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 p.2 #2 · Leica Summicron-R 50mm - How do I know which version this is? | |
arduluth wrote:
Just wondering if you've got any photos to show along those lines? Decent 35mm f/2.8 for $50-150 are easy to find. From what I had seen, the 35mm Elmarit-R is a fine lens, but I didn't see anything in that images that put it head and shoulders above the alternatives to justify the $400-600 price tag. Not sure what version(s) I've seen images from, and the later versions are apparently better.
I took the OP's statement that "it sounds like the [Elmarit-R 35mm] isn't that impressive" to mean that either it's not a particularly good 35/2.8 lens or it's an overpriced 35/2.8 lens or both. My reply was meant to convey that it is -- as you wrote -- a fine lens and that it's relatively inexpensive (for a fine Leica R lens). Perhaps, when I wrote that it was "certainly better than any other 35/2.8 lens I've used", I should rather have said that I preferred my Elmarit-R (Version III) to any other 35/2.8 lens I've used (including the Distagon C/Y 35/2.8, the Hexanon AR 35/2.8, and the Rokkor MC 35/2.8). Why did I prefer it? Partly because of the results I got with it (I did post a couple of photos earlier in the thread which were meant to indicate that it can be alternatively sharp or dreamy) but also because of its haptics: like other Leica R lenses it's just a pure pleasure to use. Can its $400-600 price tag be justified? In price/performance terms, almost certainly not (although my Department of Rationalization and Self-Justification quickly approved the purchase). What offers the best bang for the buck? Probably the Rokkor MC 35/2.8. In any case, my 35mm needs are currently met with the RX1R II but I'm curious to see how the Elmarit-R 35mm autofocuses with the Techart PRO.
billsamuels wrote:
That's an interesting thought. At some point, a lens is just a lens and it can't do any better than it is doing. The prices for the Elmarit 28/2.8 E-55 (II) are going for around $1800 to $2200 from what I've seen. The first edition around $300-$500. The second edition is claimed to be much better than the first and photos on this site seem to be much better when they're the E55. I have a Canon EF 16-35 F/4L and that lens is terrific so at times, I wonder why I'm looking for an Elmarit - is it that much better and if it is, what is it that makes it better ...Show more →
Two posts in the Leica 28/2.8 Elmarit-R II vs Zeiss 28/2 Distagon answer your question better than I could:
"If you're talking about the latter, the v2, then it's both pricier than the ZF.2 version, and also on par or better, even though the design is 15-20 years older, give or take. It's one of those lenses that reaches a certain equilibrium (not perfection), by f/5.6, kind of like the old C/Y Distagon 2,8/21. Even wide open it's great. Two stops down, and it's got very solid, even performance across the field. Sharpness, microcontrast, colours, handling of shadows, etc." (Sam_W)
"The 28 Elmarit v.2 is smaller, colors are rendered with masterful subtlety, and as mentioned above, shadow detail is well-preserved and it resolved like no 28 I'd previously used from any maker, straight from ƒ/2.8. Compact, built-in hood. It was the first Leica lens I ever owned and was the dreaded gateway drug to Leica glass (I've since moved on from Nikon and DSLR's, with that damnable 28 to blame)." (f.hayek)
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