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Anyone used the 35 summarit?

jonoslack

Active member
Hi there
I'm thinking of reinvesting in a 35mm lens, but I really don't need the speed (or the price) of the 35 'lux for what will probably not be a hugely used lens, and one which is unlikely to be shot wide open.

I have been wondering about the tiny and relatively cheap summarit.

When I say relatively cheap - less than 50% of the price of the summicron, and 30% of the price of the 'lux

Has anyone had any experience with it?
 
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Paratom

Well-known member
All I know is that I have seen images from Summarit which looked like it might have the nicest bokeh of all 35mm Leica M lenses. I dont own it but really like the rendering I see in images taken with this lens.
 

jonoslack

Active member
All I know is that I have seen images from Summarit which looked like it might have the nicest bokeh of all 35mm Leica M lenses. I dont own it but really like the rendering I see in images taken with this lens.
Hi there
Well, thank you!
I've been dithering about getting it for some weeks now, like most of us I like to have 'the best' but I was worried about the focus shift on the 'lux, seeing some bokeh I didn't like in the sort of shot I take was the last straw.

I've already owned (and sold) a 35 'cron - it was a silver one, pretty, but also nearly 400gms, and too heavy.

Anyway, I was very lucky, about half an hour ago I bit the bullet and ordered one from Robert White at the old price (£690 +VAT) - about ten minutes later the website was changed, and now it's £875+VAT (still a good price I think), so at least I should be able to get my money back if I don't like it.

My Leica cupboard is looking sensible (if unconventional) in that I don't have lots of duplicates for focal lengths.

One thing is clear about this lens, there isn't much talk about the summarits around here - I'll report back on findings!
 

lambert

New member
Hi there
I'm thinking of reinvesting in a 35mm lens, but I really don't need the speed (or the price) of the 35 'lux for what will probably not be a hugely used lens, and one which is unlikely to be shot wide open.

I have been wondering about the tiny and relatively cheap summarit.

When I say relatively cheap - less than 50% of the price of the summicron, and 30% of the price of the 'lux

Has anyone had any experience with it?
Hi Jono,

The 35 Summarit is a brilliant little lens. It is the pick of the Summarit line and my personal favourite out of all the 35/2.x lenses (I have owned the 35/2.5, 35/2 IV, 35/2 ASPH & 35/1.4 ASPH).

It is small, light, easy to focus, and renders like classic glass, much like the 28/2 ASPH. It is virtually flare free (never bothered with a hood). The sweet bokeh of this lens is easily on par with the much vaunted 35/2 IV and certainly more predictable (never unwieldy with specular highlights in the background like the latter). My sample was sharp from wide open with no focus shift whatsoever when stopped down. The only (and very minor) con relative to the others is the slightly reduced minimum focussing distance of 0.9m. This was never an issue in use.

All in all, unless you must have an f1.4 lens (and are willing to lug around the extra meat) the Summarit is hard to beat.

Cheers, Vincent
 

akiralx

New member
Anyway, I was very lucky, about half an hour ago I bit the bullet and ordered one from Robert White at the old price (£690 +VAT) - about ten minutes later the website was changed, and now it's £875+VAT (still a good price I think), so at least I should be able to get my money back if I don't like it.
Nice one, it is a good lens, the 35 and 75 seem the pick of the Summarits.

The only thing I didn't like was the unscrewing hood which you can't do much about.

Jono, I had to pass on that nice chrome 50mm Summicron as I now have a Summilux-ASPH!
 

cmb_

Subscriber & Workshop Member
Cheaper still would be one of the CV lenses but I am not sure how they compare with the Summarit. Vincent's wonderful image sure makes a good case for the Summarit. Does Sean have a comparison of 35's which includes the Summarit?
 

lambert

New member
Cheaper still w ould be one of the CV lenses but I am not sure how they compare with the Summarit. Vincent's wonderful image sure makes a good case for the Summarit. Does Sean have a comparison of 35's which includes the Summarit?
The CV is good for the money. It is sharp when stopped down. Bokeh is not in the same league, however, being somewhat harsh. And a hood is mandatory given that it is more prone to flare. But for the money, it's pretty good.
 

jonoslack

Active member
HI Vincent
that's a lovely shot - with lovely bokeh into the bargain.

I've had a couple of CV lenses, and the trouble is the bokeh, and also the fact that they all feel rather different.

I also considered the zeiss biogon (f2.8, and really little). I think they have a more consistent character than the CV lenses, and I love both my 25 and 50 sonnar. The little summarit was only £120 more than the biogon though, and the secondhand price would be in a different world.

Cam recommended one of the original 'crons, but they're difficult to find, and my experiences of buying secondhand haven't been that great recently (one lens I sent to Leica UK for coding turned out to be stolen).

Added to all that -ALL my lenses are coded, and I use filters all the time - the price and hassle factor in getting non leica lenses coded is a big consideration.

Anyway - it should arrive tomorrow - I'll see how it feels.
 

Arjuna

Member
from Erwin Puts' review of the Summarits: "The Summarit 35 and Summarit 75 emerge as the best lenses in the range, operating in close vicinity of the Summicron versions. I would even claim that the Summarit 35mm is better than the Summicron asph version."
 

jonoslack

Active member
from Erwin Puts' review of the Summarits: "The Summarit 35 and Summarit 75 emerge as the best lenses in the range, operating in close vicinity of the Summicron versions. I would even claim that the Summarit 35mm is better than the Summicron asph version."
Thank you Arjuna - now I'm feeling much better about the purchase :):clap:
 

cam

Active member
Thank you Arjuna - now I'm feeling much better about the purchase :):clap:
you're feeling better because he puts them above the 50mm? yeah, but that's not so difficult.... seriously, they're not up to snuff with the Crons. however, as you said, it might be exactly what you're looking for in that focal range -- and you seem to make magic with any lens you have! i look forward to you proving me wrong.

in the meanwhile, an open offer: come over to this side, and i'll gladly loan you my v.1 Cron. i have absolutely *no* desire to part with it -- but i do think you could make it sing, perhaps more than i.
 

helenhill

Senior Member
I haven't tried it yet...however a Friend of mine has one
and judging from seeing their work
its really a lovely lens...a jewel in Fact
IMO, way underrated
probably due to Leica's PR approach...."an affordable Price for optical quality"
leica snobs turned their noses up to it
doesn't cost Enough :ROTFL::ROTFL:

~~35 / 2 35/2.8 Biogons are Beautiful
( have a 35 cron ver3 but NOT that knocked out by it....Eric likes it though)

BUT I do Think you will be Quite PLEASED w/the summarit
..the bokeh seems creamy and fluid
otherwise its sharp & has a lovely overall glow
What More Could You want

Congrats on your new lenas!!
 
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jonoslack

Active member
Well, it arrived half an hour ago.
I've no idea whether it's going to be a lens to love, but it's delightfully small and sharp - first two shots (nothing to present, but there you go).

I might get out for an hour this afternoon:



 

bradhusick

Active member
Jono,
For about $1000 USD you can pick up a nice example of the 35 "bokeh king" series IV summicron on the boards. I LOVE this lens, and use it very often.

-Brad
 

Peter Klein

New member
Jono: I second Brad's remarks. Most of my outdoor "normal lens" photos on the M8 are taken with a 35/2 ver IV Summicron. I like it even better on the M8 than I do on film. DAG/Millich coded it for me as part of a CLA. I bought the 'Cron long ago, but kept it for its size, weight and qualities even after getting the Lux. The Lux is for f/1.4 and f/2, the Cron is for everything else.

Judging from Erwin Put's comments, and photos I've seen, either the Summarit or the Summicron would do you just fine. Another possibility is the VC 35/2.5, which Sean Reid has spoken very highly of. I've seen very good pictures from this lens as well, with some caveats about getting a good sample due to variable QC.

--Peter
 
S

sclamb

Guest
Congratulations on the 35 Summarit. I also have this lens and it is really very good considering the relatively cheap price.

Simon
 

jonoslack

Active member
nice dog jono, looks like mine
Hi there - yes indeed - is yours a flatcoat?

HI Brad
That IV cron is usually more expensive over here, and then, by the time you've had it coded . . . well, then it would have been twice as much.

Anyway, I'm committed now, and not disappointed a bit, it's lovely, literal but not brutal - 'character' is a bit of a tenuous concept, but it certainly doesn't have bad character, and it's a lovely size on the M8.

Hooray!

Hi Simon - as someone else said, cheap is a relative term, but I got a good deal, and it was basically half the price of a 'cron and 1/3 price of a 'lux. I don't need the speed, and I'm really pleased with the 'down to earth' and unfussy drawing.
 
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