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The only one lens I need


Samascha

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Hi to everyone here,

I currently owned M6 and MP (type 240)

by nature, i usually like shooting at 35 mm focal length.

 

I am aiming to upgrade my summicron asph to a summilux

which 35mm summilux lens will be the ‘one lens’that would fit with my two camera bodies?(digital and film) 

I will be studying abroad( in edinburgh), so i would like to hear thoughts and comments from fellow experienced users in this forum. :)

 

Thank you

Edited by Samascha
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Welcome to the forum! 😊

A Summilux is not, necessarily, an upgrade, relative to a Summicron ASPH, but a different tool for a somewhat different task. No? (I own neither lens, in the 35mm focal length, so will not be more specific.)

If the different task is low-light shooting, rather than a actual preference for Summilux images, adding a Zeiss 1,4/35mm Distagon, as recommended by jaapv, might well financially allow keeping the Summicron ASPH. Some of the older Zeiss ZM lenses may not really rival their Leica-M counterparts, but the newer 35mm Distagon seems to be quite good. 

I started with a pre-owned Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, then added a pre-owned Summaron-M 3.5cm f/3.5, in Spring 2018. I recently added a pre-owned ZM 1.4/35mm Distagon.

 

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You will hear different opinions because everybody uses "his" lens for different suituations. I like to use small lenses esp. for street photography or during travels. As a result the pre asph 35mm Summilux is the perfect lens for me. I use it on the M4 as well as on the Monochrom I. The "glow" on 1.4 does not disturb be at all because I do not use this lens wide open. All the other 35mm Leica lenses are for sure fantastic and the Zeiss 1.4/35 is really a beauty (but too big for me)

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I guess the big questions are what you shoot, how you shoot and what is the look you are looking for?

I have used the following Leica 35s: 35/2 v3, 35/1.4 pre-asph, 35/1.4 FLE. They are all superb lenses and I wish I could keep all but I couldn't.

I know you didn't ask about the 35/2 v3 but I think it's worth considering - small, light, good price, good balance between classic and sharp. Slightly lower contrast and slight "glow". Personally, I don't find the v4 or even v1 8 elements that much better than the v3 and they cost way more.

The 35/1.4 pre-asph is the smallest 35 for Leica mount I believe (lighter than the Voigt 35/1.4). It's a fantastic lens but you have to like the glow at f1.4 and learn to control the glow so that it doesn't blow out highlights. But at f2 onwards, it becomes very similar to the 35/2 v3 - sharper, good contrast. So it's a great lens to have both older world glow and more modern sharpness and contrast at different apertures. The biggest downside to this lens is that you need the hood to protect from flare and to use filters and they are the special Series VII filters (drop in, not screwed in) but understandably some might not consider this a downside.

The 35 FLE is THE modern 35 for Leica. Of course I haven't tried every M mount 35s out there including the Zeiss 35/1.4. But this baby is the perfect combo of small-ish, light-ish, sharp, modern, contrast, colours. For me, it's as big as I want an everyday walk-around lens. If you want to make it feel smaller, remove the hood and just screw in a filter. No real worries about flare. For me, this is THE "buy it and forget it" lens for 35s - I will never need to look for another 35 and will never sell this. The upside is because this has been and is still in production for quite a few years, it's easy to find a used copy. I bought mine supposedly rate 8+ and got a great price. Perfect glass, good to go!

 

Here's a size comparison between the pre-asph and the FLE. 

The pre-asph with hood is 206g and the FLE with hood is 326g.

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JMHO, but the only plus I can see to the 35 'lux is it is +1EV faster than the 35 'cron and will have a bit more shallow depth of field at maximum aperture.  That might come in handy with the M6 and M240 on some occasions.

As for the M10 with a maximum ISO of 50,000 the +1EV light gathering ability of the 35 'lux is much less of an issue than with the M240 and the M6 in particular.

If you just want the 35 'lux and have the cash on hand to get it, I can't see a reason not to.  We live once. 

Edited by Herr Barnack
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I had the 35 Summilux FLE in mind when I read the topic title.  If you have the means, why not?  I say this as someone who has only read reviews and looked at samples, but the lens is pretty unimpeachable on every point except price.

The important decision was already made - you've settled on 35mm.  There's no shortage of phenomenal lenses in that length, at every price point.  Personally, I'm making do with a surprisingly good Voigtlander 35mm 2.5 Color-Skopar for the time being, but a Summilux is in my future when funds allow.

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5 hours ago, g2van said:

I guess the big questions are what you shoot, how you shoot and what is the look you are looking for?

I have used the following Leica 35s: 35/2 v3, 35/1.4 pre-asph, 35/1.4 FLE. They are all superb lenses and I wish I could keep all but I couldn't.

I know you didn't ask about the 35/2 v3 but I think it's worth considering - small, light, good price, good balance between classic and sharp. Slightly lower contrast and slight "glow". Personally, I don't find the v4 or even v1 8 elements that much better than the v3 and they cost way more.

The 35/1.4 pre-asph is the smallest 35 for Leica mount I believe (lighter than the Voigt 35/1.4). It's a fantastic lens but you have to like the glow at f1.4 and learn to control the glow so that it doesn't blow out highlights. But at f2 onwards, it becomes very similar to the 35/2 v3 - sharper, good contrast. So it's a great lens to have both older world glow and more modern sharpness and contrast at different apertures. The biggest downside to this lens is that you need the hood to protect from flare and to use filters and they are the special Series VII filters (drop in, not screwed in) but understandably some might not consider this a downside.

The 35 FLE is THE modern 35 for Leica. Of course I haven't tried every M mount 35s out there including the Zeiss 35/1.4. But this baby is the perfect combo of small-ish, light-ish, sharp, modern, contrast, colours. For me, it's as big as I want an everyday walk-around lens. If you want to make it feel smaller, remove the hood and just screw in a filter. No real worries about flare. For me, this is THE "buy it and forget it" lens for 35s - I will never need to look for another 35 and will never sell this. The upside is because this has been and is still in production for quite a few years, it's easy to find a used copy. I bought mine supposedly rate 8+ and got a great price. Perfect glass, good to go!

 

Here's a size comparison between the pre-asph and the FLE. 

The pre-asph with hood is 206g and the FLE with hood is 326g.

 

Measurements like this should be taken from the lens flange, not the rearward extension of the optical cell. The earlier Summilux, is that the one with no filter threads? I shot with one belonging to a co-worker. Summicron, thank you. And thanks for the comparison, really.

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35 summilux fle. I absolutely love this lens.  

I have an assortment from a WATE to a 90 apo and this is my goto lens.  

Old friends were in from Colorado last year and I took this photo https://richardnlipow.com/portraits with my 35mm and m10.  Every time I look at it, it is as if I can reach out and touch them.  It's a great lens

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On 6/6/2019 at 12:28 PM, g2van said:

I guess the big questions are what you shoot, how you shoot and what is the look you are looking for?

I have used the following Leica 35s: 35/2 v3, 35/1.4 pre-asph, 35/1.4 FLE. They are all superb lenses and I wish I could keep all but I couldn't.

I know you didn't ask about the 35/2 v3 but I think it's worth considering - small, light, good price, good balance between classic and sharp. Slightly lower contrast and slight "glow". Personally, I don't find the v4 or even v1 8 elements that much better than the v3 and they cost way more.

The 35/1.4 pre-asph is the smallest 35 for Leica mount I believe (lighter than the Voigt 35/1.4). It's a fantastic lens but you have to like the glow at f1.4 and learn to control the glow so that it doesn't blow out highlights. But at f2 onwards, it becomes very similar to the 35/2 v3 - sharper, good contrast. So it's a great lens to have both older world glow and more modern sharpness and contrast at different apertures. The biggest downside to this lens is that you need the hood to protect from flare and to use filters and they are the special Series VII filters (drop in, not screwed in) but understandably some might not consider this a downside.

The 35 FLE is THE modern 35 for Leica. Of course I haven't tried every M mount 35s out there including the Zeiss 35/1.4. But this baby is the perfect combo of small-ish, light-ish, sharp, modern, contrast, colours. For me, it's as big as I want an everyday walk-around lens. If you want to make it feel smaller, remove the hood and just screw in a filter. No real worries about flare. For me, this is THE "buy it and forget it" lens for 35s - I will never need to look for another 35 and will never sell this. The upside is because this has been and is still in production for quite a few years, it's easy to find a used copy. I bought mine supposedly rate 8+ and got a great price. Perfect glass, good to go!

 

Here's a size comparison between the pre-asph and the FLE. 

The pre-asph with hood is 206g and the FLE with hood is 326g.

 

Thank you for posting this visual size comparison.  

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  • 1 year later...
On 6/5/2019 at 9:46 PM, Samascha said:

.....I am aiming to upgrade my summicron asph to a summilux

 

I don't agree that a summilux is an 'upgrade' to a summicron asph, but if you do then I doubt you'll be satisfied with anything other than the current summilux.

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