35mm Summilux Pre-Aspheric production run choice

[michaelwj]

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_{What is sure is that the last have the focus tab of the "fragile" kind...}

Until you upgrade it Luigi!

 

I think age comes into it more than anything else. A lens that's had 40+ years of use will have more chance of being out of optimal alignment than one with only 10 years use. That's why the German and titanium ones appear on average we're than the Canadian ones.

[lct]

If you take a look at information on this lens on my website: http://marinewildlife.co.uk/info/leica-35mm-f1-4-pre-aspheric-summilux-m/ you will see the following quote at the bottom:

“Double Gauss lens design: a review of some classics” Jonas & Thorpe (of Elcan). Quote: “9. Re-optimising the Summilux 35mm f/1.4. – It appears that this simple double Gauss design cannot give improved performance given the field and aperture constraints even with additional glass choices”.

I have a pdf copy of the paper (I studied with one of the author's) and it does not indicate any significant changes as far as I am aware but I will reread it when I find the drive its on. From the above quote though, it would appear unlikely that changing glass would have had any beneficial effect as I think that it was Mandler's original design that the paper looked at.

 

Interesting thanks. Would be great to read this paper, if it is available of course. BTW, if i may object to your otherwise excellent description, the "variety of problems it suffers from" at full aperture are what render this lens interesting IMHO, especially due to its glow, and the 12526 hood is not made for the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph but for the Summicron 35/2 asph. Fits also the Summicron 35/2 v4 but it rotates on the Summilux. Just a detail though.

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[pgk]

Interesting thanks. Would be great to read this paper, if it is available of course. BTW, if i may object to your otherwise excellent description, the "variety of problems it suffers from" at full aperture are what render this lens interesting IMHO, especially due to its glow, and the 12526 hood is not made for the Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph but for the Summicron 35/2 asph. Fits also the Summicron 35/2 v4 but it rotates on the Summilux. Just a detail though.

 

You are right, I need to qualify the 'problems' and make it clear that these are not necessarily 'bad' - I find it an interesting lens wide-open myself though tricky to use well. When I get around to an update I will amend. I have a suspicion that I was sent a copy of the paper as its only available on to buy/subscribe journal websites as far as I can see currently, but I'll see if I can find somewhere to download it from. The hood does, as you say fit the Summicron - I have two, a 'user' and a very clean one - though why I keep both I don't really know.

[pico]

With the decades of Summilux 35mm production there have been no demonstrable differences in optical performance. Decades! Is that not enough to settle the questions?

 

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Edited October 1, 2017 by pico

[shinobi2012]

Am 24.9.2017 um 23:08 schrieb NB23:

My Titanium Version is definitely better thant my old canadian version.

Same impression I have

 

[pippy]

7 hours ago, shinobi2012 said:

Same impression I have.

Interesting! I'd love to see some A-B comparison shots. Will you post them here, please, so we can all see the differences for ourselves?

Thanks in advance!

P.

[lct]

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I would not expect significant IQ difference between Titanium's and black v2 copies from the nineties but i may be wrong.