dreamsandart
Well-known
The pre-ASPH Summilux was my standard lens for most of my Leica Life. I can't say I was ever unhappy with its results, and more than happy with most of my images made with it. Unfortunately when the ASPH version came out I felt it would be 'the lens' and traded the old for new.
Bigger, heavier, bigger, blocked viewfinder... and it never felt 'right', although it was a fantastic optical lens. But what I found was that I really liked the pre-ASPH Summilux, both handling and image character, wide open it can be very special, by f2-f2.8 its really not that much behind a pre-ASPH Summicron (if any), and by f5.6 unless you are putting your images up on the big screen or looking very critically at them I doubt you'd see any difference between any of the 35mm lenses.
Well, I have another pre-ASPH Summilux now and its again my standard lens. Getting an ASPH 35mm is a good experience, but I would think hard about the advantages of the ASPH and if they would really make a difference worth the 'upgrade'. Both are good lenses in their own ways.
Bigger, heavier, bigger, blocked viewfinder... and it never felt 'right', although it was a fantastic optical lens. But what I found was that I really liked the pre-ASPH Summilux, both handling and image character, wide open it can be very special, by f2-f2.8 its really not that much behind a pre-ASPH Summicron (if any), and by f5.6 unless you are putting your images up on the big screen or looking very critically at them I doubt you'd see any difference between any of the 35mm lenses.
Well, I have another pre-ASPH Summilux now and its again my standard lens. Getting an ASPH 35mm is a good experience, but I would think hard about the advantages of the ASPH and if they would really make a difference worth the 'upgrade'. Both are good lenses in their own ways.