28 Battle, Does Cron is worth vs Elmarit? Let me explain

[PaolofromItaly]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Hello Everyone, 

I'm talking about one of my favourite focal lenght, 28 mm. I'm loving it for street for sure, but also for landscape.

I really want to know if for landscape purpose there any appreciable difference betwenn 28 mm elmarit and 28 mm summicron.

I mean, for landscape i usually shot at f 8 or something like that, I would like to shoot on m10, and the most important thing in this kind of photo for me is sharpness.

Is the price difference worth ? Can anyone post some landscape photos taken with both lenses?

Thank you all and have a nice day, 

Paolo

[FrozenInTime]

No 1:1 direct comparisons, but would say that the 28mm summicron is the only that stays sharp into the corners on the M10. It also seems the best resolving on the CL sensor.

I owned all three Leica 28mm  lenses - Elmarit, Summicron and Summilux. It was the Elmarit that I let go to fund a M10M.

 

 

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[stephan54]

No complaints about sharpness with the Elmarit on my M10, but i like the rendering of the Summicron better. Two thousand euros better, that is another question.

Edited May 3, 2020 by stephan54

[Fedro]

Assuming you are talking about the latest versions, I have not made a comparison, but have owned both at some point.

I personally prefer the rendering of the Summicron, but my guess is that you would not see a huge difference between the two at f8

[lct]

Can't seem to see significant differences at f/8 but i'm no pixel peeper.

[Guest]

At aperture 8, I prefer my latest black Summaron 5.6-28 mm because of its very small size.
It makes the M10 suitable for jacket pockets again.

[PaolofromItaly]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

First of all thank you all for your kind answer. So it seems Sharpness of summicron is better just in the corners or in open aperture. By  the way it seems for all of you the character of summicron is more likeable, but when you talk about render, do you refer at microcontrast also?

Summaron is very nice lens but actually I prefer something more flexible.

 

Paolo

[MarkP]

28mm is one of my favourite focal lengths. I have both lenses (2/28 Summicron ASPH v1 and 2.8/28 Elmarit-M ASPH v1).  I think there are significant differences between these two lenses. This still applies to the v2 lenses which apart from cosmetic differences render much the same except 'optimised for digital'.  They v1 & v2 28 Summicrons rendered identically when I compared them.

There are obvious differences with respect to price, size, handling, and max aperture.  The Elmarit-M ASPH is a higher contrast lens, a slightly more 'modern' look, and is perhaps sharper (or looks that way because of increased overall contrast), but I find that in some situations the contrast is harder to control.  

My personal preference in most situations, including landscapes, is the still the Summicron ASPH. Hard to describe why because such comments always drift into the subjective. I think that  its character sits between the Mandler and more modern lenses. It has less overall contrast but plenty of micro contrast (if I can describe it that way) in that the image is more subtle but detail is very well preserved.

This 7 year old thread has a lot on the Summicron. My posts start from #14

 

However, if it's 'sharpness' that you're after, and you don't need f2.0 which you shouldn't for landscape, the Elmarit-M will do the job very nicely.

The only other lens to consider is the Zeiss Biogon T* f2,8/28 ZM if you want razor sharp.

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by MarkP

[DwF]

I have had the the Summicron Asph v1, the Elmarit Asph and currently (for a long time now) the Elmarit-M v4. I would suggest this lens to you. I agree with Mark P's assessment regarding the contrast of the Elmarit asph. The high contrast seems to give the appearance of sharper and the lens is small and attractive. I found the contrast too in my face at times and when I picked up the Summicron asph, it was hands down the lens I wanted to have. I later sold that one sadly to make a camera sale. It was a few years later I found the Elmarit M, which for me is like the Summicron without the additional stop.

If I ever replace or add to my Elmarit, it would be to get another Summicron, but not for landscape capability- more for versatility in slightly shallower dof. For landscape work, the Elmarit is well known for sharpness across the entire frame. And it renders beautifully, not low contrast either but it is just right. To me it feels like a Mandler design lens in the best sense.

 

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

 

 

Edited May 5, 2020 by DwF

[PaolofromItaly]

Well thx for the photos and suggestion, so it seems the elmarit is the lens I need for much "sharp" or "contrasty" landscape, while the cron is more old school.

[Fedro]

Summicron V2 with ND filters on the M10 (Boston Harbour)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[PaolofromItaly]

On 5/7/2020 at 2:38 PM, Fedro said:

Summicron V2 with ND filters on the M10 (Boston Harbour)

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

Wow so nice! it is possible to have the raw file? Just to evaluate quality

[oudjunk]

I have used summicron and elmarit 28 on SL before. I felt happy and fun when use elmarit more than summicron. I don’t know why.

i like to candid others and the size and weight of elmarit is very good for me.

[Fedro]

I  sent you a PM

13 hours ago, PaolofromItaly said:

Wow so nice! it is possible to have the raw file? Just to evaluate quality

 

[PaolofromItaly]

1 hour ago, Fedro said:

I  sent you a PM

 

PM

[Herr Barnack]

@PaolofromItaly   Since you shoot landscapes stopped down to f/8 and sharpness is your priority, I would say get the 28mm Elmarit. 

The 28mm Summicron is a fantastic lens, but you will pay almost twice as much for it - $4995 USD vs. $2695 USD. 

If you don't need the extra stop of light gathering ability, spending the additional $2300 USD seems pointless.  JMHO.

Edited February 11, 2022 by Herr Barnack

[cp995]

vor 10 Minuten schrieb Herr Barnack:

@PaolofromItaly   Since you shoot landscapes stopped down to f/8 and sharpness is your priority, I would say get the 28mm Elmarit. 

The 28mm Summicron is a fantastic lens, but you will pay almost twice as much for it - $4995 USD vs. $2695 USD. 

If you don't need the extra stop of light gathering ability, spending the additional $2300 USD seems pointless.  JMHO.

The last post before was nearly 2 years old

Today there is a new Ultron 2.0 28mm VM II lens available, which makes the Leica lenses obsolete!
Except for people buying a lens only because of the red dot ...

Edited February 11, 2022 by cp995

[Capuccino-Muffin]

1 minute ago, cp995 said:

The last post before was nearly 2 years old

Today there is a new Ultron 2.0 28mm available, which makes the Leica lenses obsolete ...

Obsolete? 

Leica isn’t for the bottom feeders. A Leica just never goes obsolete.

Ask my One Thousand Dollars, Eighty years old 2.8cm Hektor if it’s obsolete.

Yes, it’s worth more than a 28mm ultron. 

[cp995]

vor 3 Minuten schrieb Capuccino-Muffin:

Obsolete? 

Leica isn’t for the bottom feeders. A Leica just never goes obsolete.

Ask my One Thousand Dollars, Eighty years old 2.8cm Hektor if it’s obsolete.

Yes, it’s worth more than a 28mm ultron. 

Have a look at the comparisons at Fred Miranda.
There's no quality justification for the Summicron beside the rede dot.
So for every rational thinking person, there is no reason to waste their money on the Summicron or Elmarit.

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[Capuccino-Muffin]

11 minutes ago, cp995 said:

Have a look at the comparisons at Fred Miranda.
There's no quality justification for the Summicron beside the rede dot.
So for every rational thinking person, there is no reason to waste their money on the Summicron or Elmarit.

“Rational”. Now there’s a magical word.

I have dealt with “rational” people... ended being a huuuge pain in the butt.

“Fred miranda”... ah yeah, that place where bunch of folks write and share from their parent’s basement?