[35 FLE + 28 Elmarit ASPH v2] vs 28 Cron ASPH v2 on M11

[Andreav]

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Hi everyone, 

I'm new on the forum and this is my first post, but have been a Leica M user for a number of years now. I'm a hobbyist and use the camera for documenting family life, travel and the occasional street / landscape shoots. 

My current lineup is M11 & M-A with 21 SEM, 28 Elmarit ASPH v2, 35 FLE, 50 APO, 90 Macro Elmar. 

I value simplicity and I'm looking to downsize/optimize my lens lineup, balancing creative opportunities with avoiding excessive overlap across focal lengths. I'm thinking about trading in my 28 Elmarit ASPH v2 + 35 FLE for a used 28 Summicron ASPH v2.

My thinking so far:

- I could miss the size/stealthiness of the 28 Elmarit, but the 28 Summicron isn't that much bigger and it has an extra stop of light that's useful on film/creatively

- The 28 Summicron won't have the same magic rendering of the FLE, but should be smaller/lighter/easier to handle and achieve precise focus even wide open. I like the rendering of the FLE but don't love its handling. I find it too big at times, and also think I tend to shoot it wide open more often than I should just to justify having the 1.4. That's the same reason why I opted for the 50 APO vs 50 Lux. 

- 28 and 35 are relatively close - just one/two steps away really (I know this may sound heresy to many). I generally prefer 28 to 35 and the new high-res M11 sensor makes owning the two feel more than I really need. 

Is there anyone that has owned the three lenses (35 FLE, 28 Elmarit, 28 Cron) and can offer an opinion? 

Thanks!

Andrea

Edited August 25, 2022 by Andreav
clarity

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[Cobram]

The 28 Summicron won't have the same magic rendering of the FLE....

 

Depends mostly on your shooting style. I own Cron 28 v1 and my friend owns 35 FLE so I borrowed his FLE for quite a long period of time in order to find "the magic" in it. At the end I realised I'm more creative with 28mm focal length. Maybe you should consider also a used Lux 28. 

28+50 combo is great for your needs and Cron 28 gives you a lot of creative possibilities comparing to Elmarit 28 which is also a great lens but lacks those nice out of focus shots/family portraits that Cron delivers at F2.

 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Cobram

[lct]

Magic is subjective of course and comparing different focal lengths is something i'm not good at. All i can say is the Summicron 28 is the best 28/2 i've used in  30+ years but 28mm framelines are difficult to see in the M11's VF so i end up using the entire VF for framing or the EVF when i can. 35mm framelines are more comfortable from this viewpoint.

Edited August 25, 2022 by lct

[Andreav]

2 hours ago, Cobram said:

The 28 Summicron won't have the same magic rendering of the FLE....

 

Depends mostly on your shooting style. I own Cron 28 v1 and my friend owns 35 FLE so I borrowed his FLE for quite a long period of time in order to find "the magic" in it. At the end I realised I'm more creative with 28mm focal length. Maybe you should consider also a used Lux 28. 

28+50 combo is great for your needs and Cron 28 gives you a lot of creative possibilities comparing to Elmarit 28 which is also a great lens but lacks those nice out of focus shots/family portraits that Cron delivers at F2.

 

Good to hear your thoughts on 28 Cron thanks! Re 28 Lux - great rendering but I think I'd be less inclined to shoot it because of size / weight. 

[Jeff S]

Uses and preferences vary… quite personal. For me, the ‘magic’ most often comes with the light and composition, and PP and printing skills, not the lens.  Focal length is my first priority, and I own 28/35/50mm for my M system for different ways of seeing.  Cropping is a different matter for me. 

FWIW, I use the 28 Summicron ASPH v.1, 35 Summicron ASPH v.1, 35 Summilux FLE, and 50 Summilux ASPH… on 3 different M bodies. Each serves my needs well; results vary mostly because of me.

Oh, welcome to the forum.

Jeff

 

Edited August 25, 2022 by Jeff S

[rramesh]

The 28 Summicon is a great lens, but I question your strategy.

I don't see any overlap in focal length as your current lenses are very good indeed and give you some wonderful choices. Plus lenses hold their value well and you should have no urgency to sell.

If you are keen to explore using a 28 f/2, instead of a trade for a 28 Summicron, get a Voitlander 28 f/2. Try it out. It's a great lens, a lot cheaper than a 28 Summicron and extremely compact. If it proves to be suitable for you, you can explore selling the Elmarit 28 first.

 

 

[Andreav]

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3 hours ago, rramesh said:

The 28 Summicon is a great lens, but I question your strategy.

I don't see any overlap in focal length as your current lenses are very good indeed and give you some wonderful choices. Plus lenses hold their value well and you should have no urgency to sell.

If you are keen to explore using a 28 f/2, instead of a trade for a 28 Summicron, get a Voitlander 28 f/2. Try it out. It's a great lens, a lot cheaper than a 28 Summicron and extremely compact. If it proves to be suitable for you, you can explore selling the Elmarit 28 first.

 

 

Thanks! Agree there's no urgency to sell, and I hate the idea of selling Leica glass. I will give the Ultron a try in store. I've read great reviews on it but haven't considered it so far because I've had Voigtlander lenses in the past (21 3.5, 35 1.4 and 75 1.5) - and regardless of their optical performance and rendering, in all cases I wasn't a fan of the feel and handling and ended up selling. 

[Ouroboros]

Another vote for the 28mm summicron asph.  I used a v1 for quite a few years on my MP, I really liked the lens with film but disliked the absurd plastic lens hood (I always use a lens hood).  When I eventually decided to add a digital M to my Leica gear and bought an M10-R,  I sold the v1 28mm and bought a new 28mm summicron safari edition, partly for the barely discernible 'optimisation' of the v2 on digital, but mainly for the sliding lens hood and for the colour, of course, which I like and which led me to add the 50mm summicron safari and 90mm apo safari to complete the set. 

The 28mm summicron balances nicely on a Leica M and the sliding lens hood versions (a matt  black version is an alternative to the green safari edition) are less bulky and closer in size to the current 28mm elmarit asph  than the V1 and 'standard' v2 with their respective lens hoods fitted, but with the advantage of an extra stop and (imo) more pleasing rendering at full aperture and f2.8 than the 28mm elmarit asph.

I mainly use my Leica cameras and lenses for landscape and travel photography.  The 28mm summicron is my most used lens and the cornerstone of my classic set of three summicrons (28,50 & 90) to cover most things on film and digital.  It also pairs very well with my 75mm apo-summicron as an alternative 2-lens option.  

If I wanted an f1.4 lens, I'd keep my 28mm summicron safari and buy a 35mm summilux asph (fle), which is a thought that's never far from my mind. 

Edited August 26, 2022 by Ouroboros

[roma]

Think not twice but 8 times before you sell the FLE. I’ve done it once and bought it again. Luckily, I didn’t lose any money on the sale.

I used to have the 28 Cron V1, but sold it since I had a hard time seeing the frame lines when I added the +1 viewfinder correction lens (diopter). Plus, I realized that 35 focal length is fine for most of what I do. I was even considering adding a 28 Elmarit V2 (used to have a pre-asph one years ago), but that would just complicate my life. Now, I walk out with 1 camera and 1 lens and it’s all I need.

[Lids]

On 8/25/2022 at 5:49 AM, Andreav said:

- The 28 Summicron won't have the same magic rendering of the FLE, but should be smaller/lighter/easier to handle and achieve precise focus even wide open. I like the rendering of the FLE but don't love its handling. I find it too big at times, and also think I tend to shoot it wide open more often than I should just to justify having the 1.4. That's the same reason why I opted for the 50 APO vs 50 Lux. 

I had the pre-FLE and the size is one of the reasons I let it go.  I didn't find the rendering special though and had the tiny 35 Summicron that I preferred to use so it was a no-brainer for me.  Also like you, I prefer 28 to 35 so it made sense to me to keep only the Summicron for a 35.  

On the 28 front, for all of the reasons you're considering letting go of the FLE, the Summicron sounds like the perfect fit for you.

It just so happens that my compact travel quartet is a 21SEM, 28 Cron, 50 Lux, and 90 Macro Elmar, so your thinking resonates with me.

 

[LeicaR10]

Andreav,  I see you have a good number of forum members offering good advice.  As you most likely know, each Leica lens is like a artist paint brush.  Each type of lens renders in a unique way to help you capture the vision that you saw for that moment in time.  I offer this idea to help you.  Perhaps you might go through all your photographs and determine which lens you used most; 28 Elmarit or 35 FLE.  That might help you decide which lens helps you create the best photographs.  That said, a 28 Summicron v2 is most excellent for landscape and travel photography.  The improvements over the 28 v1 can be seen the further you go out to the edges and corners if that is important to you.  In addition, with the 28 Summicron v2, you can always zoom with your feet or simply crop with the M11 to get the same FOV as the 35 FLE.  Last, as you have read the comments from well meaning forum members, mine included, ultimately you have choices that only you can make for yourself.  This is just my 2 cents based on 40+ years with Leica of all types.  r/ Mark

[Andreav]

Hi all, first of all - thanks everyone for all tue help and advice! As an update - I finally pulled the trigger and traded in the elmarit for a 28 summicron matte black I found at a reasonable price.

 

Very happy with the choice - the lens looks gorgeous, I love the handling and built-in hood, and I find the colours to be much more pleasing vs the elmarit. I haven’t sold the 35 FLE (yet…) as I’m looking to understand whether I have a use case for both lenses or can be happier with just the 28 summicron. 

[Cobram]

Summicron 28 is just great. congratulations!

[M11 for me]

Congrats.