summaron versus elmar 35mm

Fun thread. It reminds me of why I keep hoping to find a 35/3.5 Elmar that I can afford. My J12 will have to do for now, though.

William
 
i've been thinking of selling my 3.5 summaron, it is the least used of my 35s, but then i took it out today and it looks good again.
my copy is very foggy and what the term 'user' was invented for, but it can still get a decent picture.

one of the few real bargains in Leica glass...

here is a link to full size images...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8265570@N04/4975567440/
 

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I cannot believe this is wide open, that is incredible, so the summaron is supposed to be better than this!
110 grammes.

1932 Elmar 3.5/35 wide open, M8, no filter.

 
I cannot believe this is wide open, that is incredible, so the summaron is supposed to be better than this!

In the center they are both sharp wide open, however not in the corners: they are both not tack sharp in the corners, but the summaron is still somewhat better! Further there is a difference in contrast.
 
I cannot believe this is wide open, that is incredible, so the summaron is supposed to be better than this!

well...... in fact, it's a little bit of cheating :angel:.

Most old lenses have low contrast due to the old glass without coating, fog, scratches but also due to the old construction and calculation. The magic of digital photography and postprocessing eliminates many of these factors, reveiling a whole new universe for all those who are lucky enough to own old glass.

By tweaking contrast and sharpness, by removing vignetting and chromatic aberration, by playing with the white balance..... you can make photos taken with 70-year old lenses appear fresh and crisp like after a warm spring shower.
 
This beautiful shot is a real testament to the excellence and consistency of Leica optical engineering - no doubt. I can just about bet however that differences would really show up in more brightly lit scenes with specular reflections and the need for more dynamic range (or the presence of more scattered light). That's where coatings really start to make a big difference.

110 grammes.

1932 Elmar 3.5/35 wide open, M8, no filter.

 
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