[New test photos released] Leica Summicron 35/2 Eight Element copy made in China

[valdas]

I think that the change in how the serial numbers are listed coincided with the optical tweaks done. I nay be wrong.

I doubt this. I have new numbering, but uneven aperture spacing. I did not notice any focus shift (but I will do more thorough testing though).

 

[Bendj]

Just tested midde distance from f2 to f5.6 and all looks good. Centre image just gets sharper as I stop down. All sequences shot on my m10-d using the rangefinder.

 

[Bendj]

As an aside I have just noticed my copy doesn’t reach infinity in the rangefinder. It shouldn’t affect my results as I am normally shooting closer.

 

[Erik van Straten]

@rscheffler,

Just to confirm once and for all if there is focus shift, I had gone out and found a tree, put it dead centre of the frame and took 4 shots at f2, f2.8 f4 and f5.6.

Shot with M9 Monochrom on tripod. jpeg untouched. last 2 digits of the filename indicates the f-stop. You can view them HERE. (click on "view original" at the left top of the page to see image in full-size).

Excellent test.


Erik.

 

[kiemchacsu]

I checked your link and found out that shot at F4 is sharper than shot at F5.6. Does it mean that there's a focus shift here? In fact, At F5.6 the lens is back focus.

@rscheffler,

Just to confirm once and for all if there is focus shift, I had gone out and found a tree, put it dead centre of the frame and took 4 shots at f2, f2.8 f4 and f5.6.

Shot with M9 Monochrom on tripod. jpeg untouched. last 2 digits of the filename indicates the f-stop. You can view them HERE. (click on "view original" at the left top of the page to see image in full-size).

 

[raid]

rscheffler said --->"Erik, in that sequence of images, at f/4 and f/5.6 the woman is out of focus"<<<

Of that's the case then there is something amiss. The women in that sequence should have been sharp...as much or maybe more so than at f2.8.

I just looked at your sequence of those images with the tree in the middle of the frame. I easily saw massive back focus. I urge those who are interested to have a look. That is not normal and I've never seen a replica show that.

Dave (D&A)

Hi Dave,
Do you mean my sequence of images with the oak tree in the center of each image or did you mean Yossi's images? I hope that you meant Yossi here.

 

[raid]

I doubt this. I have new numbering, but uneven aperture spacing. I did not notice any focus shift (but I will do more thorough testing though).

It was a guess. I don't know what happened. 😀

 

[raid]

As an aside I have just noticed my copy doesn’t reach infinity in the rangefinder. It shouldn’t affect my results as I am normally shooting closer.

This could confound some effects.

 

[D&A]

Hi Dave,
Do you mean my sequence of images with the oak tree in the center of each image or did you mean Yossi's images? I hope that you meant Yossi here.

Hi Raid,

I had a typo. I was referring to what rscheffler wrote in that if he saw massive backfocus at f4 and f5.6, then that is a characteristic not found in the replicas so far as we know. Nothing to do with your lens.

Dave (D&A)

 

[D&A]

Yossi's series of shots are excellent and resemble exactly what I experience with my lens when taking a similar series of shots at all major f-stops. Little to no focus shift. The one big difference I do see in both series of Yossi's test images is if you look at the upper right and left hand corners of his f2 and f2.8 shots, the trees/leaves are soft/blurred like they should be as they are well out of the depth of field and those tree leaves in the corner have the same degree of blur as the rest of the line of trees in the same focal plane.

Conversely, most of the wide open images shown with the early replica lenses show those same upper corners very sharp yet those items (tree leaves etc.) in the corners are well out of the depth of field. it is also shown in my two test images a few pages back and I've often mentioned this depth of field curving inwards in the corners. Yossi's lens does appear to have this trait from what I can see. I assume Yossi receved his lens a while back? It would be interesting to know.

As for rscheffler's lens, it does sound like a "one-off".

Batches of lenses from any of the well known manufacturers often have some sample to sample variability...that's been shown time and again and once in a while a lens gets out that's clearly misadjusted.

Dave (D&A)

 

[raid]

Thank you for the clarification, Dave.

 

[james.liam]

For those interested in a copy and also what a brass version looks like a few months into the world, Bellamy Hunt at Japan Camera Hunter has one for sale at US$1000. Looks a little rough already.

BTW, it's a V2LC; is this with flint glass or not?

 

[raid]

I have not seen any post on a replica without Flint glass.

 

[Platinum RF]

I have not seen any post on a replica without Flint glass.

Since the manufacturer never put out a statement, actually we do not know.

 

[Erik van Straten]

The original design used a combination of different kinds of crown- and flint glass. Hard to imagine this can be imitated without any flint glass.


Erik.

 

[yossi]

Yossi's series of shots are excellent and resemble exactly what I experience with my lens when taking a similar series of shots at all major f-stops. Little to no focus shift. The one big difference I do see in both series of Yossi's test images is if you look at the upper right and left hand corners of his f2 and f2.8 shots, the trees/leaves are soft/blurred like they should be as they are well out of the depth of field and those tree leaves in the corner have the same degree of blur as the rest of the line of trees in the same focal plane.

Conversely, most of the wide open images shown with the early replica lenses show those same upper corners very sharp yet those items (tree leaves etc.) in the corners are well out of the depth of field. it is also shown in my two test images a few pages back and I've often mentioned this depth of field curving inwards in the corners. Yossi's lens does appear to have this trait from what I can see. I assume Yossi receved his lens a while back? It would be interesting to know.

As for rscheffler's lens, it does sound like a "one-off".

Batches of lenses from any of the well known manufacturers often have some sample to sample variability...that's been shown time and again and once in a while a lens gets out that's clearly misadjusted.

Dave (D&A)

I received my lens two weeks ago. BP version with uneven f-stop spacings. #500138.

Yossi

 

[james.liam]

The original design used a combination of different kinds of crown- and flint glass. Hard to imagine this can be imitated without any flint glass.


Erik.

The original 28 Summaron must have had the same types of glass yet the new one appears to perform similarly without them.

I received my lens two weeks ago. BP version with uneven f-stop spacings. #500138.

Yossi

Another death-harbinger serial number. They are consistent, if anything.

 

[D&A]

I received my lens two weeks ago. BP version with uneven f-stop spacings. #500138.

Yossi

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Dave (D&A)

 

[yossi]

The original 28 Summaron must have had the same types of glass yet the new one appears to perform similarly without them.



Another death-harbinger serial number. They are consistent, if anything.

138 is “一生發”， certainly not death-harbinger number 🙂
Don't forget this lens is 中國製 😉

 

[james.liam]

I’m ok since 1-8 is a good omen for me Yossi.