Summicron 35mm f2 asph for the M-P240 and M6?

[solamnus]

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Hi!

I am after some suggestions about what to add to my current setup.

For my 2 M bodies i currently own the Elmarit 28mm asph, the Summaron 35mm f3,5, the VL 35mm f1,4 Nokton, the 50 summicron Rigid, and the VL 75mm f1,5 Nokton lens.

Im looking at the Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH silver in brass. I have read on some forums and in reviews that it has something like a mix of modern and vintage look, is that right by your estimation :)?

I usually like lenses with character or at least favor them over clinical lenses. But i like what the Elmarit brings for example, as the other lenses i own has a lot of character already. And i like the Elmarit as it is, not too clinical but does a very good job and has a nice rendering

What are your suggestions? Any other lens i should take a look at, or would the Summicron im looking at be a good choice?

[Carlos cruz]

23 minutes ago, solamnus said:

Hi!

I am after some suggestions about what to add to my current setup.

For my 2 M bodies i currently own the Elmarit 28mm asph, the Summaron 35mm f3,5, the VL 35mm f1,4 Nokton, the 50 summicron Rigid, and the VL 75mm f1,5 Nokton lens.

Im looking at the Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH silver in brass. I have read on some forums and in reviews that it has something like a mix of modern and vintage look, is that right by your estimation :)?

I usually like lenses with character or at least favor them over clinical lenses. But i like what the Elmarit brings for example, as the other lenses i own has a lot of character already. And i like the Elmarit as it is, not too clinical but does a very good job and has a nice rendering

What are your suggestions? Any other lens i should take a look at, or would the Summicron im looking at be a good choice?

Last year I got summicron 35 asph in a trade, tried to convince myself to like it, but didn’t find any free slots in my lens line up. I decided to keep summaron 35/2.8 instead. I’d call it very well corrected, nicely rendering, but for me was rather uninspiring modern lens. 

P.S. I should probably add that 35 is not my first pick for daily use, you should rather take advice from those who are more into 35s

Edited yesterday at 06:46 PM by Carlos cruz

[jaapv]

I have both the Summaron 35/3.5 and Summicron 35 asph - the Summicron is far better, you cannot go wrong with it. The Summaron 35/3.5 is not in the same class as the Summaron 35/2.8. I would describe as a nice lens for its age, but not really inspiring. 

BTW - the Summicron is outstanding in low light.  The chrome version is on the heavy side. 

[solamnus]

1 hour ago, Carlos cruz said:

Last year I got summicron 35 asph in a trade, tried to convince myself to like it, but didn’t find any free slots in my lens line up. I decided to keep summaron 35/2.8 instead. I’d call it very well corrected, nicely rendering, but for me was rather uninspiring modern lens. 

P.S. I should probably add that 35 is not my first pick for daily use, you should rather take advice from those who are more into 35s

Thank you for the input. Ok so maybe id look into also getting the summaron F2,8 instead as a "better" lens than what i ahve with the f3,5 if the differens is big.

[solamnus]

34 minutes ago, jaapv said:

I have both the Summaron 35/3.5 and Summicron 35 asph - the Summicron is far better, you cannot go wrong with it. The Summaron 35/3.5 is not in the same class as the Summaron 35/2.8. I would describe as a nice lens for its age, but not really inspiring. 

BTW - the Summicron is outstanding in low light.  The chrome version is on the heavy side. 

Thank you

So if you ahve the summaron f2,8 and the Cron 35 f2 asph, what would be a better choice in your opinion?

The summaron seems to have better character than the cron right? But i guess of course the cron is a better performer overall

[lct]

I have both Summicron 35/2 asph v2 and Summaron 35/2.8. The Summicron is the way to go if you shoot often in low light or if you like its OoF rendition at f/2. At f/2.8 and above, the Summicron is more contrasty and is sharper than the Summaron at edges and corners mainly. It has also less vignetting but more distortion. The Summaron has more character but it is a subjective matter so only you can know if you prefer it to the Summicron. Otherwise beware than the Summaron is a 50+ years old lens. Clean copies can be difficult to find and can be rather expensive. To take an example, i got a pristine 1966 copy for 1,400 EUR in 2025. Finally the Summaron is not 6bit coded, contrary to the Summicron. Pen coding is possible on it but requires some drilling of the flange to prevent the black paint of the coding pits to erase too easily. Happy snaps 😀