Ultron 35mm f2 Aspherical vs Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH

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WARNING! Boring test photos to follow. Nothing artistic to see here 😉

David vs Goliath! The new little Ultron 35mm f2 Aspherical from Voigtlander takes on the mighty Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH on film! All images were snapped with a Leica MP on a tripod using a cable release and the developed film was scanned in one go using a Nikon Coolscan 5000. I didn't get to take as many varied shots as I hoped today, but hey this is a start.

First off, here's some uncropped out of scanner images taken at infinity with the camera on a tripod. To see differences, you need to CLICK on an image below to display the full scan size and compare it with the other images.

My verdict - the Ultron 35mm f2 Aspherical does very very well indeed. Dare I say, its sharper than the Summicron 😱

Ultron 35mm f2 Aspherical @ f2


Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH @ f2


Ultron 35mm f2 Aspherical @ f4


Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH @ f4
 
Distortion check - this building wasn't exactly the best target for checking distortion since the building itself has some pincushion distortion on the base :bang: but it does show that the Summicron has some minor pincushion distortion and the Ultron is pretty much distortion free. Also notice the flare in the Summicron shot around the sign in the top center of the image. It was cloudy, but the sun was trying to peek through just out of the frame to the left. I've experienced flare like this before with the Summicron.

Ultron 35mm f2 Aspherical @ f4
39915560323_098bdf15b2_b.jpg


Leica Summicron 35mm f2 ASPH @ f4
46880322271_f1f8d5c42a_b.jpg
 
Great test shots. The Ultron really looks good. Personally I've never liked this Summicron, too harsh (too hard, too contrasty), but the Ultron doesn't look soft either. Isn't it too harsh? The Ultron 35mm f/1.7 (new) has about the right contrast in my opinion, but I guess you don't have that lens at hand to make a comparison with that one.

Thanks Jon, for sharing this with us.

Erik.
 
Erik, I did make some minor curve adjustments to these images to suit my taste, so they're not really suited to judging contrast.
FWIW I'm liking what I see with the Ultron in terms of contrast though.

Thanks Pete.
 
I'm pretty sure it's going to be a sharp lens: it's an ASPH.

What I'd like to see is contrast, like Erik: I've been looking for some time for a lens with high-resolution and low/medium contrast to work with my M10. In 50 mm, there is the wonderful Rigid Summicron, which just sings on this camera.

However, all 35mm lenses I tried (and there were a few, with the notable exception of the V. I 8 elements Summicron) had high/very-high contrast, so I was hoping for a change with the Ultron.
 
This is why I use regularly the Summicron 35/2 Version 1 with 8 elements. It is is a beautiful lens overall on my M9.
 
its so nice to see fair manufacturers like voigtlander-making quality and not pushing price to some crazy heights... i know leica is including brand as well in their prices-but its really too much considering that half of their lenses have distortion (i am very sensitive to it-simply cant accept that something that costs few thousands have any kind of mistake). so congratulations to voigtlander guys once again!!
 
The cost factor is important, but the lens design may appeal differently to different users. Not everyone loves ASPH lenses. Imperfections can result in beautiful images.
 
horosu said:
I'm pretty sure it's going to be a sharp lens: it's an ASPH.

What I'd like to see is contrast, like Erik: I've been looking for some time for a lens with high-resolution and low/medium contrast to work with my M10. In 50 mm, there is the wonderful Rigid Summicron, which just sings on this camera.

However, all 35mm lenses I tried (and there were a few, with the notable exception of the V. I 8 elements Summicron) had high/very-high contrast, so I was hoping for a change with the Ultron.
Click to expand...

Try the Summilux 35mm f/1.4 steel rim, version 206XXXX. Loveliest of all.

Erik.
 
Thanks Jon! You are a king among men.

a few thoughts/observations:
1. the ultron shows impressive performance next to the summicron, particularly in resolution and contrast
2. the ultron appears to vignette quite heavily, even up to f4
3. i prefer the background rendition (bokeh) of the summicron, it just seems smoother and refined
4. the scene used for distortion comparison is probably a bit misleading (based on the state of the structure). it seems the ultron is closer to zero distortion, with maybe just a hint of barrel.

With those mostly-quantitative points made, I'll say that I still prefer the image from summicron. And, I strongly prefer the Summicron ergonomics.
 
horosu said:
What I'd like to see is contrast, like Erik: I've been looking for some time for a lens with high-resolution and low/medium contrast to work with my M10. In 50 mm, there is the wonderful Rigid Summicron, which just sings on this camera.

However, all 35mm lenses I tried (and there were a few, with the notable exception of the V. I 8 elements Summicron) had high/very-high contrast, so I was hoping for a change with the Ultron.
Click to expand...

I wouln't expect the Ultron with its new optical design (two aspherical surfaces, extra low dispersion glass element, multi coating) to have the low contrast of a 1950s lens such as the 8 element Summicron. I don't think its quite as contrasty as the Summicron ASPH, but its rendering is 'modern' nonetheless. Hopefully someone will test it on a digital Leica for us in due course, and show us some direct from camera results.
 
raid said:
The cost factor is important, but the lens design may appeal differently to different users. Not everyone loves ASPH lenses. Imperfections can result in beautiful images.
Click to expand...

agree but this summicron is also asph-and it costs so much more-without anything better to offer for that money....
 
Thanks Jon for the time to compare and post.
And I’m always impressed what Azuma et al did in 1956 with the Nikon 3.5cm.
 
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