35mm Summicron ASPH vs 50mm Summicron pre-asph

[Csacwp]

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How do these lenses differ in rendering and color?  Being a 90s design, does the 35mm Summicron ASPH complement the 90 Summicron Apo well, or is there a different 35mm or 50mm lens that has the "look" of lenses like the 90 apo, 100 apo R, etc.?  To my eyes, the 100 apo R and 90 apo have a different look than the later Karbe lenses.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Csacwp

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[lct]

Again Mandler vs Karbe (i guess) lenses. 35/2 asph complements 90/2 apo the same way as 35/2 v4 complements 90/2 v3. Main difference is f/2 where both Karbe lenses are  significantly sharper than Mandler's as usual.

Edited January 31, 2018 by lct

[Csacwp]

Neither the 35 Cron ASPH nor the 90mm Apo are Karbe lenses.

Edited January 31, 2018 by Csacwp

[lct]

Neither the 35 Cron ASPH nor the 90mm Apo are Karbe lenses, and both render differently than the Karbe stuff (50mm lux asph, etc.).

 

Why asking is you know already? If Mr Karbe is not the author of Summicron 90/2 apo and 35/2 asph lenses, the character of the latters is similar as other Leica asph/apo lenses. Quite obvious to my eyes as a fortunate owner of 35/2 v4, 35/2 asph, 90/2 v2, 90/2 v3 and 90/2 apo lenses for many years. 

Edited January 31, 2018 by lct

[Csacwp]

I find my 90 apo to exist somewhere between the sterile Karbe renderings and the more characterful pre-asph lenses, maybe because it is an early aspherical design that isn’t as well corrected as the Karbe lenses. I wish there was an M normal prime that drew similarly to it or to the 100 apo macro-elmarit R (minus the incredible sharpness the 100 has... it draws beautifully). I’m also a fan of the 180mm apo elmarit R and the 280mm apo f/4 R... I think these lenses draw beautifully and have a different color palette than the modern apo/asph lenses, and they have nicer bokeh and a slower falloff to out-of-focus. The 35mm cron asph was designed around the same time, so maybe it has a similar look and color palette?

[lct]

All i can say is both my M 90/2 apo and R 280/4 (no experience with R 100/2.8) are sharp at full aperture the same way as current asph and apo M lenses and both have smooth bokeh there so i'm not sure to see what you mean exactly. Same for my R 180/3.4 apo BTW. The Summicron 35/2 asph is sharper than the 35/2 v4 at full aperture and has also smooth bokey there. Now around f/2.8, i find the 35/2 asph' bokeh somewhat harsher that that of its predecessor but this is a subjective matter as you know. You said that you are after a 35 to complement your 90/2 apo and the only Leica lenses i can think of with the same character are my 35/2 asph and 35/1.4 FLE. Three lenses with modern rendering obviously, at least obviously to me...

Edited January 31, 2018 by lct

[Csacwp]

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Do you know whether the 35mm or the 50mm has more contrast?  The 90 apo has remarkably low contrast for a Leica aspherical lens, which might account for some of the difference in look that I see.

[lct]

I suspect your 90/2 apo has a problem if you feel it a low contrast lens. It could possibly need some CLA or calibration. Anyway, i'm not good at comparing lenses of different focal lengths but both 35/2 asph and 50/2 v5 are contrasty lenses certainly. The latter is softer in edges and corners below f/4 though and can give a feeling of somewhat less contrast at f/2.