Leica 28mm 2.8 vs 2.0

[gzisis69]

I am saving to buy my first leica( m4-p) and since i need 5-6 months till i buy it i was thinking of the 28mm options. 28 is my favorite focal length and if i get to leica i want a leica lens, not zeiss not voightländer artisans etc. since i almost shoot street which one would fit better ? I know that the 2.8 is cheaper, smaller and you can see almost the whole viewfinder but is the rendering of the 28 f2 summicron( not the new closer focusing one, then i need to save for much longer) better ? Is the zone focusing handling any better ? Id say the f2 would be used at not more than 5% of the cases if i really need to photograph late when it darkens up.

 

[Miles.]

The 2.8 aspherical lenses are incredibly well corrected, as are both of the Summicron options. I suspect you won’t see any differences between them at 2.8.

The pre-aspherical 2.8s, v3 and v4, while bigger, are a bargain in Leica world.

Given your tight budget at the moment, I think it would behoove you to reconsider Zeiss ZM and Voigtlander. Going that route would get you shooting much sooner.

Good luck.

 

[Rayt]

Leica made 5 versions of 28mm Elmarits over the past 50 years. Personally I would choose the v4 which is the last pre-Asph because I do not like the look of current high contrast hard edge sharpness Asph lenses. If you like the sharp and contrasty look then the Voigtlanders are the best bet for the money. Currently I have the 28mm Summicron v1. Zone focusing takes practice and it isn’t hard to nail focus at f/2.8. For snaps I zone at f/5.6 for subjects less than 10 feet away. 28mm lens 10 feet from lens the subject fills the frame for a typical people street shot.

 

[Richard G]

I agree with Rayt. I bought the very small 28 Elmarit ASPH 2.8 second hand for $1600 Australian, from an Australian seller. I am happy with it for what it is, but the high contrast is evident and rarely what I want. I am most often using the 28 Summaron M f5.6, a tiny and marvellous lens. I scored that for not much more. It was on my M9-P for months.

i do think the second last Summicron 28 is a beautiful kens. Mfogiel on RFF made some glorious light filled shots with it. I know I will never now fork out for that lens I don’t need.

I have three ZM lenses which are truly superb, the C Sonnar 50, the 21 Biogon f4.5, and the 25 Biogon 2.8. That C Sonnar taught me more about lenses than any Leica lens. It instantly cured me of wanting a 50 Summikux ASPH. The single most important thing I’ve learnt on RFF is that it is not all about the glass. And if it is, you should move up in the world and enjoy some of these Zeiss lenses for less than half the cost of Leica.

Being seen with a Leica camera and a Voigtlander or Zeiss lens does not mark you as a cheapskate, but as a discerning photographer who makes considered choices.

In considering which 28 be careful of a very fast Voigtlander. It is big. I would go with the Zeiss 28 2.8. You could not be unhappy with it.

 

[Richard G]

I think I did tame the little 28 Elmarit ASPH on my last trip to Europe in the shadows of the old city in Nice and even in the late afternoon sun in Paris. It is a harsher prospect under the Australian sun.

 

[Richard G]

Final thought: with Tri-X or Fuji colour negative 400 you do not need an f2 lens.

 

[Freakscene]

I am saving to buy my first leica( m4-p) and since i need 5-6 months till i buy it i was thinking of the 28mm options. 28 is my favorite focal length and if i get to leica i want a leica lens, not zeiss not voightländer artisans etc. since i almost shoot street which one would fit better ? I know that the 2.8 is cheaper, smaller and you can see almost the whole viewfinder but is the rendering of the 28 f2 summicron( not the new closer focusing one, then i need to save for much longer) better ? Is the zone focusing handling any better ? Id say the f2 would be used at not more than 5% of the cases if i really need to photograph late when it darkens up.

If you are talking about the current ASPH 28s, get the Summicron if you can at all manage to afford it. The 2.8 was essentially designed for the M8 and has more resolution fall off and vignetting than other Leica lenses and is unusually contrasty. I had one, and it’s the only Leica lens I’ve bought where I decided very quickly to replace it. The Summicron is fantastic, and there are plenty on the used market for $US 2500 or so, including at KEH and other places with excellent return policies. A bargain.

 

[gzisis69]

What abou the voigtländer color-skopar 28mm/2.8 vm ii ? I just found that this lens exists. Has anyone tried it ?

 

[Darthfeeble]

You're going to have to print pretty large to find a significant difference in either of those lenses or any of the current crop of CV lenses.

 

[gzisis69]

I thought about that and im not a pixel peeper to tell you the truth. Id be more interested to know how the muscle memory works on the voightländers in comparison ti leica lenses. Is it easy to set 0,5 0,7 1,5 3m without looking the lens with some practice ?