Which 28mm lens for SL?

[robgo2]

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I should start out by stating that I have been terribly spoiled by the Q. What a fantastic lens/sensor combination! So I am looking for a 28mm lens to use on the SL that can come reasonably close to the quality and rendering of the Q.

 

I have done some research, including reading Sean Reid's reviews of the latest versions of the Summarit-M 28/f2.8 ASPH and the Summicron-M 28/f2.0 ASPH. According to Reid, the Summarit may actually perform better on the SL, but he only tested a single sample of each lens. The Summarit is also smaller and much less expensive, but those will not be the only factors in my decision. So, I would be interested in hearing from members of this forum regarding the various 28mm offerings from Leica as well as Zeiss and Voigtlander.

 

Thanks,

Rob

[steppenw0lf]

There is no Summarit. You probably mean the Elmarit ?!

 

Generally all M 28mm lenses are extraordinary. So if you can live with the 0.7m distance you can choose any of them.

Leica knows very well how to produce 28mm lenses - they are all flawless and some even quite affordable. (28mm is their strongest focal length, look at MTF). It is simply a matter of taste if 2.8, 2.0 or 1.4 is chosen.

Even the latest pre-asph 28mm Elmarit is a very strong lens (predecessor of current lens).

The only weak lens is the 5.6/28mm. But people like it for other reasons. (they like it for its weaknesses.)   

 

But the best 28mm lens I know is the Otus 28mm. It is special, even more perfect than the Summilux (only slightly, the Otus is perfect from corner to corner), but terribly big.

The Otus 28mm is currently the reference lens for 28mm.

The Contax or Zeiss 28mm are also ok. (far above average 28mm lenses from other suppliers.)

 

As I have no "problem" with 28mm (all are excellent) - I decided to wait for the Summicron-SL 28. I hope Leica will bring it soon. I expect a lens similar in performance and quality to the Otus - just much smaller and with AF.  (Maybe also a reference lens ?)

 

So in your case I would continue using the Q - if you like the results.

[steppenw0lf]

All M 28mm are excellent and the optical differences are very/extremely small. (Sean Reid has probably a similar opinion.)

So you could spend your time with more rewarding things than trying to find out which of these is "the best". (Using your Q or SL).

 

(There are other focal lengths where a choice is much more difficult and the quality differences much bigger).

In 28mm people often do not realize how spoilt they are with Leica products. (not a single weak or average product in the current line).

But if you need a reference lens, then there is currently no way around the Otus 1.4/28mm.

[robgo2]

There is no Summarit. You probably mean the Elmarit ?!

 

Generally all M 28mm lenses are extraordinary. So if you can live with the 0.7m distance you can choose any of them.

Leica knows very well how to produce 28mm lenses - they are all flawless and some even quite affordable. (28mm is their strongest focal length, look at MTF). It is simply a matter of taste if 2.8, 2.0 or 1.4 is chosen.

Even the latest pre-asph 28mm Elmarit is a very strong lens (predecessor of current lens).

The only weak lens is the 5.6/28mm. But people like it for other reasons. (they like it for its weaknesses.)   

 

But the best 28mm lens I know is the Otus 28mm. It is special, even more perfect than the Summilux (only slightly, in the center they are equal), but terribly big.

The Otus 28mm is currently the reference lens for 28mm.

The Contax or Zeiss 28mm are also ok. (far above average 28mm lenses from other suppliers.)

 

As I have no "problem" with 28mm (all are excellent) - I decided to wait for the Summicron-SL 28. I hope Leica will bring it soon. I expect a lens similar in performance and quality to the Otus - just much smaller and with AF.  (Maybe also a reference lens ?)

 

So in your case I would continue using the Q - if you like the results.

 

 

Regarding tests of many lenses: In the end you get a single lens - so you cannot choose the best from a dozen or so. So get one and test it.

Leica (because of price) is usually offering very small tolerances - this is a big difference from some japanese sources. (in mass market)

Thanks for the detailed response. And yes, I did mean Elmarit.

 

Rob

[dancook]

Was just looking at similar thread on the M10

 

https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/275181-q-or-28mm-lens/

 

 

I can use the Q one handed, I can shoot wide open at 1.7 blindly and/or whilst walking and still get the shot - both are useful to me for a lot of applications street/weddings included.

 

However I did buy the 28mm elmarit to see if I might try zone focusing with it at F8 for street, whilst I can adapt this to the SL - really just waiting for the M10 before I use it. 

 

I only just bought the lens, used, but the 28mm front element section just beyond the aperture dial is broken - I haven't really used it yet.

[Waterden]

The Leica R 28/2.8 version 2 is extremely highly regarded. Erwin Puts, in his Leica Lens Compendium, wrote "This is an outstanding lens that in some areas even surpasses the M version (IV), which lacks the mechanically complex floating-element construction".It weighs 435g and width by length (from bayonet) is 67.5x48mm. By comparison the Elmarit-M (IV) weighs 260g with dimensions (WxL) of 53x41.4mm. As such the latter may be rather small on the SL. It is odd that Sean Reid, who suggests that R lenses are better suited than M on the SL, has only tested the latter in this combination. This probably reflected what he could get for the tests.

[jip]

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The best you can get is the Zeiss Otus 28mm 1.4  

 

If you want to stick with Leica I'd say:

 

Leica Elmarit-R 1:2.8/28mm V2 < really amazing! 

Leica Elmarit-M 1:2.8/28mm ASPH. V1/V2 both AMAZING!

Leica Summicron-M 1:2.0/28mm ASPH. ALSO AMAZING!!! (Bit more bokeh, bit more milky I always felt compared to the Elmarit-M above)

Leica Summilux-M 1:1.4/28mm A lens I think has ugly rendering, it might be the most expensive but I find it the least nice... prefer the 24mm Summilux WAY over it. 

 

just my few cents.

[LocalHero1953]

I'm with Steppenwolf on this: I think IQ is going to be more than good enough for most purposes whichever lens you choose.

I think you need to check ergonomics first. None of the options is designed for the SL and all require manual aperture and focus adjustment, so you should check which lens allows your hand to fall naturally onto the rings. I have the Elmarit-M for the M, for which It is one of my favourite lenses. On the SL I'd worry about it being too small for comfort given the larger body your hand has to get around. This is a personal thing, partly depending on the size of your hands (mine are medium-ish).

[helged]

As others have stated, its hard to beat the Otus 28mm, but it's a monster size and weight wise. So I only use the Otus in specific cases (mostly for night and astrophoto, and for a random pick according to the mood).

 

The new 28mm Elmarit is my go-to 28mm, it is small and very, very fine, optically.

 

I must confess, though, that the SL 24-90 has turned out to be my mostly used lens ever. Yes, it is also (too) large & (too) heavy for those of us coming from the M primes, but having access to all focal lengths between 24-90, with an optical quality that is close to/at the top through most of the focal range, with optical stabilisation if thats needed, and in a weather protected package is, for sure, very convenient.

 

For this summer's vacation in the Swiss Alps (hiking) and in France I brought with me the SL and 24-90. Nothing else, and the combo worked flawlessly. For specific photo situations I would like to have access to primes if primes were available. But without an assisting sherpa, one body and one lens was what I ended up with. And surely, having instant access to the 24-90 focal length gives you opportunities that a few primes hardly can match.

[robgo2]

The Leica R 28/2.8 version 2 is extremely highly regarded. Erwin Puts, in his Leica Lens Compendium, wrote "This is an outstanding lens that in some areas even surpasses the M version (IV), which lacks the mechanically complex floating-element construction".It weighs 435g and width by length (from bayonet) is 67.5x48mm. By comparison the Elmarit-M (IV) weighs 260g with dimensions (WxL) of 53x41.4mm. As such the latter may be rather small on the SL. It is odd that Sean Reid, who suggests that R lenses are better suited than M on the SL, has only tested the latter in this combination. This probably reflected what he could get for the tests.

 

I should have mentioned in my original post that I already have the Elmarit-R 28/2.8 v.2. It is a fine lens but also fairly heavy and a bit disappointing on my SL. Edges don't sharpen up until f5.6 to f8, which, truth be told, is probably acceptable for most situations. Getting back to Sean Reid, he says that the latest ASPH versions of both the Elmarit-M and Summicron-M seem to be tuned for better edge performance on digital cameras, including the SL.

 

Rob

[robgo2]

As others have stated, its hard to beat the Otus 28mm, but it's a monster size and weight wise. So I only use the Otus in specific cases (mostly for night and astrophoto, and for a random pick according to the mood).

 

The new 28mm Elmarit is my go-to 28mm, it is small and very, very fine, optically.

 

I must confess, though, that the SL 24-90 has turned out to be my mostly used lens ever. Yes, it is also (too) large & (too) heavy for those of us coming from the M primes, but having access to all focal lengths between 24-90, with an optical quality that is close to/at the top through most of the focal range, with optical stabilisation if thats needed, and in a weather protected package is, for sure, very convenient.

 

For this summer's vacation in the Swiss Alps (hiking) and in France I brought with me the SL and 24-90. Nothing else, and the combo worked flawlessly. For specific photo situations I would like to have access to primes if primes were available. But without an assisting sherpa, one body and one lens was what I ended up with. And surely, having instant access to the 24-90 focal length gives you opportunities that a few primes hardly can match.

 

I have tried the SL 24-90, and it is simply too large and heavy for me to use comfortably. I have arthritis in both thumbs, so keeping weight down matters to me. It would be nice to have AF and OSS, but I find that shooting the SL with MF M-mount lenses is quite fast and easy to hold steady, if I set the auto-ISO minimum shutter speed to 1:2FL. Fortunately, the high ISO performance of the camera is so good that there is little penalty to be paid for using higher ISOs.

 

Rob

[Leicaiste]

The three latest M-28mm (2,8/2,0/1,4) seems to have been all updated (2,8/2,0) or designed (1,4) to be excellent up to the corners on Leica's digital sensors. On the SL, I would go for the new Summicron.

[robgo2]

The three latest M-28mm (2,8/2,0/1,4) seems to have been all updated (2,8/2,0) or designed (1,4) to be excellent up to the corners on Leica's digital sensors. On the SL, I would go for the new Summicron.

That is what I decided to do. I found a new gray market Summicron on EBay at a fairly deep discount, so I pulled the trigger. The seller has a very high rating, and I'm hoping that there will be no problems.

 

Thanks to all for their input.

 

Rob

[jplomley]

Just bought a 28 Cron v2 replacing my v1 and could not be happier. They kept the same drawing of the original and added additional resolution to the outer edges and corners. Bokeh at f/2 also seemed a bit smoother. Overall, a worthwhile upgrade and performs brilliantly on the SL.

[hhn360]

I have the 28 mm Summilux. 

 

For stellar performance along with AF, I would also consider the new Nikon 28 f1.4 E lens, which you would use with the Novoflex Nikon F to Leica L adapter.  I use this adapter for the Nikon 105 f1.4 and AF works very well.  The Nikon 28 f1.4 is not very heavy at all. 

[robgo2]

I have the 28 mm Summilux. 

 

For stellar performance along with AF, I would also consider the new Nikon 28 f1.4 E lens, which you would use with the Novoflex Nikon F to Leica L adapter.  I use this adapter for the Nikon 105 f1.4 and AF works very well.  The Nikon 28 f1.4 is not very heavy at all. 

 

That's an interesting suggestion, although, as an f/1.4 lens, it is rather large at 4in long, 1.42lbs  and a 77mm front filter. Add to that the Novoflex adapter (which costs $1186 at B&H), and you have a sizable hunk of hardware mounted to the front of the camera. Perhaps if Nikon made a top drawer 28 f/2 or f/1.8, it would be worth considering. Besides, this is a Leica forum. No one wants to hear about Nikon lenses.   

 

Rob

[jplomley]

The separation on the 28 Cron Asph v2 at f/2 is much more than you would think, and the backgrounds are smooth like butta.

 

I tested the 28 Lux on the SL and did not like the blue coloration I was seeing at the edges of the frame on the SL, not the very heavy vignetting at 1.4; also, the bokeh was more busy than the 28 Cron. If I want separation at 1.4, you will get greater impact from a 35 Lux or 50 Lux. Pair the 28 Cron with the 50 Lux and you have an outstanding combination.