Tack sharp
Best Rangefinder lens

Price

Please be wary of any review that gives this lens a one star rating. Such a rating is too severe and hostile for such a great lens. To compare it to Contax G2 and Nikon 35 mm lenses is no comparison at all. You might as well start comparing Leica optics to medium and large format systems.

The G2 and Nikon systems are totally different types of cameras - for different photographic purposes. The G2 is a glorified battery powered point and shoot camera (the only difference from a consumer point and shoot is the interchangable high quality Zeiss optics). The Nikon is an SLR -(I own the F100 - great for portraiture, macro, sports, landscape - the gamut). Though the Leica shares the same film format with these systems it is a different type of photographic tool.

I use a Leica for street photography in New York City. For me, it is the best system - and the 35 mm ASPH Summicron is my favorite lens. My Nikon attracts too much attention for discrete shooting. A G2 I borrowed for a week (w/35 mm lens) made too much noise focusing to be of any real use - utilizing its strength as a auto everything camera.

The Leica is the best manual rangefinder on the market and they make the BEST RANGEFINDER LENSES.
Why else would Konica and other competitors copy the Leica mount - so their respective light boxes could take Leica optics!

Value is a relative term. It isn't surprising that an outdoor photographer who may specialize in bird or landscape photography may find little value in the Leica 35mm Summicron ASPH.

I am no ideologue. Be wary of the deep pocket guys who raise this lens to the heavens just because they own one. For me, the 35mm Summicron ASPH negatives rate a 5 on the light table - because the Summicron helps me get shots no other lens can - and that kind of quality is the only parameter that should count.

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

Contax G2 lenses
Nikon primes
Canon primes

Stunning Images, high contrast, razor sharp, incredible flatness of field

price but well worth every cent. Price compares favourably to the F1.4 lens from leica

Outstanding image quality coupled with lightness and compact design. Perfect combination with Leica M6 for unobtrusive street/people photography.

Customer Service

n/a

Similar Products Used:

Leica R 35 F1.4
Cannon

What Leica is all about

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This lens is what Leica is all about. If you travel and your photographic objective is to include people in with background, then this little beauty is a must. Wide open at 1/30 of a second the results are stunning. Up the f stop scale is the same. You can hand hold this masterpiece far longer on an M6 than you can a 35mm on an SLR. Results will knock your socks off. Every element of this lens- saturation, resolution, bokeh, sharpness and overall colors are all supberb. What people say about being unobtrusive with this lens is valid. The M6 with this on it is just not intimidating, which enables you to almost get in their faces while capturing the background of your location. I travel quite a bit and would not be caught dead without it. This lens receives about 60 percent of the shots from my combo (21 ASPH, this, 50/2.0, 75/1.4 and 90/2.0 APO). If you only get one lens with a Leica, then make it this one. It was a classic the moment it hit the street. If you are thinking about buying it- buy it. You will not be disappointed!

Customer Service

none

Similar Products Used:

Numerous Nikon 35mm and zooms

Small, lightweight

Cover on lens hood falls off too easily.

Best 35mm lens. New lens works extremely well with new film emulsions. Won't leave home without it.
Only if we could rate this 6 stars!

Customer Service

No complaints

Similar Products Used:

Conon L lenses

Small,amazing quality, construction

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Clearly one of the very best lenses I have ever put on any camera. Image quality is beyond words, size is tiny. Nothing touchs this lense with the possible exception of the 75mm f/1.4 Leica which is also amazingly sharp. It's not cheap, but once you see your results, you'll never want to part with the lense.

Customer Service

no complaints

Similar Products Used:

G2 lenses, Canon L glass, Mamiya 7 glass

Small, unobtrusive, and sharper (along with the Leica 35 f1.4 asph.) than any other lens I've ever used! The new 28 f2.8 and the 50 f2 are close seconds.

NON.

My favorite lens of all time--having owned over 30 lenses at one time or another and used over 50 differnt lenses from Canon "L" to best Nikon optics, to Zeiss G series (my naive friend), and a number of Tamron and Tokina's, this Summicron Aspheric is my all time favorite.

Customer Service

Too slow and expensive.

Similar Products Used:

Own Canon "L" lenses and have used many Nikon proffesional optics.