Highest Resolving 28mm & 35mm Lens

[JTLeica]

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Hi guys,

Help needed please. I have put together a really nice little M11 kit, but when I don't want to take my Q3 with me and just want a once camera setup, I want a 28 or 35 to fill the gap between the 21mm and 50 Apo Lanthar I have. I am not yet sure if it'll be 28 or 35, but for the 35 I think I would pick the Zeiss c Biogon 2.8... Only other razor sharp options are the 35 Apo Lanthar, Leica APO Cron is just too much.

Happy with Either Leica, Voigtlander or Zeiss and dont really care about the speed of the lens, but dont want a huge lens.

Anything you guys recommend?

Mostly being used in Landscape photography andI dont want to have to stop down to F8 to get sharp images

Cheers

Edited February 6, 2024 by JTLeica

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[wda]

Stopping down is mainly used to increase depth of field. It is seldom needed to improve basic sharpness.

[Al Brown]

For awesome Zeiss 35 mm you can pick the Distagon f/1.4 which apparently outresolves the 35 FLE lux. It is huge by Leica standards though.
There is the 28/2 Ultron II in VOigtlander camp. Awesome but plain.

[hansvons]

12 minutes ago, JTLeica said:

Happy with Either Leica, Voigtlander or Zeiss and dont really care about the speed of the lens, but dont want a huge lens.

I recommend the 35mm Summarit 2.5 or 2.4. It's an aspheric lens, small and super-sharp to the corners. No flaring. For a Leica lens, it's a sleeper.

 

 

 

[dpitt]

For sharpness, and exceptional IQ in general I would recommend the Leica Elmarit F2.8 M ASPH.

It's the one lens I regret selling after using it to bits on my M8. With my FF M9, I found it too wide for my taste. I am using the Summicron 35 v3 now. No complaints, but in the sharpness and contrast department the Elmarit 28 ASPH was in a different league. And it can be bought used for much less than the Summicron 35 v3.
 

[dpitt]

40 minutes ago, hansvons said:

I recommend the 35mm Summarit 2.5 or 2.4. It's an aspheric lens, small and super-sharp to the corners. No flaring. For a Leica lens, it's a sleeper.

 

 

 

For what its worth. I tested the Summarit 35 F2.5 against the Elmarit-M F2.8/28mm ASPH. The Summarit is not bad, but IMO it lacked some finesse and maturity found in the great Summicron's and Elmarit's.

In the end you will have to make up your mind up about FL. 28mm is not at all 35mm and vice versa... DOF play with 28mm is almost non existent while it definitely can be done with 35mm which is for me a big differentiator, but there are other factors. All 3 discussed lenses 28 Elmarit, 35 Summicron and 35 Summarit can be considered tiny lenses, even in the M world. To me they have more differences than similarities. Only you can tell which one is the best for your use.

[Herr Barnack]

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Here is another vote for the Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH.  It produces image quality that is simply astonishing. 

If we set aside consideration of Leica's APO lenses for the M camera, the 28 Elmarit may be Leica's best in terms of sharpness and contrast. 

[JTLeica]

52 minutes ago, wda said:

Stopping down is mainly used to increase depth of field. It is seldom needed to improve basic sharpness.

Well I completely disagree with that, only the absolute best modern, expensive glass performs almost as well wide open vs stopped down. My 90 APO is soft and glowing wide open, sharpness improves at 2.8 and is razor sharp at F4. The 135mm Telyt is significantly sharper at 5.6 vs 3.4.

 

[costa43]

28mm Elmarit asph either version & 35mm Summarit either version.

 

 

 

[JTLeica]

18 minutes ago, dpitt said:

For sharpness, and exceptional IQ in general I would recommend the Leica Elmarit F2.8 M ASPH.

It's the one lens I regret selling after using it to bits on my M8. With my FF M9, I found it too wide for my taste. I am using the Summicron 35 v3 now. No complaints, but in the sharpness and contrast department the Elmarit 28 ASPH was in a different league. And it can be bought used for much less than the Summicron 35 v3.
 

Is the 28 Elmarit APSH the same one that released in 2006? ish? Or is there a new one now?

I am torn between 28 and 35... But I will work that one out.

[JTLeica]

Just now, costa43 said:

28mm Elmarit asph either version & 35mm Summarit either version.

 

 

 

Is there a MK II of the 28 Elmarit? 

[rustyrus]

The new 28 1.5 is really nice and compact- 

 

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1842505

[costa43]

12 minutes ago, JTLeica said:

Is there a MK II of the 28 Elmarit? 

There is a MK II of the ASPH (I think it was released around 2016, maybe a little earlier). Technically there are six 28mm Elmarit versions I believe, 2 ASPH and 4 non.

Edited February 6, 2024 by costa43

[JTLeica]

1 hour ago, rustyrus said:

The new 28 1.5 is really nice and compact- 

 

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1842505

Blimey that looks amazing.

Seems to outshine even the 28mm Summilux... I used to own that lens and know how good it is

[JTLeica]

1 hour ago, rustyrus said:

The new 28 1.5 is really nice and compact- 

 

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1842505

A quick question...

The Typ I and Typ II are essentially the same lens right? just the external design is different? Just a matter of preference?

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/optics/lens-mounts/leica-m/voigtlander-28mm-f1-5-vm-nokton-vintage-line-asph-type-i-lens-silver.html

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/optics/lens-mounts/leica-m/voigtlander-28mm-f1-5-vm-nokton-vintage-line-asph-type-ii-lens-black.html

[mradey]

1 minute ago, JTLeica said:

A quick question...

The Typ I and Typ II are essentially the same lens right? just the external design is different? Just a matter of preference?

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/optics/lens-mounts/leica-m/voigtlander-28mm-f1-5-vm-nokton-vintage-line-asph-type-i-lens-silver.html

https://www.robertwhite.co.uk/optics/lens-mounts/leica-m/voigtlander-28mm-f1-5-vm-nokton-vintage-line-asph-type-ii-lens-black.html

 

Optically the same.

 

I just bought the type II from red dot in London. I physically examined both and, for me, the type II won hands down. Significantly more 'heft' but it's a beaut!

[rustyrus]

What mrady said- 

 

I own the type 2- it’s tiny man- For a 1.5 lens, it’s really compact. Easy all day lens, fits in any bag- I love the optical quality of it as well. I am generally a Leica snob but this is a winner. 

[JTLeica]

This is getting somewhere I think...

Do you guys know much about the 35mm 1.5? Looks very similar...  I will have a little research of that too

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Hallo,

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[dpitt]

Dimensions without sunhood...

Voigt Nokton 28 F1.5  dimensions 54 x 45.5mm -  this is an average sized lens (250g). The same weight as my Macro Elmar 90 and larger than my 50mm Summicron v4 (43mm)
I would call it a medium sized lens in the M world.

Elmarit 28 F2.8 ASPH dimensions 52 x 30 mm  - This is a tiny lens in my book (180g)

I know, it is all relative and price is a world apart too. But if you want resolving power and 3D rendering, for my eyes they are in a different class too...And that is a good thing. YMMV but I am not the only one who sees it this way. There are plenty of people paying three times the money, and that is not just for 15mm less length and 70g less weight, nor for the Leica name in the front. In the end it comes down to the results you can or can not get with it.

 

[rustyrus]

2 hours ago, JTLeica said:

This is getting somewhere I think...

Do you guys know much about the 35mm 1.5? Looks very similar...  I will have a little research of that too

Fred reviewed that one as well- 

 

I also think this is a fabulous article comparing the rendering of the 35 1.4's (older ones) 

 

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1824082/0?keyword=35#16338103