I'm thinking of trading in my 35 summicron f2 for either the newer 35 summicron f2 aspherical or the 28 f2 ashperical lens. The lens would be used on my M6 "classic." First, should I perish the thought and stay with what I have? The 28mm is appealing because the wider focal length is useful when traveling (the extra cost is not so useful!) Is the 35 asph. that much better than what I have? Are there any recommended dealers that give a decent trade in deal or should I consider selling the lens separately? Thanks for any thoughts on this.

-- Dennis Buss (dbuss@rider.edu), March 02, 2002

Answers

Depends first on which older 35mm Summicron you have, Dennis. There are 4 pre-ASPH 35mm Summicrons. Your serial number will probably narrow it down. If yours is the 4th version (model 11310, 1979, #2974250 and up) you may not get all that much out of an ASPH version except some additional sharpness, and even that might not please you by comparison to the results you get now. If yours is older than that you might have something to gain with an ASPH, but again that depends on your values. I believe Erwin Puts gets into this comparison better.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), March 02, 2002.

Instead of worrying sbout whether the the 35 ASPH is better, why don't you think in terms of whether you are dissatisfied in any way with your 35 Summicron? What problems are you having? I venture the answer is "none." Are you taking pictures that you think would be better with the ASPH?

The last pre-ASPH version 35 Summicron is a very fine lens. For example, my understanding is that it has much better bokeh than the ASPH version; but that may not be important for you. It also comapct and small, and lightweight.

My impression that the frequency that Leicaphiles change old lenses for new ones is inversely proportional to how much fild they shoot.

-- Mitch Alland/Bangkok (malland@mac.com), March 02, 2002.

My personal opinion is you'll see more tangible photographic difference between the 28mm due to the focal length than between versions of the 35/2. For the money you will have to put up on a dealer trade between your 35 and a new USA ASPH, just take the cash and buy a mint v.1 Tri-Elmar. You'll use and love that lens for 90% of your travel photography, and still have the 35/2 (at 2 stops faster and in the middle of the Tri-Elmar's focal range) for low- light work and as a backup lens.

-- Jay (infinitydt@aol.com), March 02, 2002.

Just for the record, the 35 summicron is the 4th version. Thanks for the responses so far - very helpful. Dennis

-- Dennis Buss (dbuss@rider.edu), March 02, 2002.

Then there's little point moving to the 35mm ASPH. If you want to go to the 28mm then that should be dictated by your style - i.e. do you need the wider lens for the subjects you shoot? Keep in mind, however, that with the 28 you are pushing the viewfinder visibility in your M6 classic.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), March 02, 2002.

...oh, and if you should decide to go that route, sell your 35 privately. You'll get more that way than you'll get on a trade-in, and 4th version 35mm Summicrons are very sellable.

-- Ken Shipman (kennyshipman@aol.com), March 02, 2002.

Jay's suggestion is a very clever one. Think about getting a 3E. It may add much more functionality to your kit than getting the bright 28/2...

-- Mani Sitaraman (bindumani@pacific.net.sg), March 02, 2002.

When they introduced the 35/2 ASPH, it was a bit of a surprise to me, because the version IV 35/2 Summicron was already a very good lens wide open. The difference between the pre-ASPH and ASPH 35/2 is much less than that of the 35/1.4 pre-ASPH vs ASPH lenses (the ASPH version of 35/1.4 being considerably better at or nearly at full aperture). This is not true of the Summicrons. With the 35/2 ASPH Summi, you get a slightly sharper image and more uniform edge to edge sharpness at full aperture. Stop down a few stops and the difference becomes nada. In fact, some people like the image of the pre-ASPH lens better, because of its out of focus qualities.

So I agree with the other posters, you aren't gaining a whole lot by trading up to the ASPH, but you may benefit if you use the lens at or near full aperture frequently. According to Erwin (and based on published MTF curves), the new 28/2 Summicron is the best yet and better than the ASPH 35/2 Summicron. This is a bit surprising, since it has a wider angle of view, and thus harder to correct. But apparently Leica came up with a really good design for the 28/3.

-- Eliot (erosen@lij.edu), March 02, 2002.

The color rendition of the pre-ASPH is more neutral than the ASPH. Of course this is only meaningful for the few of us left that are into slides:-)

-- Bud (budcook@attglobal.net), March 02, 2002.