Which 35mm???

[peepete77]

of course M. 😉
Since Konica unfortunately does not produce its Hexar RF and lenses M-Hexanon any more, you should have a look e.g. at eBay or at local dealers with used cameras.

A friend of mine just bought a Dual Hexanon 21-35 ... what a quality ... 😱

Only a snapshot with Hexar RF and Dual Hexanon on 21mm (Leicashop Vienna) ...

NICE! Thanks. But is the M better than the UC? Is it therefore you write "off course"----? Thanks again. 🙂

 

[tbarker13]

Bokeh King? Well that comes from the opinion of some that the out of focus area of the 4th version of the pre-asph summicron is the best ever.
It is a topic of endless debate, as some will argue that bokeh is quite subjective.

If it were me (and this is exactly what I did), I'd pick the 3rd version of the 35 summicron and save $300-$400 to use on something else.

 

[peepete77]

Bokeh King? Well that comes from the opinion of some that the out of focus area of the 4th version of the pre-asph summicron is the best ever.
It is a topic of endless debate, as some will argue that bokeh is quite subjective.

If it were me (and this is exactly what I did), I'd pick the 3rd version of the 35 summicron and save $300-$400 to use on something else.

Thanks, and COOL! Very enlightening! I am just curious, how can one find out if its the 3rd or 4th edition of this lens? Serial numbers, or do sellers usually know this and inform of it?
Thanks again, MUCH appreciated! :angel:

 

[peepete77]

Bokeh King? Well that comes from the opinion of some that the out of focus area of the 4th version of the pre-asph summicron is the best ever.
It is a topic of endless debate, as some will argue that bokeh is quite subjective.

If it were me (and this is exactly what I did), I'd pick the 3rd version of the 35 summicron and save $300-$400 to use on something else.

Cool!
But are we talking about the 35/2 or the 35/1,4 IV pre-asph as the so-called "Bokeh king"???
Thanks 🙂

 

[cam]

Cool!
But are we talking about the 35/2 or the 35/1,4 IV pre-asph as the so-called "Bokeh king"???
Thanks 🙂

the 35/2 Summicron is the so-called "Bokeh King." so-called, because everyone's opinion is different on this. i personally prefer the Lux pre-asph's bokeh over the Cron IV.

Thanks, and COOL! Very enlightening! I am just curious, how can one find out if its the 3rd or 4th edition of this lens? Serial numbers, or do sellers usually know this and inform of it?
Thanks again, MUCH appreciated! :angel:

a lot of sellers list this as the v. IV has such the rep. if not, you can tell by the serial number.

i personally have the first version of this and love it and i believe there is one for sale in the classifieds here. i checked out all the versions and this was the one that floated my boat. like i said, everyone is different.

your best bet is to go through here or flickr and see what lenses draw you in. figure out how much money you're willing to spend, how fast you need it to be, and whether size matter...

and, to throw another wrinkle in the bunch, the Leica 35mm Summaron is a very sweet lens. a tad slow, but nice small, and you can find it for quite a bit less than a Cron usually.

 

[thomasw_]

yes, the summaron 35/2,8 is an excellent performer. it has a recessed front lens which allows you to shoot it w/o a hood most of the time; it is quite resistant to flare. Here is a sun-drenched shot I took with the Summaron 35/2,8, a truly great lens for all seasons 😉 It is an excellent lens if you can live with the f/2,8. Delightful character....so compact.

 

[Samsam]

I have the chance to own the 35mm Summilux ASPH, 35mm Summicron 4th version, and 35mm Summilux pre asph. My favourite is the Summilux Pre asph. IMHO, the Summicron v4 bokeh is not amazing. The Summilux preasph bokeh is nicer.
About the Summilux ASPH ( which is considered by lot of people as the best 35mm lens ), it's too clinical/modern for my tastes

 

[Krosya]

Peepete77,
I think you should look through some threads here - many about Noktons, SUmmicrons, etc. Than look at some pics made with lenses that interest you and see which you like.
From my experience : CV Ultron - very good lens - best balance for the money. CV Nokton 35/1.2 - best 35 mm there is - if someone says otherwise - they didnt use it enough or at all. Some other lenses come close, but nothing matches or betters it. Price to pay - it's weight and size. I have no problem with it. Plus I dont think it's that big and that heavy. here is a how it compares to a smallish UC-Hexanon 35/2. :

Both lenses cv35/1.2 and Uc-Hex are great but have different signature - reason I have both. Here is Nokton at 1.2:

and here is uc-hex at f2:

Either one of these will set you back about $1000 USD. UC-Hex - very hard to find lens - only 1000 made.
So, good luck!

 

[FifthLeaf]

Retow is right. If you're new to rangefinder photography, I assume you want the smaller cameras and lenses. The color skopar is small and inexpensive and you can always "upgrade" later if you like. Those large lenses, in my opinion, defeat the purpose of using a rangefinder. It's better to buy a cheaper lens, get out and shoot a LOT of film, and then worry about performance or whatnot later.

It seems you are new to RF photography, in which case I'd recommend to buy a used 35mm Skopar, an inexpensive, small, light, easy to focus, excellent performer. Reselling it later to "upgrade" will not be a problem.
Whilst the Nokton 1.2 is an excellent lens, it is not without challenges, firstly becauses of size and weight as already mentioned, but also because focusing it fully open is not that easy and requires practicing. I'm not sure I would buy it as my first RF lens.

 

[deepwhite]

On Summicron 35mm f2.0 IV (7-element):

I love this lens, but it's not THE king of bokeh to me.

It's not THE king of bokeh to me, but I love this lens.

------

On Nokton 35mm f1.2:

As much as I enjoying the lightweight of the compact lenses like the Cron IV, I have no problem at all hanging a Nokton 35/1.2 + the camera on my neck all day, or point it to the "subject" I want to shoot.

This lens is great by itself; there's nothing like it if you want that character (not even a Noctilux and that's why I keep both).

In my own experience, if I really don't want the "subject" aware that I'm taking a shot of him/her, I would:

(1) Just take out the tiny Minolta TC-1. Can't get smaller and better than that.

(2) Shoot from the hip. I failed a lot though.... 😛

 

[dacaccia]

NICE! Thanks. But is the M better than the UC? Is it therefore you write "of course"----? Thanks again. 🙂

well, I looked it up - the M-Hexanon 2/35 and the UC-Hexanon 2/35 seem to be identical. (I first thought the UC version is a SLR lens with adapter for M - but obviously this is not the case.)
I do have the M-Hexanon 2/35 which is really good - as I said.

Cheers,
dacaccia

 

[infrequent]

the uc-hexanon is nothing like the m-hexanon. more on the uc-hexanon from the always informative dante stella.

http://www.dantestella.com/technical/hex352.html

 

[dacaccia]

the uc-hexanon is nothing like the m-hexanon. more on the uc-hexanon from the always informative dante stella.

http://www.dantestella.com/technical/hex352.html

yes, thanks, I've seen the difference to M-Hexanon on the photo #4 by Krosyra - a complete different bokeh, to me a bit old-school. I like more this of M-Hexanon.

Cheers, dacaccia

 

[Jim Watts]

The 35mm pre-asph Summicron is a lovely lens. I have the 3rd version. I would though suggest that for use on the R-D1 you try to check the lens on the camera before buying. My lens focuses perfectly on my M4, but slightly front focuses on the R-D1, which has a properly adjusted rangefinder. I also tried a friends IVth version which gives the same problem. It's not by much, but is limiting at apertures of f2.8 and wider close up, so I now tend to use the 40mm Nokton more.

I do though prefer the look/bokeh of the Summicron to the Nokton and slightly more the 3rd than the IVth, but the IVth is sharper at full aperture.

Clearly other people have not had the same problem problem with these lenses on the R-D1, but I would suggest you make sure the combination works for you before purchase.

 

[nugat]

I have the chance to own the 35mm Summilux ASPH, 35mm Summicron 4th version, and 35mm Summilux pre asph. My favourite is the Summilux Pre asph. IMHO, the Summicron v4 bokeh is not amazing. The Summilux preasph bokeh is nicer.
About the Summilux ASPH ( which is considered by lot of people as the best 35mm lens ), it's too clinical/modern for my tastes

I have a chance to buy a 1970 Summilux 35/1.4. Is this the lens you write about? What would be a fair price for one in good shape (have to bid)?
Thanks in advance.

 

[peepete77]

To me, nothing I have used matches the look of my new-to-me pre-asph summicron.

I have the Nokton 1.4, had the Ultron 1.7, tried the 1.2, tried the C-Biogon; and they all were too high contrast for my taste. I always liked the 35mm perspective but I put it on the shelf for a long time because I didnt like the look of the photos I was getting.

I love my Planar 50/2 and considered the ZM 35/2. But I really want small lenses for my rangefinder cameras.

I bit the bullet and bought the summicron IV. Its now the only lens I have used for the last 2 months. Forget about the "bokeh-king" status, its just simply an amazing piece of gear.

You seem to think that the 35/2 Biogon is too big. I have not seen it in real size, how does it compare to the notorious beasty Nokton 1,2 in size and handling?

 

[peepete77]

I'll just echo the comments about the 35/1.2.
Great lens. But it sure would be a hefty first lens to get. Unless you like bulk.

Okay, here is my take at it. The learning curve could be steep, but I feel I should take advantage of the low dollar now, it is already rising fast agian, and if I ever should make a good deal, now is the time I feel.... Probably very much sense in buying a CS 35/2,5, but I am a sucker for optics. I have one SLR lens, the Pentax limited and expensive 31mm/1,9. And I love it soooo much. I rather have one super lens than 4 lenses I am "pretty satisfied" with. But again, these are just my thoughts and my feelings as of today... 🙂 Thanks for a nice reply though!

 

[peepete77]

Which 35? For general photography i use the pre-asph Summicron 35/2 IV or the cheaper Summicron-C 40/2 which is very close. Both flare a bit but you cannot go wrong with little gems like that. For portrait, i prefer my late pre-asph Summilux 35/1.4. Flares more but offers roughly the same IQ with more speed and a gorgeous smoothness at f/1.4. The CV 35/1.4 SC flares even more but is sharper than the Lux at f/1.4 so i use it indoor generally. Back focusses more or less severely at f/4 - f/5.6 though. I don't seem to recall the cause but we discussed this some time ago here IINW. Otherwise the CV 35/1.2 is great but huge and i don't like the bokeh of the CV 35/1.4 MC and 35/2.5 at all. Same for the asph Leicas, and ZI lenses are too contrasty for my taste.
Edit: Never tried the CV 35/1.7 in person but i don't like its bokeh either from pics i've viewed on the web. Got focussing problems with the M-Rokkor 40/2 so i don't use it any more unfortunalety but it is very close to the Summicron-C 40/2 otherwise. FWIW

Thanks for a really interesting reply! I have now received an offer of an Summicrom 35/2 version IV pre-asph, for 400 £, but it seems to have a history of hard wear... A minor scratch in front element that seller says not affect IQ... Could this be "it"? In fact, I now have two offers on the "bokeh king".... But the other one has some issues with mechanic and handling... That one goes for 890 US $... Are these good offers? 😕
Thanks

 

[peepete77]

I would look for a Konica M-Hexanon 2/35. It has a quality as Leica's pendant, both in optics and construction.

Cheers, dacaccia

I agree, I am SOOOOO looking and searching for this lens, even in UC! And I have spent hours last night, this morning, and even at work (don't tell my employee) finding it.... But no, so far no luck.... Yours is not up for sale, I reckon....?😉

 

[peepete77]

My 0.02:

(1) Summicron 35mm f2.0 IV (7-element)
(2) Nokton 35mm f1.2

The Summicron is small and great, with some "old flavor" around wide open. The 35/1.2 is the only "Noctilux substitute" in the 35mm category, delivers a more "modern color rendition" than the Summicron 35/2, and is still sharp enough wide open.

Okay, but now I grow really curious, what do you mean by "old flavour"? Retro or filmsy look on pictures???