Which 35mm Summicron for M10-R

[Rogier]

I want a compact 35mm lens for my M10-R and am contemplating a Summicron. Or should I go for the reissue Summilux 35mm "steel rim" ?

Been going back and forth between Voightlander, Zeiss and the Chinese versions. But I have learned that I ultimately want the real thing and not the "alternative". Im a looking at a used Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH V1. Other than the missing 6 bit and closer focusing are there reasons to buy a new V2 of this lens?
Are there any issues with focus shift for these lenses, or is this only a concern for certain versions of the 35mm Summilux?

 

[jja]

I've been shooting with a 35mm Summicron-Asph. for over twenty years. It is bitingly sharp, especially on my M10 Monochrom. I also like the ergonomics--balances well on the camera, good size, etc. For a more vintage, gentle look, you can try the Light Lens Lab 8-Element Summicron copy. If you want glow at f/1.4 and sharpness at f/2 and higher, try sourcing a 35mm Summilux pre-asph.

There are a lot of great 35mm options, just depends on your budget and what kind of look you are after.

 

[Bill Blackwell]

I want a compact 35mm lens for my M10-R and am contemplating a Summicron. Or should I go for the reissue Summilux 35mm "steel rim" ? ...

The steel rim is not as sharp, although one could argue it has smoother bokeh, but I was never unhappy with my asph Summicron in any measure. However, I ultimately traded mine for a CV 35mm Ultron v2 Asph. It performs almost identically to the Summicron with less distortion at about a quarter the price, and I'm a Leica fanatic.

... I'm a looking at a used Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH V1. Other than the missing 6 bit and closer focusing are there reasons to buy a new V2 of this lens?
Are there any issues with focus shift for these lenses, or is this only a concern for certain versions of the 35mm Summilux?

IMHO - No. And you can find v1 asph Summicrons that are 6-bit coded. Last I checked, Camera West had two of them - both 6-bit coded. Google it. The v2 in silver chrome is lighter as the body is aluminum (v1 silver chrome version is brass).

 

[mrtoml]

The steel rim is not as sharp, although one could argue it has smoother bokeh, but I was never unhappy with my asph Summicron in any measure. However, I ultimately traded mine for a CV 35mm Ultron v2 Asph. It performs almost identically to the Summicron with less distortion at about a quarter the price, and I'm a Leica fanatic.


IMHO - No. And you can find v1 asph Summicrons that are 6-bit coded. Last I checked, Camera West had two of them - both 6-bit coded. Google it. The v2 in silver chrome is lighter as the body is aluminum (v1 silver chrome version is brass).

I just bought a 6 bit coded 35/2 asph v1.

 

[LCT]

I want a compact 35mm lens for my M10-R and am contemplating a Summicron. Or should I go for the reissue Summilux 35mm "steel rim" ?

Been going back and forth between Voightlander, Zeiss and the Chinese versions. But I have learned that I ultimately want the real thing and not the "alternative". Im a looking at a used Summicron 35mm f2.0 ASPH V1. Other than the missing 6 bit and closer focusing are there reasons to buy a new V2 of this lens?
Are there any issues with focus shift for these lenses, or is this only a concern for certain versions of the 35mm Summilux?

I can only reply for M240, M11 and MEV1 and i have no experience with the steel rim. The main reason why i prefer the Summicron asph v2 to the v1 of it is its smoother OoF rendition. Couple of details here if of any interest. None of my v1 or v2 did suffer from focus shift but beware that some v1 copies come from the film days when Leica had no digital issues in mind. A good way to avoiding the issue is choosing a copy with factory 6-bit coding, but the bestway is to try the lens in person as usual.

 

[Rogier]

Thank you all for your thoughtful comments 😀

 

[jja]

Regarding 6-bit coding, only one of my lenses is 6-bit coded (50mm Summilux-asph.). The rest, I manually input the lens selection in the camera's menu. It's not an issue for me. As someone wrote, higher serial numbers of the v1 35mm Summicron-asph. are coded, but if you find a good one that is not coded, you can either code it yourself or manually set it in the camera.