Limited 35mm budget: Zeiss vs Leica

[time]

Hi all.

I know many has discussed it before. However, I did not see any poll of that.

Which of the 35mm´s do you like to buy for about 1000usd?

(900-1450usd)

 

[johannielscom]

LTM or M?

Modern glass? Voigtlander (ASPH) lenses, or Zeiss.
Vintage glass? A thousand bucks could get you a nice Summaron 35/2.8.

 

[Ron (Netherlands)]

I voted for the summi V3 since you don't get a summi V4 for usd 1000, and I like the summis better than the other lenses.

but before buying into summi's you could just start with a nice 2.8 summaron,

Oh I see just now that Johan shares the same idea, then it must be a very good advice, Great!

 

[time]

Hi there.

It is for a film M and a GF1 (35mm becomes 70mm for portrait).

I find the 2.8 too slow for a place like here in the very north. 😱
I already find f2 critical for the winter time.

I have tried nokton 1.4 classic, but the image quality is too "imperfect".

 

[semilog]

Ideally, a used ZM Biogon-C 35/2.8. When I wanted one I couldn't find one used, so I bought new. Second choice would be the Summarit 35/2.5. Both of lenses absolutely kill. Third choice would be a used ZM Biogon 35/2.

But note that every lens mentioned in this thread so far is terrific.

 

[Tipton]

Or, if you can, do what I did, have some patience, squash the voice inside your head, grab a 40mm Summicon, (modify it for 35 framelines if desired), and use it until you have enough cash, combined with the sale of said 40, to get what you really want. For me personally, it was an ASPH Summicron, but I've since decided to head to the 35mm 1.2 Voigt, so I'll end up with a lot of cash I wasn't expecting to have, which means a trip, or a ton of film.

 

[leicashot]

Easily the Zeiss Biogon or the Voigtlander 35/1.2 if you can handle the size/weight, and the speed 😉

 

[Keith]

No one has mentioned the UC Hexanon ... probably a little harder to track down but Dante Stella's write up on the lens where he compares it to the Summicron on his site is worth a read.

 

[leicashot]

No one has mentioned the UC Hexanon ... probably a little harder to track down but Dante Stella's write up on the lens where he compares it to the Summicron on his site is worth a read.

Great lens, but the 1m close focus is very limiting if it's your only 35mm.

 

[semilog]

Even with these additions, what I said above holds: every lens mentioned so far is terrific, albeit in varied ways. Better, in every single case, than the vast majority of 35's that have been made for SLRs.

 

[Keith]

Great lens, but the 1m close focus is very limiting if it's your only 35mm.

I can understand why 1 meter is limiting on a 50mm lens but by nature a 35mm tends to get used a lot differently ... ie portraits shot at shorter distances with a 35mm always look odd to me.

Please explain. 😀

 

[sepiareverb]

I just bought a used Biogon to compare to my 35/2 ASPH.

 

[time]

I just bought a used Biogon to compare to my 35/2 ASPH.

Oh. May you give us your view of the difference of those two?
Is the asph that sharper and has that better bokeh than the biogon and worth the extra cost?

 

[The Meaness]

What did you find imperfect about the nokton? More detail about your likes and dislikes will help people give you more focused suggestions.

However, as it stands I agree with the idea of buying the 40mm Summicron C and saving your money for what you really want (sounds like the 35 'cron or 'lux ASPH).

 

[leicashot]

I can understand why 1 meter is limiting on a 50mm lens but by nature a 35mm tends to get used a lot differently ... ie portraits shot at shorter distances with a 35mm always look odd to me.

Please explain. 😀

Depends on how one shoots. For documentary where you need to get close to people, 1M is too far sometimes, and sometimes 0.7M is too close. For general photography I'm sure 1M is fine 90% of the time.

I just don't like to be limited by focus distance and find that 0.7M can be limiting at times with a rangefinder, so don't like to go longer than that....although I have made an exception with my Noct 😉

 

[wjlapier]

I was looking at 35 for a while. Two great reviews of the 2.5 Summarit by Guy Mancuso on getdpi and Steve Huff on his site. Nice lens. In the end I went for a v4. BTW, v3, v4, and the 2.5 are more than $1000 used these days. There is a nice v3 in the b+S for $1250. Almost pulled the trigger when the v4 came available.

 

[leicashot]

Oh. May you give us your view of the difference of those two?
Is the asph that sharper and has that better bokeh than the biogon and worth the extra cost?

The reason why the Biogon is so popular is because it beats the ASPH in most areas of image quality. Flare, bokeh smoothness, distortion, field flatness and sharpness of the field wide open all go to the Biogon. The Summicron is slightly sharper in the center wide open.

As for build and size the Summicron beats the Biogon, being better built and a smaller size, especially with the hood on.

 

[raid]

I have a V2 pre-asph Summilux 35mm, which I like a lot. What is there to dislike about such a lens.

 

[davidbivins]

I voted the Summicron v4 because I use it pretty much every single day and I love it. That said, if I were you I would start cheap and buy the least expensive lens of acceptable quality to you first, use the heck out of it, and keep saving for the next lens. My first Summicron was a 50mm collapsible screwmount with lots of "cleaning marks" that I got used for about $250. I used it on my Canon L1, then eventually on an M4-2, then ultimately on an M4. I still use it--it's a beautiful lens--on my Leica III/IIIfs. Eventually I was able to get a true M-mount 50mm Summicron and matching 35mm Summicron for a decent price because they were made in (gasp) Canada.
My whole photography trip has been starting cheap and trading up. It's a great way to use a lot of gear and really refine your tastes.

 

[leicashot]

To be exact, your claim about the actual MFD being 1m is incorrect, it is 90cm. It is the same as most v2 pre-asph summilux (except those with goggles which focus to .65m) and the 2005-reissue W-Nikkor 35/1,8 -- the UC-Hex is modeled on the w-nikkor. I find the .9m MFD to be a non-issue for about 80% of the time with the way I shoot a 35; as I do like to get close.

OP.: Of the lenses you list, and the limiting factor of your budget, the only leica lens you could hope to get is the v3 summicron. I think it is a great buy, and if you can find one, I recommend you grab it. I have owned the ZM 35/2 and it was a very fine lens, but a part of its signature is to put a gloss on the images. You will like it or you won't -- it is a matter of taste. I didn't like its size for a f2 35, and some have found the ZM-lens build quality suspect, too.

Ah yes, good point, my mistake. Pls do tell me what you mean by a 'gloss'. this is the first I've heard of this term when it comes to rendering.