Leica Summicron-m 35mm asph v1

[Antonio Russell]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

On 6/19/2024 at 12:32 PM, Leicaboy Norway said:

Hey guys I have a chance to buy this lens with 6 bit coding for $1500 in good condition.

 

How well regarded is this 35mm lens compared to other Leica lenses? I'm thinking of using it on my M240 and SL2

Its probably the only lens you need. Some people spend their entire career using it.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[Leicaboy Norway]

6 hours ago, crons said:

I’ve heard the same said about the 50f2. Some people are just obsessed with sharpness. They pixel peep every single thing. Summicrons are workhorse every day lenses for documenting life, which fits the Leica M perfectly. There is no question that for every day use, like I said before, there is no lens better. Now some may have more specific needs for specific kinds of photography. So if you require absolute ultimate sharpness wide open and you want an f2 lens and you don’t care much about size, then save your money and get an APO-LANTHAR 35f2. 
 
as far as Ultrons go, I guess you can say the same about the 28 cron vs the 28 Ultron II. This has been discussed ad nauseam. There is a lot more contrast coming from the ultrons and that adds to the appearance of more sharpness. But the thing is some people will never give up their 28 summicrons because there is a certain sort of magic sauce in the lens and that comes from the flaws and not from how perfect they are. 

if you focus just on how sharp it is wide open IMO you’re missing out. but again it really depends on the individual needs. 

As I said, I'm not overly concerned with sharpness but also don't want a lens that is noticeable soft wide open.

 

Anyway I bought the lens! 🤩

[crons]

1 minute ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

As I said, I'm not overly concerned with sharpness but also don't want a lens that is noticeable soft wide open.

 

Anyway I bought the lens! 🤩

Nice. Enjoy. Hopefully the lens comes in 100%  

[crons]

3 hours ago, lct said:

The better compromise, as far as my lenses are concerned, is the current Summicron 35/2 asph v2. Sharp but not too much at f/2 so that i can use it for gentle portraits, with smooth bokeh af f/2 and at f/2.8 as well. This is a matter of taste though so YMMV.

Yea. And this sounds perfect when you're wide open. 

The 35f2 ASPH v2 is awesome. Money well spent. 

Edited June 21, 2024 by crons

[Lelmer]

4 hours ago, lct said:

Hard to get both sharpness and smooth bokeh in the same lens. As far as compact 35mm lenses are concerned, the Biogon 35/2.8 is a good example and so is the Summicron 35/2 apo i've been told but i have no experience with it. The Ultron 35/2 v2 is very sharp but its bokeh can be busy depending on focus distance. The Summicron 35/2 v4 is a bit softer at f/2 with smooth bokeh at f/2.8 but less so at f/2. The Summicron 35/2 asph v1 is sharper at f/2 with smooth bokeh there but bokeh is a bit more busy at f/2.8. The better compromise, as far as my lenses are concerned, is the current Summicron 35/2 asph v2. Sharp but not too much at f/2 so that i can use it for gentle portraits, with smooth bokeh af f/2 and at f/2.8 as well. This is a matter of taste though so YMMV.

Have you noticed focus shift on the Summicron's and Ultron?

[lct]

25 minutes ago, Lelmer said:

Have you noticed focus shift on the Summicron's and Ultron?

None from f/2 to f/8 between 5m and10m so far.

[Leicaboy Norway]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I already own the voigtlander ultron 35 1.7 and I'm not hoping or expecting the summicron asph to be sharper. 

 

But I am hoping for a little more color qualities since the CV is a bit neutral.

 

Plus it's nice to have a profile for it on my sl2 which is why I prefer leica m lenses on sl2 instead of other m mount glass 

[lct]

1 hour ago, lct said:

None from f/2 to f/8 between 5m and10m so far.

This for both Ultron 35/2 asph v2 and 6-bit coded Summicron's 35/2 asph v1 and v2. The Summicron 35/2 v4 has a bit of focus shift at about f/4.

[Leicaboy Norway]

I got the lens.

I was using it and the sigma 85 1.4 dg dn art and the sigma is a top class modern lens.

 

But that little summicron has nicer color rendering in my opinion. I havent pixel peeped and don't intend to but looks sharp too.

On my m240 I struggle a bit with focusing. Don't know why. My summicron 50 v5 is easy to focus with and my voigtlander ultron 35 1.7 even easier.

Could something in my leica m camera have deteriorated and need fixing?

It's like the focus throw is too big, too much space around focus. It's not like either in focus or not but you can twist the focusing ring quite a lot at f 2 and almost be in focus on my rangefinder 

[lct]

Rather the lens i suspect. If your M240 focuses normally with other lenses it should do it as well as mine with the Summicron 35/2 asph v1.

[Leicaboy Norway]

How do I know if something's wrong with the lens?

I have taken some nice pictures with it. But I feel it's underwhelming performance wise compared to the summicron 50 v5 and even summicron 90 prep ashp (v2)

Hard to compare to my Elmarit 21 mm asph 2.8 but

[hansvons]

On 6/23/2024 at 3:07 PM, Leicaboy Norway said:

But that little summicron has nicer color rendering in my opinion. I havent pixel peeped and don't intend to but looks sharp too.

On my m240 I struggle a bit with focusing. Don't know why. My summicron 50 v5 is easy to focus with and my voigtlander ultron 35 1.7 even easier.

It renders colour less cold compared to the Vogtländer, akin to the 50mm Summicron V4/5. In my book, it’s one of Leica’s desirable classics. 

Performance-wise it should be close to the  50mm Summicron regarding sharpness and overall rendering. However, it shows a visible curvature (bent focal plane) at full aperture that straightens up when stopping down in mid-range distances. When shooting a brick wall, the corners will be out of focus. But when shooting a layered image the corners will be perfectly sharp, only not on the same plane as the centre.

It also flares nicely, similar to its older siblings. It's a character lens with modern sharpness that is gentle to skin. 

[lct]

2 hours ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

How do I know if something's wrong with the lens?

I have taken some nice pictures with it. But I feel it's underwhelming performance wise compared to the summicron 50 v5 and even summicron 90 prep ashp (v2)

It should not. Did you envision to have it CLA'd?

[Leicaboy Norway]

2 hours ago, lct said:

It should not. Did you envision to have it CLA'd?

My English is good, but not perfect.

CLA is sending it in to Leica for inspection and / or fix right?

Or are you asking if it had this in advance of me buying it? I don't think it had, but again i'm not yet sure if it's underperforming

I might shoot it next to the Voigtlander 35mm 1.7 and set both to f 2 on my leica sl2 and focus while zooming in

I know what the Voigtlander is capable of, it's sharp wide open, even on a 45 mpx Canon R5 so should perform as good on a SL2

[Leicaboy Norway]

Tested it against the CV 35 1.7 ultrom (m mount - not leica thread mount)

The CV is one of the sharpest 35 made, almost matching the apo

It is a tad sharper than the summicron, but surprisingly close and you have to zoom in a lot to see, which i dont usually do

colors are better on the summicron, more vibrant etc, typical leica

[lct]

2 hours ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

[...] CLA is sending it in to Leica for inspection and / or fix right? [...]

Yes CLA for Clean, Lube, Adjust. Leica or a good repair shop can do it. If your lens is not 6-bit coded already, Leica can do it and a CLA at the same time.

[Leicaboy Norway]

36 minutes ago, lct said:

Yes CLA for Clean, Lube, Adjust. Leica or a good repair shop can do it. If your lens is not 6-bit coded already, Leica can do it and a CLA at the same time.

Thanks for the advice! 

 

What would something like that cost?

It is 6 but coded 😀

[Leicaboy Norway]

Double 

Edited June 26, 2024 by Leicaboy Norway

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[lct]

51 minutes ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

Thanks for the advice!

What would something like that cost?

It is 6 but coded 😀

A mere CLA should suffice then. I don't recall Leica costs sorry but you may wish to ask a repair shop in your country. Will take shorter than in Wetzlar probably.

[Leicaboy Norway]

Update:

I absolutely love this lens.

It's so small and still has, despite being an asph lens with 6 bit coding - lots of characeter!! It's different from my Summicron 50 v5, but perhaps even sharper.

 

Not sure if I love it on the SL2 but on the M240 I've taken some of my favorite photos ever. It even has a bit of a 3d pop which I usually dont see in Leica as much as in Zeiss

 

I was totally wrong! The size, image quality and sharpness makes it a gem.

 

Only problem now is I bought a Zeiss ZM 35 1.4 too. 

 

I might let the Zeiss go, I'll note that I mostly find people's complaint about the Zeiss' size a bit exaggerated, it doesnt protrude my rangefinder view significantly, and not more than my Summicron 90 if I remember correctly.

 

But I dont think I need 2 35mm