New: Leica Summicron-M 28 f/2 ASPH.

[JoshuaR]

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I personally use a 28mm Summicron (v1) almost every day. But I started with the 28mm Elmarit ASPH, which is a spectacular lens that's both smaller and cheaper than the Summicron (although lately I've noticed that v1 Summicrons are even cheaper used!), and I suspect that a lot of the attention goes to that lens. It's a logical choice. A lot of people seem to have a 35 and/or 50 Summilux paired with a 28 Elmarit. 

Truth be told, although I prefer the rendering of the 28mm Summicron, I miss the small size of the 28mm Elmarit. It felt deeply irrational to own both, but I think Summicron + Elmarit was a wonderful setup for me as a mainly 28mm shooter, and I may find my way back there eventually.

Anyway, the existence of the Elmarit and the Q series rob the 28 Summicron of some of its thunder.

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[phototrope]

On 6/5/2025 at 9:36 AM, JoshuaR said:

I personally use a 28mm Summicron (v1) almost every day. But I started with the 28mm Elmarit ASPH, which is a spectacular lens that's both smaller and cheaper than the Summicron (although lately I've noticed that v1 Summicrons are even cheaper used!), and I suspect that a lot of the attention goes to that lens. It's a logical choice. A lot of people seem to have a 35 and/or 50 Summilux paired with a 28 Elmarit. 

Truth be told, although I prefer the rendering of the 28mm Summicron, I miss the small size of the 28mm Elmarit. It felt deeply irrational to own both, but I think Summicron + Elmarit was a wonderful setup for me as a mainly 28mm shooter, and I may find my way back there eventually.

Anyway, the existence of the Elmarit and the Q series rob the 28 Summicron of some of its thunder.

I'd be very interested to know why you think owning both a 28mm summicron and an elmarit would be a good idea. What do you think are the relative strengths of each lens?

I haven't owned either of these lenses, but based on the images I've seen from them - I'd say that there is something very special about the 28mm elmarit for inifinity focus landscape shots, and something particularly special about the 28mm summicron for near to medium distance portraits. And I'm definitely not just talking about bokeh. What do you think?

[JoshuaR]

6 hours ago, phototrope said:

I'd be very interested to know why you think owning both a 28mm summicron and an elmarit would be a good idea. What do you think are the relative strengths of each lens?

I haven't owned either of these lenses, but based on the images I've seen from them - I'd say that there is something very special about the 28mm elmarit for inifinity focus landscape shots, and something particularly special about the 28mm summicron for near to medium distance portraits. And I'm definitely not just talking about bokeh. What do you think?

Yeah, I think your characterization is about right.

The Elmarit ASPH is sharp corner to corner with basically zero distortion. It also has a little halation in the highlights wide open. And it has a lot of edge sharpness. So there's something really vivid, crisp, detailed, and perfect about its images.

The Cron ASPH v1 is moodier, with more distortion and some softness in the corners. I hate using this word but it seems to me that it has a lot of microcontrast, which makes faces look especially good. It's gentle with people and pleasantly moody.

The 28 Cron isn't that much bigger than the 28 Elmarit, so I decided to own only the Cron. But if I stumbled into some cash I might buy the Elmarit again, as there are certain situations—landscapes, but also certain kinds of documentary contexts—in which the perfection of the Elmarit feels right to me.

Here are two images that I think showcase the vibes of the lenses. 

The fair. M10-R + 28 Elmarit ASPH. If I'd taken this with the Summicron, I suspect that the image would be a little less hyper-real, and the people at the edges would be distorted. What I love about this is that it's one of those pictures where you can just wander around the image, finding new things. I think pictures like this are where the Elmarit shines.

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Trying to whistle. M10-R + 28 Summicron v1. If I'd shot this with the Elmarit, I think there would a little less of a sense of space and mood. Also, my son is young, but if this had been a picture of someone many decades older, the Summicron would've been kinder to their face. It's my "portrait" 28mm.

Edited August 7 by JoshuaR

[phototrope]

3 hours ago, JoshuaR said:

Yeah, I think your characterization is about right.

The Elmarit ASPH is sharp corner to corner with basically zero distortion. It also has a little halation in the highlights wide open. And it has a lot of edge sharpness. So there's something really vivid, crisp, detailed, and perfect about its images.

The Cron ASPH v1 is moodier, with more distortion and some softness in the corners. I hate using this word but it seems to me that it has a lot of microcontrast, which makes faces look especially good. It's gentle with people and pleasantly moody.

The 28 Cron isn't that much bigger than the 28 Elmarit, so I decided to own only the Cron. But if I stumbled into some cash I might buy the Elmarit again, as there are certain situations—landscapes, but also certain kinds of documentary contexts—in which the perfection of the Elmarit feels right to me.

Here are two images that I think showcase the vibes of the lenses. 

The fair. M10-R + 28 Elmarit ASPH. If I'd taken this with the Summicron, I suspect that the image would be a little less hyper-real, and the people at the edges would be distorted. What I love about this is that it's one of those pictures where you can just wander around the image, finding new things. I think pictures like this are where the Elmarit shines.

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!

*

Trying to whistle. M10-R + 28 Summicron v1. If I'd shot this with the Elmarit, I think there would a little less of a sense of space and mood. Also, my son is young, but if this had been a picture of someone many decades older, the Summicron would've been kinder to their face. It's my "portrait" 28mm.

Yes I see your point, and these images are great examples. It would have been very interesting to see the first shot taken with the 'cron and the second taken with the elmarit.

I'm about to buy a new 28mm lens. I mostly shoot people, but I'm still tempted to buy the elmarit for it's unusual characteristics, which you described very well. It's a very tough choice. I can also see the benefits of owning both. 

One thing I'm wondering.. the current 28mm elmarit is an update of the 2006 version of the lens, and it was updated mainly for the resolving power of modern digital sensors. Similarly, the latest summicron (v3) is an update of previous versions, successively increasing resolving power for digital sensors. So i'm wondering if the current 28mm is the "best of both worlds"?

[JoshuaR]

1 hour ago, phototrope said:

Yes I see your point, and these images are great examples. It would have been very interesting to see the first shot taken with the 'cron and the second taken with the elmarit.

I'm about to buy a new 28mm lens. I mostly shoot people, but I'm still tempted to buy the elmarit for it's unusual characteristics, which you described very well. It's a very tough choice. I can also see the benefits of owning both. 

One thing I'm wondering.. the current 28mm elmarit is an update of the 2006 version of the lens, and it was updated mainly for the resolving power of modern digital sensors. Similarly, the latest summicron (v3) is an update of previous versions, successively increasing resolving power for digital sensors. So i'm wondering if the current 28mm is the "best of both worlds"?

All interesting points. I don't have experience with the newest Summicron, but I've been curious about the same question.

After I put up my last post, I started wondering if I had shots that were reversed—i.e., a portrait with the Elmarit, and a scene with the Summicron. Since 28mm is my most-used focal length, it was easy for me to find examples:

Bomb pop. M10-R + 28 Elmarit ASPH. I love this picture for reasons that have little to do with optics, but I think you can see the clear, prismatic qualities of the Elmarit. The pop itself looks like it's about to pop out of the screen.

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The fair, again. M10-R + 28mm Summicron v1. This is the exact same fair shot in a different year, in almost the same light. The colors are more muted, the contrast is softer, the general look is more filmic.

 

Going to school. M10-R + 28mm Summicron v1. This is one of the very first pictures I took with the Summicron, and it's the one that convinced me that it would be my main 28mm lens. The outcome is just a bit gentler than it would've been with the Elmarit.

Edited August 8 by JoshuaR

[JoshuaR]

Burger joint. M10 (not -R!) + 28 Elmarit ASPH. Back to the Elmarit, I think you can clearly see the prismatic colors, high but controlled contrast, and acutance. It's like you can walk right into the room. Also, this is one of those images where the distortion-free, corner-to-corner consistency of the Elmarit makes a difference.

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Pool shark. M10-R + 28mm Summicron v1. This shot really feels typical of the Cron to me. Almost velvety. I feel sure that the Elmarit would've produced a more contrasty and "stark" picture.

Field day. M10-R + 28mm Summicron v1. Last one. This is an example where I suspect the Elmarit would've done better. If there were more detail in each of the individual figures, the picture as a whole would be more enjoyable. This is the kind of event to which I would now know to bring the Elmarit rather than the Cron. Side note: one thing that strikes me now is that there's almost no edge distortion here; I wonder if that's because the lens is stopped down?

The bottom line is that they're both fantastic lenses. I prefer both of them to the Voigtlander 28 Ultron II that I used for a while, and to the Leica 28 Summaron reissue. If I had to choose just one, it would be the Summicron, because its strengths cater to what I usually photograph—people at close to middle distances, rather than scenes. Also, overall, the Summicron v1 fits better with my other most-used lenses (35 Steel Rim Reissue and 50 f/1.2 Noctilux Reissue). But it's ultimately a matter of preference. I think that, for the "scenic" way many people use 28mm, the Elmarit may be a better choice.

Putting these posts together has got me thinking that I will almost certainly buy myself another Elmarit, when funds allow!

Edited August 8 by JoshuaR

[wattsy]

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On 1/4/2024 at 11:00 PM, Jewl said:

But why is still everyone making videos of „my M10 - a long term review“? No one cares and there are still tons 😉 

therefore, no big changes does not mean that the people who love to talk, would not talk about it!

The Youtube "reviewers" mostly only talk about new stuff that has been sent to them or older stuff that they already own (hence the "long term reviews"). The apparent dearth of videos about this particular lens (I haven't personally looked as I don't want loads of unsolicited Leica YouTube stuff appearing in my feed) is probably down to Leica not having sent copies of the lens out to the usual people.

[fiatlux]

11 hours ago, JoshuaR said:

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!

The bottom line is that they're both fantastic lenses. I prefer both of them to the Voigtlander 28 Ultron II that I used for a while, and to the Leica 28 Summaron reissue. If I had to choose just one, it would be the Summicron, because its strengths cater to what I usually photograph—people at close to middle distances, rather than scenes. Also, overall, the Summicron v1 fits better with my other most-used lenses (35 Steel Rim Reissue and 50 f/1.2 Noctilux Reissue). But it's ultimately a matter of preference. I think that, for the "scenic" way many people use 28mm, the Elmarit may be a better choice.

Putting these posts together has got me thinking that I will almost certainly buy myself another Elmarit, when funds allow!

Interesting comparison! I also have the Summicron V1, which I love, and 'velvety' is a term I could also have used to describe it. I did not realise how much less contrasty it was compared to other 28 mm lenses, but I have always found that sharp, lower-contrast lenses are best with digital cameras since contrast is easy to boost in post-processing anyway.

This summer, I travelled with my M11 and a pair of Summicrons – the 28 mm V1 and a 75 mm APO ASPH (a first for me, as I usually combine 28 mm and 50 mm). All I can say is that the 28 mm lens works very well on the M11 and remains very sharp (including in the corners when stopped down) on a 60 MP sensor. With M11's crop options, you can even mimic the Q3 and achieve 35mm and 50mm fields of view 'for free'.

It's a good candidate for my desert island lens!

[lecycliste]

I’ve owned the Elmarit-M 28/2.8 ASPH and Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron Type II. The 28/2.8 ASPH was too perfect, so I sold it. The front of the Voigtlander 28/2 Ultron Type II fell off a couple months after the warranty ended. 
 

So I now use an Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 (III). It’s well enough corrected and has that sharp-enough Mandler rendering. I need to have the Ultron repaired by DAG or somebody else, but not sure I’ll trust it.