Which 35mm???

cam said:
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.


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.
Click to expand...

More wrinkles, more fun! 😀
I agree on your views here, and I have been searching flickr, such an awesome site! I have confirmed my suspicions that the Hexanon 35mm and the Nokton 1,2 really are of my taste. There is so much here on leica, but I am trying to find some 35mm/2 summicron/ summaron and summilux, but it is hard to know which ones belong to the "bokeh king". I am willing to pay good money, if I ever was to get an offer on e.g. "Hexanon 35/2". I like Biagon 35/2 too, but it looks very contrasty and "superclean"... Do you have some shots or a link to your shots with your own lenses that you write about here? Would be awesome to see :angel: Thanks
 
thomasw_ said:
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.

2672965601_9c71cd9d21.jpg
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WOW! The summaron really blew my mond! Great picture and nice skin tones too in BW!
 
Samsam said:
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
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Cool, so you don't necicerally agree that the Cron IV pre asph is the Bokeh king, then? 😉
 
Krosya said:
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. :
attachment.php


attachment.php




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

2825175692_eca4d01854.jpg


and here is uc-hex at f2:

attachment.php


Either one of these will set you back about $1000 USD. UC-Hex - very hard to find lens - only 1000 made.
So, good luck!
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what pair of lenses you have man! I envy you truly! You are very lucky my friend, and I love the look of both your pictures. It really stands out, and I can agree to much of what you're saying! I suppose you're not into selling the little Haxanon? 😉
You have very much opened my eyes here, and given me more to chew on!!! I would LOVE to see more of your pictures!
Best wishes from Norway!
 
deepwhite said:
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.... 😛
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Answer much appreciated! I can see that you love your Nokton, and I can understand why! I also understand your points. Good points, taken! It is good to hear that you can wear the camera all day without getting tired or frustrated. 🙂
 
Jim Watts said:
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.
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Ok, thanks! This was a bit disturbing, as I have no chance of checking it out before I buy... I am buying lenses from people in other countries and don't know anyone with such a lens where I live... Has anyone else same problem on their epson? 😕
 
retow said:
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...
Click to expand...
Wise advice.
 
I have both the Nokton 35/1.2 and the Color Skopar 35/2.5 "Classic". They are on the opposite sides of the 35mm size scale, that's for sure.

For daylight/everyday use, I reach for the Skopar, but the Nokton does have it's special uses (and look). It is HUGE, without a doubt, but I keep it for its distinct character. Although I did the opposite, I recomment you start with the smaller lens, get used to the feel of the RF experience, then move on to the Nokton if you feel you want more speed. The Nokton's intrusion into the viewfinder might ruin the feel for you at the beggining. It did so much for me that I didn;t use it for months once i got a smaller lens. Now I know when to use what.

If you want samples, do a search on my Flickr site.

Hope that helps!
 
Last edited:
Many opinions now, so really you have to make up a choice. Nokton is huge and big, and probably more for a more contemplative kind of photography than all day long street photography. I would never carry a Nokton walking all day long, this is why I do not use my DSLR L1 anymore, the weight and size of RD1+Nokton would be similar to the L1.
Smaller lenses like the 35mm Skopar are cheap and easy to find. Probably in the $200 range, it will help you to validate a few things :
- you like the focal on the RD1 (53mm)
- you like rangefinders.
- you experiences the advantages of rangefinders (small, discreet, fast).
Once validated, buy a Nokton or whatever focal you feel would be more convenient.
As an example, I started with the 35mm Skopar on the RD1, but lately am using the 28mm Ultron a lot more, I find it better (43mm) for my type of photography (as well as its softness wide open). Still, I wish it was smaller, difficult to have it in small bag on business trips for example. Actually, I am looking for CV28mm 3.5, anyone has got one to sell ?
 
peepete77 said:
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what pair of lenses you have man! I envy you truly! You are very lucky my friend, and I love the look of both your pictures. It really stands out, and I can agree to much of what you're saying! I suppose you're not into selling the little Haxanon? 😉
You have very much opened my eyes here, and given me more to chew on!!! I would LOVE to see more of your pictures!
Best wishes from Norway!
Click to expand...

Thanks,
Well, here are some from CV 35/1.2:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63337

and here are some from UC-Hexanon 35/2:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63237

and here (just to see something different) are some from a fixed lens Konica AUto S with Hexanon 47/1.9 lens:
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=63176

plus you can see some pics on my flickr in "some of my photos" link below

And like I said - try doing a search here and on flickr for the lenses you are interested in.

Oh - and my UC-Hexanon is not for sale - not yet at least. 😉
 
oops - I think I'm not the first one to see that lol 😉 I have a feeling it will not last there, UC-Hexanon that is.
 
Double Negative said:
I love super fast, bright lenses (I have several Canon L primes at f/1.2 and f/1.4) so when I first started looking into RF gear, I was all over that 1,2/35 Nokton. In the end I decided to go with the 2/35 Biogon. Why? I got into RF for two reasons primarily... To shoot film again with high quality gear but also to reduce the bulk and weight. The Biogon is stupid-sharp, has excellent bokeh and is reasonably small/light.
Click to expand...

Yes, I would LOVE to get my hands on the Zeiss-jewel, however, no offers that I felt was good enough showed up.... But ut us very cool that you are so satisfied with it! I love the colours of high - end *T-coating, which I guess is very present at the Biogon?
You have some pictures or link to them? Would be cool to see!
Thanks
 
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