The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

35mm summicron

A

a_summarita

Guest
A friend just offered me a canadian-made 35mm summicron version 4 pre-asph for $1800. Should I buy? decision, decision, decision..

I am tempted but wow, has the price for this lens risen so much over the last couple of years, especially the ver. 4!
 

LCT

Member
Fair price for a mint or excellent copy but i would hesitate between it or a new Summarit 35/2.5 if you don't shoot much in low light.
 

LCT

Member
The Summarit is said to have a very smooth bokeh as well. I have no experience with it though as i have a 35/2 IV already. I'm still tempted by the Summarit for its lesser flare and more 'modern' i.e. contrasty rendition.
Edit: I would add 6 bit coding to the 35/2 IV price and a hood to that of the Summarit for a fair comparison (if the Summicron is sold with its hood of course).
 
A

a_summarita

Guest
thanks for the quick intro. on summarit, LCT. Let me know when you acquire it (both of us know you will eventually ;-)) and do share some photos!

:)
 

mjm6

Member
I had a v4 for a few years, and then did a comparison with a contemporary Summilux (German-made). I felt that the Lux had comparable bokeh at comparable apertures, and ultimately offered a stop more speed when needed, so I sold the v4.

I especially liked the summicron, and while I had it, it was my most used lens (focal length driven, mostly). I don't think I'd pay $1800 for one, I'm more inclined to find a user with good optics rather than a mint version. Of course, the prices have been rising on these lenses, so maybe that is reasonable these days.


---Michael
 
A

a_summarita

Guest
mjm6: i just sold my 35 lux asph. thanks for making me feel better about it! </sarcasm>
 

weinschela

Subscriber Member
I agree with Michael on the Summilux asph vs Summicron. You really can't go wrong with either, though the Summilux is at least 2x more expensive (even used vs used). i also agree that $1800 may be high but of course condition counts as well as whether you know the seller.
 

mjm6

Member
To clarify, I was comparing two lenses that were contemporary to each other... I was not comparing the ASPH version 'lux to the v4 summicron.

I generally find that the ASPH lenses have a 'nervous' bokeh compared to the older non-ASPH versions, and I much prefer the non-ASPH lenses in this respect, so when talking about OOF areas, the older lenses are absolutely superior to the modern lenses. That's my opinion only...

They aren't as sharp in the focus plane, but otherwise I prefer them over the ASPH lenses.


---Michael
 

proenca

Member
... I generally find that the ASPH lenses have a 'nervous' bokeh compared to the older non-ASPH versions, and I much prefer the non-ASPH lenses in this respect, so when talking about OOF areas, the older lenses are absolutely superior to the modern lenses. That's my opinion only...

They aren't as sharp in the focus plane, but otherwise I prefer them over the ASPH lenses.
---Michael
Yes ! I'm not nuts ! And you are not alone !

I was fortunate to have owned few fine Leica optics and then got most of it stolen but thats another story.

I used / owned : 35mm cron IV, 35mm lux ASPH, 35mm lux non ASPH, 50 lux pre asph, 50 lux asph, 50 nocti non ASPH, 50 nocti ASPH

for me, non ASPH wins everytime

bokeh much smoother, much more "cream" to it albeit sharpness do take its toll : all ASPH counterparts are sharper but at the costs of bokeh.

I prefer non ASPH always

heck, I have have a 35mm summaron that I use all the time that I fall in love with that 1960's bokeh
 

dannh

Member
I'd love to see some examples of the same shot between a pre-asph and Asph copy of similar lenses, like 35 cron or 50 lux that demonstrates the concept I've seen mentioned so often, that pre-asph designs (usually the Mandler ones) have more appealing bokeh. It's very commonly talked about, but in my experience with the previous and current 50 lux, it's not so apparent.

I think in the case of the 35 crons, the bokeh in the version IV model is different, but in my opinion I love the results I get with the Asph version. Maybe my eye is less demanding, so hopefully someone can actually point out the differences being discussed with examples.
 

mjm6

Member
Dan,

Look around, I recall seeing some comparisons on some forum somewhere. I've seen some amazing imaged from both the ASPH and the non-ASPH lenses, so both are clearly capable.

For me, when I am spending this kind of money on a lens, I think very carefully about it before I purchase, and that includes comparing representative images that I am able to find. That's how I settled on the pre-ASPH Lux in both the 35mm and 50mm focal lengths.

At this point I don't regret my decisions on bit.


---Michael
 

dannh

Member
Yeah, I guess that's my point though. I have looked around and haven't seen the evidence to back up the claims I read quite often.

I just did a search but wasn't able to find an older forum post I was looking for. A little while back, someone did a really comprehensive comparison of about 15 different 50mm M-mount lenses, capturing images of the exact same setting using each type of lens. I beleive the setting was fairly low light, in a bar I think? It was really informative, I thought, because you could compare the images from each lens with pretty much everything else being equal.

I'm kind of off topic here, so I apologize to the original poster. I guess it would help you answer your questions though, if you were to see a similar comparison made using 35mm M-mount lenses.
 
Top