New 28 Summicron III (CF) or 28 Summilux ?

[Steadimann]

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Hey,

so I am shopping for 28 lens and torn between the new 28 Summicron (close focus) vs Summilux. I know differences in weight, size, CA etc.. but given that the price difference for both lenses which I am offered Summilux is "only" 30% more than Summicron, what would you do? Still go for Summicron as it has close focus and that compensates for nice bokeh while being small, light, sharp.

Edited December 19, 2023 by Steadimann

[la1402]

Difficult to give you an advice as you know best what you want to use it for. To me, size, CF,lower weight and cost would matter more than the 1 extra stop. And for the cost of the Lux would probably anyway rather just add a Q3. Others will have the opposite view.

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[rtai]

I bought my 28mm Summilux back when I was shooting film and sometimes with the M8 for color. Now with seemingly unlimited iso my favourite 28mm is the Summaron.

[Ken Abrahams]

My experience with the 28 Summilux M has been about two months long. In that time I have practiced daily to shoot wide open. The lens is very good (excellent) at its "critical sharpness" point. The bokeh is very good and for these reasons, I bought the lens. I wanted that look, simple as that. 

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Edited December 20, 2023 by Ken Abrahams
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[jdlaing]

4 hours ago, Steadimann said:

Hey,

so I am shopping for 28 lens and torn between the new 28 Summicron (close focus) vs Summilux. I know differences in weight, size, CA etc.. but given that the price difference for both lenses which I am offered Summilux is "only" 30% more than Summicron, what would you do? Still go for Summicron as it has close focus and that compensates for nice bokeh while being small, light, sharp.

What ISO do you normally shot with?

[Steadimann]

 

5 hours ago, jdlaing said:

What ISO do you normally shot with?

Usually up to 6400, but in certain situations even more. But that’s why i just want to keep Q2M for this reason and I wouldn’t have to carry heavy lens sll the time when I don’t need it. Somehow i am leaning towards Summicron 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Steadimann

[Jewl]

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I shoot film and digital but still would opt for the new summicron due to the close focus option, less weight & size, built-in hood and of course the price. 

[jdlaing]

5 hours ago, Steadimann said:

 

Usually up to 6400, but in certain situations even more. But that’s why i just want to keep Q2M for this reason and I wouldn’t have to carry heavy lens sll the time when I don’t need it. Somehow i am leaning towards Summicron 

The Summicron would work well for you. For instance………..if you shoot ISO 800 and have the Summicron mounted and double that ISO you gain a stop. For me that would negate buying a Summilux. Summicron, I believe, gives a smoother photo.

[hdmesa]

8 hours ago, Steadimann said:

...Somehow i am leaning towards Summicron 

Have you tried the close focus versions of the 35 and 50 Summilux? Unlike the 35 APO-M, Leica omitted any ribbed texturing from the focus ring so all you have to focus with is the tab. For me, this makes focusing awkward at macro distances because the tab is swung up so high. It's also awkward for me to use the tab from close to medium distances if I have the camera rotated for taking vertical photos. 

Edited December 20, 2023 by hdmesa

[Steadimann]

19 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

Have you tried the close focus versions of the 35 and 50 Summilux? Unlike the 35 APO-M, Leica omitted any ribbed texturing from the focus ring so all you have to focus with is the tab. For me, this makes focusing awkward at macro distances because the tab is swung up so high. It's also awkward for me to use the tab from close to medium distances if I have the camera rotated for taking vertical photos. 

Yes, I do have 50 Summilux CF, but it's not an issue for me. Anyways, I will go to the store and test both 28s - summilux and the new summicron and then make the final decision. I will check the bokeh for both, size, weight.. Friday

[gotium]

1 hour ago, Steadimann said:

Yes, I do have 50 Summilux CF, but it's not an issue for me. Anyways, I will go to the store and test both 28s - summilux and the new summicron and then make the final decision. I will check the bokeh for both, size, weight.. Friday

Make sure you compare wide open for subjects maybe 10-30 feet away, that's where the summilux "magic" shows, probably the result of optical imperfections. For me that's what it's all about and the 'cron doesn't have it. 

[Steadimann]

28 minutes ago, gotium said:

Make sure you compare wide open for subjects maybe 10-30 feet away, that's where the summilux "magic" shows, probably the result of optical imperfections. For me that's what it's all about and the 'cron doesn't have it. 

will do for sure, thank you

[Steadimann]

So if somebody is in the situation like me - I went with the Summilux. I did probably around 3 hours shooting both lenses in/around local Leica store comparing both. Summicron was sharp, in the end I started thinking it is too sharp. Rendering is really smooth but felt without character 😕 The difference is not huge for sure if you try to compare like apples to apples, but it's the same as with Leica Vs. Voigtlander - technically they are similar, but rendering is different, most likely not everyone can see that and that is alright  . Anyways, coming back to Summilux - it somehow rendering felt more natural, had definitely more character and difference in weight was neglectible, so with extra stop of light and nice rendering, I chose Summilux.

All posted shots are Summilux wide open.

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Edited December 26, 2023 by Steadimann

[Steadimann]

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

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[Steadimann]

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!

[Steadimann]

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[Gobert]

18 hours ago, Steadimann said:

So if somebody is in the situation like me - I went with the Summilux. I did probably around 3 hours shooting both lenses in/around local Leica store comparing both. Summicron was sharp, in the end I started thinking it is too sharp. Rendering is really smooth but felt without character 😕 The difference is not huge for sure if you try to compare like apples to apples, but it's the same as with Leica Vs. Voigtlander - technically they are similar, but rendering is different, most likely not everyone can see that and that is alright  . Anyways, coming back to Summilux - it somehow rendering felt more natural, had definitely more character and difference in weight was neglectible, so with extra stop of light and nice rendering, I chose Summilux.

All posted shots are Summilux wide open.

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

Is this shot directly out of the camera or did you post-process it?

[Steadimann]

I use red dot Forum's M11 adaptive preset and M11M a bit customized preset for BW versions.