Is the 35 Summilux pre-asph v2 (11870) the coolest lense??

[weatherproof]

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With 112 pages of images, it would seem like it!

But I'm wondering about color here. Recently took delivery of this lense and noticed there seemed to be a subtle blue cast to a lot of my shots. How do film shooters correct this? With a warming filter?

Kind regards

[hansvons]

Vintage lenses, in general, tend to render less contrasty and cooler than modern glass. But today-made glass like the 35mm Nokton 1,4 SC renders pretty cool, too, because it's based on a vintage design (Leica 35mm Summilux V1 Steel Rim). I shoot both the modern times but still film-area 35mm Summicron ASPH and the Nokton on film. As I digitize and don't print wet, the differences can be ironed out quickly in post. I'm unsure whether printer points would be subtle enough to correct that critically.

In any case, the differences are probably too subtle to correct with a regular filter. Perhaps a soft Tiffen Coral-2 wouldn't be too strong, but I doubt it. A standard colour temperature filter, like the 81EF, would certainly be too strong. Its typical use is too correct for cold shadows by about 600 Kelvin. 

Back then, colder lenses were colder and warmer lenses warmer, and you went with the lens you liked most. That is pretty much what we do today.

I find that colder lenses render skin tones favourably. YMMV.

 

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[01maciel]

vor einer Stunde schrieb weatherproof:

Is the 35 Summilux pre-asph v2 (11870) the coolest lense??

yes.

[Al Brown]

1 hour ago, weatherproof said:

With 112 pages of images, it would seem like it!

But I'm wondering about color here. Recently took delivery of this lense and noticed there seemed to be a subtle blue cast to a lot of my shots. How do film shooters correct this? With a warming filter?

Kind regards

No, it is not. It is just an unique pioneering lens in size and performance that has gathered a cult following due to all the flaws it sports wide open. But nothing wrong with a fanbase, amirite?

First you make sure the blue cast is not due to any lab error, I am sure you chose the film stock carefully. If the cast still persists you put on a Tiffen 81A, Skylight 1B or such, depends on the intensity and hue of your blue cast.

PS. You used quite a skewed thread title for your question on blue hue light balancing filters... and you did not even write if you own the lens.

Edited January 26 by Al Brown

[weatherproof]

29 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

PS. You used quite a skewed thread title for your question on blue hue light balancing filters... and you did not even write if you own the lens.

I was hoping someone would appreciate the pun. Yup, lucky owner of a '92 build.

[don daniel]

No, it isn't. The coolest lens is still a Summicron 35mm, no matter which generation.

[pgk]

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No. I've owned 2. Great and interesting lens but there are other 35s that I prefer when all said and done.

[evikne]

3 hours ago, weatherproof said:

Is the 35 Summilux pre-asph v2 (11870) the coolest lense??

Yes! I think it has the most iconic design of all Leica lenses (the larger front element looks cooler than a Summicron). And by turning the aperture ring a little, you can get anything from a lot of character, to super sharp images - two lenses in one!

I think it renders the colors as they were meant to be; I don't really like the pinkish colors from modern lenses.

[Scrapbook]

vor 27 Minuten schrieb evikne:

you can get anything from a lot of character, to super sharp images - two lenses in one!

I agree. 

 

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Edited January 26 by Scrapbook

[pippy]

4 hours ago, weatherproof said:

...I'm wondering about color here...there seemed to be a subtle blue cast to a lot of my shots. How do film shooters correct this?...

By choosing to use a warmer film stock of course. For example avoid using Ektachrome 200 like the plague! It's really quite simple.

Philip.

[shirubadanieru]

Never noticed cooler tones w/ it tbh.

& about being the coolest, it's def in the top 3 alongside the 8e & 7e cron  Only two flaws are the limiting 1m MDF & not being able to use filters without a hood. 

I especially love the titanium version of this lens, all brass & best rendering in my opinion. 

[Emtsoh]

It is indeed a cool lens.

If it’s the coolest.. I can’t say.

the 35 1.4 pre-asph is small and does not weight much, looks amazing, renders beautifully and is not clinical or perfect. 

Ideally is a great combo with a film camera, however I’m pretty sure digital users enjoy this lens too.
 

[evikne]

1 hour ago, Emtsoh said:

Ideally is a great combo with a film camera, however I’m pretty sure digital users enjoy this lens too.

It's great for digital shooters who are tired of clinically sharp images. It takes away the digital harshness and creates more "analog" images.

Edited January 27 by evikne

[UliWer]

Well, to see if one lens is "cooler" than the other, one might look at the results.

When I understand "cool" as looking "cold" I will see a more "blueish" tint, whilst a "reddish" one might appear "warm". I never recognized the 35mm Summilux (pre. asph) as being particularly "blue" or "cool" - though perhaps I didn't notice it. So I compare it with the results of some lenses where the results seemed rather "warm" to me.

One example is a 35mm Summaron in LTM with a slightly hazy rear element, which I think makes it look rather "warm". The second one is the new Heliar 40mm 1:2.8 which appeared very warm to me when I compared it with the 40mm Summicron.

So, let's have a look (on a boring but not distracting scene), if one sees "coolness" or "warmth". No filters, no changes in Lightroom, M10 with lens detection off, all with f/5.6, 1/360sec at ISO 200:

 

1. Summilux (Midland, 1980):

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2. Summaron (1958)

 

3. Heliar 40mm (2023)

 I leave it to you to look for differences in "warmth".

 

 

 

 

Edited January 27 by UliWer

[UliWer]

If one thinks a 35mm Summilux is too "cool", one may try a Skylight filter. I havn't got one the right size for the Summilux, but I handheld a larger one (B+W Skylight 1,5) in front of the lens:

1. Summilux without filter

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2. Summilux with Skylight filter 1.5

Edited January 27 by UliWer

[Al Brown]

2 hours ago, evikne said:

It's great for digital shooters who are tired of clinically sharp images. It takes away the digital harshness and creates more "analog" images.

I would not fully agree that 35 pre-asph lens flaws like the glow and all the aberrations create less "digital" images... surely they contribute to a certain dreamy character but "less digital" is mostly tones, transitions and overall grain structure...

[evikne]

4 hours ago, Al Brown said:

I would not fully agree that 35 pre-asph lens flaws like the glow and all the aberrations create less "digital" images... surely they contribute to a certain dreamy character but "less digital" is mostly tones, transitions and overall grain structure...

Perhaps "analog" wasn't the best word, but at least it takes away some of the digital harshness. And if you want to make the images look even more analog with presets and such, I think it creates a better starting point than a more modern lens.