Hi, I'm lucky enough to be buying my first Leica M (the brand new M10) this upcoming week. I'm buying this camera as my daily walk around camera, since I already have a Canon 5D with all ranges covered but find that camera too bulky to take with me all the time. I already own a fast 50mm (M) lens but along with the M10 I want to get a 35mm lens as a walk around (street, family, occasional landscape).

1. Leica 35mm Summilux Asph Review

83 rows  Serial numbers as low as 50,000 are still floating around. Leica made lens.

This will be my first 35 prime. I quite like 50 but find it that bit too narrow at times, that's why I'm opting for a 35mm. For the 35mm I see two options a new 35 Summicron asph or a used 35 Summilux asph. Since the price is not far off (only a few hundred dollars) I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. What are the major differences apart from speed between the two lenses? Is the contrast of the cron really better than the contrast from the lux? If someone has experiences with these lenses I would appreciate some advice.

Thank you very much in advance! I own both lenses.

I always prefer to take the 35mm summicron instead of the 35mm summilux. The reason is mostly due to the weight. If we want to talk about clinical optical performance, such as corner sharpness, curvature, and optical performance, I wanted to give another suggestion. The voigtlander 35mm f2.5 skopar. Awesome optical performance.

It has the additional benefit of being smaller and pocketable. In terms of contrast, the summicron is definitely more clinical than the summilux. However, the summilux has an unique look that is very hard to describe. It is like a signature of the lens.

Sometimes it is referred to leica mystic or magic. I hope you will be very happy with your m10. I'm mildly jealous. If we want to talk about clinical optical performance, such as corner sharpness, curvature, and optical performance, I wanted to give another suggestion.

The voigtlander 35mm f2.5 skopar. Awesome optical performance. It has the additional benefit of being smaller and pocketable.

Haha, when I owned this lens, people would look at the photos I took and say shit like 'that Leica optical character is amazing' and 'leica lenses are so great'. Sometimes I didn't have the heart to tell them I took my shots with a sub-$500 japanese Voigtlander lens.

Best bang for the buck on the M system. I'd personally go for the 'cron based on size and weight but it's hard to go wrong with either. A summilux renders a certain way that you may or may not be a fan of. I'd suggest that you go on Flickr and look at images taken with a summilux; that should give you a good idea.

Like another user mentioned, a Skopar is a great choice as well. You definitely won't find a better M-mount lens for the money. I understand that you probably want a Leica lens to go with your new shiny M10 but I'd suggest giving the skopar serious consideration.

I shoot with the 35mm Summilux asph, but I did consider the Summicron. If the cost isn't a factor, I think you want the Summilux over the Summicron. Think about this - having another stop of depth of field is a creative option that you'll lose with a slower lens. Sometimes you want to be able to isolate something with focus or de-emphasize something in the foreground and being able to open up to a 1.4 is a powerful creative tool. Interesting things happen with the lens wide open. The characteristics of the flares change, you see more curvature of field, giving you an interesting halo of information around a centered subject. The bokeh is creamy in the center of the lens and gets progressively stranger toward the edges.

I like being able to reach into that bag of tricks. If you want to, start stopping down to limit those effects.

Leica 35mm Summilux Asph Review

To me, the weight differences are a peripheral concern. You're out taking photos right? It's okay to carry the tools you need.

The 35mm Summilux is a tiny/light lens by almost any metric, especially compared to DSLR optics and I don't think going a little lighter/smaller is going to buy you much of an advantage in most situations. I have owned the 35 cron ASPH and the 35 lux ASPH.

They're both plenty sharp and contrasty, but both get a little soft in the edges wide open. I would recommend the lux simply for the speed. However my top recommendation is the Zeiss 35 1.4 ZM; it has clearly superior optical performance to both lenses in terms of sharpness, distortion, field curvature, and has amazing build quality as well. It is by far the most impressive and luxurious lens I have ever owned, I would describe it as Zeiss Otus quality but a fraction of the size.

Plus, it retails for $2290 and you can buy a mint used copy for $1700. The only downside is that it is bigger than the leica 35's; the ziess with no hood is the same size as the lux with the hood on. I prefer Summilux over Summicron ASPH. The Summilux has more character than Summicron, I had the Summicron ASPH and the previous version of Summilux ASPH, sold the Summicron after a few times taking out, it is lacking the feel that I like with Leica lens. Of course this is my personal feelings, some likes the Summicron very much, it is no doubt an excellent lens. All modern Leica lens are excellent, it comes down more to personal preference as the technical performance is not an issue with any modern Leica lens.