35mm 1.4 FLE v. 28mm 1.4 – Which one?

[FrozenInTime]

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4 hours ago, m410 said:

50 mm is actually telephoto, that is to say it magnifies the objects in view.  Many refer to 50mm as normal but more correctly, normal is 43mm and is the pivot between wide or telephoto perspectives.  I have used your mention of 50mm with 21mm on trips...for me, I enjoyed the diverse angles and magnifications of view.

... that's not the correct definition of telephoto in the optical design sense.

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[Ponnefaxen]

Im in the same boat here. Have a 35 Lux FLE and a 28 Elmarit. Considering swapping them both for the 28 Lux since i’ve come to the conclusion that i prefer 28mm. 
 

User experiences from people who have used both the 28 and 35 Lux would be much appreciated. What are the main differences with regards to rendering etc? Did the increase in size disturb you? How do they compare bokeh-wise?

Edited June 19, 2023 by Ponnefaxen

[sebben]

I’m not thrilled about the wide open performance of the 35mm Summilux asph. I would almost call it bad.

If it wasn’t for the used decentered summicron asph I bought first and then returned I wouldn’t have purchased it. 

Im still considering what to do. Probably sell the summilux 35 and my 28mm summicron and go for the 28mm elmarit. It captures what I think an M lens should be. High performance, light and compact. It’s cheaper as well. 

With the M for me at least after many years of using it. I find focusing on its strengths and not get distracted by the 1.4 and 0.95s especially since the high iso is so good now. Also if the quality of the light is bad when it’s dark F1.4 isn’t going to save it anyway. 


 

[darylgo]

I love the 28 Summilux, and shoot it wide open whenever possible.  The slight less biting sharpness and contrast have a beautiful smooth look.  Stopping down gives me everything modern lens are made to do.  

[28framelines]

32 minutes ago, sebben said:

I’m not thrilled about the wide open performance of the 35mm Summilux asph. I would almost call it bad.

If it wasn’t for the used decentered summicron asph I bought first and then returned I wouldn’t have purchased it. 

Im still considering what to do. Probably sell the summilux 35 and my 28mm summicron and go for the 28mm elmarit. It captures what I think an M lens should be. High performance, light and compact. It’s cheaper as well. 

With the M for me at least after many years of using it. I find focusing on its strengths and not get distracted by the 1.4 and 0.95s especially since the high iso is so good now. Also if the quality of the light is bad when it’s dark F1.4 isn’t going to save it anyway. 


 

As someone who owns the Elmarit, there are absolutely times I wish I had an extra stop. I’d keep the 28 Summicron if I were you. Depending on the 28 Summicron version (version 2), the Elmarit with the hood on is quite literally only a couple millimeters shorter (maybe 3?) than the 28 Summicron with the hood, which is absolutely wild.

Edited June 20, 2023 by 28framelines
Clarity

[28framelines]

10 hours ago, Ponnefaxen said:

Im in the same boat here. Have a 35 Lux FLE and a 28 Elmarit. Considering swapping them both for the 28 Lux since i’ve come to the conclusion that i prefer 28mm. 
 

User experiences from people who have used both the 28 and 35 Lux would be much appreciated. What are the main differences with regards to rendering etc? Did the increase in size disturb you? How do they compare bokeh-wise?

I have the 28 Elmarit and the 35mm Color Skopar, and the main reason I bought the Skopar is because portraits sometimes really do not work on a 28; you need to make sure that a person is on the same plane for their entire body, otherwise you get some pretty interesting (often bad) distortion (I have a photo of someone posing with a mug, and their hand is the size of their head in the image because their hand is so much closer to the lens)

[sebben]

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43 minutes ago, 28framelines said:

As someone who owns the Elmarit, there are absolutely times I wish I had an extra stop. I’d keep the 28 Summicron if I were you. Depending on the 28 Summicron version (version 2), the Elmarit with the hood on is quite literally only a couple millimeters shorter (maybe 3?) than the 28 Summicron with the hood, which is absolutely wild.

I have the V2 but use it without hood.

I use all M lenses without hoods!

i had the V1 Apsh Elmarit and I remember it being very compact. 

[28framelines]

8 minutes ago, sebben said:

I have the V2 but use it without hood.

I use all M lenses without hoods!

i had the V1 Apsh Elmarit and I remember it being very compact. 

I see. Well, without hoods there definitely is more of a difference. The other nice thing about the Elmarit ASPH is the distortion control; the Elmarit outperforms the Summicron in that regard

[Cobram]

2 hours ago, 28framelines said:

I have the 28 Elmarit and the 35mm Color Skopar, and the main reason I bought the Skopar is because portraits sometimes really do not work on a 28; you need to make sure that a person is on the same plane for their entire body, otherwise you get some pretty interesting (often bad) distortion (I have a photo of someone posing with a mug, and their hand is the size of their head in the image because their hand is so much closer to the lens)

Interesting. Are you satisfied with the performance of Color Skopar comparing to Elmarit?

[Ponnefaxen]

1 hour ago, Steven said:

I have (had) all the Leica 28s. I never like the Summicron, for it lacks signature. 

The Summilux is the most gorgeous lens I've owned in terms of rendering at all aperture. It shines on film and on the SL2-S. I like it less on digital Ms. I've used it extensively and always loved the photos I took with it, but I havent touched in months because of size. It's just too big, ugly and heavy for me. 

On the other side of the spectrum, I'm absolutely in love with the Summaron. It produces gorgeous images. 

Lately, I re acquired the Elmarit and I'm very found of it. It's by far, in my opinion, a better option than the Summicron. It has its own unique (Leica) look, it's the perfect size and it's so enjoyable to use. One stop difference with the sum micron is almost never a big deal. 

At F2, I've been experimenting with the Ultron, which I like much more than the cron, but not more than the Lux, Elmarit, or Summaron.

If the size of the Lux doesn't bother you, then it's the only 28 you need. It's a beast that can do it all. Note that I don't answer your comparison question with the 35 FLE as I believe the lenses are not in the same league and can't be compared.  

Thank Steven! Makes me curious when you say that they are not in the same league. Is that just due to focal length or other factors aswell?

[28framelines]

5 hours ago, Steven said:

I always hated the FLE. I prefer the 35AA, or the Pre FLE. I find them much more pleasing. To me, the Summilux 28 renders closer to the Pre FLE than the FLE. Which is a good thing. 

I'd rather not take photos than take photos with the FLE. 

Dang, that is a huge knock against the FLE haha

[28framelines]

7 hours ago, Steven said:

I have (had) all the Leica 28s. I never like the Summicron, for it lacks signature. 

The Summilux is the most gorgeous lens I've owned in terms of rendering at all aperture. It shines on film and on the SL2-S. I like it less on digital Ms. I've used it extensively and always loved the photos I took with it, but I havent touched in months because of size. It's just too big, ugly and heavy for me. 

On the other side of the spectrum, I'm absolutely in love with the Summaron. It produces gorgeous images. 

Lately, I re acquired the Elmarit and I'm very found of it. It's by far, in my opinion, a better option than the Summicron. It has its own unique (Leica) look, it's the perfect size and it's so enjoyable to use. One stop difference with the sum micron is almost never a big deal. 

At F2, I've been experimenting with the Ultron, which I like much more than the cron, but not more than the Lux, Elmarit, or Summaron.

If the size of the Lux doesn't bother you, then it's the only 28 you need. It's a beast that can do it all. Note that I don't answer your comparison question with the 35 FLE as I believe the lenses are not in the same league and can't be compared.  

Steven is definitely right about the Elmarit: it does have an interesting “Leica” Signature that’s quite pleasing.

[28framelines]

7 hours ago, Cobram said:

Interesting. Are you satisfied with the performance of Color Skopar comparing to Elmarit?

Yes, absolutely. Both lenses can be pretty “transparent”, so they pair pretty well together. Also, I’m not quite sure what the deal is where people don’t like this lens; I find it incredibly sharp, with a smooth bokeh wide open (even though it’s not a large aperture). I dont think there’s a lens that offers better performance for the money (brand new, at least) in the Leica ecosystem. The lens handles flares well, it’s compact, the ergonomics are better (yes, better) than the Elmarit in my opinion… there’s a lot to love for being such a compact lens. Also, I don’t use a hood, the lens hasn’t given me bad ghosting/flaring to the point where I need to pop it on.

[Huss]

6 minutes ago, 28framelines said:

Dang, that is a huge knock against the FLE haha

An interesting comment from Steven.  On fredmiranda.com, the question was asked - if you could only have one Leica lens and no others, what lens would it be?

The overwhelming answer?  35 FLE.

[28framelines]

28 minutes ago, Steven said:

That's because they havent tried the 35AA 🤣

Would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Voigtlander 35mm f1.5 AA

[Huss]

1 hour ago, Steven said:

And a consistent one too. I have been expressing my hatred for that lens for over 3 years. I never budged, never will. I HATE it. 

Absolutely love my FLE.  All taken w my 2022 M6 and C200.  

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[Huss]

1 hour ago, Steven said:

No offense to your skills, your photos, nor your dog, but I really don't enjoy this rendering. And on digital it gets even worst. I would rather shoot a Sony A1 than an FLE. 

See now, I completely disagree with you.  BUT  your points are  valid.  We just have different tastes.

And that's what this comes down to - people need to decide themselves what they like, not have people tell them what they like.

[BJohn]

13 hours ago, Steven said:

I have (had) all the Leica 28s. I never like the Summicron, for it lacks signature. 

The Summilux is the most gorgeous lens I've owned in terms of rendering at all aperture. It shines on film and on the SL2-S. I like it less on digital Ms. I've used it extensively and always loved the photos I took with it, but I havent touched in months because of size. It's just too big, ugly and heavy for me. 

On the other side of the spectrum, I'm absolutely in love with the Summaron. It produces gorgeous images. 

Lately, I re acquired the Elmarit and I'm very found of it. It's by far, in my opinion, a better option than the Summicron. It has its own unique (Leica) look, it's the perfect size and it's so enjoyable to use. One stop difference with the sum micron is almost never a big deal. 

At F2, I've been experimenting with the Ultron, which I like much more than the cron, but not more than the Lux, Elmarit, or Summaron.

If the size of the Lux doesn't bother you, then it's the only 28 you need. It's a beast that can do it all. Note that I don't answer your comparison question with the 35 FLE as I believe the lenses are not in the same league and can't be compared.  

I always like the results with my M10-R but on the SL2-S with the gorgeous viewfinder, the Lux 28 is a lot of fun to use! I think that pictures taken with the Lux 28 are just real photographs; they offer a certain feel to me! I tend to shoot wide open nearly all the time and it creates even for landscapes a certain look which I adore.

Edited June 20, 2023 by BJohn

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[BJohn]

2 minutes ago, Steven said:

You're the one who convinced me to get the 28 Lux about 2-3 years ago. I've taken some of my favourite photographs of my life with this lens, and to this day, I still adore its rendering more than any other lens. But I grew out of using it because of its size. Using Ms only, I look for more balanced/compact lens. 

I once told AK that if he could make a 28 lux fit into the body of an SR, I would offer him 250k euros for it. He laughed. 

I was the one who convinced you? I feel honoured to a certain degree ❤️!

I really hope that they offer a close focus variant but with the same look in the near future  would be a dream; bit smaller / lighter would also be nice  

I think another reason to go with the Lux 28, although I also hate switching lenses, is the new CF 50 Lux which I adore as well! Nice combination with no limits but your own mind!

Anyways, back to topic: I took my best shots with the Lux 28 and looking at my Instagram, on my hard drive, at my walls (I print a lot) or on the Lux 28 thread in this forum: I have nothing but absolute gratitude that Peter Karbe designed and Leica finally made this lens!

[BJohn]

4 hours ago, Al Brown said:

35 FLE is a brutal lens.
I understand the love/hate relationship, I too have sold my used one... and bought it again brand new a year later. For that extra crispy feel, it is - along with the 50 lux ASPH - my go-to lens.
Shitty bokeh, but an instantly recognizable character and it almost never fails to amaze.

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I don't have a strong "hate" for the Lux 35, I do like the Lux 28 more. But this photograph is lovely, well done!