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Sean Reid on 35mm lenses for M8


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Since this is the nearest innocent 35mm lens thread I could find, here are two photos, from 35/2 IV and 35/2 ASPH respectively. Now I do not want to generalise based on these two test shots, but my conclusion is that the IV does not have better bokeh in all cases:

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That is certain! However, the 35/2 IV is sometimes called the "Bokeh king", but in the only comparative shot I managed to take, the ASPH was clearly nicer. Mike Johnston also has a comment on the "bokeh king" in his Bokeh essay.

 

I would like to test it more one day. Such a reputation doesn't come from nothing, but I didn't find the strengths of the lens in the 5 minutes I played with it (shock and surprise).

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By definition, there can be no such thing as a "Bokeh King". It's like naming the world's most beautiful woman.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

 

That's easy, any woman with an M8 around her neck!

 

Apologies, I just received my M8 an hour ago and am fixated.

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That is certain! However, the 35/2 IV is sometimes called the "Bokeh king", but in the only comparative shot I managed to take, the ASPH was clearly nicer. Mike Johnston also has a comment on the "bokeh king" in his Bokeh essay.

 

I would like to test it more one day. Such a reputation doesn't come from nothing, but I didn't find the strengths of the lens in the 5 minutes I played with it (shock and surprise).

 

Some months ago LFI showed images from those 2 lenses and allready stated that the35/2.0 asph does have a pretty "good" bokeh.

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Thank you for a very helpful article, Sean! It answered many questions, especially why I never liked the Ultron - lower contrast. Also, the Summilux ASPH is clearly a stunning piece of glass...

 

I was wondering: Would it be possible to put up some full resoultion images from these lenses? The crops are certainly helpful, but it would be interesting to see more...

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Hi Svein,

 

Yes, the Ultron gives one a wide dynamic range and then one would usually change overall and local contrast from there. Straight from the camera, the files will be too flat for some (although I like them flat to start with). I'll think about getting some full-res samples up.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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I just finished a new section of the article that deals with lens contrast. It might be interesting to anyone who's curious about the relationship between lens contrast and effective dynamic range. The 35s are discussed, of course, but there's also a broader discussion of the topic as it relates to lenses on digital cameras generally.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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Guest guy_mancuso

Okay guilty I did not read your article yet, you know me. But i decided to switch from the Lux to the Cron. I played with the cron in Germany and here the other day and decided to try the cron for awhile. I really liked the cron at F2 which maybe because i love the 28 cron for the same reason. One reason I did this was more sharpness towards the corners than the lux wide open, sometimes doing events which is were the 35mm becomes really handy at F2 .8 or f4 i don't always get the depth in the corners, so i am going to try it and see how it goes. I actually traded for a brand new one which is a rare day and in stock.

 

Sean your supposed to help me before i buy this stuff. LOL

 

Maybe i better go read the article.

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Sean your supposed to help me before i buy this stuff. LOL

 

Maybe i better go read the article.

 

Hi Guy,

 

Actually, a good copy of the Summilux has very good resolution in the corners even at wide apertures. The differences you are seeing might be coming from a good copy of the 35 Summicron and a so-so copy of the 35 Lux.

 

The strongest performer in the corners (among the 35s) is the Zeiss Biogon, and that's the case even at F/2.0. But the two current Leica 35s do quite well across the frame, overall.

 

In any case, the Summicron is a great lens and a bit more compact than the Lux. That's usually helpful.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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Guest guy_mancuso

My lux was great at 1.4 and 5.6 but in between it's good but not great. The cron seemed good going all the way down to F8. Some lenses i want sharp as a tack this focal length is one of them.

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My lux was great at 1.4 and 5.6 but in between it's good but not great. The cron seemed good going all the way down to F8. Some lenses i want sharp as a tack this focal length is one of them.

 

That's focus shift from the Lux, most likely. F/5.6 is nearly enough DOF to overcome the shift. F/8 should have been good as well, save for some diffraction.

 

I'm glad this copy of the Summicron is working out for you.

 

Cheers,

 

Sean

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I would like to test it more one day. Such a reputation doesn't come from nothing, but I didn't find the strengths of the lens in the 5 minutes I played with it (shock and surprise).

 

Did you take a look at the B&W files from both lenses Carsten.....that's what i call a shocking difference and strength of the IV cron........ the IV files are very different and much more to my preference .. more in line with B&W files from the 50 pre-asph lux or 75 lux!

The bokeh of the IV can get a bit swirly and wild depending on the back-ground, a bit like the Noctilux, like Sean pointed out ...very subjective ... some may like it some may not.

I am not sure if i can justify to keep the asph cron after seeing the (B&W) files from the IV cron...... never liked the 35 asph cron beyond f 4.0! But if i dump the cron asph it will not be because of bad bokeh.

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I only played with it a few minutes, and only took a couple of pictures, and in those pictures I managed to get somewhat unruly bokeh from both, but more from the IV, so all I was able to conclude is that the IV doesn't always have better bokeh, nothing more. As I said, I can hardly believe that it has such a good reputation without any substance, so maybe I will have another chance to compare one day.

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