SUMMICRON 35mm ASPH v1 too modern for me....

[Jeff S]

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Anyone bored with their Summicron ASPH v.1 (or any other Leica M lens) is welcome to donate it to me. 😉

Jeff

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[rsh]

I love the image quality of the Asph  Ver I.  It I want to go back in time, I can pull out my 38 year old 40 Summicron C.

Edited February 18, 2022 by rsh

[shirubadanieru]

On 2/17/2022 at 1:23 AM, pippy said:

I couldn't possibly comment on that subject, elgenper, as (unfortunately) I have not shot with the Leica 8 Element lens myself but I believe that Shirubadanieru - the member who posted those sample images - has had considerable shooting-experience of the v1 and is in such a position to make an informed judgement.

Perhaps he will be able to add something to this post himself?

Philip.

@elgenper Yes, I shot the 8e extensively (my favorite 35 alongside the 35mm lux pre asph) and then spent time shooting the 8e and LLL side by side as well, and the rendering is exactly the same. Bokeh / Sharpness / Glow etc are all very very similar, even the way it flares is the same. The only difference I found was in the color of the flare, as this will have to do with the coatings being used. Other than that I couldn’t tell them apart. 

And to add to the post topic as well…

The 35mm ASPH summicron is indeed my least favorite 35mm out of ALL leica 35mm. (And I have tried them all from the elmar 35mm to both summaron, to all Summicrons and summilux). It was actually my first Leica lens, because I thought ASPH = better when I started with Leica, but I quickly realized that wasn’t the case. 

I highly recommend any version of the summicron pre-asph (they are all great and more similar than not between v1~v4, with less glow wide open / sharper off center as you move along versions). Summaron and Summilux pre-asph are also amazing, but for some the summilux glow might be a bit too much (not for me, it is my favorite Leica lens). 

If you still want the modern sharpness and pop but still have a bit of a dreamy look wide open, then the Summilux ASPH 35mm (the only ASPH lens I like in Leica’s lineup) is a great option, but fairly large and heavy.

 

[hydet]

Did the 8-element originally come with a hood?  What hood does it take?  Thanks.

[lct]

1 hour ago, hydet said:

Did the 8-element originally come with a hood?  What hood does it take?  Thanks.

I have no experience with this lens but according to my Leitz catalogs its dedicated hoods are 12571 (IROOA) and 12585.

[RMF]

Yes, the IROOA.  The original IROOA hood is pretty expensive nowadays but LLL”s version is perfect rendition and fits just as well on the lens.

 

 

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Edited November 18, 2022 by RMF

[lct]

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The dedicated hood of the lens was 12585 since 1964 or truer date."Does not obstruct viewfinder" the Leitz catalog from 1964 says. The 12585 hood was still sold by Leica in 2018 but i don't know since then. IROOA above, 12585 below.

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[elgenper]

On 11/18/2022 at 2:58 PM, hydet said:

Did the 8-element originally come with a hood?  What hood does it take?  Thanks.

The square, plastic one that came with many later models (up to the Asph V1) does fit, but rotates.  I did use one, but got my hands on a decent, used 12585, and it works perfectly with the 8 element lens.