As i have decided that the more i can take the camera with me, better photographies can be achieved, and as i love the candid photos taken at bars, inside the university, travelling etc, i think the better option for a 4x4 compact and fast lens could be the 35 summilux pre-asph. I am no pro, so i take photos for pleasure but, everyone who is with Leica is a fan of quality so; i know the new aspherical version is better but how better? only when you test it at a lab? i am very pleased with the results of my 28 elmarit, how far is the old 35 from it? i must say that i don't print very largecopies, so for me, quality is how that lens can resolve difficult light situations as we find traveling or inside a pub.

-- Jaime Font (jaifo@airtel.net), June 05, 2002

Answers

Jaime, I'd have to say that this is one case where the superiority of the APSH will be quite visible, if the comparison is made wide open. The pre-ASPH is quite soft wide open, though it does clean up nicely upon stopping down. The ASPH 35 Lux draws nothing but rave reviews. Compactness is a good reason to but the pre-ASPH, but you'll find yourself not using it wide open very much, after the first roll. A pre-ASPH Summicron, or an ASPH one, would serve the purpose as well, sans one f-stop.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), June 05, 2002.

Thank's Bob. Perhaps the summicron pre-asph can be a good alternative, in price and compactness. Do you think although being one stop slower, the old summicron is better than the summilux. The only problem is that having the 28 (and very fond of it) i thought that i could have something much different with a lens two stops faster.

-- Jaime Font (jaifo@airtel.net), June 05, 2002.

Well, I have both the old Summicron and version II pre-ASPH Lux in 35mm FL. The Lux does very well when stopped down, but I see no advantage over the 'Cron, since it's so weak at f/1.4. I think the older Summicron is a good way to go for compactness. I'll never sell mine.

-- Bob Fleischman (RFXMAIL@prodigy.net), June 05, 2002.

IMO, a v.3 35/2 (the version just prior to the pre-ASPH)is a good buy, selling in the $600-700 range. But a mint late pre-ASPH Cron sells for close to a grand and the ASPH sells for around $1100 and a mint LUX-ASPH sells for around $1500 so between those three the extra cash for the Lux seems like a good expenditure for the kind of photography you are wanting to do. For a landscape lens, I use the v.3 Cron and at f/8 you can't tell it from the ASPHS.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), June 05, 2002.

I really liked my 4th version 35mm Summicron. Excellent wide open.I traded it for a 35mm asph 1.4. The Asph is sharper and more contrasty wide open, not something I appreaciate in high contrast situations...streetlights etc. Wide open you dont have much depth of field at f1.4 with the asph.Bokeh on the asph is not too good either, something you will need when shooting wide open to make the photograph.I'm talking B+W here. In color I like the warmth/color of the Asph better.I didnt really like the 4th stopped down.Too strident.I like the Asph better stopped down.But now I use the Noctilux as my main lens. It's got speed and bokeh. Great for B+W or color.

-- Emile de Leon (knightpeople@msn.com), June 05, 2002.