Canada or Germany for 35 'cron 8-element?

Canada or Germany for 35 'cron 8-element?

  • Made in Canada full package

    Votes: 20 44.4%

  • Made in Germany, lens and caps only

    Votes: 25 55.6%
  • Total voters
    45
N

nevin

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I'm seeking to buy a 35 'cron 1st version (8-element) and being offered two choices here:

1) Made in Canada with packaging (price, let say it's 47~50 units)
2) Made in Germany lens only (price, is 44 units)

What's your choice here? and why?
 
Canadian glass is just as good as German.

Now, depending on condition... I'd go for the Canadian. However, if the German includes a hood and both caps, I'd take that instead.

Hope this helps! :)
 
Optically & qualitywise they are identical. It is nice to get the packaging but so what! Rule of thumb if it come with the packaging "Keep the Packaging" but do not pay extra for it unless you do NOT want to use the lens and prefer to keep it on the shelf packaged. This is a user forum you might get a different answer in a collectible forum on Vintage items, which are always worth more in mint condition with packaging.
 
SolaresLarrave said:
Canadian glass is just as good as German.

Now, depending on condition... I'd go for the Canadian. However, if the German includes a hood and both caps, I'd take that instead.

Hope this helps! :)
Click to expand...

The German made one comes with the modern lens hood that similar to 35 'cron ASPH, and hence the modern lens front cap.
 
There seem to be less German made 8-element crons than Canadians and this would explain an assumed marginally higher value. However, the original box adds value too. Then again, that also holds for the hood. A box has no use for a user, while a hood has. I would go for the German lens.

So what is your price unit in US$?
 
HuubL said:
There seem to be less German made 8-element crons than Canadians and this would explain an assumed marginally higher value. However, the original box adds value too. Then again, that also holds for the hood. A box has no use for a user, while a hood has. I would go for the German lens.

So what is your price unit in US$?
Click to expand...

Just wondering what kind of hood the 1 version can use....

the price is in the range of 2700~3200 USD
 
I'm confused. Isn't the OP asking about the version 1 pre asph?

For the cron asph, the standard hood is the rectangular one, though sometimes the black paint version ships with a round one, possibly for a vintage look.

Depending on the lens, there have been cases where reports from bulds in one batch or country all seemed different from batches in other countries. For example, if you search through archived threads, at one time folks here with Canadian Summilux 75/1.4s almost all had focus problems and some even thought it was a design error, yet no one with a German 'lux 75/1.4 had focus issues. YMMV, and in fact, there were materials changes between the versions (in the flange, not sure about the glass).
 
To me, the lens matters more than paying additional money for a box and packaging. I'd go for the German, not because it's German (after all, many of my Leica lenses are Canadian), but because it's a better value, at least to me.

Hope this one helps too.

Raid, there were two separate versions of this lens: one with goggles (for the M3) and the other without (for the M2). At least, that's what Sartorius writes in his book about Leica lenses.
 
SolaresLarrave said:
To me, the lens matters more than paying additional money for a box and packaging. I'd go for the German, not because it's German (after all, many of my Leica lenses are Canadian), but because it's a better value, at least to me.

Hope this one helps too.

Raid, there were two separate versions of this lens: one with goggles (for the M3) and the other without (for the M2). At least, that's what Sartorius writes in his book about Leica lenses.
Click to expand...

Hi,
That's why I asked the question. Is this thread about the goggles version or the M2 version?
 
They fetch a lot of money lately, but 2700-3400 US$ seems a bit overpriced to me. For that price they should be better than mint+++. A nice looking ungoggled M2 version goes for 1200-1800 US$ in exc condition (and that's about 200-300 more than half a year ago). The goggled M3 version should be a couple of hundred dollars less than.
Unless it is an original black paint of course, they go for unrealistic prices (2500 +).
check this site.
 
This post is incorrectly formulated, because lack the third option: indifferent Canada or Germany. For this reason, i don't vote.
Mr. Walther Mandler designed his Summicron 35/2 8 elements in Mid Ontario.
Ciao.
Vincenzo
 
Interestingly enough, the design of the 35f2 8 element Summicron was a Dr Mandler design and he worked at Midland, Canada.
I have never seen any reason for paying more for a german version of the classic Summicron 35. The Canadian made one were the same as the German - many of the Canadian ones were shipped to Germany, assembled there and engraved Made in Germany. It was a way to avoid high import duty on finished lenses, while lens element assemblies carried far less duty!
I am not really sure why the 8 element Summicron carries such a high price tag. In 1958 it was a premium lens, Leica's answer to the Nikkor 35f2.5 and some of the offerings from Canon and Zeiss. The series, 35/50/90 Summicrons at that time were rather unique - same speed for the three primary Leica focal lengths (this was less than a year after the introduction of the M2 too). By todays standards, this series is OK, but by no means a modern performance! The 35f2 8 element is not that good wide open, reasonable center, but soft edges. The 50mm f2.0 Summicron in the rigid form was a huge improvement over the old collapsible version and is actually still a very good lens. The 90f2 Summicron was created for the press photographers of the era and it is OK, but no stellar performer and it is BIG and heavy.
As for the bokeh on these lenses - in its day it was the "fuzzy stuff" that was not in focus and carried no "artsy" names. Usually rude comments from a photo editor "Stop the damned lens down so there is something to focus on!!!"
I do admit to having a set of these lenses, all from around 1960 and occasionally I take them out and shoot with them - usually I end up going "Damned, the new lenses are so much better".
 
ampguy said:
I'm confused. Isn't the OP asking about the version 1 pre asph?

For the cron asph, the standard hood is the rectangular one, though sometimes the black paint version ships with a round one, possibly for a vintage look.
Click to expand...
Yes I'm asking the 1 version, 8-element 'cron. Since the German made one I mentioned in the post comes with a modern hood that's the same as my ASPH 'cron. So that's why I ask what's the "default" hood that use with 8-element.
 
HuubL said:
They fetch a lot of money lately, but 2700-3400 US$ seems a bit overpriced to me. For that price they should be better than mint+++. A nice looking ungoggled M2 version goes for 1200-1800 US$ in exc condition (and that's about 200-300 more than half a year ago). The goggled M3 version should be a couple of hundred dollars less than.
Unless it is an original black paint of course, they go for unrealistic prices (2500 +).
check this site.
Click to expand...

I know the price sounds crazy. But thanks to Leica (they increase the price twice/yr here) and Chinese (they have the money), the lens' price keep reaching rocket high point! Last year the price is in the range of 2K and this year it's 2500+. If you take a look at the evilbay you will see what I mean.... :bang::mad:
 
The only reason to buy the German one over the Canadian one is that superstitious people and equipment fetishists prefer the German one. Hence, the resale value will tend to be higher on the German one if you should decide to get rid of it at some future date.

Optically and mechanically they are identical, except for the hood thing, which in my opinion is no big deal. Box, papers, etc, also increases resale value, although cosmetic condition is also another big factor.
 
Tom A said:
As for the bokeh on these lenses - in its day it was the "fuzzy stuff" that was not in focus and carried no "artsy" names. Usually rude comments from a photo editor "Stop the damned lens down so there is something to focus on!!!"
I do admit to having a set of these lenses, all from around 1960 and occasionally I take them out and shoot with them - usually I end up going "Damned, the new lenses are so much better".
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom...you almost ease my GAS....

When wide opened, someone said the resolution in the center is comparable though (to the ASPH). Is it true?

When stopped down to f/5.6 I assume they're all more or less equal in performance, no?
 
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