Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1997/07/29
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Here are the condensed results of the comparison between Summicron-M = 35mm, Summicron-M ASPH 35mm and Summilux-M ASPH 35mm. I conducted my usual tests on Fuji Velvia, complemented by the = benchmark analysis. I now made the test pictures at three different = distances:1,2 meter, 4 meter and 10 meter. As usual. all pictures = are shot in very low contrast situations to give a better idea of the = overall contrast and the micro contrast. I also shot a series of = pictures of a street scene with the sun just above the horizon and = shining directly in the lens. The image of the sun however was = blocked by an object. The sun itself therefore was not in the = picture. This test is used to see how well flare is reduced and how = well the lens renders the fine detailsof the scene and howgood the = separation of highlight detail is. All three lenses came out very well and in comparison with other = makes can be qualified as excellent. There are a number of noteworthy = differences. You must remind yourselves that the differences noted = are only visible when using the utmost care in taking pictures. = Remind also that Leica is competing againt itself when introducing = new lenses. First the lenses at f/2,0. Summicron-M ASPH 35mm gives a high contrast image image with = excellent micro contrast and a crisp rendition of extremely fine = detail from center to the well into the outer zones. Light fall off = is noticable, but restricted to a very small zone. Flatness of field = is outstanding as is the definition over the whole image area. Summilux-M ASPH 35mm also gives this same performance, but the finest = details are rendered a fraction softer at the edges. The difference = between Summicron-M ASPH 35mm is the coverage over the image field. = Center sharpness is a mite better with Summilux-M ASPH 35mm, but this = lens loses more detail when going to the outer zones. This is = visible at 30 times enlargement. So it is not easy to say which lens = is better. I would prefer to call it a diffenece in fingerprint or = characteristic. of image rendering. Summilux-M ASPH 35mm follows the = =8Cclassical=B9 pattern of extremely high center quality, becoming = less so when going outwards. Summicron-M ASPH 35mm is a new pattern = concentrating on even coverage over most of the field. The = difference between the center performance of Summicron-M ASPH 35mm = and Summilux-M ASPH 35mm are in my view slightly academic, but they = are there to note (on the bench at least!). Summicron-M 35mm follows the pattern of Summilux-M ASPH 35mm: very = high center sharpness and a gradual leveling off towards the corners. = Summilux-M ASPH 35mm has a slighty better micro contrast and a = crisper delination of very fine detail than A. At least in the = center. The outer zones show less advantage. Summilux-M ASPH 35mm = has at f/2.0 less light fall off and a much flatter field, and = equals Summicron-M ASPH 35mm in these respects. At f/1,4 Summilux-M ASPH 35mm gives more light fall off than = Summicron-M 35mm at f/2,0 and now also exhibits more curvature of = field, slightly less than Summicron-M 35mm at f/2.0. Summicron-M ASPH = 35mm is definitely better at f/2,0 than Summilux-M ASPH 35mm at f/1,4 = and Summicron-M 35mm at f/2,0 is almost identical to Summilux-M ASPH = 35mm at f1.4. The overall characterictics of Summicron-M 35mm are = similar to the one of Summilux-M ASPH 35mm. It seems as if the = Summilux-M ASPH 35mm is an Summicron-M 35mm with one full stop more. = In addition Summilux-M ASPH 35mm has slightly higher micro contrast, = less vignetting, better separation of highlight details and the = flatter image field.than Summicron-M 35mm. But its colour rendition = is warmer than that of Summicron-M 35mm which is quite neutral. = Summicron-M ASPH 35mm also is a little on the warm side. You just can not have all. Close up performance is good in all three lenses. The f/1,4 aperture = of Summilux-M ASPH 35mm however shows curvature of field and = vignetting. Here I wuld not go in details. All three are very = competent here, with Summicron-M ASPH 35mm slightly ahead. At f/2,0 flare and stray light are extremely well repressed with = Summicron-M ASPH 35mm, it gives excellent separation of highlight = details, virtually ghostless images and the fine details are clearly = defined with very good gradation and colour nunaces. It also = exhibits a very crisp image of brilliant clarity. The image of = Summilux-M ASPH 35mm at this aperture is more flare prone at least in = this situation. The larger frontlens just captures more oblique = lightrays , that can soften the image a bit. A is on the same level = as Summilux-M ASPH 35mm in this respect. The smaller frontlens helps. Interestingly at f/1,4 Summilux-M ASPH 35mm is better than at f/2,0, = because the absnce of diafragm blades do not reflect some of the = light, that at f/2,0 has an effect as the diafragm is closed a littel = more and the light rays are reflected into the lens. Conclusion: Summicron-M ASPH 35mm and Summilux-M ASPH 35mm are the = more modern designs and are capable of better image quality than = Summicron-M 35mm is. The differences are visible, but you must = compare the images side by side to see it. Summicron-M ASPH 35mm is a = superb allround lens with a very even and excellent performance. Its = images have that special Leica characteristic, that can be seen in = most modern Leica third generation designs: image clarity of a very = high order. Summilux-M ASPH 35mm is a lens that brings Summicron = quality into an f/1,4 design , but this superior performance at full = aperture forces the desigher to balance the optical paramaters in a = different way. Summicron-M ASPH 35mm and Summilux-M ASPH 35mm have a = different fingerprint and therefore a diffferent audience and = photographic capabilities. If you need F/1,4 there is no = alternative. If F/2,0 is enough for you the flavour of Summicron-M = ASPH 35mm and its price/volume are very attractive. In performance = it and its sibling Summilux-M ASPH 35mm are in the same legue. NOTE: this report is posted for the LUG exclusively. Please do not = copy the contents and publish them on a site! Erwin