Leica 35mm f1.4 pre ASPH or........

Leica 35mm f1.4 pre ASPH or........

  • Leica Summilux 35mm f1.4 pre ASPH

    Votes: 96 45.3%

  • CV Nokton 35mm f1.2 AND CV 35mm f2.5 with some money to spare

    Votes: 42 19.8%

  • CV Nokton Classic 35mm f1.4 (SC/MC) with lots of money to spare

    Votes: 74 34.9%
  • Total voters
    212
I'd go for one of the Noktons. I'm thinking of selling my summi and get the 1.2. I'm just hesitating because everybody say the summi is so nice. But i hardly use it at 1.4 because it is so soft. were the 1.2 is perfect wide open already.

Cheers,

Michiel Fokkema
 
Another vote for the CV Nokton 35/1.4. My MC version is plenty sharp at f1.4. For the combination of speed, size, and bang for the buck, it can't be beat!
 
I have to agree with Al that the pre asph Summilux lost its charm quickly particularly when depending on it under tough lighting. If you look through the pre asp posts there are a number of samples that I shot illustrating the ugly nature of this lens. I'm afraid I would pay no more than $400-500 for a very clean one with the idea I would sell it to someone that would pay $1500 for it later.

I'm glad the owners of them love them but I really love my Nokton 1.2, PII 35 cv and particularly my Zeiss 35f2.
 
I think the color reproduction is one area in which the new suimmilux asph has an advantage. Wide open it also has a quality of sharpness plus dreaminess that is unique. Seeing that has made me fantasize about cashing in my 35s for one of those, but then again, I haven't actually used one, so who knows? The CV small Nokton is astounding for its small size and has a very appealing look in black and white. The Big Nokton leaves little to be desired, were it not for the size/weight.
Yet neither has the voluptuousness + edge-to-edge sharpness of the Biogon. I miss the Biogon!
 
Got my pick

Got my pick

well since i started this thread, i guess i somehow feel slightly responsible to report back.

I went for the silver CV 35mm f2.5 color skopar classic to match my M2.
Both arrived 2 days ago and i am very pleased.

Will be using this setup and see if i miss the extra speed the noktons/lux provides. Also, from all the flickr examples, i find the images form the 35mm f2.5 to be very pleasing esp shot wide open.

Guess time will tell............
 
cmdrzed: The skopar is going really really great !!! There is nothing that i don't like about this lens - cheap, sharp and small.

Very well made and designed in my opinion. The hood actually screws over filters on the lens itself rather than on the filters - so total size of the lens is still the same with/without filters.

My M2 on the other hand is not going so well..... on its way back to the dealer as i type
 
jonmanjiro said:
Another vote for the CV Nokton 35/1.4. My MC version is plenty sharp at f1.4. For the combination of speed, size, and bang for the buck, it can't be beat!
Click to expand...

I concur, but only with the second example of the lens I've owned- the first one (which Sean Reid tested in his review) was kind of a dog. A bad dog.

The second Nokton Classic 35/1.4 MC, that Stephen Gandy graciously sent me in exchange for my old lens, has been a joy to use and is more or less my #1 lens now.

My Flickr set of photos taken with the Voigtländer Nokton Classic 35/1.4

Oh, and the 35/2.5 Color Skopar is a fantastic lens, too!! Small, light, fantastic contrast & sharpness; it's a kick to use! Here's my Flickr set for it. 35mm Voigtländer Color Skopar f/2.5
 
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I went with the combi of the CV Nokton 35mm f1.2 (huge but with great signature too) and the CV 35mm f2.5 (sharp and small).
 
I have tried two of these three lenses, and I am in the process of raising cash for one of them. The 35 1.4 maybe is similar to the 40/1.4?

The CV 35 1.2 is sharp and optically great. Its size makes it less useful to me.I accept having one large lens in a camera bag if it is a tele lens, but a 35mm lens should be small and relatively light for my preference.

The CV 35 1.4 may be a a good buy, but the 40/1.4 is then a better buy.

The 35mm 1.4 pre-asph Leica Summilux has its followers and its offenders.
I find that I can get good looking images with this lens.
 
raid said:
The 35mm 1.4 pre-asph Leica Summilux has its followers and its offenders.
I find that I can get good looking images with this lens.
Click to expand...

I'm with you Raid. I like the images I get with it despite how terrible I hear it is on the internets.
 
MikeL said:
I'm with you Raid. I like the images I get with it despite how terrible I hear it is on the internets.
Click to expand...

Mike,
I respect the views of other people here,and it could be that some people consistently use the lens in certain lighting situations that are better covered with other lenses.
 
I'd also like to try a CV 35 out sometime. But I have a 40/1.4 MC that is great and I paid about $275 for it from the classifieds. The 40s have less distortion, and my sample has no/minimal focus shift (at min. focus distance).

The Summilux is in a completely different class. It has mega Leica glow at 1.4, and it has low microcontrast optimized for b/w high ISO that the CV lacks.
 
The Color Skopar ia a lovely lens (I have one),

But I prefer the old Summilux (I have been using them for 30 years).

TAKE PICTURES. If you often need the speed, the Summilux is better. If you don't, the Color Skopar is probably better.

Basically it doesn't matter. Both are well above the 'quality threshold' where the photographer's talent matters much more than the lens. At least for me.

Cheers,

R.
 
It's just a lens and it does what it does. If you like what it does, then get one. Keep in mind that you'll be getting about $400 worth of lens performance for the money you spend, though, which is what I reckon the lens would go for if it said Serenar on the filter ring. :p
 
Ve vont ze monny, Lebofski! :D

To explain: I'll only be using the CV 35/1.4 SC in certain situations. And for compact and tack sharp I have my C-Biogon.
 
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Since my 35mm Ultron f/1.7 is broken (already), I am looking around for a new lens. "Tack sharp" is certainly something I do not want however...
 
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