Leica makes three versions of the classic 35mm focal length lens. Nick Rains takes a look at all three and discusses where a 35mm lens might fit onto your own lens set.
Great vid with really good information. I shoot 24, 50, 90, so the 24 can be used as a landscape lens. I do have a 35 summicron ASPH as a walk around lens.
Great review, thanks for sharing. I downsized from 3 lenses Nikon & body to only just one Leica digital M and the Summilux 35mm in 2016. I am blown away the sharpness & clarity whenever I want to crop to get that close-up look. Thank you again, I just subscribed 😍📷🇩🇪
Excellent video, thank you. I find myself gravitating toward wider lenses as high megapixel cameras like the M-10R allow significant cropping without much detriment to image quality, even for largish prints. As a long-time shooter who learned on manual focus film bodies, I find my shooting experience has changed from a more in-the-moment urgency when shooting film, to a longer process where post-processing allows for after-the-fact creativity and lots of opportunity for further consideration and tweaking. The wider and larger the original file, the more room I've got to frame the photo and experiment a bit with it. One can't zoom out after the photo has been taken, but one can zoom in! All the best!
I'm a 50mm user but that's more due to my preference for the shooting experience with the rangefinder field of view with an M. I also find that in Australia we are more spaced out on the street. Hong Kong and London have me reaching back to the 35mm and 28mm.
You're right: the 50 rules! You can cover most situations with the 28-50-90 set. I've never been a great fan of the 35. My 28 is the Q. The Tri-Elmar is the only lens I'm eager to try out. Looking forward to your next video.
Always great content bro. You’re definitely a 50 guy I can see that in how you frame 35. Makes total sense. You know what you talking about, I feel you from 20 years of M use. I am indeed 28/50/90 but use also 21 plus my favourite 24 but those take a bit experience in account. I totally agree you think if only one lens then 50, it’s relatively easy and definitely the most versatile in the RF system, easy to focus always great results and the best image quality. I’d still take a 24 though but that’s just me. Have a great one Nick, regards from the GC.
It's really a pleasure to watch your channel - and here's well another clip well balanced in terms of content, supporting rhetoric (vs images) with no digression (i.e. BS and blah blah blah) - a well spent 13 min for me. Thank you !
Hello Nick. Thank you for a compelling video and your generosity in sharing your viewpoints. It is telling Leica chose to pair up the Q2 with a 28mm lens. Instead of a 50mm or a 35mm. Fujifilm’s X100V confers an equivalent focal length of 35mm. For street photography, architecture and environmental portraiture I suppose a 28mm and 35mm would confer an advantage. 50mm is possibly suited for subject isolation. Take care Nick and keep making videos.
If you plan to do mostly classic street photography - where you're trying to catch a particular person in a crowd or a particular scene in a brief instant without the time - or courage - to focus your camera, the 35mm lens makes sense.
Great video! I shoot with the M240 and when using the 35 mm lens it get into the lower right corner of my composition, which is annoying. I've tried the EVF, but is difficult to focus with it. I love the "view" of the 35 mm but, because of these, I'd rather go with te 50 mm.
Debate about whether the human vision corresponds to a 35mm lens angle of view or a 50mm lens angle of view continues; it could be argued that it may vary from one person to another. I personally catagorise 35mm lens as being the starting point for wide-angle lenses; and the starting point for telephoto lenses is the 50mm focal-length.
I use a 28 Summilux and 50 Summilux on my M. I'm was also primarily a 50 shooter, but missed sometimes the wide view of a 28, so bought the 28 lux. Only complain is that the 28 is so big in the rangefinder, and the lines are way out in the utter corners. So precise framing is a bit difficult sometimes. So I have always somewhere in my head a 35, which can separate for-background almost like 50 and have a better framing view through the rangefinder. Any advise?
I personally use a M to take my time and try to frame properly without post-production. I've often hesitate to change my combo 28 + 50 for a 35, but those 2 lenses keep me happy. Roughly : 50 Lux for street photographie. 28 Elmarit for travel (with the 50 lux back-up). 35mm seems rather wobbly to me.
good video Nick, however did notice the SL and TL as well as the S line medium format systems and lenses are absent in the discussions here, as they would be welcome additions to, as choosing one system, M, SL, TL, S2 would be slightly easier if we saw the lens differences between these systems, as well as a brief show of auto-focus tech, and performance differences in these systems.
I just bought the Leica 35mm f 2.0 Summicron lens for a new M 11. I had thought about getting a 28mm and a 50mm but, with the ability to shoot at 60 megapixels I believe I'm covered pretty good. Mostly we take family and friends at gatherings and during travel. I also thought about the new APO 35mm lens but moving up to that means another $5,000. I could buy another Leica lens for the increase in price. A new 75mm or 90mm would give me an additional lens with totally different possibilities. Lots of choices. All Leica is excellent. No bad choices just lots of options for different effects and results. I also have a Canon R 6 with 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8 (one with a macro) and also the F4 24mm-105mm zoom. For travel, vacation, group settings I think I covered all the bases. Anyone have any suggestion for the next Leica lens for the M11?
With a 35mm, I’d either go for a 21mm or a 75mm. I have the M11 and use it with a 50mm Summilux ASPH. I am about to trade it to a FLE and will eventually get the 75mm APO lens which I find fantastic for street/portrait and even landscape.
You once said the 75 mm Noctilux is the sharpest lens. Does that new APO 35 mm Summicron have the same sharpness corner to corner? I have pre-ordered one to use on my SL2 because I prefer manual focusing. I look forward to your future video on wide angle lenses since I have recently purchased the 18 mm Elmar (used) for landscape photography.
Hard to say which is the sharpest now that the APO-35mm is out. It certainly seems sharp corner to corner, at f2, but I'll leave that to the bench testing people! I just know you will not be disappointed though...
Yes, you always need to a just for sensor size. The Komodo seems to be S35, so a crop factor of about 1.5 would apply. Thus a 35mm M lens would have an angle of view roughly the same as a a 50mm lens would have on a 35mm formal sensor. The 35mm Summilux-M would be amazing on a RED Komodo!
I don’t like spacing out my lenses because to me some consistency is desired for books or exhibitions. I like using both 50 and 35mm and nothing else. Typically I use 50mm outdoors where I can usually step backwards and 35mm indoors where often I can’t.
35mm focal-length lens is all you need?; you must live in vast open-air space with sparce human population and buildings; in heavily built up major cities one would not be able to stand back far enough to accommodate some subjects, thus a lens wider than a 28mm would be required.
i shoot with 50mm summilux on M10P *white* LE .... I feel 28 summilux is the 2nd/next best lens to have after 50mm (normal/natural perspective), ahead of 28 M-summicron, unless it is the 28-APO-SL summicron ...... not sure of 21 summilux, some people find 24 & 28 too tight, and prefer 21 as their wide lens for street
Slightly different character of bokeh, and the APO will still have the edge for crispness (if you look hard for it). The differences are subtle, but there.
Well, no, not just that. To summarise; two are f2, one is f1.4. One of the f2 versions is a new Apochromatic design and is superbly sharp. More detail in the video...
In the viewfinder of the Leica M10-R there are two (2) framelines, one for the 50mm lens and one for the 75mm lens. If Leica, Leica Camera Australia, and Thorsten Overgaard all think that the logical (?) step up from a 50mm lens is to Leica's 90mm lens, why did Leica show a frameline for their 75mm lens in the M10-R viewfinder? I bought the 75mm Noctilux because of Leica's choice of framelines. The difference between the 50mm frameline and the 75mm frameline is significant. The frameline for a 90mm lens would be very small in the M10-R's viewfinder. I have two lenses, the 50mm and the 75mm, and I'm happy with my choice.
It is a wide angle lens ! You can enjoy and use both the 35mm and 50mm lenses. No it’s not harder to organize a photo using a 35mm lens rather than a 50 mm.
interesting presentation, also if I think your review is very distracting, you keep putting the 50mm in the middle, and talking about choices of focal lengths of the kit. but here we are talking to those who have already chosen the 35 and just want a technical-qualitative judgment between the various 35mm. I think you should be more focused on this, even the photographic examples are not a real comparison of the three lenses on the same subject, I think it is all very theoretical and poetical but not explanatory for those who have to make a real choice between these 3 lenses based on their performance. it is not clear even when you talk about the summicron apo or without apo correction..
what a nonsense ! ive had 35 1.4 it was very distorting and starting to be smudge once you left central third of frame not to mention ugly CA . I sold it for pennies and bought 35apo - less depth of field but its only sense from leica M that deserves praise ! it outperforms 50apo on 2-3 stops ( id ive had 3! 50apo copies ) the 35apo is so sharp at 2 that it almost too much ( even for me and I am into sharpness ) . 50 1.4 lux is same story though even more smudge never gets sharp at outer 1/3 and ives had newest close for and the 2004 optics edition .
Thanks Nick. I like that you’re genuine and talk as a photographer who loves Leica, and not a salesman.
I am not a 35 user but I do really love the video output of your channel. Always interesting.
Glad you enjoy it!
This was actually very helpful! And lovely work, thanks for illustrating with your own images.
Another good Video, Nick. Merry Christmas and all the best for the coming year!
Thanks, you too!
I don’t know why I just found this series but all these videos are on my list now. Very well done presentation by an excellent photographer.
Glad you like them!
Great vid with really good information. I shoot 24, 50, 90, so the 24 can be used as a landscape lens. I do have a 35 summicron ASPH as a walk around lens.
I love his videos! More of Nick!
Great review, thanks for sharing. I downsized from 3 lenses Nikon & body to only just one Leica digital M and the Summilux 35mm in 2016.
I am blown away the sharpness & clarity whenever I want to crop to get that close-up look. Thank you again, I just subscribed 😍📷🇩🇪
Thanks for sharing
Excellent video, thank you. I find myself gravitating toward wider lenses as high megapixel cameras like the M-10R allow significant cropping without much detriment to image quality, even for largish prints. As a long-time shooter who learned on manual focus film bodies, I find my shooting experience has changed from a more in-the-moment urgency when shooting film, to a longer process where post-processing allows for after-the-fact creativity and lots of opportunity for further consideration and tweaking. The wider and larger the original file, the more room I've got to frame the photo and experiment a bit with it. One can't zoom out after the photo has been taken, but one can zoom in! All the best!
I find all your videos useful Nick. Thanks from the great white north.
Awesome, thank you!
Interesting series .... well presented as usual .
Glad you think so!
This helped me make my decision on the right lens for me. Thank you!
What did you choose?
I'm a 50mm user but that's more due to my preference for the shooting experience with the rangefinder field of view with an M. I also find that in Australia we are more spaced out on the street. Hong Kong and London have me reaching back to the 35mm and 28mm.
That's an interesting, sensible answer. Thanks. Reason to consider a vacation in Hong Kong and a new $8K Leica lens.
You're right: the 50 rules! You can cover most situations with the 28-50-90 set. I've never been a great fan of the 35. My 28 is the Q. The Tri-Elmar is the only lens I'm eager to try out. Looking forward to your next video.
Great video. Very useful
Always great content bro.
You’re definitely a 50 guy I can see that in how you frame 35.
Makes total sense. You know what you talking about, I feel you from 20 years of M use.
I am indeed 28/50/90 but use also 21 plus my favourite 24 but those take a bit experience in account. I totally agree you think if only one lens then 50, it’s relatively easy and definitely the most versatile in the RF system, easy to focus always great results and the best image quality. I’d still take a 24 though but that’s just me.
Have a great one Nick, regards from the GC.
Thanks for this! I just purchased an MP this will help me in choosing my next lens. I already have a 28 in my Q2 not really the same thing..
Great to hear!
I’m definitely a 35mm user. The 35 Summilux is my favourite lens to take out, just seems to be a great do it all lens.
Thank you for your subtil explanations 😊
Welcome!
It's really a pleasure to watch your channel - and here's well another clip well balanced in terms of content, supporting rhetoric (vs images) with no digression (i.e. BS and blah blah blah) - a well spent 13 min for me. Thank you !
Much appreciated!
Hello Nick. Thank you for a compelling video and your generosity in sharing your viewpoints. It is telling Leica chose to pair up the Q2 with a 28mm lens. Instead of a 50mm or a 35mm. Fujifilm’s X100V confers an equivalent focal length of 35mm. For street photography, architecture and environmental portraiture I suppose a 28mm and 35mm would confer an advantage. 50mm is possibly suited for subject isolation. Take care Nick and keep making videos.
28mm and 21mm videos coming up soon!
If you plan to do mostly classic street photography - where you're trying to catch a particular person in a crowd or a particular scene in a brief instant without the time - or courage - to focus your camera, the 35mm lens makes sense.
Great video! I shoot with the M240 and when using the 35 mm lens it get into the lower right corner of my composition, which is annoying. I've tried the EVF, but is difficult to focus with it. I love the "view" of the 35 mm but, because of these, I'd rather go with te 50 mm.
35mm for me. Summilux FLE is the only Leica lens I own for my M6. Have my eyes on a black paint m10r that I'd love to pick up in the future.
exactly my setup...nice choice ;-)
Debate about whether the human vision corresponds to a 35mm lens angle of view or a 50mm lens angle of view continues; it could be argued that it may vary from one person to another. I personally catagorise 35mm lens as being the starting point for wide-angle lenses; and the starting point for telephoto lenses is the 50mm focal-length.
I use a 28 Summilux and 50 Summilux on my M. I'm was also primarily a 50 shooter, but missed sometimes the wide view of a 28, so bought the 28 lux. Only complain is that the 28 is so big in the rangefinder, and the lines are way out in the utter corners. So precise framing is a bit difficult sometimes. So I have always somewhere in my head a 35, which can separate for-background almost like 50 and have a better framing view through the rangefinder. Any advise?
I personally use a M to take my time and try to frame properly without post-production. I've often hesitate to change my combo 28 + 50 for a 35, but those 2 lenses keep me happy. Roughly : 50 Lux for street photographie. 28 Elmarit for travel (with the 50 lux back-up).
35mm seems rather wobbly to me.
Good choices. I agree about the 28mm lenses, watch for the next video in this series!
That's exactly how it happened to me: 28, 50, 90 mm.
Nice review!
Appreciated!
I use 15, 28 and 50mm. Fills all I need. Was thinki'n about a 35 but I think for me in person 35 isn't needed. Thanks for yr video.
Thanks for watching!
Is the 21mm rectilinear?
The 35mm is like the original zoom where you use your legs to kinda zoom either 2-3 steps forward or backward.
The 21mm lenses are indeed rectilinear.
good video Nick, however did notice the SL and TL as well as the S line medium format systems and lenses are absent in the discussions here, as they would be welcome additions to, as choosing one system, M, SL, TL, S2 would be slightly easier if we saw the lens differences between these systems, as well as a brief show of auto-focus tech, and performance differences in these systems.
Hi Andy. I will be working my way through as much of the full range as time allows. The M-System seemed a good starting point!
I just bought the Leica 35mm f 2.0 Summicron lens for a new M 11. I had thought about getting a 28mm and a 50mm but, with the ability to shoot at 60 megapixels I believe I'm covered pretty good. Mostly we take family and friends at gatherings and during travel. I also thought about the new APO 35mm lens but moving up to that means another $5,000. I could buy another Leica lens for the increase in price. A new 75mm or 90mm would give me an additional lens with totally different possibilities. Lots of choices. All Leica is excellent. No bad choices just lots of options for different effects and results. I also have a Canon R 6 with 50mm 1.8 and 35mm 1.8 (one with a macro) and also the F4 24mm-105mm zoom. For travel, vacation, group settings I think I covered all the bases. Anyone have any suggestion for the next Leica lens for the M11?
With a 35mm, I’d either go for a 21mm or a 75mm. I have the M11 and use it with a 50mm Summilux ASPH. I am about to trade it to a FLE and will eventually get the 75mm APO lens which I find fantastic for street/portrait and even landscape.
You once said the 75 mm Noctilux is the sharpest lens. Does that new APO 35 mm Summicron have the same sharpness corner to corner? I have pre-ordered one to use on my SL2 because I prefer manual focusing. I look forward to your future video on wide angle lenses since I have recently purchased the 18 mm Elmar (used) for landscape photography.
Hard to say which is the sharpest now that the APO-35mm is out. It certainly seems sharp corner to corner, at f2, but I'll leave that to the bench testing people! I just know you will not be disappointed though...
When talking about lenses we should always consider on wich sensor size ,apsc or ff. Im thinking to adapt some Leica glass on my red komodo for video
Yes, you always need to a just for sensor size. The Komodo seems to be S35, so a crop factor of about 1.5 would apply. Thus a 35mm M lens would have an angle of view roughly the same as a a 50mm lens would have on a 35mm formal sensor. The 35mm Summilux-M would be amazing on a RED Komodo!
@@LeicaCameraAustralia yes or I could use Leica R EF Mount and have a speed booster that give us FF field of view 🤩
Depending on what im shooting I love them both. Street photography 35mm, portraits 50mm
I don’t like spacing out my lenses because to me some consistency is desired for books or exhibitions. I like using both 50 and 35mm and nothing else. Typically I use 50mm outdoors where I can usually step backwards and 35mm indoors where often I can’t.
35mm is all I need, the rest is bonus
35mm focal-length lens is all you need?; you must live in vast open-air space with sparce human population and buildings; in heavily built up major cities one would not be able to stand back far enough to accommodate some subjects, thus a lens wider than a 28mm would be required.
I notice that all, or most, APO lenses are Summicrons. What is the likelihood of an APO Summilux, or would it be unaffordable?
That's a very good question - and I don't know the answer!
Lux 50ASPH is actually an APO by design. Karbe confirmed it.
i shoot with 50mm summilux on M10P *white* LE .... I feel 28 summilux is the 2nd/next best lens to have after 50mm (normal/natural perspective), ahead of 28 M-summicron, unless it is the 28-APO-SL summicron ...... not sure of 21 summilux, some people find 24 & 28 too tight, and prefer 21 as their wide lens for street
21mm is great for street, and I use an 18mm Elmar myself.
how's the performance for summilux at f/2 compare to APO summicron at f/2?
Slightly different character of bokeh, and the APO will still have the edge for crispness (if you look hard for it). The differences are subtle, but there.
Current kit: 24mm Lux, 35mm f/2 Cron, 50mm Nocti /.95, that’s it.
I have both the Summilux35 and Summicron50. Both are fantastic, but the 50 is just special. Small, light weight, butter smooth. Just fantastic
Don´t they produce the Summarit 2,4/35mm anymore.....?
The entire Summarit line was discontinued last year.
@@LeicaCameraAustralia I understand… thx
Whats really the difference between all 3, stops of light?
Well, no, not just that. To summarise; two are f2, one is f1.4. One of the f2 versions is a new Apochromatic design and is superbly sharp. More detail in the video...
My trinity is 28/50/90 :)
In the viewfinder of the Leica M10-R there are two (2) framelines, one for the 50mm lens and one for the 75mm lens. If Leica, Leica Camera Australia, and Thorsten Overgaard all think that the logical (?) step up from a 50mm lens is to Leica's 90mm lens, why did Leica show a frameline for their 75mm lens in the M10-R viewfinder? I bought the 75mm Noctilux because of Leica's choice of framelines. The difference between the 50mm frameline and the 75mm frameline is significant. The frameline for a 90mm lens would be very small in the M10-R's viewfinder. I have two lenses, the 50mm and the 75mm, and I'm happy with my choice.
You are either a 28mm or 50mm lens person ;-) But own a 35mm as well.
It is a wide angle lens ! You can enjoy and use both the 35mm and 50mm lenses. No it’s not harder to organize a photo using a 35mm lens rather than a 50 mm.
"Micro contrast"
interesting presentation, also if I think your review is very distracting, you keep putting the 50mm in the middle, and talking about choices of focal lengths of the kit.
but here we are talking to those who have already chosen the 35 and just want a technical-qualitative judgment between the various 35mm. I think you should be more focused on this, even the photographic examples are not a real comparison of the three lenses on the same subject, I think it is all very theoretical and poetical but not explanatory for those who have to make a real choice between these 3 lenses based on their performance.
it is not clear even when you talk about the summicron apo or without apo correction..
Can’t trust some one who prefers 50mm over 35mm
what a nonsense ! ive had 35 1.4 it was very distorting and starting to be smudge once you left central third of frame not to mention ugly CA . I sold it for pennies and bought 35apo - less depth of field but its only sense from leica M that deserves praise ! it outperforms 50apo on 2-3 stops ( id ive had 3! 50apo copies ) the 35apo is so sharp at 2 that it almost too much ( even for me and I am into sharpness ) . 50 1.4 lux is same story though even more smudge never gets sharp at outer 1/3 and ives had newest close for and the 2004 optics edition .