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Assembling a Leica kit

ruskiantonov

New member
Hello, I would love some help from the Leica veterans on this forum in assembling a Leica kit that will probably not be changed for years to come (if ever).

I began my Leica journey a couple years a go with an M3 and Summicron DR. I later acquired the old Canadian Summicron 90 (aka big bertha). It's a fine kit and has served me very well. I have taken some fantastic shots with it but the time has come to upgrade and acquire some serious (and expensive :eek: glass).

I'm in the precess of selling that kit and have already bought a silver MP (.72) and a 35 Summicron asph. This is great set up for shooting cityscapes and general wide angle shots but I find myself going back to my old 50 and 90 summicrons when wanting to shoot people.

I often take my 50 when I venture out in low light to capture people and faces more specifically. So I've been considering a Summilux for it's replacement.

Off the bat, I wanted to get the 50 Summilux asph. because I thought that once I got the 35 asph Summicron I should just get all aspherical glass. But after examining the difference, I think I'm better off getting the pre-asph Summilux since it has a softer (leica glow) look to it, and that is what I want when shooting people, and the extra stop for low light (as opposed to the Summicron).

I already picked up a 90 Summicron e55 for portrait photography, but am now on the fence as to which Summilux to get.

Effectively my reasoning is this:

35 Summicron Asph. for day time wide angle shots around the city/country, with biting sharpness edge to edge. Since there is a lot that goes into the shot, sharpness throughout seems important.

50 pre-asph Summilux for evening photo of people, and other 50mm use stopped down.

90 pre-asph Summicron e55 for portraits in varied light.

Since I aim to use the 50 and 90 for mostly people as my subjects, does it make sense to keep them both pre-asph so that they render similarly...?

Am I completely of the mark or is this reasoning correct?

Any contribution is welcomed. Thanks!
 

seakayaker

Active member
Sounds like you have a very good plan and no reason to move ahead. The good news if you don't like the configuration, you can usually sell off the lens with little to no loss and try something else.

You may also want to look at the Voigtlander 50/1.5 and Zeiss 50/1.5 lenses as options.

Good luck with your decisions!
 

ruskiantonov

New member
Sounds like you have a very good plan and no reason to move ahead. The good news if you don't like the configuration, you can usually sell off the lens with little to no loss and try something else.

You may also want to look at the Voigtlander 50/1.5 and Zeiss 50/1.5 lenses as options.

Good luck with your decisions!
Thanks for the response, I've read great things about the Zeiss 50/1.5 but I think I'm sticking to an all Leica kit (not sure if for the right reasons :( )

Doing more and more research on the asph vs pre asph, and the aspherical just seems like an incredible lens, but I'm not so sure I need 'incredible' as much as something I like.

The comparison shots between summicron, asph 'lux and pre asph 'lux ( 50mm RF lenses Shot Wide Open using M9 ) are very revealing. The asph lux is just incredible and looks better to me at 1.4 than then summicron at f2. The pre asph summilux looks a bit soft, but then again, at the end of the day, I wont be doing comparison shots and trying to read writing on a bottle. I'll be looking at a print of a face in low light and wondering whether I like the soft edges or the biting sharpness.

PS browsed through your flickr, you shoot some beautiful stuff
 

segedi

Member
If you want a 50mm that you'll be satisfied for years to come, it would be hard to choose anything other than the Summilux ASPH.
 

MCTuomey

New member
What Segedi said. The 50 ASPH can do everything the pre-ASPH can do wide open, and betters the pre-ASPH mid-frame and in the corners. Get the ASPH. I'd be shocked if you didn't get on well with it.
 

ruskiantonov

New member
Thanks for the responses. Seems the consensus is the the asph version.

My change in preference for te pre-asph version was due to some amazing portrait photos I saw on Flickr in which the subject had this incredible glow/highlights, it was just a really beautiful effect. I've yet to see similar shots from a the asph version. Can it produce the same highlights at wide open or is there a more 'even distribution' across the frame?
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
In the past I owned a Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH (late 1990s/early 2000s genera). It was a stunningly sharp lens from wide open to whatever.

However, I recently acquired a Summilux 35mm f/1.4 v2. It is flarey and soft wide open, moving to bitingly razor sharp stopped down. The effect is wonderful ... it's like having several different lenses in one, adjustable by twisting the aperture ring. I've used it with my M4-2 on film, with the M9 and now with the M-P typ 240.

While not technically the equal of the 35/2 ASPH, I much prefer the 'Lux v2 for its rendering qualities.


Leica M9 + Summilux 35 v2
ISO 160 @ f/1.4 @ 1/2000 sec




Leica M9 + Summilux 35 v2
ISO 200 @ f/1.7 @ 1/30 sec

G
 

doctorfab

New member
If you want a 50mm that you'll be satisfied for years to come, it would be hard to choose anything other than the Summilux ASPH.
I totally agree! The 50 Summilux ASPH is amazing. Awesome bokeh, sharp at 1.4 with a beautiful character. Also the silver version is built like a tank..
 

ruskiantonov

New member
Godfrey, that first is just stunning and exactly the kind of look I want to obtain, thank you for sharing and correcting my ignorance on the ability of the Summilux.

In terms of examples of the pre-asph e46 version, these shots really appealed to me (subject matter aside :) ) :





(not sure if I embedded those correctly)

Can you replicate that look on a summilux asph?
 

ruskiantonov

New member
I should mention again that I only intend to shoot film and typically tri-x, occasionally ilford 3200, though I want to start experimenting with slower films to open the lens up more in the daylight, though the MP's fastest shutter speed is 1/1000
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Godfrey, that first is just stunning and exactly the kind of look I want to obtain, thank you for sharing and correcting my ignorance on the ability of the Summilux.

In terms of examples of the pre-asph e46 version, these shots really appealed to me (subject matter aside :) ) :





(not sure if I embedded those correctly)

Can you replicate that look on a summilux asph?
I guess the question would be was a Leica M even used for the shots you linked to? While Mark Kujath does use a M, would he use it for the sort of work you linked to? He does do street work, and that looks to be 35mm probably with his Leica Ms.

Life in Czech und Tschechien in Schwarzweiss – Streetphotography @ markkujath | photography.

Most of the behind the scenes videos of Mark shooting Fashion/Portrait indicates that he uses a 35mm DSLR or a Mamiya Medium Format RZ-Pro.

Making Of – Shooting-Projekt mit SeitWerk in Uffing @ markkujath | photography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLdfvBwWdCc

Also, many of his images look to be shot with a longer lens, not a 50mm. Probably a 85mm, 105 or 135.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRO0dTsqvsc

Actually the look and feel of the images you linked to are more about light source, quality, direction and processing than it is about the way the lens renders.

I also question whether Tri-X would produce that look and tonal spread ... unless it was loaded into a 6X7 Medium Format camera like the RZ/RB.

Horses for courses.

- Marc
 

ruskiantonov

New member
I guess the question would be was a Leica M even used for the shots you linked to? While Mark Kujath does use a M, would he use it for the sort of work you linked to? He does do street work, and that looks to be 35mm probably with his Leica Ms.

Life in Czech und Tschechien in Schwarzweiss – Streetphotography @ markkujath | photography.

Most of the behind the scenes videos of Mark shooting Fashion/Portrait indicates that he uses a 35mm DSLR or a Mamiya Medium Format RZ-Pro.

Making Of – Shooting-Projekt mit SeitWerk in Uffing @ markkujath | photography.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLdfvBwWdCc

Also, many of his images look to be shot with a longer lens, not a 50mm. Probably a 85mm, 105 or 135.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRO0dTsqvsc

Actually the look and feel of the images you linked to are more about light source, quality, direction and processing than it is about the way the lens renders.

I also question whether Tri-X would produce that look and tonal spread ... unless it was loaded into a 6X7 Medium Format camera like the RZ/RB.

Horses for courses.

- Marc
Nice one Marc, thanks for correcting my ignorance. I found the photo in a Summilux Pre-asph pool on flickr so, its likely that that image was shot with a 50. However, I combed his site and seems likely that it was part of a bigger production, not just 'roll out of bed and snap a picture' type of photo.

Just so darn beautiful to me that I want to try and replicate that style of photography, unfortunately, it sounds like it might not be possible on the medium I'm using (or, more likely that I'm not good enough).

For me the summilux dilemma continues, at least until I stumbled on a great deal for either. Let me know if you hear anything :)
 

yudafu2

Member
Based on the photography works that you seem to be enamored with, I believe a 75 summilux should be a better fit than the 50 for you. You like portraiture, and especially more dreamy ones with shallow DOF, I believe nothing beats the 75 lux. Moreover, 35 and 75 makes the best combo.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Based on the photography works that you seem to be enamored with, I believe a 75 summilux should be a better fit than the 50 for you. You like portraiture, and especially more dreamy ones with shallow DOF, I believe nothing beats the 75 lux. Moreover, 35 and 75 makes the best combo.
I agree.

- Marc
 

ruskiantonov

New member
Thanks for the reply Marc and Yudafu!

I will consider the 75 but I think it might be too expensive. Having already bought a 90/2 pre asph, buying a 75 right now would currently seem (to me at least) to be an expensive redundancy.

I've always shot a 50mm and it's usually my go to, so I'll be looking to pick one up. However, given this thread I am back to leaning towards the asph version.

-Alex
 

Paratom

Well-known member
Personally I prefer the newer lenses because they don't show focus shift and I do not mind sharp images.
I really like the 35 Summicron asph and think its a classic lens.
I don't think it renders clinical.
The 35/1.4asph is my low light lens.
In regards of 50mm I really like the 50 Summicron and also the 50APO (which is however an expensive luxury)
Some of the older 35 and 50mm lenses (including the 50/1.4pre asph) do suffer from focus shift, and that I don't like.
I also prefer the 90 Elmarit over the f2.0 90mm lenses - I find I can't focus 90/2.0 reliable plus the lenses are on the heavy side. So I went back to the 90/2.8 which is a solid performer. I also do like the 75/2.0, but its also a little tricky in regards of focus.
 
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