35mm - Summicron f2 or Summilux f1.4?

[harmsr]

Magus stated my case very well.

I sold a 35 'Cron ASPH to get the 35 'Lux ASPH.

In the bright AZ sun, the Cron was too clinical. The Lux had a signature which I liked much better. IMO the two lenses are very different.

Although, if weight and size or price are a factor then you may still want to consider the 'Cron. It is a great lens, however the Lux is better for my preferences in how it renders.

Best,

Ray

 

[Jon Graham]

Magus stated my case very well.

I sold a 35 'Cron ASPH to get the 35 'Lux ASPH.

In the bright AZ sun, the Cron was too clinical. The Lux had a signature which I liked much better. IMO the two lenses are very different.

Although, if weight and size or price are a factor then you may still want to consider the 'Cron. It is a great lens, however the Lux is better for my preferences in how it renders.

Best,

Ray

I am in complete agreement. The 35 lux is different than the cron asph. I far prefer the rendering of the lux, but love the compactness of the cron.

Actually, I find the m7 balances best with the chrome 35 lux. This is my universal take anywhere lens. Expensive - yes, but IMHO worth it. There is more than 1 F stop difference: weight, balance, signature, etc.

 

[woffle]

I appear to have opened a real can of worms - as ever thanks for all advice - it looks like it largely comes down to personal preference (ie. earlier 'lux 'glow' versus 'cron 'sharpness - esp. with the ASPH later versions). That and money 🙂

For what it's worth - not sure if anyone else interested / already aware but I found this somewhat exhaustive guide to Leica glass:

http://www.cameraquest.com/mlenses.htm

Not sure how authorative it is but appears to be useful to peeps like myself who are starting to explore the tangled web that is Leica glass...

Joe

 

[jim0266]

How often do you really need or use 1.4 on a 35mm lens? Go and look at your pics over the last year and see how many could have been shot at 1.4 if you had it at your disposal.

Personally I would rather have 1.4 in a 50mm lens, which to me is more like a tele.

 

[J. Borger]

How often do you really need or use 1.4 on a 35mm lens? Go and look at your pics over the last year and see how many could have been shot at 1.4 if you had it at your disposal.

Personally I would rather have 1.4 in a 50mm lens, which to me is more like a tele.

You miss the point Jim .. it is not just about the 1 stop! You are right about that. But there is more .....
The 35 summilux PRE-ASPH and ASPH have a different signature from the cron ASPH!!!!
The same with the 50 cron vs Lux (pre-asph & asph) ... the lenssignature is different as well as the colourrendition and tonality in B&W.

 

[Magus]

Post deleted by posters request

 

[dreamsandart]

This is one of the reasons I recently posted a "When [lens] life was less complicated..." thread.

I was happily using a 1st version 35 Summicron in the mid 70s when a Leica Rep loaned me a 35 Summilux for the basketball season. I ended up buying it ( at the price offered couldn't turn it down ) and used that lens for a couple decades as my primary lens. Sometimes it did flare, but over all I was happy with it. If I wanted 'sharp' I did make a point of stopping down, but it did have the 1.4 option if needed which is nice in a 'wide' (its my normal lens) lens. In general its great in the f5.6-f8 range, and good at f2.8-4, it can be 'Leica beautiful' at times, but an ultimate quality fast 35 seemed the golden egg so I bought an ASPH Summilux when it became available.

The Summilux ASPH is really a great lens at any aperture, takes the guess work out of 'optimal aperture'. But it does have 'size' and I ended up getting a 4th version 35 Summicron for travel and its also very good imaging quality.

So now I have 3 lenses for their different properties; size (pre-ASPH lenses), high imagine quality (ASPH) and 'art' quality (pre-ASPH Summilux opened up). The best if I had to choose one...? Probably the Summilux ASPH as it has the speed and look.

 

[dreamsandart]

Between lenses here are different aspects to 'bokeh', its not just how the out of focus is rendered but the transition of focus from sharp to out of focus areas. In general the ASPH lenses seem to drop the 'sharp' of the focus plane faster than the non-ASPH lenses, the ASPH Summilux seems to have a bit more of the old style 'smooth' quality to it, and if needed the f1.4 can be used to isolate the subject. F1.4 is not just for low light, some of my favorite days out with the camera are overcast, slow film with the old pre-ASPH Summilux opened up for 'beautiful' images.