Zeiss v Summicron

[gravityassault]

Morning everyone, I hope the weekend has been really kind to you all thus far.

I'm guessing this has probably already been discussed but I didn't find it in the threads and wanted to put it to the community for discussion. I'm in the market for either the latest version Summicron 50 or a Zeiss 50 Planar and I'm curious as to the sharpness and contrast of these two pieces of glass.

Comparing brand new lenses the Zeiss is less than half the price of a Summicron and I'm wondering if the difference is noticeable and worth the extra money. Your thoughts are most sincerely appreciated and I'm anxious to know what ya'll think. I'm primarily interested in sharpness first and bokeh second if that makes a difference in the discussion.

If you all have photos for comparison I'd love to see them. Thanks much, speak soon.

All the best.

Chris

 

[semilog]

Can't go wrong. Get the one that feels better to you and learn its strengths and weaknesses. If you want higher quality you'll be much better off with a Fuji or Mamiya RF anyway.

 

[tbarker13]

I shot with a summicron for a bit, but then tried out a planar. I liked it so much that I sold the summicron.

I've been using the planar a lot these past few months for portraits. I have quite a few posted on my flickr account. But here are a few:

 

[Ronald M]

few can look at a pic and tell if it is Zeiss or Leica.

Leica is better mechanically, but they are not as good as they used to be. I love my 1969 version 3 Summicron. If you will not use 2.0, the last version 50 2.8 collapsible is a fine lens that matches the latest and greatest at 4 to 11. Small, light, inexpensive.
It is my usual go to lens on the camera 90 % of the time.




Semilog is correct. Film area is is 100% more important than one good lens vs another.
Same holds true for digital. MP count is almost a non issue, sensor size is what counts.

 

[marcr1230]

If only I had the Planar I could get results like Tim... Not!
Lovely images Tim.

 

[arseniii]

Ronald is right. Summicron is better mechanically(solid build, smooth focus). Also, my v.3 (tabbed) CRON is smaller. In addition, I don't like this 1/3 aperture steps, slows you down if you are a street shooter ! I had Planar ZM and I'd say YES. optically I prefer it better to 50mm cron. But I had to sell one and it was planar just because I have cron for quite a while now and very comfortable using it, it just feels as a part of me after 5yrs I have it for... If I will have an extra cash I'd definitely get a planar again...

 

[Tom A]

the older Summicrons are indeed better built - but the last couple of versions are not that great. I have had aperture control rings break, lens clusters come loose and focussing tabs snap off! The version with the collapsible hood is a pain as the hood keeps collapsing at inopportune times.
From "performance" point of view I prefer the Planar - it has a nice smooth rendition and so far I have had no mechanical problems with it ( and it sees a lot of use).

 

[zleica]

I have had both lenses but ended up keeping the Summicron (with focus tab and current optical formula). For the two samples that I owned, Summicron is MUCH BETTER built than the Planar. Optical performance is quite similar with Summicron renders a bit deeper color and Planar renders more crispy overall imagery.

 

[f16sunshine]

Optically there is little difference between modern f2 50mm IMHO.
I sold both the Planar and Summicron and now keep the Hexanon f2 50 for modern. The flare resistance is incredible and I like the collapsible hood. Can be found for $350-$500 in Excellent condition or better.

 

[dfoo]

I have a v5 summicron 50, Canadian made. Great build quality, and I love the looks of the lens.

 

[Tim Gray]

I had the lastest version Summicron. I chose that over the Planar. Mainly because I bought it used and it was cheaper. A lot of people complain about the collapsable hood. I liked it - it was always there if you needed it. If you really don't like it, get a screw in one. I ended up selling the Summicron for a 50/1.4. If faced with buying new, I'd go with the Planar. Both nice lenses, both very sharp.

I didn't particularly like the 1/3 stops on the Zeiss lens I had, but it's not a deal breaker.

 

[Roger Hicks]

few can look at a pic and tell if it is Zeiss or Leica.
. . .

Semilog is correct. Film area is is 100% more important than one good lens vs another.
Same holds true for digital. MP count is almost a non issue, sensor size is what counts.

Seconded. At least for a given megapixel density. And low ISO.

Cheers,

R.

 

[sanmich]

The planar aperture ring is rough and difficult to turn (at least on the one ).
The 1/3 stops are even more an annoyance because of this.
the small bump on the focus ring is kind of weird, but not too bad.

The new cron:
The built in hood would have been great if you could LOCK IT
But the worse of the worse: I had a lot of pictures ruined because of an intern reflection because of the paint used on the back of the lens:bang:.
DAG has repainted it with matte paint, and it has solved the issue, but gee... that's incredibly lame of Leica to have design things like that...

appart of that, and for the kind of Tri-X based work I do, I really think Cron = Planar = Hexanon = ...

 

[WalterM]

I've had the Planar and current Summicron, and neither were my cup of tea. Too contrasty for my style. I've recently acquired a really clean sample of the Summicron DR,although I'm missing it's finder 🙁

I can't wait to see it in action.

 

[gravityassault]

Hi everyone, thank you so very much for all of your thoughts on the Planar v. Summicron, they are extremely helpful...this is exactly why I turned to the community. I'm rushing to pick up my wife but I'll check again this evening and write a proper response then. You guys are terrific!

Chris

 

[dovevadar]

Chris,

I dont particularly like the focusing ring of the planar. I have the Cron V4 with focusing tab (I really dont understand why Leica decided to take it out. Bad move). I didn't know what is sharp until I shoot with it. Here are some images I took with it, all on film and unsharpen. Pardon the large images, I really need you to see how sharp this lens is 😉