Leica 28mm - Elmarit vs Summicron - experience with both?

mattoz22 · Dec 30, 2014

Hi, I use Leica bodies as my main cameras and like a wider angle for Leica wedding photography. I have quite a few lenses i've collected already but with time I found my preference is often size over speed. I use my 50mm Summicron v5 far more than my Summilux ASPH 50mm as it balances much better on the M3s. The Lux makes it too front heavy. Similarly my little VC Skopar gets more outings than the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1,2 ASPH as again it makes the cameras too front heavy. I use fast lenses when I need them such as in low light in a church but otherwise tend to use the smaller lenses.

I have a 21mm and 25mm Zeiss ZM Biogons and a 28mm Voigtlander Ultron f2 lens. I like 28mm on the M2 and M9 as can judge the composition where as for 25mm and wider I guestimate. The Biogon lenses are both very sharp but the size of the little 28mm f2.8 Elmarit really attracts me.

For those owning the 28f2.8, have you always wished you had bought the 28mm Cron instead for the extra stop of light? I find 35mm a bit tight so would use a 28f2.8 Elmarit as a walkabout lens on the M2 /M9. I know the lens is as sharp as the Zeiss lenses but it is the size I am really buying into.

Thanks

Matt

Eric Boe · Dec 30, 2014

I have the privilege of owning both the Summicron and Elmarit, and hope to add the Summilux once a serial production version is made available.

The Summicron is a superb performer, and is widely regarded. The size is very manageable, similar to a 35mm Summilux. You would not be disappointed owning one.

That being said, there are some creative avenues with the Elmarit that you may not have with the Summicron. I enjoy using the Elmarit on an M8 with a vintage Leica IR filter for B&W IR photography. Fun stuff. As long as you're building a collection of creative filters, vintage 39mm filters are easy to find and relatively affordable. They are a good value for experimenting with filtered B&W. A yellow filter on the Elmarit really makes images from the Monochrom stand out.

Oh, and the Elmarit is smaller too.

Enjoy.

Eric

mattoz22 · Dec 31, 2014

Eric Boe said:
I have the privilege of owning both the Summicron and Elmarit, and hope to add the Summilux once a serial production version is made available.

The Summicron is a superb performer, and is widely regarded. The size is very manageable, similar to a 35mm Summilux. You would not be disappointed owning one.

That being said, there are some creative avenues with the Elmarit that you may not have with the Summicron. I enjoy using the Elmarit on an M8 with a vintage Leica IR filter for B&W IR photography. Fun stuff. As long as you're building a collection of creative filters, vintage 39mm filters are easy to find and relatively affordable. They are a good value for experimenting with filtered B&W. A yellow filter on the Elmarit really makes images from the Monochrom stand out.

Oh, and the Elmarit is smaller too.

Enjoy.

Eric

Thanks Eric, I do use yelllow 39E filters on the 50mm Summicron on the M3 and have an M8 also. As a portrait photographer 28mm is not a FL I will use a lot other than for weddings so I am still more tempted by the Elmarit's size for a walkabout lens. I will wait til I am in the Leica Mayfair store so I can appreciate the size of both lenses before buying.

Thanks again!

rami · Dec 31, 2014

I own the cron and I used to own the Elmarit (pre-ash iV version) so I can only report on the pre-ash Elmarit. The lenses are so different in character that I kept them both for a long time and worked with them on two different bodies. I sold the Elmarit only when I needed to fund the M8. They are as sharp, sharpness is not an issue for the Elmarit. There is something unique in the pre-asph lenses which I tend to like. I preferred the way the Elmarit handles light and contrast. Possibly, I preferred its color rendition. But the Cron leaves nothing to complain about. It is one of my favourite lenses.

mattoz22 said:
Hi, I use Leica bodies as my main cameras and like a wider angle for Leica wedding photography. I have quite a few lenses i've collected already but with time I found my preference is often size over speed. I use my 50mm Summicron v5 far more than my Summilux ASPH 50mm as it balances much better on the M3s. The Lux makes it too front heavy. Similarly my little VC Skopar gets more outings than the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1,2 ASPH as again it makes the cameras too front heavy. I use fast lenses when I need them such as in low light in a church but otherwise tend to use the smaller lenses.

I have a 21mm and 25mm Zeiss ZM Biogons and a 28mm Voigtlander Ultron f2 lens. I like 28mm on the M2 and M9 as can judge the composition where as for 25mm and wider I guestimate. The Biogon lenses are both very sharp but the size of the little 28mm f2.8 Elmarit really attracts me.

For those owning the 28f2.8, have you always wished you had bought the 28mm Cron instead for the extra stop of light? I find 35mm a bit tight so would use a 28f2.8 Elmarit as a walkabout lens on the M2 /M9. I know the lens is as sharp as the Zeiss lenses but it is the size I am really buying into.

Thanks

Matt

--
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jcespite · Dec 31, 2014

I used to own the 28 2.8 ASPH and my friend has the 2.0 ASPH and have used both. Both are great lenses but I prefer the 2.8 for its size and the 39mm filter size. I also have the 35 and 50 summarit 2.5.

I ended up selling the 28 for the 24 elemarit 2.8 but really miss the size of the 28. I'm also looking into to selling my 50 and buying the Lux to gain more low light performance on the M8 but I'm worried about the size.

My friend has the 50 Cron in brass which is a beast in weight so I'm not sure how I will like the Lux for size.

LCT · Dec 31, 2014

I use both lenses as well. Both are very sharp at all apertures so you don't need the Summicron if you don't shoot a lot at f/2. The Elmarit asph is slightly more contrasty and may appear a bit more harsh for this reason but in day-to-day use the differences are negligible IMHO.
Best,
LCT

lucianboboc · Dec 6, 2015

What about the lens construction? The Elmarit feels cheap compared to the Sumicron? The only difference is that f-stop?

rami · Dec 7, 2015

Both feel very similar. the most amazing thing they are very much similar size. The Cron is not much larger and they look very much the same.

lucianboboc said:
What about the lens construction? The Elmarit feels cheap compared to the Sumicron? The only difference is that f-stop?

LCT · Dec 7, 2015

The Elmarit asph is really tiny but both show the same quality.
Best,
LCT

Irakly Shanidze · Dec 7, 2015

It is not just the extra stop. 28mm Summicron renders differently. While Elmarit is corrected to the point of producing flawless and ideally characterless images, rendering of 28 Summicron is much more paintery. OOF areas look like brush strokes, which makes this lens unique.

Gandolphi · Dec 8, 2015

mattoz22 said:
Hi, I use Leica bodies as my main cameras and like a wider angle for Leica wedding photography. I have quite a few lenses i've collected already but with time I found my preference is often size over speed. I use my 50mm Summicron v5 far more than my Summilux ASPH 50mm as it balances much better on the M3s. The Lux makes it too front heavy. Similarly my little VC Skopar gets more outings than the Voigtlander Nokton 35mm f1,2 ASPH as again it makes the cameras too front heavy. I use fast lenses when I need them such as in low light in a church but otherwise tend to use the smaller lenses.

I have a 21mm and 25mm Zeiss ZM Biogons and a 28mm Voigtlander Ultron f2 lens. I like 28mm on the M2 and M9 as can judge the composition where as for 25mm and wider I guestimate. The Biogon lenses are both very sharp but the size of the little 28mm f2.8 Elmarit really attracts me.

For those owning the 28f2.8, have you always wished you had bought the 28mm Cron instead for the extra stop of light? I find 35mm a bit tight so would use a 28f2.8 Elmarit as a walkabout lens on the M2 /M9. I know the lens is as sharp as the Zeiss lenses but it is the size I am really buying into.

Thanks

Matt

Artichoke · Dec 8, 2015

Irakly Shanidze said:
It is not just the extra stop. 28mm Summicron renders differently. While Elmarit is corrected to the point of producing flawless and ideally characterless images, rendering of 28 Summicron is much more paintery. OOF areas look like brush strokes, which makes this lens unique.

I have no experience with the Elmarit other than what I have seen & I agree Irakly's remarks about the Summicron, which is so exceptional that the newly designed Summilux will have a problem topping other than for the extra stop

the 28 Summicron ASPH remains a favorite lens & is widely held in highest regard

SunsetMagnet · Dec 8, 2015

go voigthlander! hahaha

ultron 28 f2

--
more photos, less gears - my new motto
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Rodrigue Zahr · Dec 8, 2015

I have recently aquired the 28 Elmarit for my M9. My other 2 lenses are 35 and 50, both summilux.
The 28 is my favorite focal and now I'm barely shooting with anything else. I do fashion and portrait.
The lens deliver more than the sum of its parts. It's a fantastic lens, the size and weight are killing factor when using the camera for long time.
The difference in quality and bookeh in my opinion does not justify the difference in weight, size and price. The only 28 that would open new artistic possibilities is the summilux.
--
www.rodriguezahr.com

SunsetMagnet · Dec 9, 2015

Rodrigue Zahr said:
I have recently aquired the 28 Elmarit for my M9. My other 2 lenses are 35 and 50, both summilux.
The 28 is my favorite focal and now I'm barely shooting with anything else. I do fashion and portrait.
The lens deliver more than the sum of its parts. It's a fantastic lens, the size and weight are killing factor when using the camera for long time.
The difference in quality and bookeh in my opinion does not justify the difference in weight, size and price. The only 28 that would open new artistic possibilities is the summilux.
--
www.rodriguezahr.com

rodrigue

can u share some of these images taken with it.

28 is also my favourite focal length now

Rodrigue Zahr · Dec 9, 2015

here we go:

--
www.rodriguezahr.com

SunsetMagnet · Dec 9, 2015

wow! thanks for sharing! wonderful images

rami · Dec 24, 2015

I assume you are right (and I was wrong) and he was referring to the recent Asph version (the cron has only a asph version while the Elmarit had 4 earlier formulas)

LCT said:
The Elmarit asph is really tiny but both show the same quality.
Best,
LCT

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Leica 28mm - Elmarit vs Summicron - experience with both?

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