x-ray said:
Tell us why the asph summicron over the other choices. It's a very good lens but would like to know your thinking.
Well I just took the plunge. Just exchanged a few emails with Tony Rose at Popflash and now a Summicron-ASPH will be on its way to me. So much for will-power.
I can't tell you how hard it was to pass up the ZM Biogon since it is such a great lens and less than half the price of the Leica. Although they render differently, I didn't really like one look over another. In another thread, I said that I tended to like the photographs taken with the Leica but I concluded that was really because I found more examples of photographs taken with the Summicron. I did not find the ASPH clinical - just different to me. It may be "harsher" but that characteristic didn't break through on the photographs that I really liked. If the content of the photograph evoked warm and fuzzy feelings say, the harshness really didn't effect it. These are the main reasons why I chose the Summicron-ASPH.
1. Size. It is considerably smaller than the Biogon. I just couldn't get over its size. I would, of course, accept the size for a 50mm but I was really looking for a compact lens. After using the 35/1.2 Nokton as my main 35 for a week, I REALLY felt that I wanted something small. I won't be giving up the Nokton anytime soon though - I really love the lens. I also like the tab focusing. I liked he ergonomics on the gen-III that I borrowed for the last couple of days so I should also like the ergonomics of the current version.
2. I like the more classic look of the ZM but I already have many 'classic' lenses. I have a J3, a Summitar (also from 1946), a J-12 Biogon clone, a 90 coll. Elmar, and a bunch of others that I've been using extensively as of late. I'd say that 90% of the photographs that I've taken in the last 6 months were with lenses older than me. I was drawn to the slightly more modern look of the ASPH just for the sake of change, I think.
3. Kind of related to #1... I figured since this lens was smaller, making the camera more portable, I would tend to carry the camera more and also shoot more. I found this happened when I got my 50 Summitar. I take my M3 and Summitar with me almost everywhere I go now. I love the Summitar but it does have its disadvantages when using it as an everyday lens - flare being the worse of them. I hope I get the same experience using the 35 Summicron mated to my MP.
I still might get a ZM Biogon but not the 35. I'm very interested in the 21/2.8 ZM.
I really valued everybody's input. It made my decision much harder actually but it also made me think a lot more about it and therefore I'm very confidence that I won't be regretting my decision.