai, Take a look here 35mm for street photography. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dpitt Posted July 31, 2016 Share #2 Â Posted July 31, 2016 For me it is a Summicron 35 (non ASPH), light and compact, tak sharp... With zone focussing you will probably want to use F5.6 and smaller anyway, so no need for a Summilux IMO. Â The old Summilux 35 comes as a close second, it is almost as sharp from F4.0 upwards and is also very light and small. And it has a one stop advantage (although soft), even between F2.0 and F4.0, I prefer the summicron for its sharpness. Â If you are more into the look of modern ASPH lenses, the modern Summicron 35 will please you way better than the old summilux. Â The M with lenses above makes a 'pocketable' package, A 35lux ASPH is an option but heavier, larger and more expensive. It will also not fit in any pocket so that outweighs the one stop advantage to me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted July 31, 2016 Share #3 Â Posted July 31, 2016 Summarit 35/2.4. Small, light and (relatively) affordable. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kengai Posted July 31, 2016 Author Share #4 Â Posted July 31, 2016 the quality of Summarit f / 5.6 to 8 is comparable to that of the Summicron? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joakim Posted July 31, 2016 Share #5 Â Posted July 31, 2016 The more you stop lenses down the more equal they get in image quality, it is at wider apertures you see the difference. I haven't used the Summarit but I am sure it can compete with the Summicron at f/5.6-8, then it is of course the more subjective question of which rendering you like best but even there the difference is less stopped down. Â One thing I appreciate when shooting street is that the lens has a focus tab, it is a very helpful aid when focusing and you can even pre-focus without raising the camera to your eye by learning what the position of the tab means in focus distance. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomB_tx Posted July 31, 2016 Share #6 Â Posted July 31, 2016 A Summicron is always a safe choice. I used older model Summicron 35s on film for decades. With digital I tried Voigtlander 1.4, Zeiss 2.0, and finally settled on the Summarit 2.5 as my favorite 35. Even at 2.5 it is better than my older Summicron. The Zeiss is also excellent, but I prefer the Summarit size and handling. Both Zeiss and Summarit are also quite flare resistant, but a light source at the wrong spot can flare the Summarit. I've had some great street shots with the Voigtlander 35 f1.4, which is also a very small good handling lens, and priced much lower than the others - a good starter 35, and the 1.4 is useful at night. It has some distortion and focus shifts to the rear of indicated when stopping down. Sample variation seems to be an issue, but I enjoyed mine until I got talked into the Zeiss and then the Summarit by posts like this. If I'd stayed off the internet I would have stayed happy with the Voigtlander! So choose one that you like, and stop reading opinions of others... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ecar Posted July 31, 2016 Share #7  Posted July 31, 2016 Advertisement (gone after registration) the quality of Summarit f / 5.6 to 8 is comparable to that of the Summicron? In a nutshell, yes. You could also get the previous (35/2.5) incarnation of this lens and save some money. Or, if it doesn't have to be a Leica lens, save even more and get a CV 35/2.5. As others have suggested, there is little (if any) real-world IQ difference when stopped down to f/5.6-8, but considerations such as weight/size and ergonomics become more important for fast-paced street work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted July 31, 2016 Share #8  Posted July 31, 2016 There is no "best". For many years I used a Summaron 35/2.8 very satisfactorily. Then I got the itch for a more modern look and began with a Summilux, which I then traded for a Summicron, which, although a truly excellent lens, was still too bitingly sharp for my tastes. After going 2 years without a 35, I decided to wade back into the waters, but this time with a Voigtlander 35/2.5. I've been using it on both my Barnacks as well as M bodies, and even on my mirrorless m4/3 body. Overall I'm quite pleased with it and it meets all of my photo requirements. However, for street work I like focusing tabsto achieve quick focus...I tried the commercial slip on one (~$10 USD), but it still didn't work as well as one I have on another 1950's rangefinder (not Leica), fo I went to my workshop and fashioned just what I wanted. Now it is almost a quick as the AF lenses on my DSLRs. 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/263041-35mm-for-street-photography/?do=findComment&comment=3088420'>More sharing options...
michaelwj Posted August 1, 2016 Share #9  Posted August 1, 2016 Agree with spydrxx above. It's got to have a focus tab for quick scale/zone focusing. Combine that with good enough quality at f/5.6-f/8 and you'll be pretty safe with any M or LTM mount 35mm lens with a factory (or custom or aftermarket) focus tab.  Ultimate sharpness is not a requirement, either is flare resistance - I'm going to say it gets a bit boring with a perfect lens, but that's just me.  I'm going to go one further and add in aperture tabs, so I can set the aperture without looking, such as on the CV 2.5/35 or the 1/4/35 pre-asph. I use the 1.4/35 pre-asph as my only 35, I can set aperture and focus without looking (or first going to an extreme) and I like the look of the older lenses. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sblutter Posted August 2, 2016 Share #10  Posted August 2, 2016 +1 for the Voight  2.0 40mm Summicron-C also very nice - and very afforedable Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernstk Posted August 2, 2016 Share #11 Â Posted August 2, 2016 For a low cost lens with excellent performance, try the Summaron 35/2.8. It's very under rated and when stopped down, is as good as a Summicron from the same era. Â Ernst Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
microview Posted August 5, 2016 Share #12  Posted August 5, 2016 For a low cost lens with excellent performance, try the Summaron 35/2.8. It's very under rated and when stopped down, is as good as a Summicron from the same era.  Ernst  Yes but you find them so rarely these days! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdlaing Posted August 5, 2016 Share #13 Â Posted August 5, 2016 How many would you like? Â http://www.ebay.com/bhp/leica-summaron-35mm Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 5, 2016 Share #14  Posted August 5, 2016 For a low cost lens with excellent performance, try the Summaron 35/2.8. It's very under rated and when stopped down, is as good as a Summicron from the same era.  Ernst  I sold mine in preference for the 35 f2.5 Skopar, super little lens. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ernstk Posted August 6, 2016 Share #15 Â Posted August 6, 2016 Yes but you find them so rarely these days! Actually, there are lots of them around... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
leicatraveller Posted August 6, 2016 Share #16  Posted August 6, 2016 There is no "best". For many years I used a Summaron 35/2.8 very satisfactorily. Then I got the itch for a more modern look and began with a Summilux, which I then traded for a Summicron, which, although a truly excellent lens, was still too bitingly sharp for my tastes. After going 2 years without a 35, I decided to wade back into the waters, but this time with a Voigtlander 35/2.5. I've been using it on both my Barnacks as well as M bodies, and even on my mirrorless m4/3 body. Overall I'm quite pleased with it and it meets all of my photo requirements. However, for street work I like focusing tabsto achieve quick focus...I tried the commercial slip on one (~$10 USD), but it still didn't work as well as one I have on another 1950's rangefinder (not Leica), fo I went to my workshop and fashioned just what I wanted. Now it is almost a quick as the AF lenses on my DSLRs. very interesting lens  how did you set  focusing tabsto ? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
earleygallery Posted August 6, 2016 Share #17 Â Posted August 6, 2016 I chose the LTM version of the Skopar because it has a focus tab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spydrxx Posted August 6, 2016 Share #18  Posted August 6, 2016 My LTM version didn't have the tab. I used a stiff but slightly flexible black plastic ring slightly smaller than the diameter of the focusing ring on the lens - mounting it requires a slight stretch - almost like a very stiff rubberband. I then drilled small holes in the ring for brads to be inserted from the inside out and fixed them in place with super glue. Next I fashioned the tabs themselves from scrap wood I had in my workshop, drilled a hole to accept the brads and trial fitted them. First try was that the shape was too thick, so I gradually used a Dremel tool to get them down to size. Whoops...got them too small (too fragile) and started all over again. The models I was basing them on were metal (on my other RF body), so even though quite small, they were sturdy. Finally got a size which wasn't outrageous, and was quite sturdy, drilled the holes to accept the brads, and assembled everything with super glue. Then spray painted the contraption flat black. I also inserted a small piece of a red plastic rod into the ring to serve as a location marker should I desire to remove and remount the ring. So far it has held up just fine for over a year's use including being stuffed into a camera bag. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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