Leica Summaron-28 -image thread

[jaapv]

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Strangely, as I have the vintage 28 look from my Elmarit version 3 anyway, this lens has gotten me interested in a Lomo Minitar, or maybe even more fun, a Russar+. Used at 5.6 it should render rather the same as this Summaron, albeit a bit wider. The price is abit different as well.

[sdk]

Sample images from the new 28mm Summaron look like they were shot with a Kodak Instamatic with a dirty front element. I'm not nostalgic for that look. I shot a lot on Brownies and Instamatics as a kid, before getting serious and borrowing my father's Pentax SV. It had a 35mm/3.5 that was pretty darn sharp, center into corners, for something made in the early 1960s. This is re-issue is just a toy lens, and a very expensive one at that. I know there's a whole hipster crowd that love shooting artsy photos with Holgas, Dianas Brownies with reversed lenses, and other toy cameras, but they don't spend several weeks pay on a camera or lens. 

[Rick]

Sample images from the new 28mm Summaron look like they were shot with a Kodak Instamatic with a dirty front element. I'm not nostalgic for that look. I shot a lot on Brownies and Instamatics as a kid, before getting serious and borrowing my father's Pentax SV. It had a 35mm/3.5 that was pretty darn sharp, center into corners, for something made in the early 1960s. This is re-issue is just a toy lens, and a very expensive one at that. I know there's a whole hipster crowd that love shooting artsy photos with Holgas, Dianas Brownies with reversed lenses, and other toy cameras, but they don't spend several weeks pay on a camera or lens. 

 

 

Ha.  Toy lens? This is no toy lens. 

 

Whole hipster crowd you say?  The hipster crowd (whatever that means) is not who this lens is designed for.  This lens is not going to produce anything close to a Holga look.  The lens is going to be quite impressive in its ability to produce great images... if, it is anything like the original.

 

In your mind it may be just a collector or hipster lens deserving of your ridicule, but for a lot of folks this lens is going to be a nice little image maker.  I know, I have been using the original for several years and it is a very unique optic.

 

Rick

[M9reno]

Sample images from the new 28mm Summaron look like they were shot with a Kodak Instamatic with a dirty front element. I'm not nostalgic for that look. I shot a lot on Brownies and Instamatics as a kid, before getting serious and borrowing my father's Pentax SV. It had a 35mm/3.5 that was pretty darn sharp, center into corners, for something made in the early 1960s. This is re-issue is just a toy lens, and a very expensive one at that. I know there's a whole hipster crowd that love shooting artsy photos with Holgas, Dianas Brownies with reversed lenses, and other toy cameras, but they don't spend several weeks pay on a camera or lens.

 

You may be referring to the shots posted here:

http://petapixel.com/2016/10/19/leica-unveils-new-summaron-m-28mm-f5-6-rebirth-classic-lens/

 

If so, I think it's important not to confuse the hipster aesthetic, which this lens (like any other) is capable of satisfying if the photographer is so inclined, with the standard of the original optical design, which was very high. Have a look at Puts' lens compendium for example.

 

I happily relied on the original Summaron 28 on an M3 some years ago for archaeological documentation during a long trip through Turkey, where I had to travel light. As long as you avoid the vignetting at f/5.6 the results are all you could wish for from a modern optic, and not at all describable as hipster.

[willeica]

Sample images from the new 28mm Summaron look like they were shot with a Kodak Instamatic with a dirty front element. I'm not nostalgic for that look. I shot a lot on Brownies and Instamatics as a kid, before getting serious and borrowing my father's Pentax SV. It had a 35mm/3.5 that was pretty darn sharp, center into corners, for something made in the early 1960s. This is re-issue is just a toy lens, and a very expensive one at that. I know there's a whole hipster crowd that love shooting artsy photos with Holgas, Dianas Brownies with reversed lenses, and other toy cameras, but they don't spend several weeks pay on a camera or lens.

Unfortunately Leica has been trying too hard to be trendy in recent years in order to appeal to a younger demographic. The photos published by Leica overdo both flare and vignetting and this has already been discussed earlier in this thread. The old version of the lens is capable of producing excellent images. I would ask you to look at the photos in my article linked below and tell me whether they are 'toy' or 'hipster'. I would expect the new lens to be even better in terms of image quality. 

 

http://macfilos.com/photo/2016/5/20/leica-28mm-summaron-f56-little-old-guy-goes-modernperhaps

 

William

[MarkP]

Unfortunately Leica has been trying too hard to be trendy in recent years in order to appeal to a younger demographic. The photos published by Leica overdo both flare and vignetting and this has already been discussed earlier in this thread. The old version of the lens is capable of producing excellent images. I would ask you to look at the photos in my article linked below and tell me whether they are 'toy' or 'hipster'. I would expect the new lens to be even better in terms of image quality. 

 

http://macfilos.com/photo/2016/5/20/leica-28mm-summaron-f56-little-old-guy-goes-modernperhaps

 

William

 

William.

 

they remind me of how Leica promoted the first Monchrom with coarse high-contrast photographs which did nothing to demonstrate the subtle imagery the camera is capable of.

 

Thanks for the link to your review. More useful than the Leica promotional photographs.

 

Mark

Edited October 22, 2016 by MarkP

[luigi bertolotti]

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.... or maybe even more fun, a Russar+. Used at 5.6 it should render rather the same as this Summaron, albeit a bit wider. The price is abit different as well.

That's a very good idea Jaap... I had the Russar at my far "Zorky times" (1975-79...) and stupidly sold it when started with Leitz... but is one of the two Russians (the other is the 85) which I regret to have no more...

[wattsy]

Some more information (albeit largely marketing speak) here on the Leica blog.

[Jeff S]

Some more information (albeit largely marketing speak) here on the Leica blog.

Stefan Daniel....  In addition, it is going to be the smallest Leica lens available for M cameras; together with large depth of field it is perfectly suitable for spontaneous street photography “from the hip”.  

 

Ah, hipster photos.

 

Jeff

[sblitz]

here is a shot i just took with a Lomo LC-A MINITAR-1 Art Lens 2.8/32 M at the lomo booth using my ma and portra 400. ok, i suppose, but i don't see any magic. even if i can "shoot from the hip"

 

 

 

 

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[A miller]

Stefan Daniel....  In addition, it is going to be the smallest Leica lens available for M cameras; together with large depth of field it is perfectly suitable for spontaneous street photography “from the hip”.  

 

Ah, hipster photos.

 

Jeff

 

OMG I can't believe he said that... promoting street photography posers...

[A miller]

Just to clear the air a little, this lens, at least in its original form, is VERY soft at 5.6 and really only starts to give corner to corner sharpness at f11.  This will disappoint landscape photographers, who will be limited to stopping it all the way down to get reasonably good all around sharpness.  This is the function of the 5.6 max aperture and the general principle that you really need to stop down a lens at least 3 stops from its widest aperture to start to get reasonable C2C sharpness.

 

So I disagree with the notion that this is going to be a great landscape lens, assuming it has the same optics as the original.

 

Which begs the question of whether there has been any improvement in the optics to hold up the corners and the significant vignetting at 5.6 and even f8....  This will be key to understand.

 

Having said all of this, even if it is exactly the same as the original (which I don't think can be totally possible b/c as I understand the original was made with rare earth materials that aren't used anymore), it is a very FUN and GOOD street lens.  The size is UNMATCHED and a PLEASURE to use.  With enough light or ISO you can easily stop down to f8 or f11 and get very good images.  And the vignetting and softness at the edges at 5.6 and even f8 can be used to one's advantage for a classic rendition.

 

All in all, a great new product for Leica, me thinks.

[MarkP]

Just to clear the air a little, this lens, at least in its original form, is VERY soft at 5.6 and really only starts to give corner to corner sharpness at f11.  This will disappoint landscape photographers, who will be limited to stopping it all the way down to get reasonably good all around sharpness.  This is the function of the 5.6 max aperture and the general principle that you really need to stop down a lens at least 3 stops from its widest aperture to start to get reasonable C2C sharpness.

 

So I disagree with the notion that this is going to be a great landscape lens, assuming it has the same optics as the original.

 

Which begs the question of whether there has been any improvement in the optics to hold up the corners and the significant vignetting at 5.6 and even f8....  This will be key to understand.

 

Having said all of this, even if it is exactly the same as the original (which I don't think can be totally possible b/c as I understand the original was made with rare earth materials that aren't used anymore), it is a very FUN and GOOD street lens.  The size is UNMATCHED and a PLEASURE to use.  With enough light or ISO you can easily stop down to f8 or f11 and get very good images.  And the vignetting and softness at the edges at 5.6 and even f8 can be used to one's advantage for a classic rendition.

 

All in all, a great new product for Leica, me thinks.

 

 

Thanks Adam

 

that better puts this lens in perspective than anything else I've read so far, although William's example photos with the old lens were very helpful.

Will have to think about a bit before putting down $3000AUD when I've already got a few 28's.

 

Regards

Mark

[A miller]

Thanks Adam

 

that better puts this lens in perspective than anything else I've read so far, although William's example photos with the old lens were very helpful.

Will have to think about a bit before putting down $3000AUD when I've already got a few 28's.

 

Regards

Mark

 

Example photos, you ask??

He, he, ...you're welcome...

 Ya'll don't all go out and buy the lens it at once, now, you'll be bound to push up the prices :)

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[MarkP]

Adam

 

I'm putting a depisit on one tomorrow

[sblitz]

Example photos, you ask??

He, he, ...you're welcome...

 Ya'll don't all go out and buy the lens it at once, now, you'll be bound to push up the prices :)

 

First, how did you get all those photos inside one post??????

 

Second, how do you think this compares to the 28mm summicron stopped down to f/8? The is larger, but not so much without the lens hood.

 

Best,

Steve

[ianman]

Example photos, you ask??

He, he, ...you're welcome...

 

 

So just to be clear, all those were taken with the original Summaron 28, right ?

[james.liam]

Adam--

 

Fantastic series!

 

Interesting flare characteristic on your lens. Is that the nature of the glass/coatings of that Summaron or is there some haze that accounts for it?

[A miller]

First, how did you get all those photos inside one post??????

 

Second, how do you think this compares to the 28mm summicron stopped down to f/8? The is larger, but not so much without the lens hood.

 

Best,

Steve

Steve - make no mistake, the cron is a much better lens from an optical POV. Hands down. Even the elmarit. I am not suggesting that this should one's only 28.

 

But the summaron is very unique - and IMO worth owning -for two reasons:

1. The size is a smaller than any other Leica lens - in most cases a LOT smaller. It may. Ot be a lot lighter than the cron, but the size difference is very meaningful. It is a true pancake lens - big league.

2. As illustrated by some of my examples, it handles flare with a flair that will help make a photo more interesting. I like it so much that in the winter with the low morning barreling sun i love the shoot thia lens directly into the light. The other 28s that i have used tend to respond to direct sunlight with ghosting splotches that are most unappealing.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[A miller]

So just to be clear, all those were taken with the original Summaron 28, right ?

 

Correct

 

 

 

 

 

Adam--

 

Fantastic series!

 

Interesting flare characteristic on your lens. Is that the nature of the glass/coatings of that Summaron or is there some haze that accounts for it?

That is a good question. I have never examine the lens for ghosting as it is quite tiny and i frankly am not expert. However, i only get this effect when shooting directly into the aun. When shooting normally i have never seen the effects of any degradation in the lens. So my guess is that this is a natural trademarknof the lens. Oh, btw, come to think of it i HAVE seen this effect reproduced by at least one other forum member in a photo he posted in the Landscape forum, which reinforces my feeliing that it is an attivute of the lens.