Re: [Leica] Mo' Bettah: The 35mm Summicron

[Alexey Merz <alexey@webcom.com>]

I currently use an M6 HM with a 50 'cron-M and a 
35 'lux ASPH. The differences in character between 
these lenses continue to amaze me. 

I find the 35 to be an easier lens to use in terms of 
framing, but much more demanding than the 50 in terms
of which apertures work for a given shot. The 50 'cron
is so smooth and forgiving that almost any aperture can
be made to work, though I really like it wide open.

In general the Leica has been teaching me to use 
much slower films and shoot @ wider f/ stops; the 50 in
particular delivers a transition between in- and 
out-of-focus areas that defines the term "plasticity"
and it is indeed a short telephoto. At f/2 and f/2.8
I have taken more portraits that truly satisfy me than
in the previous years with the Nikkor 85.

The 35 gets used for landscapes and as a general-purpose
lens. It seems incredibly wide to me (and bear in mind 
that the 35/2 Nikkor was my standard lens for almost
my entire photographic life). This lens is the one that
gets used *both* handheld in very low light, and 
set on a tripod for landscapes. The 'lux ASPH does not have 
especially beautiful bokeh at intermediate stops though 
this is only a problem in shots with fields of specular 
highlights when I am focussing on something relatively 
close. Recently, I have been using the 35 more and more 
in classic wide angle "fore/back" shots, but open to 
f/1.4 with the focal plane in the foreground. Ah! this is 
what the lens was deigned to do! Fantastic! Now it *really*
feels like a "wide 50".

I hope soon to have access to a decent slide scanner,
and I will share some results then.

Regards, 
Alexey