Older Lux vs new Summarit 35/50

[Bob50]

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I use the Lux 35 from ~1994 (not the current one) and the type 2 from ~1990 (two generations back) on a M10.

 

Of course the newer Lux lenses for 35/50 are better. But what about the new Summarits 35/50? How do they compare? Is the image quality actually better at 2.4/2.8? I like the small size, the hood and the price. What is your experience?

[a.noctilux]

I changed my mind regarding Summarit-M.

When they came out, I saw them as "low-cost-Leica-lenses" so not so good .

 

Last year one Summarit-M 2.5/50mm came to join my 50mm stable (Noctilux/Summilux/Summicron/Elmar-M/Summar/old Summarit, etc.), I use this for general photography, and love it.

Small, light, with good and beautiful output.

Now I do like the "low cost but great quality" concept.

To try by yourself if they suit you.

 

So if opportunity come again, I would complete the Summarit-M kit with other Summarit-M 35/75/90 to replace my "heavy/big Summicron/Summilux".

For me, 2.5/50 on M10 is as good (or better in some way  ) as Cron/lux, if f:2.5 is enough and focus to only 80cm.

[Bob50]

Interesting. What exactly do you mean by "better in some way". What is better from your point of view?

[a.noctilux]

Compare to Summicron (I use many types of Cron 50), the focus lever is easier and "lighter to turn", and then the 9-blade aperture is rounder than last Cron's 8-blade.

To Lux, it's far lighter and smaller    and as good from full open 2.5.

[microview]

Although I later came across an APO 50 at an affordable price and bought it, when I purchased a 50 2.4 I found I could not distinguish between DNGs from the Summarit and my (former) Summilux.

The 35 Summarit is reviewed less favourably and some far prefer the cheaper Zeiss 35 2.8ZM.

[eujin]

The last generation Summarit 35 2.5 is a fantastic lens and a great bargain for a Leica lens. It's not consistently distinguishable against the current Summicron 35 and I find it sharper than older Luxes. I've never tried the current 2.4 Summarit but that's mainly because I'm happy with mine and can't see spending money for a fractional (some would say theoretical) increase in speed. It's tiny and the focus ring is very fast, so this is the lens I use when I want to be discreet on the street. 

[Robert M Poole]

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I recently swapped from a 50/2.5 Summarit to a 50/2 v5 Summicron. At first I missed the focus tab but I can now focus as quick or maybe quicker. I find focusing more accurate as well on the 'cron.  In my opinion the colour rendering is more modern on the Summarit and the quality is fantastic both build and image. For half the price of a used Summicron it is a fantastic bargain.  

[TomB_tx]

I have both 35 & 50 2.5 Summarits and love the images and handling. I also have a v5 50 Summicron (among others), and I do find the Summicron gives me better rate of critical focus than the 50 Summarit, even though both show equal accuracy in tripod & chart tests. I think it's because the Summarit takes less rotation (faster throw) and a lighter action (less damped), so you have to be a bit more careful with it. I don't notice this with the 35, where the DOF makes it less critical.

[Robert M Poole]

I have both 35 & 50 2.5 Summarits and love the images and handling. I also have a v5 50 Summicron (among others), and I do find the Summicron gives me better rate of critical focus than the 50 Summarit, even though both show equal accuracy in tripod & chart tests. I think it's because the Summarit takes less rotation (faster throw) and a lighter action (less damped), so you have to be a bit more careful with it. I don't notice this with the 35, where the DOF makes it less critical.

Thank you for explaining what I had observed.

 

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[UliWer]

I do not know the 35mm Summilux (pre. asph) - though from what I read here it is very prone to flare ("It flares if you look at it....")

 

The 35mm Summarit is one of the most flare resitant lenses with the Leica brand - at least as far as I know.- 

 

The Summarit shows some distortion, so you might think twice if architecture was your main interest - though I don't think that a 35mm Summilux was a good solution for this special purpose.  

 

The newer 1:2.4-versions of the Summarits have the same optical designs as the older versions with 1:2.5. The later versions just allow to focus them closer. 

 

So one might find good examples with 1.2.5 for bargain prices.

[01af]

The Summarit-M 35 mm is the most flare-resistant lens I ever came across. Perfectly sharp with a nice rendition as well. Some benign barrel-shaped distortion usually goes unnoticed but can be removed in post-processing by simple distortion control (no lens-specific profile required).

 

Among the Summarit-M lenses, the 35 mm and the 75 mm are considered the finest.

 

The Summarit-M 50 mm has a very natural-looking sharp-to-blur transition at the depth-of-field limits, and it's more flare-resistant than the Summicron-M 50 mm (but not as much as the Summarit-M 35 mm).

[Bob50]

Wow thanks for all the feedback!

 

And as you mention it. I used my old 35 Lux in bright sun without hood (lost some time ago). The flare makes the pictures unusable. Good flare resistance from the summarit might come in handy.

[Robert M Poole]

Wow thanks for all the feedback!

 

And as you mention it. I used my old 35 Lux in bright sun without hood (lost some time ago). The flare makes the pictures unusable. Good flare resistance from the summarit might come in handy.

The square hood for the Summarit is very nice. I much prefer it to the integral hood on the v5 Summicron

 

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[Robert M Poole]

Wow thanks for all the feedback!

 

And as you mention it. I used my old 35 Lux in bright sun without hood (lost some time ago). The flare makes the pictures unusable. Good flare resistance from the summarit might come in handy.

The square hood for the Summarit is very nice. I much prefer it to the integral hood on the v5 Summicron

 

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[wattsy]

I use the Lux 35 from ~1994 (not the current one) and the type 2 from ~1990 (two generations back) on a M10.

 

Of course the newer Lux lenses for 35/50 are better. But what about the new Summarits 35/50? How do they compare? Is the image quality actually better at 2.4/2.8? I like the small size, the hood and the price. What is your experience?

 

 

I've owned almost all the modern Leica 35mm lenses at one time or another. The Summilux 11874 (1994-2010) you already use is a great lens and hardly bettered by the current FLE version. The 35 Summarit is also very fine, certainly flare resistant and is possibly a tiny bit sharper too. That said, knowing what I know now I wouldn't buy the Summarit unless I was very keen for something significantly smaller than the Summilux. I'm not really into all the arguments about "rendering" (it is usually just people justifying an expensive purchase to themselves) but I never found the look of the 35 Summarit hugely satisfying and would generally defer my use to either Summilux or Summicron. I also found the Summarit a little too loose in it's focussing action for my taste.

[Ko.Fe.]

In 2016 I purchased Summarit 35 2.5 NiB, because it was new but affordable Leica lens and it is using classic 39 mm filters. Hood is awesome. Focusing with tab is the joy with this lens. Images are sharp at any aperture on M8 and M-E. It is also true Leica lens on bw film and bw darkroom prints. I would not call it as small lens, it is not small at all, but it is very well balanced lens and hood.

[lct]

I have no experience with 35/1.4 asph lenses besides the FLE but i have both Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph and Summarit 35/2.5. Different beasts definitely. The 35/2.5 is more contrasty with less flare but no glow at all and it is only a f/2.5 lens of course. Also it is rather soft in borders and corners below f/5.6. The 35/1.4 pre-asph is unique for its glow at f/1.4 mainly. It is also rather soft at f/1.4, especially on rangefinders due to some focus shift there, the lens (at least mine) being calibrated at f/2.8. But what a lens! The smallest 35/1.4 i've ever had. Flares a lot but irreplaceable if glow is part of your photography. It is not a lens for jpeg shooters though unless they like its lower contrast as is. Here at f/1.4 with contrast added in PP (Sony A7s mod + CV close focus adapter).

 

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