Smallest and lightest good 35mm lens for CL?

[leicavkk]

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I'd been eyeing the CL for a few years. Finally found one with the 18mm for a great deal last week and amazed by this little jewel. I sold my SL thinking about the M11 but the recent market downturn and uncertainty made me realize the M11 is something for the future and the SL was fantastic but too big and heavy. I will likely eventually get the 23mm TL Lens but my favorite focal length is 50mm so a 35 on the CL is what I gravitate too.  As I prior M and SL owner I have a few M lenses including the 35mm summilux.   However I find that it's slightly heavy for a walk around to dangle off the hand and a bit large for my little fogg xylophone so I'm toying with the idea of getting a light and small 35mm.  Too bad Leica made their summilux so big and expensive.  The CV f/2 ultron comes to mind. The CV 1.4 is interesting as well for a different rendering but I'm thinking something like the ultron may be more practical for an easy carry. Obviously I'd like the widest aperture possible.  If anyone has any thoughts to share I welcome them.

Edited March 28, 2022 by leicavkk

[MJB]

51 minutes ago, leicavkk said:

I'd been eyeing the CL for a few years. Finally found one with the 18mm for a great deal last week and amazed by this little jewel. I sold my SL thinking about the M11 but the recent market downturn and uncertainty made me realize the M11 is something for the future and the SL was fantastic but too big and heavy. I will likely eventually get the 23mm TL Lens but my favorite focal length is 50mm so a 35 on the CL is what I gravitate too.  As I prior M and SL owner I have a few M lenses including the 35mm summilux.   However I find that it's slightly heavy for a walk around to dangle off the hand and a bit large for my little fogg xylophone so I'm toying with the idea of getting a light and small 35mm.  Too bad Leica made their summilux so big and expensive.  The CV f/2 ultron comes to mind. The CV 1.4 is interesting as well for a different rendering but I'm thinking something like the ultron may be more practical for an easy carry. Obviously I'd like the widest aperture possible.  If anyone has any thoughts to share I welcome them.

What about the Sigma 30mm f/1.4? It is a native lens with fast, quiet AF, and definitely smaller and lighter than the Summilux-TL 35mm f/1.4. Oh, and it's cheap (i.e., inexpensive).

Edited March 28, 2022 by MJB

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[J Peterman]

Having done similar research recently, these come to mind.  Prices vary widely:

Summilux 35/1.4 pre-Asph

Canon 35/1.8 LTM

Konica UC Hexanon 35/2

CV Ultron 35/2 vintage line

Summicron 35/2 pre-ASPH

Summarit 35/2.5

Summicron C 40/2

I settled on the Summarit 35/2.5 and have been very pleased with it.  It’s really small and sharp with a pleasant modern OOF rendering and short focus throw.  The lux unfortunately wasn’t in the cards for me given the current pricing.  The Summicron C is also fantastic on the CL and really tiny.  Very good reviews on the CV Ultron as well.  
 

Plenty of good options out there with both modern and vintage rendering qualities.  Good luck with your search!

 

[leicavkk]

6 hours ago, MJB said:

What about the Sigma 30mm f/1.4? It is a native lens with fast, quiet AF, and definitely smaller and lighter than the Summilux-TL 35mm f/1.4. Oh, and it's cheap (i.e., inexpensive).

Thanks - I didn't know about that one. while it's too large to fit into my fogg xylophone and what I'm looking for in this context, given the price, it is probably a lens worth getting just for autofocus -- Given how cheap it is esp. 

[leicavkk]

6 hours ago, J Peterman said:

Having done similar research recently, these come to mind.  Prices vary widely:

Summilux 35/1.4 pre-Asph

Canon 35/1.8 LTM

Konica UC Hexanon 35/2

CV Ultron 35/2 vintage line

Summicron 35/2 pre-ASPH

Summarit 35/2.5

Summicron C 40/2

I settled on the Summarit 35/2.5 and have been very pleased with it.  It’s really small and sharp with a pleasant modern OOF rendering and short focus throw.  The lux unfortunately wasn’t in the cards for me given the current pricing.  The Summicron C is also fantastic on the CL and really tiny.  Very good reviews on the CV Ultron as well.  
 

Plenty of good options out there with both modern and vintage rendering qualities.  Good luck with your search!

 

Thanks! That's a great list. Wasn't aware of some of those - will have to look them up. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by leicavkk

[Ba Erv]

You might also consider the Panasonic 35mm f1.8 or the Sigma 35mm f2 Contemporary.  Another manual focus option is the CV 35mm f1.7.  

[tommonego@gmail.com]

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Another vote for the Summilux pre asph, a lens with two personalities, soft "Leica Glow" on f1.4 and f2, very crisp above that. Voigtlander Nokton 35 f1.4 also comes to mind, no experience with the Ultron, it may be smaller. The last is the Zeiss 35 C-Biogon f2.8, not quite as small as the Summilux but one of the 3 best 35s for a Leica (a couple of reviews) a wonderful lens, it isn't big either.

[leicavkk]

12 hours ago, Ba Erv said:

You might also consider the Panasonic 35mm f1.8 or the Sigma 35mm f2 Contemporary.  Another manual focus option is the CV 35mm f1.7.  

thanks -  wasn't aware of the existence of those first two either

[leicavkk]

1 hour ago, tommonego@gmail.com said:

Another vote for the Summilux pre asph, a lens with two personalities, soft "Leica Glow" on f1.4 and f2, very crisp above that. Voigtlander Nokton 35 f1.4 also comes to mind, no experience with the Ultron, it may be smaller. The last is the Zeiss 35 C-Biogon f2.8, not quite as small as the Summilux but one of the 3 best 35s for a Leica (a couple of reviews) a wonderful lens, it isn't big either.

I am considering the Nokton as it's small. Don't about the lux pre-ash since I already have the FLE so I'm guessing same size. The Nokton 1.4 and ultron f/2 are about the same size surprisingly. 

[Ko.Fe.]

If practical is strictly the size, then most practical choice is CV Color Skopar-M  35 2.5 PII.

Smallest 35 mm lens I ever seen which has normal handling.

I have CV Nokton 35 1.4 II now instead, it is larger and rendering on 1.4 is something I have to deal with only because it is not large and M-E 220 absence of high ISO. 

[ramarren]

My choice of normal for the CL is the pre-ASPH Summilux 35/1.4. Mine is a 1972 lens, which I had coded by DAG so it brings up the correct lens profile on digital M and CL body (with M Adapter L). It's a lovely lens, and works beautifully on both the CL and my M4-2 bodies (used to use it on the M9/M-P typ 240/M-D typ 262 as well). 

The Voigtländer Color-Skopar 35/2.5 is another fine normal lens for the CL. I had one of those for a while and it was a fine performer, very compact and nicely inexpensive. 

G

[Ba Erv]

2 hours ago, leicavkk said:

thanks -  wasn't aware of the existence of those first two either

The Panasonic and Sigma are the only other two “smaller” autofocus options I know about.  The Panasonic is bigger than the Sigma but lighter (295g vs 325g) It’s still not as big or heavy as the Leica 35mm TL Summilux.
 

 I’ve tried the CV 35 Nok and Ultron but wasn’t impressed with either.  Personally, I think the CV 35mm f1.7 is better than either of the other CV 35s.  The shape is a little odd but if you can get past that it’s worth a look. 

[lct]

I don't count my 35mm lenses anymore but i mostly use on the CL:

• Zeiss Tessar 35/3.5 adapted by MS Optical. Tiny and Tessar look. Perfect match with my Elmar-M 50/2.8. Not what you are after i guess but if you like triplet lenses you won't find a better compact one at 35mm.

• CV Ultron 35/2 asph: Compact, modern rendering, sharp at all apertures, bit busy bokeh but hardly more so than my "king of bokeh" Summicron 35/2 v4. Then why not the latter? I like it much too but it is a bit softer at f/2 and i find 0.7m MFD too long compared to the CV's 0.58m. Then why not my other favorite Summicron 35/2 asph v1? Same MFD issue, smoother bokeh at f/2 but i don't find it compact enough on the CL. 

• CV Nokton 35/1.4 SC v2: Compact, classic rendering, bit soft at f/1.4 with "glow" i.e. halos around highlights, sharp above, smooth bokeh. Why not my Summilux 35/1.4 v2? Same size, softer at f/1.4 with more glow, bit softer above but 1m MFD vs 0.7m for the CV. Why not my Summilux 35/1.4 FLE? Too big and heavy on the CL.

 

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[Torpille]

Am 28.3.2022 um 19:09 schrieb leicavkk:

I'd been eyeing the CL for a few years. Finally found one with the 18mm for a great deal last week and amazed by this little jewel. I sold my SL thinking about the M11 but the recent market downturn and uncertainty made me realize the M11 is something for the future and the SL was fantastic but too big and heavy. I will likely eventually get the 23mm TL Lens but my favorite focal length is 50mm so a 35 on the CL is what I gravitate too.  As I prior M and SL owner I have a few M lenses including the 35mm summilux.   However I find that it's slightly heavy for a walk around to dangle off the hand and a bit large for my little fogg xylophone so I'm toying with the idea of getting a light and small 35mm.  Too bad Leica made their summilux so big and expensive.  The CV f/2 ultron comes to mind. The CV 1.4 is interesting as well for a different rendering but I'm thinking something like the ultron may be more practical for an easy carry. Obviously I'd like the widest aperture possible.  If anyone has any thoughts to share I welcome them.

The best option : You could get the TL 23mm and use the digital zoom x1,3. Effectiv 45mm. 
don’t now about the aperture then, 2,8? 

other option is the TL 35mm, but bulky and heavy. 

as a m lens I will go for the 28mm Asph. 
small and really good. 
And  a 42mm could be use as a 50mm.

 

[leicavkk]

Thanks to everyone for the input. Some great choices here - now comes the hard part 😀

[tommonego@gmail.com]

I have to add that the Summilux 35 pre asph is much smaller than the FLE, this is a tiny 35mm. 

[lct]

3 hours ago, tommonego@gmail.com said:

I have to add that the Summilux 35 pre asph is much smaller than the FLE, this is a tiny 35mm. 

+1. Night and day re size and IQ. As far as my M lenses are concerned, the smaller 35mm is the Summicron 35/2 v4, followed closely by Ultron 35/2 v1 (no experience with v2), Summilux 35/1.4 v2 and Nokton 35/1.4 v2. The smaller 35 with modern rendition is the Ultron. Summilux and Nokton have the same length, Nokton being a bit larger.

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[leicavkk]

Thanks for those comments on the lux from both of you ( and others )

So the Lux pre asph is slightly shorter than the Nokton 1.4?

Looking at B&H —

Current lux is 1.8” long

Current cron is 1.4”

Nokton 1.4 is 1.1”

Ultron f/2 is 1.11”

Color skopar 2.4 is 0.9”

I'm leaning towards the Nokton SC since it will have a different rendering from the sharp modern lux I already have and the single coating should accentuate that. I used to have the skopar and it's sharp but modern so I'm not leaning in that direction.  I'm guessing the lux pre asph is very close in length to the Nokton?  I'd love to get the lux but the price is beyond my wallets reach right now.

[lct]

5 minutes ago, leicavkk said:

I'm leaning towards the Nokton SC since it will have a different rendering from the sharp modern lux I already have and the single coating should accentuate that. I used to have the skopar and it's sharp but modern so I'm not leaning in that direction.  I'm guessing the lux pre asph is very close in length to the Nokton?

Same length visually but the Nokton is a bit larger. With hood on, the Summilux is significantly shorter though. You will need a hood if you use filters since the Summilux (at least v2) has no filter thread but some China-made hoods are very nice indeed. As much as i like my Summilux i use mostly the Nokton on the CL though due to its 0.7m MSD vs 1m for the 'Lux and the latter is really a special lens at f/1.4. While retaining some "glow" the Nokton is sharper and easier to use IMO. Matter of tastes anyway. Couple of snaps with Nokton SC v2 at f/1.4 on CL below. The last pic is a crop to show the glow.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-digital-CL-Nokton-3514-v2-f14/i-7wt4JPJ/0/9d3d2d6b/X4/C1090679_sips-X4.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-digital-CL-Nokton-3514-v2-f14/i-wXm97ph/0/efb3b842/X4/C1090593_sips-X4.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-digital-CL-Nokton-3514-v2-f14/i-XzWQTVh/0/ea0e9b7b/X4/C1090529_crop-X4.jpg

 

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[leicavkk]

7 minutes ago, lct said:

Same length visually but the Nokton is a bit larger. With hood on, the Summilux is significantly shorter though. You will need a hood if you use filters since the Summilux (at least v2) has no filter thread but some China-made hoods are very nice indeed. As much as i like my Summilux i use mostly the Nokton on the CL though due to its 0.7m MSD vs 1m for the 'Lux and the latter is really a special lens at f/1.4. While retaining some "glow" the Nokton is sharper and easier to use IMO. Matter of tastes anyway. Couple of snaps with Nokton SC v2 at f/1.4 on CL below. The last pic is a crop to show the glow.

https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-digital-CL-Nokton-3514-v2-f14/i-7wt4JPJ/0/9d3d2d6b/X4/C1090679_sips-X4.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-digital-CL-Nokton-3514-v2-f14/i-wXm97ph/0/efb3b842/X4/C1090593_sips-X4.jpg
https://photos.smugmug.com/Diverse/n-QFBj4/Leica-digital-CL-Nokton-3514-v2-f14/i-XzWQTVh/0/ea0e9b7b/X4/C1090529_crop-X4.jpg

 

Thanks for the photos - that helps!