Leica 35mm summicron version i, ii street silhouettes. Well guys, here we are at the close of yet another year. The summicron was first created in 50mm in 1953, followed by 35mm and 90mm in 1958 and 40mm in 1973. If you demand the sharpest lens for your leica, it is the summicron. The standard lenses come with a rectangular shaped plastic hood while the black paint version comes with a classic vented round metal hood. Two of these designs summicron and summilux are available in both r and m mounts, while two other noctilux and elmar are available only in m mount. Nov 15, 2017 the summicron v3 was manufactured from 19691979, a time leica would probably like to either redo or forget entirely. The leica 35mm summicron v3 is quite heavily prone to flare. Ive heard it called technically perfect and the best render of any lens ever, but rather than be sensational about it, im just going to simply state that it is the best lens ive ever used. The leitz summicron 35mm f2 type i was known for its center sharpness, better selective focus than the 35mm summilux at wide aperture without the lack of pleasant bokeh.
If you dont need the extra stop or two and can find one in good condition the summaron would be a wise choice. Yesterday i was visiting london for two model shoots and to do some leica street photography. In about 1956 a rigid version of the 502 summicron for mseries cameras appeared with little explanation. Ive added the links to the front page story as well. Nov 17, 2004 i really like the feel of the summaron esp. Apo summicronm 50mm, f2, iso 25,000 click image to enlarge i know the claims out there.
The previous decade stripped leica of the unofficial best camera manufacturer title and gave it instead to nikon. Do you like the summicron 50mm f2 or the summicron 35mm f. Summicron r 35mm difference in versions my experience with the 35s is limited to a late elmarit so i cant help with that comparison. This goofylooking 50yearold lens works marvelously well compared to leicas newest lenses. I stopped in at a vintage camera repair shop in walking distance of euston train station to have a look around. One thing i want to point out right away, is the fact that its aperture iris at f2 wideopen is not a fully rounded circle see picture. I use a cle as a street shooter, with a canon 25mm f3. Leica summicronm 50 mm f2 1 the optical computation of this lens leads to perfect image quality that extends into the corners at full aperture, with outsta nding contrast over the entire picture area, even in the closeup range. Also many people these days are selling their dslrs to get a smaller and more portable system.
For specific photography needs worldwide, contact thorsten overgaard via email. This leica 28mm f2 summicronm is a wideangle lens intended for journalists. It is reasonably sharp wide open and quite sharp stopped down. It seems 2016 came and went in a flash and a blur and quite honestly without a ton of amazing releases in the digital camera world. Find great deals on ebay for leica summicron m 35mm f2. Perhaps not surprising that the performance is mostly towards the edges and corners and more so w. The 35mm summicron v3 has a much stronger character to my mind or at very least it has a couple of character traits that feel like they define the lens.
Of course this is my personal feelings, some likes the summicron very much, it is no doubt an excellent lens. Seems the new lens is living up to its expectations as far as sharpness. Leicar lenses tend to be a little more expensive than most vintage lenses and for a good reason. Leica summicron m 50 mm f2 1 the optical computation of this lens leads to perfect image quality that extends into the corners at full aperture, with outsta nding contrast over the entire picture area, even in the closeup range. I say was because the company discontinued one of the models elmaritr 35mm f2. Metal black lens cap for leica l39 e39 39mm summicron summaron tinra 352 m502. The 50 summicron is a great portrait lens and its really great at making subjects just pop out of the page. Well, i think that is more of a question of which focal length you prefer. I believe it was mike johnston, who crowned it the king of bokeh, for its smooth transition and rendering of the outoffocus area. Now before i get any further i feel i should emphasise the point that i think of flare as a funny thing. The new 28 summicron shows considerable improvement over the old model, especially wide open, and especially with the leica sl and the the sony a7 mkii. When leica issued a copy of the 50mm v2 with modern optics as a collectible, they did not implement the original tab, and honestly it was difficult to put the lens on the camera and take it out. Even when i conducted a side by side comparison of sample images between the updated version and the previous version, finding any difference was like splitting hair i really didnt see much of a difference. The summicronr502 has been extensively compared to the more recent zeiss loxia 502 based on this lens.
Comprised of seven elements in five groups, and incorporating a single aspherical element, this lens eliminates nearly all distortions and spherical aberrations throughout. For instance, after shooting with the 50 summicron and the 50 summilux asph extensively, i would say that the 50 summicron has slightly more contrast than the lux. Even though its a manual focus lens, the large depth of field and. Im buying this camera as my daily walk around camera, since i already have a canon 5d with all ranges covered but find that camera too bulky to take with me all the time. It has a very modest maximum aperture, and captures images with a strong vignette and edges that are.
Sep 19, 2015 the 35mm summicron v3 has a much stronger character to my mind or at very least it has a couple of character traits that feel like they define the lens. Jason howe hosts my pdf s for adjusting the jupiter3 to the leica. Leica summicronr 50mm f2 is one of leicas four 50mm lens designs. Manufactured in limited numbers between 19551963, the original summaron would have been most commonly paired with leicas screwmount and via adapters m3 and m2 film rangefinders of the day. In addition to shimming the optics, a pdf for changing the focal length is also given. I remember 2015 being big, and every year before it. We are comparing leica summicron c to leica summiluxc lenses. It is not only one stop faster, but also lighter and smaller. I am trying to decide which 50mm lens to buy for my m8.
Learn milk science, steaming, and latte art duration. Perhaps not surprising that the performance is mostly towards the edges and corners and more so wide open. I expected the leica to be a bit better than it is, but i would probably buy it only for its bokeh characteristics or overall feel for noninfinity shots. Deciding between the summicron and the summilux is a matter of price, size, and the need for that extra stop of speed. The contrast is a bit low, but i just dial up a bit more contrast on my enlarger im one of those people.
Stopped down, the difference appear less perceptible if at all. Customs services and international tracking provided. Summicrons demand such high performance that these are the only focal lengths in which man can create them today. But i have had both a ver i and ver ii elmarit 28 and the ver ii is far better than the ver i. If you use the screwmount version on a screwmount leica, or draw the short. The new 35mm summicron is slightly sharper wide open with better bokeh. I use a 254090 kit mostly leaving the 50 and 35 at home a 254050 would make almost no sense, the 35 would be better in this respect. Pairing a favored focal length with a bright maximum aperture for flexible control, the silver leica summicronm 35mm f2 asph lens is a standard wideangle prime that is prized for image quality and refined optical design. Its important to compare lenses so you can really find how. Jan 24, 2017 the best reason to get this lens however is because its almost as good as the leica 352 summicron, but with a more attractive price tag, a removable all metal hood that makes it look stunning and with a lower volume and weight. Get this lens if youre willing to trade size, weight, price and a partiallyblocked viewfinder in exchange for a onestop gain in speed over the 28mm f2. Sep 08, 2015 apo summicronm 50mm, f2, iso 25,000 click image to enlarge i know the claims out there.
Hi rleica, im lucky enough to be buying my first leica m the brand new m10 this upcoming week. Its market value has increased quite a lot recently. When i decided to buy another m8 after taking a year and a half off from it yes, i missed it dearly i took a week to decide which lenses to start with. Aug 01, 2014 it can be tough decision to buy into the leica system. Discussion in leica and rangefinders started by nasmformyzombie, nov 17, 2004. Jun 09, 2018 i have received in the mail a new leica lens. The summilux has more character than summicron, i had the summicron asph and the previous version of summilux asph, sold the summicron after a few times taking out, it is lacking the feel that i like with leica lens. Im painstakingly protective of loaner gear, but accidents do happen, and the thought of accidentally losing or scratching the tiny jewellike lens. Leitz summicronc lens set buildaset duclos lenses is a proud member of the following. I, of course, could not pass up the chance of owning one, even if its just for the opportunity to. Overview pairing a favored focal length with a bright maximum aperture for flexible control, the silver leica summicron m 35mm f2 asph lens is a standard wideangle prime that is prized for image quality and refined optical design.
May 28, 2016 the new 28 summicron shows considerable improvement over the old model, especially wide open, and especially with the leica sl and the the sony a7 mkii. The 50mm lens is my favorite focal length for the leica m system, and one of the biggest reasons for this is because of my relationship with the 50 summicron when i received my first camera a leica m3, this was my first lens borrowed from my dad, and it was my only lens for many years to come. Many people were surprised at how well the summaron did in comparison to the other 25 lenses or so. The name summaron is used by leica to designate camera lenses that have a maximum aperture of f2. In the 1950s leica bought crown glass from an english company and used it to make the lenses leica designed a number of f2 lenses before the summicron, such as. Leicas worst summicron 50mm f2 is one of the best and. As for which version is right for you, only you would know. Besides the obvious difference and benefit in a faster aperture lens, is the difference in price between these three lenses justified summarit f2. The m240 also shows a noticeable improvement, but its microlens design and the thin sensor accommodate the older lens better, so the improvement isnt nearly so obvious.
Leica summicronr 35mm f2 was one of the three 35mm lenses manufactured by the company for its range of slr cameras. It is an excellent lens for lifelike, impressive shots and perfect for a large diversity of subjects. It has become a very popular 35mm lens for the leica at following years. Having owned a few voigtlander and zeiss lenses before, im used to having the aperture blades retract completely at the wideopen position, exposing a complete circle.
As frequent readers might already know, the leica summicronr 50mm f2 has been on my radar since the beginning of this blog. The old and new leica 28mm summicron asph lenses tested on. The best reason to get this lens however is because its almost as good as the leica 352 summicron, but with a more attractive price tag, a removable all metal hood that makes it look stunning and with a lower volume and weight. All the variants of the 35mm summicron asph come with lens hoods that clip onto the front of the lens. But between 28mm or 35mm, my pick will always be the 28mm focal length.
There is obviously one stop in difference, so the summicron can photograph with half the light of the elmarit, and the bokeh out of focus area is more blurred at f2. We will be looking at similarities and differences between the lenses. Wi th its aperture stopped down modestly to f4, this versatile lens delivers a maximum of resolving power and contrast. Adapter for imarect finder, adapting it for use with 28mm summaron. The summicron v3 was manufactured from 19691979, a time leica would probably like to either redo or forget entirely.
The first summicron was an evolved summitar collapsible 50mm with lanthanum glass, and was launched in 1953. This made the summicron 35mm f2 type i an ideal lens for candid, portrait and urban photography. The cv images have a more modern look to them as compared with the classic summaron look. The zeiss csonnar also comes to mind, with even nicer bokeh but a more costly sacrifice in sharpness compared to the cronr. It can be tough decision to buy into the leica system. They are by far some of the best cine style lenses ive seen. Summaron with its viewing unit plus the summicron viewing unit. Its an excellent lens and in most instances the prints will look as good as those made with the summicron or summilux. I compared many 35mm lenses recently, and i included the summaron 2. Leica m lenses are based and how the extensive knowhow and the. Find out which is better and their overall performance in the mirrorless camera lens ranking. This leica 28mm f2 summicron m is a wideangle lens intended for journalists. Not only does the lens focus through the range and viewfinder of the m3 in.
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