Thank you to all for chiming in :-). A good point re: lens prices. Seeing as a body is undecided, and something that will take a good while to save up for (November was not a good month for me!), what do we think re: lens. It'll have to be 35mm. So the Zeiss 35/2 or the 35/1.4 Pre-Asph? The latter is much more, and with a more traditional rendering from what I can see, but I wonder if worth the investment for the speed and perhaps the older Leica look?
Great set Edward - I really like the second one that's recovered 3.5 stops in post! And quite the pop from the last one too!
Richard - that's really the million-dollar question! IMO, it's going to come down to what look you want from the lens. The Zeiss is going to be modern - sharp, high contrast and great for landscape use where it's very sharp across the frame (as Luka frequently illustrated in his posts 1+ years ago here in this thread). That said, based on the splash images on your website, if this is something you plan to use for your wedding work, I'd be tempted to go 'old school' with the 35 Lux pre-ASPH. It will probably be more complementary to your subjects and also offer a look not typically available from modern DSLR kits, which pretty much every other wedding photographer uses...
I would second the suggestion for the 35lux pre-asph. I think this would be a great lens for your needs. Don't forget about the wonderful 35cron as well....
Thanks Ron! And well, I can't honestly say whether I'd use it for anything wedding related, but I get the point. It's a tough decision. I've always used softer contrast lenses and like the look, BUT I do have three Zeiss (ZA) lenses and like the higher contrast look as well in part. Perhaps worth digging through the archives for a while before making any decision.
At a glance I see the 35/1.4 Pre-Asph at £1,299 (best price I can find, but still good condition) and the Zeiss 35/2 seems to go at around £500. So almost three times the price for the Leica.
I'll probably be panned for asking but, the Voigtlander 35/1.4 seems to get 'bad' reviews because of softness and detail across the frame at wide and wider apertures. Is this not what the Pre-Asph 35/1.4 is partly noted for... but in a romanticized way?
That's true about the CV. I haven't used it for more than a handful of images, and have never used the 35 Lux, so can't say one way or the other. Other than sharpness similarities though, there will likely be a difference in colour characteristics.
That said, I do own the CV40/1.4 and like it quite a lot for people photos due to it's gentler rendering. But it's not a good 'technical' lens for those times when across frame sharpness (perfection) is desired - it has massive field curvature. It also has quite active/busy bokeh, which I like, but others don't. I believe the CV35/1.4 might be similar...
I guess that pretty much summarizes how I currently look at M lens options. If I want high technical performance (across frame sharpness, high contrast), it'll be modern Leica or Zeiss (the CV12, 15 or 35/1.2II would also fit this for the most part). Older lenses in comparison will offer technically imperfect performance, but there are times when I like that instead of modern perfection.
It might be worth trying the CV35, but my impression from those contributing here, and my own experience, is you'll probably eventually end up with a Leica lens. But it could be a worthwhile experience to start with a CV and work your way through a few other options to get a better feel for what you like from each.
ricardovaste wrote:
Thanks Ron! And well, I can't honestly say whether I'd use it for anything wedding related, but I get the point. It's a tough decision. I've always used softer contrast lenses and like the look, BUT I do have three Zeiss (ZA) lenses and like the higher contrast look as well in part. Perhaps worth digging through the archives for a while before making any decision.
At a glance I see the 35/1.4 Pre-Asph at £1,299 (best price I can find, but still good condition) and the Zeiss 35/2 seems to go at around £500. So almost three times the price for the Leica.
I'll probably be panned for asking but, the Voigtlander 35/1.4 seems to get 'bad' reviews because of softness and detail across the frame at wide and wider apertures. Is this not what the Pre-Asph 35/1.4 is partly noted for... but in a romanticized way?...Show more →
The CV 34/1.4 is somewhat of a copy of the 35 Lux pre-asph. The CV is a little sharper in the center wide open (but still not that sharp,) and it has a little more distortion, I believe. A big issue for some with these lenses is focus shift. I have also noticed that all of my fast CV lenses tend to exhibit a little more purple fringing than other lenses, if that matters to you.
I personally went with the 35 Summicron IV. It has a medium contrast somewhere in between the older lenses and the newer asph lenses, and it is sharp centrally wide open with some swirl in the background, which I prefer over the more neutral background of the ASPH version. The edges don't sharpen up until you stop down a bit. The lens is also super small, which I really like.
Here are a couple of quick family pics with the M9 + 35 Summicron IV wide open, just to give you a sense of the lens with busy backgrounds. I like the swirl that it sometimes generates wide open and up close, but others may prefer the more neutral ASPH lens.
p 604,
Ryan, very nice set! Love the portrait with the 90AA
Douglas, nice abstract
Michael, beautiful rendering the 40 year old!
Andrew, superb set! Love the magic of the 50 Nocti f/1.0
p 605,
Joe, beautiful capture!!! I now have the Sony RX 1, and loving the ease and fun of use of this cam. Amazing IQ and colour. There is most definitely room along side the M9 and M-M, until the M eventuates next some time next year.
Michael, very dreamy mood with the 50 Lux
Doug, very nice!
Edward, great set! It still amazes me how much you push the M9 files
p 606,
Doug, really nice family set! The swirl does not bother me either.
Gary, excellent B&W perspective and composition!
Tri Tan, love these shots!
Ryan, nice family shots!
Edward, nice set, I especially liked one with push! right after see your post, I try that with ISO160 and ISO640 with same shutter speed, results did looks similar. thanks Dauglas bring this and you bring it again
Douglas, I can't believe that train shot is WO. almost like stop down shot to me. Very nice color and detail.
Nice shots guys.
Some more from walk around.
trees by 50cron Rigid
Flare can be seen in last one, that is the one I was talking about. I see it often in 50cron but not from 50lux. but my use 50cron : 50lux is like 5:1.
I have left the city for the country side for a few weeks so it'll be more landscapes now. Today I didn't need a M-Monochrome because the world was almost b&w as it was . Three more quite photos from today with the 35 Lux.
IMO, it's going to come down to what look you want from the lens. The Zeiss is going to be modern - sharp, high contrast and great for landscape use where it's very sharp across the frame (as Luka frequently illustrated in his posts 1+ years ago here in this thread). That said, based on the splash images on your website, if this is something you plan to use for your wedding work, I'd be tempted to go 'old school' with the 35 Lux pre-ASPH. It will probably be more complementary to your subjects and also offer a look not typically available from modern DSLR kits, which pretty much every other wedding photographer uses...
