35/2.4 Summarit to 35/2 Summicron?

[logan2z]

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When I started out with the Leica M system a few years ago I decided to tread lightly into the lens world and bought a 35mm/2.4 Summarit.  Relatively expensive when compared to lenses from other brands but a bargain in terms of Leica.  I've shot the lens almost exclusively on my M-A and M4 and have been happy with the performance.   But sitting around the house for weeks during the Coronavirus crisis does strange things to people and now I'm wondering if should 'step up' to a Summicron. 

I shoot mostly street photography and urban landscapes with my film Ms - all in black and white.   I don't currently have a digital Leica but could see myself possibly picking one up at some point, maybe a Monochrom. 

I realize that the Summicron is a highly respected lens but I'm wondering if I'll really see any benefit of it over the Summarit.  I should mention that I rarely shoot wide open given the subject matter that I tend to photograph and rarely in low light situations, so the difference in max aperture is likely unimportant to me. 

This is probably just a momentary bout of GAS that will eventually pass but I'm curious to hear what people think about this potential 'upgrade'

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[Ko.Fe.]

Total waste of money, with absolutely no gain in photography, IMO.

I have 2.5 version and it is the only Leica M lens I'm willing to keep for now. Best  lens for bw negatives I ever have tried so far.

To have more light I just added CV Nokton 35 1.4 II. It does well at f1.4 and any other apertures are fine. 

It costs same money you will have to add  to get Cron after selling of Summarit.

[earleygallery]

I'd agree with Ko.Fe. 

I understand the GAS symptoms during this time though, I'm usually very good at avoiding it! 

 

[earleygallery]

I meant to add, you can search 'summarit 35' and 'summicron 35 asph' on Flickr and browse the images from both lenses to make comparisons. 

If nothing else it will keep you off the Leica dealers website for a few hours.

[TomB_tx]

For decades I used 35 & 50mm Summicrons, but now use 35 & 50 2.5 Summarits on my M10, for the size, handling - and of course price. A faster lens is handy on film and on my M9, and for that I also have a CV Nokton 1.4 ver II, after using the ver 1 for a few years. It's not as sharp as some other 35s I have, but good overall, and the size, handling and price are great.

On the other hand, every Leica owner should have a Summicron. I don't think you would see any benefit in images, but it's a very pleasing lens to use.

There are many good 35s now for Leica M, so perhaps add a 50 Summicron (any version) when you find a good buy? It's also a happy fit with any M body. As I said, 35 & 50 met 90% of my needs for over 40 years, with a 90 TeleElmarit for the rest.

[logan2z]

16 minutes ago, earleygallery said:

I meant to add, you can search 'summarit 35' and 'summicron 35 asph' on Flickr and browse the images from both lenses to make comparisons. 

If nothing else it will keep you off the Leica dealers website for a few hours.

Thanks for the response.  I'm pretty sure I did those image comparisons before I bought the Summarit, but I'll do it again just out of curiosity.  

Boredom is getting the better of me 🙄

[logan2z]

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14 minutes ago, TomB_tx said:

For decades I used 35 & 50mm Summicrons, but now use 35 & 50 2.5 Summarits on my M10, for the size, handling - and of course price. A faster lens is handy on film and on my M9, and for that I also have a CV Nokton 1.4 ver II, after using the ver 1 for a few years. It's not as sharp as some other 35s I have, but good overall, and the size, handling and price are great.

On the other hand, every Leica owner should have a Summicron. I don't think you would see any benefit in images, but it's a very pleasing lens to use.

There are many good 35s now for Leica M, so perhaps add a 50 Summicron (any version) when you find a good buy? It's also a happy fit with any M body. As I said, 35 & 50 met 90% of my needs for over 40 years, with a 90 TeleElmarit for the rest.

Thanks, good suggestions.  I thought that 50 might be too close to 35 to warrant owning both FLs but perhaps it's worth considering for my next lens.  And a 50 would give me some rationale for adding an M3 to the stable.  Somebody help me... 😀

[logan2z]

41 minutes ago, Ko.Fe. said:

Total waste of money, with absolutely no gain in photography, IMO.

I have 2.5 version and it is the only Leica M lens I'm willing to keep for now. Best  lens for bw negatives I ever have tried so far.

To have more light I just added CV Nokton 35 1.4 II. It does well at f1.4 and any other apertures are fine. 

It costs same money you will have to add  to get Cron after selling of Summarit.

I'm sure you're right.

I always thought it was sacrilege to use a non-Leica lens on a Leica camera, but the thought has been crossing my mind more frequently lately.

[Jeff S]

I have a 35 Summicron ASPH (earlier version) and it’s a superb lens. But, objectively, the 35 Summarits (both versions) exhibit less flare and are not prone to focus shift like some Summicron samples (including mine). E. Puts rates the Summarit highly, and many here enjoy theirs (and the 75 as well).

Be happy.  And since the M Summarit line has been discontinued, maybe one day you’ll own a rare item.

Jeff

[logan2z]

14 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

Be happy.  And since the M Summarit line has been discontinued, maybe one day you’ll own a rare item.

Jeff

Good advice.  I have the 75 as well, but rarely use it.  

[spydrxx]

GAS and $ burning in the pockets...a bad combination. For your needs, as described, no real benefit, excepting the GAS will have dispersed. On second thought, bragging rights on owning a Summicron😁

[lct]

I have no experience with current Summicron 35/2 asph v2 and Summarit 35/2.4, only 35/2 asph v1 and 35/2.5 so i'm not sure i can help. Anyway i like both and prefer the 35/2.5 for its small size and the 35/2 asph v1 for its image quality. Not to say that the 35/2.5's IQ is poor, far from that, but edge to edge sharpness is not its forte below f/5.6. It is less of a problem on APS-C though.

[logan2z]

1 hour ago, spydrxx said:

On second thought, bragging rights on owning a Summicron😁

That's got to be worth something 😁

[haikos]

I agree with the ones who say stick with the Summarit that you have. If you shoot on film and have no need for a faster lens, you will definitely never need one on digital if you ever buy one with the iso capabilities as they are. If however, you are feeling limited on film, then I'd say maybe it would be nice to have at least f2. The question then becomes whether or not upgrading only half a stop will be worth all that money? Or should you look for something even faster while you are at it (and even more money)?

[Ko.Fe.]

5 hours ago, logan2z said:

I'm sure you're right.

I always thought it was sacrilege to use a non-Leica lens on a Leica camera, but the thought has been crossing my mind more frequently lately.

I learned it from Garry Winogrand (Canon 28 LTM lenses) and Robert Frank (Nikkor 50 1.4). None of their photos are sacrilege to me.

I'm after content, after all

[logan2z]

1 minute ago, Ko.Fe. said:

I learned it from Garry Winogrand (Canon 28 LTM lenses) and Robert Frank (Nikkor 50 1.4). None of their photos are sacrilege to me.

I'm after content, after all

Agreed, I was kidding.  Henry Wessel used a Canon lens on his Leica as well and he wasn't half bad 😉

[otto.f]

12 hours ago, TomB_tx said:

On the other hand, every Leica owner should have a Summicron.

I would change that in: every Leica M owner should have an M lens with a 39mm filter thread, preferably two:  a 35, 50 but the 90/4.0 macro with it would be the top.

[Ouroboros]

There’s little point in ‘upgrading’ to a summicron,  you won’t see any difference in your images that will make the outlay worthwhile. 
If you really want to spend some money, maybe add a summarit 75 or 50mm to expand your options.

Want something faster? Take a look at the CV 50 & 35 f1.2  or 75mm f1.5 lenses, you’ll still be saving money over a 35mm summicron asph to spend on film.

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[JimmyCheng]

I have a 35mm summicron v4, and by sitting at my desk for 2 weeks, I am pondering if I should get that lovely 35 summarit in silver which should pair nicely with my newly acquired silver M-A ... Hmmm ... Or the zeiss biogon c in silver, such little gem, heard lot good things about it. Which one.. Which one ..

[a.noctilux]

1 hour ago, JimmyCheng said:

I have a 35mm summicron v4, and by sitting at my desk for 2 weeks, I am pondering if I should get that lovely 35 summarit in silver which should pair nicely with my newly acquired silver M-A ... Hmmm ... Or the zeiss biogon c in silver, such little gem, heard lot good things about it. Which one.. Which one ..

SAWOM 11308

😉 no better match for silver M-A (or other M ! ) than the chrome first version 35mm Summicron

 

 

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...and for black M-A the black 35mm Summilux matches very well to become a compact tandem