Leica 35mm Summicron ASPH vs Canon 35mm f/2 IS USM

[den_sh]

Looks like Canon has finally made a compact lens that rivals Leica in 35mm focal length:

Canon 35mm IS USM review at photozone.
Leica 35mm Summicron ASPH review at photozone.

Weight: 335g (Canon) vs 255g (Leica)
Distortion: 0.9% barrel (Canon) vs 0.3% pincushion (Leica)
Vignetting at f/2: 2.2 stop (Canon) vs 2.7 stop (Leica)
Border sharpness at f/2: 2700 lw/ph (Canon) vs 2100 lw/ph (Leica)
CA at f/2: 0.3px (Canon) vs 0.4px (Leica)

And lastly
Price: $550 + $54 (hood) vs $3200 (comes with default hood)

Very comparable performance. Leica has less distortion but softer in the corners. Canon has IS but Leica won't slap with the mirror.

It only took them a few decades to catch up. Can't wait to try it out on EOS 3.

 

[michaelwj]

You forgot

Dimensions: 77.9x62.6mm (Canon) vs 34.5 x 53 mm (Leica)

So compact is relative in this respect I suppose.
Looks like it complements the EOS well for size though.

Michael

 

[FA Limited]

the canon is quite fat with a whopping 67mm filter thread but having IS on wide primes is fantastic.
i have the 28mm 2.8 is and handholding with good success < 1/10 is a gamechanger for me.

 

[FA Limited]

canon's never seem to get a fair shake in this hood

 

[jammcat]

The Canon 35mm f2 LTM is a fantastic lens, made many years earlier, and DOES rival Leica in the 35mm focal length. 😛

 

[ChrisN]

Unless these two lenses are tested on the same sensor the comparison results can be misleading.

 

[Classique]

Unless these two lenses are tested on the same sensor the comparison results can be misleading.

Which can be done soon! on the new A7/A7R 😀 Now that there is a format with which almost all slr/rf lenses can be used with a full frame sensor, we may start getting "real" comparisons that can give us a true sense of lens performance on an even playing ground (of course, wider rf lenses may be an exception due to the short flange distance)

 

[Classique]

The test of an EOS lens on the Sony is rather theoretical because you can't use this combination in real life. There is no way to control the aperture of an EOS lens from a Sony or Fuji or whatever camera. So it can only be used wide open or with a dirty hack that's too complicated to use.

I have the old 35/2 (non IS) that has a fantastic center sharpness, better than all the new Fuji XF lenses.

Actually there are EF to nex adapters with electronic control and AF (AF is rather primitive). But I merely mentioned that to show that we have a platform that can mount and use virtually all rf/slr lenses made and as a result tests can be performed with one less variable - the camera sensor.

Now in actual use, I wouldn't use EF or Contax G AF adapters (both have primitive af adapted to nex) for my kit until a more reliable AF method is developed; similar to LA-EA4 that allows full autofocus (apparently matches that of the flagship A99 DSLR) and electronic contact.

 

[telenous]

From what I've read, the performance of the new Canon lens is comparable to the old Canon EF 35/2, an old design but a very good lens. The older lens compares well with the Summicron-R 35/2, for example. But with the Summicron 35 Asph.? I don't think so. Wide open performance, vignetting, coma, CA, distortion, my guess is the Leica lens will be on top. One area where the Canon lens might be better is flare resistance and that just because the Leica lens isn't the greatest performer in that regard.

The main reason to get the new Canon is IS and USM, both missing from the old design. The trade off is size. In fact, the comparison between the two Canons works both ways, it makes obvious what a tremendous bargain the older Canon lens is. The question with the new lens is whether the camera(s) will manage to focus consistently in the kind of darkness requiring f/2 and 1/8s. If Canon's DSLRs can do that, then they've finally broached territory often reserved in the past for rangefinders.



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[FA Limited]

just picked up the canon, pretty sweet performer so far but trying to find a good way to handle the large lens on the smaller 6D body. believe it or not the lens is actually lighter than the chrome 35 Summicron ASPH. seems a bit better than the 28 2.8 IS that i just had in sharpness and with respect to CA. bokeh has been pretty smooth so far and good sharpness at 2.8 and higher. there are definitely a lot of creative opportunities with this lens and the 6D.

 

[gavinlg]

I have the old 35/2 (non IS) that has a fantastic center sharpness, better than all the new Fuji XF lenses.

That would be the sensor, not the lens 😉

 

[FA Limited]

took the lens on a trip to a tropical type of place, the results really kick ass
sharp sharp with smooth bokeh, lens renders well, flare performance excellent even without a hood and always an extra layer of glass (uv or polarizer)

sometimes CDAF is a bit slow but rather have USM then other lens motors. biggest negative is that i find it a bit too large on the small 6D body but it balances better on the 7D.