35mm 1.4 FLE v. 28mm 1.4 – Which one?

[RMF]

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I would have a hard time choosing between them. For me the 35 Lux and 28 Lux are my two ‘go to’ lenses that I know I can always rely on. The 28 Lux is a marvel of a lens with quite a bit of versatility. Here a 28 Lux shot at min focal distance.

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[m410]

On 1/28/2018 at 8:32 AM, Ko.Fe. said:

35 is wide? To me 50 is tele and 21 is wide

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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.

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[FrozenInTime]

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.

[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]

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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]

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?

[Steven]

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.  

[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?

[Steven]

4 minutes ago, Ponnefaxen said:

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?

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. 

[Al Brown]

A very tough question, so hard choosing between these two awesome lenses.
If the size bothers you, take the 35 FLE.
If you think you will need extended angle, take the 28 lux.
If you can afford, take both.

But I do not get the extended debate on "what is wide" here... did the OP ask to define wide? I have not seen that in his initial post. All he asked was "was looking for some input from those who have used both 35 and 28".

Edited June 20, 2023 by Al Brown

[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.

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[Steven]

25 minutes ago, Huss said:

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.

That's because they havent tried the 35AA 🤣