What's your opinion about the Summicron 35mm vIII?

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Bernie/Is/No/More.

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Hello 🙂

Tom, I saw in your flickr that you are shooting with one of these. I just want to know your thoughts about the signature of this lens. Everyone talks about the first version, the 4th version (King Of Bokeh) and the ASPH, and maybe the 3rd version deserves more attention... I dont know.

Thanks in advance.
 
I owned both the v.3 and v.4 versions for a time. The v.3 is wonderfully well built, with a deeply recessed front element that obviates the need for a hood most of the time. Pictorially I found it almost identical to the v.4, certainly from f2.8 down you'd struggle to tell them apart. Hugely under-rated lens IMHO, especially when you see what a decent v.4 can fetch these days.

Be interested to see what Tom's take is..?
 
I owned a v2 for a time, I believe it's the same optical formula as the v3, but I'm no expert on the subject. It was a wonderful lens... but traded it away because I still liked my 2.8 Summaron better even with giving up a stop😉
 
I prefer the VIII to the over-hyped vIV (start the mudslinging now!). It is smaller and I find it suits a M2 better. Almost pocketable without the hood. This said, I gave mine to a friend a while ago. I have reduced my 35 Summicron "holdings" to two, my black paint Vi as it looks soo good on a black paint M2 and my ASPH 35f2 - the latter because it is not that valuable and it is very sharp. I simply use it as a reference lens when I try other 35's.
The v II is the same as the III except for that weird aperture control - which I kept knocking into a shape that Leica never intended it to be. I have had several of the vII's - and my only beef with them is a tendency to flare - but then mine were well used and somewhat "scarred" on the front element. Very sharp though.
If I had to replace the non-asph Summicrons, my choice would be a version III.
 
If I were going to buy a 35 summicron again, it would be the v.III.
I've owned that and a couple copies of the v.IV. The version IV is a nice lens. And I love the way it renders. But I don't buy the whole "king of bokeh" line.
If you shot the same scene with both of those lenses, I'd love to see someone try to pick out which lens did what.
Get the v.III and you get a better-made lens that also produces beautiful images - for less money.

Or get a 35 UC hexanon.
 
If OP needs to drink the Kool-Aid, the 'cron v3 is a winner on price. I liked it enough to buy a backup. The v4 (which I also own) has a more-accessible aperture control, but an inferior DOF scale. All that said, I prefer the Summaron 2.8!
 
Thanks guys. I found a 35mm 'Cron vIII in like new condition with box, case, papers and all the stuff for 900 euros. It has the aperture ring tab and I'm afraid about its ergonomics.

Tom, with your words I understand that the vIII is the new King of Bokeh... ;-)

Thanks again.
 
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