28 Summilux - practicality in size and weight

[Kiwimac]

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I’ve got an opportunity to get one. It’s used but mint with boxes and so on. I don’t think it’s actually been used, certainly if it has it’s barely. 
 

The price is good - less than  I’d have to pay for a new 28 Summicron. 
 

I’ve no concerns over image quality: it’s a halo lens with a stellar reputation. 
 

I do have some concerns over its size and weight. I’m thinking of those days on holiday when it’s hot and sunny and you’re out all day. It’s nowhere near the twin Nikon D3 with f2.8 zoom lenses I used to carry on such trips but then I’m 20 years older now!

 In this scenario it would be paired with a 50 Apo Summicron. 
 

I’m tempted to carpe diem on the basis that it’s amazing and I’m sure I’ll enjoy experiencing it. However even at this price it’s not cheap and it’s not a focal length I’ve used much - which is because I’ve never owned a lens in that focal length more than anything. 
 

My alternative would be to get a 35 but that doesn’t seem quite distinct enough from a 50 really. 
 

I’d be interested to hear thoughts about the 28 Lux, in particular how easy it is to live with when travelling. 

[Derbyshire Man]

I find it hard to answer as I prefer 24mm and if I'm going to have to carry something chunky I'd mostly take that. There's no doubt that either of those is quite a lump, it seems much heavier than a Q although slightly less volume I'd say (not that I still have my Q, it became a monochrome M). I do sometimes use the 28 f1.4 but unless I'm going to really want to use it at f1.4 I'd usually put the CV ultron 28mm f2 on the camera (without the hood). 

It's a nice lens though and it sounds like you're unlikely to lose a fortune finding out.

[lexffm]

I'll try to answer. Of course, as you've already noticed, it's not a lightweight. So if you want to be ready for anything, get a used Tri-Elmar 1:4 28-35-50 and you'll have lightweight equipment.

But when it comes to evening or nighttime photography, 1:4 is the limiting factor. It's not really suitable for stealth street photography. For landscapes, it would also be too small for me.

[IkarusJohn]

I use mine a lot.  Lovely lens, and it’s more interesting in terms of framing than a 35mm - it just adds a bit of drama, where the 35mm I use for a different purpose.  That said, other lenses I carry include the 21 Summilux, 50 Noctilux and 50 & 75 Summiluxes - compared to Otus, Canon & Nikon lenses, they’re diminutive, but others find them large and heavy.  There are smaller and lighter Leica lenses, but then they don’t do the same thing.

Each to their own.  I tend to choose the lenses I use for their framing and character, rather than their size and weight.  The other systems I use are the SL and X2D.  They make the 28 Summilux-M seem light and small.

I wouldn’t say that the lens is really for stealth anything - if you’re raising a camera to your face, people will notice, and it’s wide angle so I’m not sure how stealthy your picture is going to be.  Not my thing really.  I can’t say that the 28 Summilux stands out any more than my 28 Summaron - the camera is big enough as it is.

[costa43]

3 hours ago, IkarusJohn said:

Each to their own.  I tend to choose the lenses I use for their framing and character, rather than their size and weight

Totally agree with the above, each to their own, I’m the total opposite with wider lenses. I tend to use them all at f5.6-f8 the majority of the time unless it gets dark and then I ride the very capable ISO of modern cameras. An Elmarit ASPH would be my choice for a walk around 28mm. If it was my favourite focal length then I would possibly have the larger and faster lens too for the odd occasion. 

Edited May 12 by costa43

[FrozenInTime]

I've both the 28mm Summilux and the Summicron. With the Summilux on a rangefinder, you will find yourself juggling the camera, even occasionally hold the camera horizontally inverted, to find a view where the lens and hood are not blocking some important object near the corner of the frame.

The Summilux is a great lens, but not nearly a well corrected as the Summicron: comparatively you will find more coma and loss of sharpness in the corners.

[OR120]

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10 hours ago, IkarusJohn said:

I use mine a lot.  Lovely lens, and it’s more interesting in terms of framing than a 35mm - it just adds a bit of drama, where the 35mm I use for a different purpose.  That said, other lenses I carry include the 21 Summilux, 50 Noctilux and 50 & 75 Summiluxes - compared to Otus, Canon & Nikon lenses, they’re diminutive, but others find them large and heavy.  There are smaller and lighter Leica lenses, but then they don’t do the same thing.

Each to their own.  I tend to choose the lenses I use for their framing and character, rather than their size and weight.  The other systems I use are the SL and X2D.  They make the 28 Summilux-M seem light and small.

I wouldn’t say that the lens is really for stealth anything - if you’re raising a camera to your face, people will notice, and it’s wide angle so I’m not sure how stealthy your picture is going to be.  Not my thing really.  I can’t say that the 28 Summilux stands out any more than my 28 Summaron - the camera is big enough as it is.

My thoughts exactly -"I tend to choose the lenses I use for their framing and character, rather than their size and weight"

[Kiwimac]

10 hours ago, OR120 said:

My thoughts exactly -"I tend to choose the lenses I use for their framing and character, rather than their size and weight"

So would I normally. However - quite rarely in New Zealand, a country with a population barely bigger than that of LA -  there’s a very nice used one available. 
 

They don’t come up often because new they cost the equivalent of 3 months average salary here, so the buyer pool is small!

 

 It’s one of those lenses I’ve always thought about trying and based on the relatively small number of decent reviews, size and weight are the most significant concerns. Hence my question as to whether owners find that to be the case when travelling. Just for taking in the car etc to go somewhere for a day or two isn’t an issue. It’s more the multi destination 4 week overseas scenario I’m considering. 

Edited May 12 by Kiwimac

[Ken Abrahams]

I have been using the Summilux 28 for a couple of years now. I dont find the lens cumbersome, it's a great lens for street photography and razor sharp. I tend to crop into some images where single subjects appear, its resolution helps considerably. Even shooting full frame compositions I find the lens exceptional from corner to corner. I use 49 ND Filter size to enable shooting at 1.4 because the bokeh and background rendering is wonderful. The lens works well on the SL2S and SL3S and SL3. I switch between the 28 1.4 and the 21 Super Elmar for street and use the 35 Summilux much less these days. I would normally carry the 28 Summilux, the Apo 50 summicron and the Apo 90 Summicron lenses mixed occasionally with Apo SL 35, the SL 50 Asph and now the 50 Summilux M Reissue pre asph out on the street.  My heaviest lenses or what I call heavy are the SVE SL 14-24 and the obvious weighty Apo VE 90-280   

PS I cant say that the hood interferes with the M camera view finder usage. I just cant think of a single time where I have been frustrated with any blockage in the viewfinder, even though it maybe apparent.   

Edited May 13 by Ken Abrahams
PS

[THEME]

With a 28mm you're not after shallow bokeh and close-up portraits.

28 captures scenes.

The additional stop for the weight and size added, no. Overkill.

Especially in these days with high ISO, no need for a super fast yet bulkier 28mm, especially if you're concerned about traveling.

[IkarusJohn]

18 minutes ago, THEME said:

With a 28mm you're not after shallow bokeh and close-up portraits.

28 captures scenes.

The additional stop for the weight and size added, no. Overkill.

Especially in these days with high ISO, no need for a super fast yet bulkier 28mm, especially if you're concerned about traveling.

The bokeh of the 28 Summilux is lovely, and offers a nice choice for subject separation. Jono’s review is worth reading. 

If you don’t need the shallow depth of field, and want a small light lens, the 28 Summaron is also good, but with more “character”. 
 

[Crem]

This is obviously a very personal choice, but I’ll add opinion. 28 and 35 are my favorite focal lengths and I’ve tried many lenses both modern and vintage to figure out what I like. I settled on the Summicron 28 over the Lux for a modern rendering 28. I’m just not going to walk around with the Lux even though I prefer its rendering wide open. 

[jgeenen]

Before I was in the market for a 28mm lens, I did a two-day test drive during a Leica workshop with the Lux. Although I liked shooting with that lens and the angle of view, I finally decided not to buy the Lux for the following reasons:

• picture quality: in general very decent, no complaints on resolution and rendering. But vignetting wide open and coma on contrast edges are very strong. Although both can be corrected in post, the amount of vignetting and coma is not on par with modern competitors (Voigtländer and Thypoch).
• size: The lens is huge. While it is still small enough to be carried, the view finder blockage is crazy. Composition through the range finder is - to be polite - a challenge.
• weight: While the combo of lens and camera is a bit front heavy, it.is still easy and comfortable to carry in my hands - but not around the neck. But carrying the lens in a bag - e.g. during travel - is just too much. If I am traveling with camera and some lenses, I prefer much smaller and lighter lenses.

For my taste, the Summicron 2/28 is a much better choice. But I finally went for two Voigtländers instead: the Nokton 1.5/28mm is at least as good as the Lux without the downsides of size and weight (but still a bit of coma and vignetting - but not as pronounced as the Lux), and the recent Skopar 2.8/28mm which is a perfect travel companion.

Sorry Leica - I am willing to spend a premium for Leica lenses if they are delivering something special. The 28mm lenses however are nothing special anymore. They had been class leading at the time they had been published, but by today's standards - they are just "good" lenses.  Instead of re-issuing classic lens designed, Leica should at one (near) point in time target their "bread-and-butter" focal lengths. But this is probably very off-topic for this thread.

[FrozenInTime]

16 minutes ago, jgeenen said:

Sorry Leica - I am willing to spend a premium for Leica lenses if they are delivering something special. The 28mm lenses however are nothing special anymore. They had been class leading at the time they had been published, but by today's standards - they are just "good" lenses.  Instead of re-issuing classic lens designed, Leica should at one (near) point in time target their "bread-and-butter" focal lengths. But this is probably very off-topic for this thread.

Very true; Leica have been quite complacent with the M lens designs with team effort diluted by the L-mount. The 28 Summicron, 35 Summilux and 50 Summilux are all about 25 years old. The updates are reminiscent of an old car with the same chassis and engine, but updated body work every few years. The core designs were class leading, and still good and well balanced choices, but no longer state of the art when it comes to size and elimination of reflections. The push for resolution is perhaps another distraction that has resulted in uber-designs, such as the 75/1.25 and 90/1.5 that diverge from the classic M design book in being almost too large to use with a optical rangefinder.

The counter argument is that classic re-issues and re-imaginings are good for those reject modern perfection.

However, the  latest close-focus mechanics and EVF-M likely herald a new chapter. If the rumors of the new Noctilux are true to the leaked image and its depth of field markings, we could see a 40/1.2; an ideal paring for a close focusing or fast 28mm lens.

[THEME]

On 5/13/2025 at 8:05 AM, IkarusJohn said:

The bokeh of the 28 Summilux is lovely, and offers a nice choice for subject separation. Jono’s review is worth reading. 

If you don’t need the shallow depth of field, and want a small light lens, the 28 Summaron is also good, but with more “character”. 
 

There are funny die-hard folks in here who say it's a crime to isolate a subject with a 28mm because of distortion 🤣

Completely agree with you, if you're after bokeh, the Summilux is a reliable "cream machine."

[Kiwimac]

I called into the dealer today to physically explore again the size and weight. 
 

They popped it onto a 246 as a stand in for a brass M11. 
 

Yes, it’s certainly neither tiny nor featherweight. The finder blockage is present although the cut out in the hood helps (not too sure why they didn’t simply make it without that corner at all as opposed to making a hole in it). 
 

I’m inclined to buy it. It’s absolutely mint - to the point where I asked the dealer if it had ever actually been used! It’s a lens I’ve always wanted to try and the price is $5,000 (NZ) less than a new one. 
 

As the dealer said, if you hate you can soon sell it and buy a Summicron.  It’s mint and available now and they’re not very common. 
 

He doesn’t think I’ll hate it though! He said if you want to go light, buy a Summaron and use the camera like a point and shoot. 

[jakontil]

On 5/14/2025 at 11:43 AM, Kiwimac said:

I called into the dealer today to physically explore again the size and weight. 
 

They popped it onto a 246 as a stand in for a brass M11. 
 

Yes, it’s certainly neither tiny nor featherweight. The finder blockage is present although the cut out in the hood helps (not too sure why they didn’t simply make it without that corner at all as opposed to making a hole in it). 
 

I’m inclined to buy it. It’s absolutely mint - to the point where I asked the dealer if it had ever actually been used! It’s a lens I’ve always wanted to try and the price is $5,000 (NZ) less than a new one. 
 

As the dealer said, if you hate you can soon sell it and buy a Summicron.  It’s mint and available now and they’re not very common. 
 

He doesn’t think I’ll hate it though! He said if you want to go light, buy a Summaron and use the camera like a point and shoot. 

Yeah he got the point.. my 28 is a summaron, not my creative lens for that matter, mainly used for streets where agility is more essential 

[patrickcolpron]

Short answer, at this price get it, use it for a year and you'll surely appreciate the experience and images you made with it to the point of keeping it. If not, sell it and get something else without losing money or losing very little money on it. Well worth owning for a while. You should stop reading here...

Long answer, some people love it, I don't. Between the 28 Summilux and the 28 Elmarit ASPH, I much prefer the Elmarit, better size and also provide great rendition on both film and digital in a much smaller package.

I also much prefer the 24 Summilux over the 28 Summilux because the 24 is not as "girthy" the 28 feels too big in hand, never used the 28 much. It is a great lens but you have to love it and its design. It just feels too big.

I love the 28 Elmarit more than the 28 Lux and never liked the 28 Summicron because it isn't anything special, then again I really don't like the 50 APO for the same reason, like the 28 Summicron images made with the 50 APO and 28 Summicron are just too flat .

The 28 Summilux is one of those lenses which has a great "cinematic" rendering. It is a great lens for its rendering but I just loath its girth, it just feels weird in my hands so I don't use it.

I also have very little use for a 28 mil focal length, preferring a 35 and a 50 lens combo while on family vacations. 

I could probably drop the 50 and solely use a 35. 

Anyhoo, that's my take on this subject. 

[Kiwimac]

I agree; at the price it’s worth a punt. 
 

It’s a very clean copy, cheaper than a new 28 Cron. Next year these lenses will be another 15% more expensive no doubt so buying now is as cheap as it will get. 
 

Maybe it gets sold/traded. Maybe I love it and become world famous for my 28 Lux images. Who knows?

 

 Only one way to find out!

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[dkmoore]

On 5/11/2025 at 6:31 PM, Kiwimac said:

I’ve got an opportunity to get one. It’s used but mint with boxes and so on. I don’t think it’s actually been used, certainly if it has it’s barely. 
 

The price is good - less than  I’d have to pay for a new 28 Summicron. 
 

I’ve no concerns over image quality: it’s a halo lens with a stellar reputation. 
 

I do have some concerns over its size and weight. I’m thinking of those days on holiday when it’s hot and sunny and you’re out all day. It’s nowhere near the twin Nikon D3 with f2.8 zoom lenses I used to carry on such trips but then I’m 20 years older now!

 In this scenario it would be paired with a 50 Apo Summicron. 
 

I’m tempted to carpe diem on the basis that it’s amazing and I’m sure I’ll enjoy experiencing it. However even at this price it’s not cheap and it’s not a focal length I’ve used much - which is because I’ve never owned a lens in that focal length more than anything. 
 

My alternative would be to get a 35 but that doesn’t seem quite distinct enough from a 50 really. 
 

I’d be interested to hear thoughts about the 28 Lux, in particular how easy it is to live with when travelling. 

I’ve bought and sold this lens 5x now. It’s probably my favorite M lens ever made for image rendering and quality. That said, it always ends up collecting dust because of its size. I always have a 28 Cron. 
 

I’m 6’ 1” 230 lbs of muscle so its not the weight but the overall size and handling. I much prefer the smaller lenses on the M.