Lens test: M-Hexanon 35/2, 50/2, Summicron 35/2, Jupiter-3 50/1.5

[Rust]

Here is a comparison of four lenses:
Konica M-Hexanon 35mm f2
Leica Summicron v4 35mm f2
Konica M-Hexanon 50mm f2
Jupiter-3 50mm f1.5

Pictures taken with Leica M8.2. Full size pics of 35mm lens test you can download here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rus_tam/sets/72157627226578611/detail/

50mm lens test is for bokeh comparison only because pics from Hexanon have significant backfocus (my fault).

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100% crop:

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100% crop:

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More pictures taken with M-Hexanon 35mm f2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rus_tam/sets/72157627226499341/detail/

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

Nice test!

I guess some people won't believe how close some cheap and some expensive lenses are...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[Instantclassic]

Nice test!

I guess some people won't believe how close some cheap and some expensive lenses are...

Cheers,

Juan

I agree. The color reproduction difference was unexpected though.

 

[Juan Valdenebro]

I agree. The color reproduction difference was unexpected though.

Same here... I wonder why some lenses are so cold for color... Well, I guess some people like them that way... I prefer a warmer image even for images shot in the shadows...

Cheers,

Juan

 

[varjag]

Jupiter-3 is not exactly "cheap" anymore, with sales north of $300..

 

[Moriturii]

It's interesting to see how much CA the 35mm Leica Summicron has versus the Hexanon, and it's so cool and cold, don't like it!

 

[Sonnar Brian]

Welcome to the forum, nice test.

I've seen one J-3 go for over $300 on another forum, a KMZ lens that I worked on for a member.

Most are still going in the $150 to $200 range. The days of the $50 J-3 seem to be over.

 

[sanmich]

Welcome to the forum, nice test.

I've seen one J-3 go for over $300 on another forum, a KMZ lens that I worked on for a member.

Most are still going in the $150 to $200 range. The days of the $50 J-3 seem to be over.

Only a guess, but maybe the 4/3 crowd don't really care about calibration of the focus cam, and only need the optical block to be good (and maybe the lens to reach infinity).

 

[Rust]

What do you think about differences in bokeh and sharpness of these lenses?

 

[tritiated]

The hexanon 35 looks really good, what's the price difference?

 

[johannielscom]

What do you think about differences in bokeh and sharpness of these lenses?

...

While the M-Hexanon is a bit harsher, the Summicron actually has a hint of a swirl in the foliage behind the tree trunk in the above shots.

I do not know what I would consider less desirable, but in real life situations I probably would not consider any of the two a major setback so it would be a tie and price would come in. (In effect, the before sentence says: gimme the M-Hex and I'll give you less money😛)

 

[Rust]

The hexanon 35 looks really good, what's the price difference?

Price difference is near $1000.

I think their sharpness almost equal. In the samples above m-hexanon was slightly backfocused, summicron frontfocused from the white card.

 

[Moriturii]

Well I've said it before, as soon as (well, people kind of have already) realize how good M-Hexanon lenses are, and the next to null difference between it and Leica lenses prices are going to skyrocket I would've thought.

And I see no difference in sharpness at all.

 

[Rust]

BTW: Picture from m-hexanon was one stop underexposed (1/750 vs 1/350). So I increased the exposure in LR.

 

[Rust]

Some examples from Konica M-Hexanon 35mm f2 wide open:

 

[leicashot]

The 35 Hexanon is an incredible lens but beware there are focus issues with Leica and I had a very bad sample that I had to return due to this problem.

 

[efix]

While I prefer the warm colour of the Hex, I MUCH prefer the o-o-f rendering of the 'Cron. I'm a sucker for swirly bokeh 🙂

 

[sanmich]

Pass the possible focusing issues, the only fault of the Hex is its size.
Given the price difference, I can live with that....

All the Hexanon M line is fantastic and apparently better built than the Zeiss options.

 

[jsrockit]

Luckily I use digital so cool and warm don't matter as much straight from the lens... I would never by a lens because it was warmer or cooler.

 

[scorpius73]

I had the Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon. It had the lens wobble issue and I never cared for the build quality after that. Optically, it was great. I sold it and bought the Konica 35mm f2 M-Hexanon. The Konica is larger with the Konica hood. I would love to see a match up with the Zeiss 35mm f2 Biogon. I don't think the Konica 35mm would be slacking though. Great test! Thanks for sharing.