The time has finally come: 35 cron 4th or asph

[Avotius]

Its game time, I got money in hand and am ready to buy my first Leica lens.

I want a 35 cron in chrome. Its so sexy.

I don’t know if I want the 4th or the asph. Money is not a problem.

I have heard a lot of favorable talk about the 4th but I guess I haven’t seen enough photos from it to to make me go for it.

The asph I guess is a lot newer and supposed to be better for the most part but I have heard a lot of talk about how its lost some of the special Leica character that the 4th and previous lenses had. Also I seem to remember some odd entry on Erwin Puts site about nasty texture that the lens produces. Either way im leaning more towards this lens because its newer, but thats it.

So please, push me one way or another.

Post photos that you have taken or whatever. Wouldn’t mind seeing what the 4th gen looks like mounted on a camera as I have never seen one in person. Wouldn’t mind seeing the asph on a camera either if you got a shot lying around.


Thanks! 😎

 

[MikeL]

Have you seen this ?

Here's a recent thread on photo.net .

I haven't seen any bad bokeh from my 35mm asph yet.

 

[Avotius]

Have you seen this ?

Here's a recent thread on photo.net .

I haven't seen any bad bokeh from my 35mm asph yet.

wow thanks, I didnt see those, I dont do photo.net much. Ill poor through these right now. Thanks again!

 

[erudolph]

Its game time, I got money in hand and am ready to buy my first Leica lens.....
I don’t know if I want the 4th or the asph. Money is not a problem.....

Hi Avotius... I have both those lenses. I find that I use the 4th gen when the light is sunny and hard and prefer the asph for lower contrast situations.

Ed

 

[sleepyhead]

Hi, lucky you to be in your situation! I think you should also consider size and intrusion into the viewfinder view. The 4th summicron is sooooo tiny.

I've never used the ASPH, so i can't comment on it's performance.

HOWEVER, I've used two examples of the summicron 4th version and was UNDERWHELMED with both of them. After the first one, I thought, "I must have just gotten a bummer example", but the second was the same - great bokeh, but not sharp enough for my taste.

I sold them and bought an 8-element summicron (version 1) which I'm really happy with. It's CHROME by the way, so that might be sexy for you as well.

The bokeh on the 4th version is ever so slightly smoother than the 8-element, but the later is MUCH sharper in the center and has a very pleasing "feel" to it. Mind you, i pretty much only shoot B&W.

If your gonna shoot a lot of colour, that would also be a consideration for the ASPH version.

I'm sure this posting will confuse more than help... 😉

sleepyhead

 

[Avotius]

Hi, lucky you to be in your situation! I think you should also consider size and intrusion into the viewfinder view. The 4th summicron is sooooo tiny.

I've never used the ASPH, so i can't comment on it's performance.

HOWEVER, I've used two examples of the summicron 4th version and was UNDERWHELMED with both of them. After the first one, I thought, "I must have just gotten a bummer example", but the second was the same - great bokeh, but not sharp enough for my taste.

I sold them and bought an 8-element summicron (version 1) which I'm really happy with. It's CHROME by the way, so that might be sexy for you as well.

The bokeh on the 4th version is ever so slightly smoother than the 8-element, but the later is MUCH sharper in the center and has a very pleasing "feel" to it. Mind you, i pretty much only shoot B&W.

If your gonna shoot a lot of colour, that would also be a consideration for the ASPH version.

I'm sure this posting will confuse more than help... 😉

sleepyhead

🙄 well I shoot a mixture of color and black and white, ususaly hp5 and xp2 for bw and superia 400 and veliva 100f for color. A strange mix I know...

Seems that the asph might be a better choice then in that case. I have been shooting with a canon 50 1.4 and a 17-40 and found that they are not so great for bw but fine for color. Not too worried about the size because anything is gona be smaller them my canon 50 1.4 with hood. I havnt heard much about how much the asph with the hood cuts into the veiwfinder. Is this not a problem that people are too worried about? My old mamiya 6 75mm lens with hood used to but off a bit of the finder but it never bothered me so....yeah

 

[MikeL]

With hood, it definitely bites off a bit of the finder. But after using it a bit, I don't even notice until someone mentions it! 🙂

 

[jim0266]

See http://www.jimarnold.org/galleries/leica_35_test/

 

[Treb]

Here's my 4th version Summicron with the proper hood.

 

[Honus]

Avotius,

I have not used the ASPH, but I've had the 4th ver. for 4 months now. I shoot only b&w and couldn't be happier with its performance. Contrast is lower wide open, but I have found that characteristic useful. It also vignettes a bit when open. The bokeh, however, is everything that is said about it.

You can see some of my examples from using this lens here . I don't think you can make a bad decision either way.

Robert

 

[x-ray]

Looking at jim0266 tests I really don't see any earth shattering difference. I have the 4th version and have been shooting it for about eleven years and really like it but it would'nt bother me to own the asph. I just bought a 35 CV Nokton 1.2 and find it superb too. I previously owned the first version 35 summicron and didn't really like it. It definately was a softer lens at wider apertures.

I'm beginning to think the bokah thing is really over blown. I recently purchased a 90 asph and 50 summilux asph. I still have my wonderful 90 1st version elmarit and tabbed 50 summicron. Honestly i have conditions that the elmarit 90 produces very distracting out of focus backgrounds but as or this moment I have not found any with the new asph 90. The contrast and sharpness of the new 50 summilux asph is great. The flare control is far superior to the 50 tabbed summicron. In my book this gets a bunch of points. After all, what's more important, how the subject is rendered or whar's behind the subject.

The short conclusion, if I were buying today I would not hesitate to buy the new ASPH lenses.


http://www.photo.net/photodb/member-photos?user_id=790229

 

[Ronald M]

Don`t twist either by the outside end or shade to mount or dismount. The glued construction has broken for many. It repairs, but it is a pain.

Versions I to 3 have an older optical signature, nice but different and does not match newer lenses.

 

[Flyfisher Tom]

You said money is not a problem, so here is my answer ....


40mm summicron-c
40mm rokkor-m

Every bit the lens of the 35/pre-asph ;-)

 

[Josef Isayo]

No contest. The only lens test I've ever done was between my friends 35 Summicron 4th gen. and my Asph. It was no contest. The Asph. was significantly sharper with better bokeh wide open all the way through F/5.6. It was very noticeable viewing chrome film even without a loop. All this nostalgia about the 4th generation Summicron needs to be put to rest.
As a matter of fact, the asph Summicron is better than both the Canon 35L and Leica's own 35 1.4 Asph Summilux.

PS. I have owned every one of the lenses above.

 

[Ken Ford]

Don`t twist either by the outside end or shade to mount or dismount. The glued construction has broken for many. It repairs, but it is a pain.

Which version(s), Ronald?

 

[jim0266]

On thought on chrome lenses. The chrome lenses are heavier. I love how the V4 cron balances on an M body. In comparison the ASPH cron in back is heavy enough to be noticeable compared to the V4 cron, and makes an M body more front heavy. The chrome ASPH cron weighs even more.

 

[Avotius]

Don`t twist either by the outside end or shade to mount or dismount. The glued construction has broken for many. It repairs, but it is a pain.

Versions I to 3 have an older optical signature, nice but different and does not match newer lenses.

😱 that doesnt sound good. Glued? I thought these lenses were tough stuff made to last. Whats with this glued bussiness? Naturally you dont want to throw the lens around but if simply taking it off the body by the end of the lens is gona be bad then it seems that there is something wrong there.

 

[Treb]

The 4th version is glued, older versions are held together with a few tiny screws. Some users have managed to loosen the glue by repeatedly removing and attaching the lens by grabbing the lens hood. Grab it close to the body and twist.

 

[Rico]

...
HOWEVER, I've used two examples of the summicron 4th version and was UNDERWHELMED with both of them. After the first one, I thought, "I must have just gotten a bummer example", but the second was the same - great bokeh, but not sharp enough for my taste.

Must agree with you about the sharpness. On inspecting the first prints from my v.4, I thought it was broken. No image reached the sharpness I was expecting. In comparion, my main SLR lens (Zeiss Distagon 28/2.8, Contax/Yashica mount) is frighteningly sharp in the central zone.

I did recover from this shock, and now appreciate the other attributes of these older 35's for the M: tiny size, no linear distortion, no chromatic aberration, jewel-like construction. The pre-ASPH 'cron is best when you want to capture the broad shape of things, or to smooth those facial wrinkles. 🙂

Looking at the MTF for 'cron and 'lux 35 ASPH, I do not see an increase in central sharpness (40 cy/mm plot). The illumination is better, as is corner performance. For nail-biting sharpness and contrast, one must look to the 28 ASPH and the modern 50's.

Just my opinion, of course!