Alex1416
Established
Hello everyone!
For the last 2 years one of my main daily drivers has been my 40mm Summicron that i bought from a friend. My other daily driver is a Canon 35/1.5 who's rendering i love very much just like the 40 cron. The only issue i come across with these 2 lenses (not much on the 40, but it is still there) is the glow that comes with bright objects on the image. Especially in sunlight, but also by someone just having a bright white shirt, it will cause a glow to form around the object. Sometimes this glow is nice, but other times it is unwanted.
But like i mentioned, on the 40mm it is not too bad, but it still pops up sometimes.
So for my first question i guess: Does something contemporary like a V3 35mm Summicron have the same glow issue wide open with bright objects? Ive been seriously considering picking one up, but most of the time i compare my images to sample images of a 35 cron and i find that the 40 cron and Canon 35/1.5 @f2 might perform better.
My other question about the 40mm is if it is possible to repair/adjust the focusing? Ever since i got it, the focus was slightly off from my 240 focus. I have other lenses like 50cron Pre-Asph that focus spot on, so i know its not the camera.
Mid last year i got the 40 cleaned by YY, and he left it excellent, but when i asked him about the focus, he mentioned that it was designed for the CL, and that the CL focus was slightly different from an M. In a quick sentence he blew me off and said if i wanted precise focusing i should get a 35 cron since it was designed for the M.
The focusing is the only thing that stops me from enjoying the lens 100%. I have to take an extra second and adjust the focus a tad closer on the rangefinder in order to estimate correct focus. And that is hard sometimes since i pretty much only photograph my kids that are constantly moving.
Has anyone with a 40 cron had any experience with focus problems?
Would a V3 35mm be a good choice?
Thank you all in advance!
For the last 2 years one of my main daily drivers has been my 40mm Summicron that i bought from a friend. My other daily driver is a Canon 35/1.5 who's rendering i love very much just like the 40 cron. The only issue i come across with these 2 lenses (not much on the 40, but it is still there) is the glow that comes with bright objects on the image. Especially in sunlight, but also by someone just having a bright white shirt, it will cause a glow to form around the object. Sometimes this glow is nice, but other times it is unwanted.
But like i mentioned, on the 40mm it is not too bad, but it still pops up sometimes.
So for my first question i guess: Does something contemporary like a V3 35mm Summicron have the same glow issue wide open with bright objects? Ive been seriously considering picking one up, but most of the time i compare my images to sample images of a 35 cron and i find that the 40 cron and Canon 35/1.5 @f2 might perform better.
My other question about the 40mm is if it is possible to repair/adjust the focusing? Ever since i got it, the focus was slightly off from my 240 focus. I have other lenses like 50cron Pre-Asph that focus spot on, so i know its not the camera.
Mid last year i got the 40 cleaned by YY, and he left it excellent, but when i asked him about the focus, he mentioned that it was designed for the CL, and that the CL focus was slightly different from an M. In a quick sentence he blew me off and said if i wanted precise focusing i should get a 35 cron since it was designed for the M.
The focusing is the only thing that stops me from enjoying the lens 100%. I have to take an extra second and adjust the focus a tad closer on the rangefinder in order to estimate correct focus. And that is hard sometimes since i pretty much only photograph my kids that are constantly moving.
Has anyone with a 40 cron had any experience with focus problems?
Would a V3 35mm be a good choice?
Thank you all in advance!
LCT
ex-newbie
Glow: The glow you're referring to comes from flare i suspect. Leica lenses from the seventies were rather prone to it so i would not expect better results from either v3 or v4 of the Summicron 35. The M-Rokkor 40/2 is a bit better from this viewpoint but not by much. You may wish to consider more modern lenses.
Focus: I have no idea who YY can be but he or she is only 50% right here. It is true that the Summicron 40/2 doesn't focus the same way as regular Leica lenses or the Rokkor i was referring to above but i have never got focussing issues with mine on digital cameras like the M240 aside from a bit of focus shift so i suspect your lens is not perfectly calibrated for that body.
Happy snaps
Focus: I have no idea who YY can be but he or she is only 50% right here. It is true that the Summicron 40/2 doesn't focus the same way as regular Leica lenses or the Rokkor i was referring to above but i have never got focussing issues with mine on digital cameras like the M240 aside from a bit of focus shift so i suspect your lens is not perfectly calibrated for that body.
Happy snaps
Ko.Fe.
Lenses 35/21 Gears 46/20
Latest version of Rokkor 40/2, known as CLE is multi-coated and never had any old lenses defects including Leica glow.
I had it with old focus helicoid and then installed completely new one for same optical block. Absolutely no focusing issues.
At least my copy on M-E 220.
I had it with old focus helicoid and then installed completely new one for same optical block. Absolutely no focusing issues.
At least my copy on M-E 220.
jmanivelle
Well-known
Hi,
I have a 35 1.5 Canon LTM and the glow you mentioned is more likely due to haze or condensation inside the lens / inbetween the lens elements. . You can see the haze if you bring a flashlight into the lens and look at it from the other end with a magnifying glass or strong reading glasses . You'll be able to see if the front lens element has scratches , cleaning marks or damaged coatings which could also cause the glow you're refering to.
The 40 Summicrons I have had always focused well on my M cameras, maybe yours is defective (double check this with the live view of your M240) then replace it with a clean 35 Summicron v2 or v3.
My 2 cents, JM.
David Hughes
David Hughes
When my CL was about 40 plus years old I had to get the RF reset but that's not really something to complain about as it gets the most use of all my cameras and I've had it decades. Other than that it has just had routine servicing and one repair following an accident decades ago.
I don't see flare as an issue, the hood has been on mine permanently since I bought it though...
Regards, David
I don't see flare as an issue, the hood has been on mine permanently since I bought it though...
Regards, David
Huss
Veteran
It's not flare, but haze inside the lens. Amazing how so many lenses "Leica glow" is removed by a cleaning.
Tne lens needs to be opened up and cleaned i.e. CLA.
Tne lens needs to be opened up and cleaned i.e. CLA.
Alex1416
Established
Thank you all for the great information. Sorry that it took so long to respond. I originally posted this on Leica M Lenses and it stood there for a week without responses and i did not realize that it got relocated here to the repair section lol.
In terms of Haze, i do not think it is that because the lens received a CLA and it was cleaned from some heavy haze before. Now when i inspect the lens with a flash light, it is pretty much flawless. The repairman Youxin Ye (YY) is a master analog Leica repair man for sure.
@jmanivelle i also have the beautiful Canon 35/1.5. I get the same glow i mention with that lens as well since it is a contemporary fast lens.
Im no technical expert, but upon reading more and more on these and other vintage lenses, i think it might be more of a CA problem? It is almost always a problem of a bright white object, or bright color object next to a dark object. I tried to find a good example that is easy to point out.
In this image here of my girls, if you look at my oldest daughter's bright colored headband, you can see the glow i am talking about. This glow is always of the color of the object. It is not a big issue most of the time, however once in a while it will pop around something large like a bright shirt under a dark sweater. In a way, i enjoy the effect because it will give the images a "dreamy" character. But there are other times where i would like a cleaner image for the girls themselves but retain the nice unique background that this lens provides.
Regardless, this is one of my favorite lenses that has been used the majority of the time. It is always attached to one of my cameras.
Leica M240 + Summicron 40mm by Alex Aguilera, on Flickr
In terms of Haze, i do not think it is that because the lens received a CLA and it was cleaned from some heavy haze before. Now when i inspect the lens with a flash light, it is pretty much flawless. The repairman Youxin Ye (YY) is a master analog Leica repair man for sure.
@jmanivelle i also have the beautiful Canon 35/1.5. I get the same glow i mention with that lens as well since it is a contemporary fast lens.
Im no technical expert, but upon reading more and more on these and other vintage lenses, i think it might be more of a CA problem? It is almost always a problem of a bright white object, or bright color object next to a dark object. I tried to find a good example that is easy to point out.
In this image here of my girls, if you look at my oldest daughter's bright colored headband, you can see the glow i am talking about. This glow is always of the color of the object. It is not a big issue most of the time, however once in a while it will pop around something large like a bright shirt under a dark sweater. In a way, i enjoy the effect because it will give the images a "dreamy" character. But there are other times where i would like a cleaner image for the girls themselves but retain the nice unique background that this lens provides.
Regardless, this is one of my favorite lenses that has been used the majority of the time. It is always attached to one of my cameras.
Leica M240 + Summicron 40mm by Alex Aguilera, on Flickr
Alex1416
Established
Also, as an update, instead of getting a different vintage lens, I've purchased a more modern lens for those occasions where i want to make sure there are no problems with CA, flare, or bright glow lol
After much thought and research, I'm not waiting to receive a shipment of a recently CLA'd Zeiss Biogon 35/2 !
Thank you all again for all the help!
After much thought and research, I'm not waiting to receive a shipment of a recently CLA'd Zeiss Biogon 35/2 !
Thank you all again for all the help!