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Hi guys, I’ve upgraded from my Q to a M10 and a 35mm Summilux for about 6 months now. Originally I wanted that extra stop of light but I’ve been regretting it due to the size and weight. On top of that I found that I never really shot wide open anyway. So my dilemma is, should I go for the Summicron? But I’ve blown all my savings at the beginning of the year for this setup. So I’m thinking maybe I could go to Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 II which is way smaller and it has overwhelming amounts of good reviews. But would I regret not getting the lecia sharpness? Besides, it feels like I’m wasting the Summilux since it’s still a phenomenal lens. What do you guys think?

 
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Part 1 - I would say give the Summilux at least another 6 months. It is better than any 35 Summicon ever made, at f/2 - f/2.8 (and obviously at f/1.4). It is a bit lower-contrast than the Summicron ASPH (not a bad thing on digital - think: a bit more dynamic range). More neutral color than the 35 'cron ASPH as well (less pink). And you never know - you just might get a wild hair to try shooting in dark jazz dens or do some night-time street photography or some such (let f/1.4 lead you to places you've never been before ;) ).

It really is a masterpiece, optically.

As to the weight/size: David Alan Harvey carried around a 35 Summilux ASPH for nearly a decade doing his Latin Diaspora/Cuba projects. Never seemed to slow him down. I generally found it comfortable and well-balanced, even if it is a bit bigger than the 'crons. (And I have a habit of seeing my index finger creep into the bottom of pictures with the shorter 35s ;) ).

https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/david-alan-harvey/

Part 2 - I have the v.1 35 f/1.4 Nokton MC. I love it.

It is not quite as small as it appears. 43mm filters vs. 39mm for a cron, its circular shade is quite wide, and it overlaps the lens flange a bit, like the Summilux ASPH. But otherwise, comfortably small.

On an M10 at f/8 it is as sharp any Leica 35, just slightly lower global contrast. At f/2 it compares well with the non-ASPH Summicrons - sharp center, squishy corners. For me it has a "1960s" character that matches well with my 1980s Mandler 21/28/135.

C/V 35mm f/1.4 Nokton v.1 at f/2.0 on M10 (detail and full frame)

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14 minutes ago, ktmrider2 said:

Zeiss 35f2.8 C Biogon.  It is small and Reid Reviews has rated it the sharpest 35mm made.  And one third the price of the Leica.

Totally agree - and to quote Sean a real 'sleeper' and great value. Looks great in silver on a silver body IMHO. Unless of course you NEED f1.4.

Edited by pedaes
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2 minutes ago, TomB_tx said:

I have both v1 & v2, and performance is very similar, but v2 has much less focus shift stopping down. It still has similar distortion as v1. Body machining is slightly different.

Thank you much. Any idea about bokeh? Would you say it is similar or less contrasty to that of this pic by Patrick Leong below? Just asking as i wonder if Patrick did not push contrast in PP.
http://findingrange.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Leica-SL-Voigtlander-Nokton-Classic-35mm-f1.4-ii-MC-lens-Portrait-Candid-Chinatown-Bokeh-NYC-1.jpg

 

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8 hours ago, adan said:

Part 1 - I would say give the Summilux at least another 6 months. It is better than any 35 Summicon ever made, at f/2 - f/2.8 (and obviously at f/1.4). It is a bit lower-contrast than the Summicron ASPH (not a bad thing on digital - think: a bit more dynamic range). More neutral color than the 35 'cron ASPH as well (less pink). And you never know - you just might get a wild hair to try shooting in dark jazz dens or do some night-time street photography or some such (let f/1.4 lead you to places you've never been before ;) ).

It really is a masterpiece, optically.

As to the weight/size: David Alan Harvey carried around a 35 Summilux ASPH for nearly a decade doing his Latin Diaspora/Cuba projects. Never seemed to slow him down. I generally found it comfortable and well-balanced, even if it is a bit bigger than the 'crons. (And I have a habit of seeing my index finger creep into the bottom of pictures with the shorter 35s ;) ).

https://www.magnumphotos.com/photographer/david-alan-harvey/

Part 2 - I have the v.1 35 f/1.4 Nokton MC. I love it.

It is not quite as small as it appears. 43mm filters vs. 39mm for a cron, its circular shade is quite wide, and it overlaps the lens flange a bit, like the Summilux ASPH. But otherwise, comfortably small.

On an M10 at f/8 it is as sharp any Leica 35, just slightly lower global contrast. At f/2 it compares well with the non-ASPH Summicrons - sharp center, squishy corners. For me it has a "1960s" character that matches well with my 1980s Mandler 21/28/135.

C/V 35mm f/1.4 Nokton v.1 at f/2.0 on M10 (detail and full frame)

 

question, my 35mm lux ASPH (not FLE) has focus shift between 1.4 and 2.8, does yours?  I've heard it's design flaw...

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3 hours ago, ktmrider2 said:

Zeiss 35f2.8 C Biogon.  It is small and Reid Reviews has rated it the sharpest 35mm made.  And one third the price of the Leica.

Sean Reid also raved about the Voigtlander Skopar 35mm f2.5, a very compact lens and a great performer. Cheap enough to buy as a 2nd option perhaps?

 

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As ‘adan’ says, give the Summilux another few months. Only the larger ZM 1,4/35 is arguably a superior, fast optic. 
A 2nd ‘35’ with a different character can be found at a reasonable price whether that be a CV 2,5/35, the Chinese 8-element replica spoken about here, ZM 35 C or 35 Summaron f/2.8. Hold on to the Summilux, you may one day regret parting with it. 

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13 minutes ago, jaeger said:

question, my 35mm lux ASPH (not FLE) has focus shift between 1.4 and 2.8, does yours?  I've heard it's design flaw...

It is not really a design flaw, rather an unavoidable effect on this type of fast wide lens, caused by chromatic aberration. Only the addition of floating elements cured the problem, and even then not completely. 

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In next six months your Lux will become smaller :).  I mean, if it is big and blocks VF, here is nothing you could do.

But to get something matching bokeh and sharpness @1.4, here is nothing you could do either. 

 

You could find used CV Color Skopar VM PII for low price. This is astonishingly small lens, with fancy third party hoods available. It sucks on BW film and prints, but I wasn't able to fail it on digital.

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A very comprehensive answer came already from Adan: Keep the Lux. 
 

In addition you could get the ZEISS C-Biogon. Very small, very good and used at around 700 bucks; new I think around 900. 

So you can choose according to your daily needs.
 

I‘ve added a Summaron 28, but that‘s way more expensive than the Zeiss, 28mm and f5.6. Nevertheless, a gem. 
 

Cheers

Daniel

Edited by Daniel C.1975
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On 11/12/2019 at 8:20 AM, earleygallery said:

Sean Reid also raved about the Voigtlander Skopar 35mm f2.5, a very compact lens and a great performer. Cheap enough to buy as a 2nd option perhaps?

 

I returned mine after seeing bad CA and weird corners.  Even after applying the lens profile in LR.  Bought an old Summaron 35mm/3.5 and have stellar images from the oldie!

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Unless I missed it, I’m surprised no one has mentioned the 35 M Summarits (f2.4 or earlier f2.5). Superb lens at a reasonable cost, compact, and with potentially less flare and focus shift than the Summicron (which I use).  

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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2 hours ago, Jeff S said:

Unless I missed it, I’m surprised no one has mentioned the 35 M Summarits (f2.4 or earlier f2.5). Superb lens at a reasonable cost, compact, and with potentially less flare and focus shift than the Summicron (which I use).  

Jeff

Good point. I have several 35s, but the Summarit 35 2.5 is my most used lens on M10.

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On 11/12/2019 at 11:38 AM, JorkGomes said:

Hi guys, I’ve upgraded from my Q to a M10 and a 35mm Summilux for about 6 months now. Originally I wanted that extra stop of light but I’ve been regretting it due to the size and weight. On top of that I found that I never really shot wide open anyway. So my dilemma is, should I go for the Summicron? But I’ve blown all my savings at the beginning of the year for this setup. So I’m thinking maybe I could go to Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 II which is way smaller and it has overwhelming amounts of good reviews. But would I regret not getting the lecia sharpness? Besides, it feels like I’m wasting the Summilux since it’s still a phenomenal lens. What do you guys think?https://solitaire.onl/ 9apps.ooo/

 

issue solved!!!

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