Price of "calibrating" 35 Summilux ASPH

[mfogiel]

The solution for you, would be to get the Nokton 35/1.2 - it is the ultimate one lens tool, and it does not have any focus shift.

 

[28mm]

Thanks for your responses, jonmanjiro, maddoc, and Classique.

mfogiel, I'm actually thinking of selling off my 35mm M-mount gear and replacing it with just the X100s.

(I'll still shoot 120, though.)

 

[garygraphy]

DAG did mine, Gary. It had been at about f/2.8 originally, and I asked him to set it as he thought best, while also doing the 6-bit coding. It came out to focus accurately at about f/2, but it's fine at f/1.5, and I can't see errors in field shooting at smaller apertures either.

Originally it front-focused ~3/4 inch at ~5 feet when wide open and after focusing I would either lean into the scene slightly or move the focus manually one dof marking to compensate. Now with the adjustment I just don't find a need for that.

Thanks for that Doug. Was the recommended coding the one for Leica 50mm summilux?

 

[D&A]

DAG did mine, Gary. It had been at about f/2.8 originally, and I asked him to set it as he thought best, while also doing the 6-bit coding. It came out to focus accurately at about f/2, but it's fine at f/1.5, and I can't see errors in field shooting at smaller apertures either.

Originally it front-focused ~3/4 inch at ~5 feet when wide open and after focusing I would either lean into the scene slightly or move the focus manually one dof marking to compensate. Now with the adjustment I just don't find a need for that.

I've been a big and long time advocate of having a lens like the Leica 35mm Lux asph (pre FLE) with it's focus shift, adjusted for best focus at around f2. This way there is a small amount f front focus shift when shooting that lens at f1.4 and a small amount of back focus when shooting at f2.8 thru f4.5. It's a compromise but allows shooting at almost any aperture with far less concern for focus shift.

The same thing could be done with the C-Sonnar except the amount of its focus shift in general is larger than that seen with the Leica 35mm Lux asph (pre FLE)...so if the C-Sonnar is adjusted for f2...then the amount of front focus seen at f1.5 and backfocus at f2.8 thru f4.5, would be greater than the amount of focus shift seen with the 35mm Lux asph (pre FLE). Still picking f2 as a compromise has been the way I've been going and it's been the best of both worlds.

Dave (D&A)

 

[Dante_Stella]

How about this - try it out before you freak out?

Of all the lenses I had examined with my M8, the 35 SX ASPH was the only one that did not need to be recalibrated (possibly, Leica adjusted it upon 6-bit coding it). You will find that Erwin Puts' compulsion aside, there is very little real-world focus shift (unlike things like the 90 Summicron, the 75 Summilux, and the like). There is a tiny amount of front focus wide-open and close-up, and it very neatly disappears at smaller apertures or greater distances. This is not a macro lens, nor should it be treated as such.

An easy coping technique is to put the camera on C and shift the focus slightly as you take the two exposures.

Dante