Summilux 35/1.4 pre-asph compared with Nikon 35/1.8

[raid]

I will have my "inferior version" 35 Lux as my only lens in our trip. So be it.
My lens is a Leitz Canada 236xxx lens. Is it any good? I think it is very good.

 

[maddoc]

The 35mm Summilux ASPH is better for sure at f/1.4 but bigger and more expensive (much more ...). However, I still like what the pre-ASPH can do.

Lens from the latest batch, Delta400/R09

201202-07-M42-DELTA400-35LUX-011 Kopie by Gabor Samjeske, on Flickr

 

[Emile de Leon]

I will have my "inferior version" 35 Lux as my only lens in our trip. So be it.
My lens is a Leitz Canada 236xxx lens. Is it any good? I thin k it is very good

As we all know...actual imagery content..trumps corner sharpness..any day of the week..
If we were really concerned about absolute sharpness..we would be using view cameras with movements..and not a rangefinder..
Personally..my Noct f1.0 is my fave small format lens..and I'm sure the corners at close to wide open are total crap...but that's not what that lens is about..or photography for that matter..
Enjoy your lens and trip....shoot some great pics..end of story..

 

[raid]

Thank you, Emile.

 

[Erik van Straten]

Erik has provided us with another image that shows softness at f/5.6 so it appears his lens is a poor copy.

Except for the fact that the magazine "FOTO" mentions the same issue:

In the Dutch magazine FOTO of april 1972 the Summilux 2221334 is tested. The opinion of this magazine matches exactly with mine. My example is 2221365. The test report states "that good sharpness can be obtained when the main topic is placed in the middle of the image."

I will have my "inferior version" 35 Lux as my only lens in our trip. So be it.
My lens is a Leitz Canada 236xxx lens. Is it any good? I think it is very good.

I am sure Leitz did improve things after that first batch 222XXXX, Raid.

I hope you have a wonderful trip and that you come back with a bunch of great pictures.

Erik.

 

[jonmanjiro]

I am sure Leitz did improve things after that first batch 222XXXX, Raid.

So the first batch 222xxxx is a dud batch?! That's interesting, Erik.

Anyway, Raid, the Nikkor is winning the poll! Doesn't that mean you have to take the Nikkor instead? 🙂

 

[Erik van Straten]

So the first batch 222xxxx is a dud batch?! That's interesting, Erik.

This is the complete text in the Dutch magazine FOTO of april 1972 on lens 2221334:

"Good middle sharpness at maximum aperture, but the edges and corners are very disappointing because of the very soft view. Available-light photography is doable, provided you place the main subject in the image center.
After two stops aperture strongly increases the overall quality. Good lens, however, has limitations. It is primarily a reportage lens for low light conditions. Only after f/4 it is more suitable for more universal use."

By the way, I remember that Helen Hill used to have (quite some time ago) a 222XXXX lens that performed in the same way.

Erik.

 

[johannielscom]

Raid, my vote won't come as a surprise. I vote the Nikkor 1.8/35mm LTM since it's a heck of a lens, especially on a digital sensor. You posted the shot to prove it. Any color cast from the older glass is easily fixed in software, warped field of sharpness like in Erik's shot isn't.


Wish I could join the party in Wetzlar, have a great time and ask the Leica guys if there's a stray box of 1930s KASAM cassettes for Leica-Agfa film that they care to misplace in the mail 😉

 

[astro8]

However, the steel rim lenses that I own perform significantly better at the same aperures. That is why I think that the black aluminium lenses with the serial numbers from the numeral block of 222XXXX are a cheapened version of the steel rim version.

Erik.

Erik, my black aluminium with brass infinity lock is 2167545.

Where is its place in the timeline of these lenses?

I had it collimated by DAG after another didn't reassemble it correctly. I am extremely pleased with it's performance.

 

[raid]

I would be quite surprised if Leica created so-called cheapened Japanese-like lenses from the start as they produced the Lux. It is more likely that this specific lens was heavily used by working reportage photographers in the field, and that over the years, some of the many thousand 35 Lux lenses were thrown out of alignment. It happens to be best of lenses and cameras.

I have used many Rolleiflex TLR cameras over the past years, and I was shocked one time to discover that all images created with my 2.8D were unsharp. It turned out that during travel (to Japan) some internal parts (mirror?) moved around. My Rolleiflex was not a cheapened Japanese-like TLR. It had an accident, so to speak. Now it is back a camera with a sharp lens.

Until I see an official document that lists test results that "prove" that Leica decided to go cheap (with an expensive lens), I believe there are some bad apples here and there.

I teach statistics, so I have on the first page of my lecture notes a well-cited saying: "IN GOD WE TRUST. ALL OTHERS MUST PROVIDE DATA."

 

[raid]

Raid, my vote won't come as a surprise. I vote the Nikkor 1.8/35mm LTM since it's a heck of a lens, especially on a digital sensor. You posted the shot to prove it. Any color cast from the older glass is easily fixed in software, warped field of sharpness like in Erik's shot isn't.


Wish I could join the party in Wetzlar, have a great time and ask the Leica guys if there's a stray box of 1930s KASAM cassettes for Leica-Agfa film that they care to misplace in the mail 😉

Hi Johan,

I understand why you like the Nikkor! I like using it too. Since I will visit Leica AG in Wetzlar, the scales tipped in favor of the Lux on this trip.

 

[raid]

Anyway, Raid, the Nikkor is winning the poll! Doesn't that mean you have to take the Nikkor instead? 🙂

The poll is so close (similar to national polls for Trump vs. Clinton). A poll should not decide a smart move 😀

 

[raid]

I am sure Leitz did improve things after that first batch 222XXXX, Raid.

I hope you have a wonderful trip and that you come back with a bunch of great pictures.

Erik.

Thank you Erik. I will do my best to fully enjoy the trip with my family.

 

[Srono]

lux pre-asph v2

nikkor 35/1.8 s-mount