Nice comparison. I have the v3 lens and was giving some thought to "upgrading" to the v4. However, after this side-by-side look, I'll be sticking with the v3. The better contrast and saturation profiles and of course the much lower price of the v3 certainly outweigh the negligible difference in bokeh and the corner sharpness, particularly when viewed at normal viewpoints rather than zooming in to see the differences. Keep up the great work!
The two 35 mm Summicron lenses I have are the v.1 8 Element and the v.4 7 Element. The v.4 came with my first Leica M6 in 1991 and is still in excellent condition. Interestingly, I found its focusing ring is the smoothest among many of my M lenses, even after 30 years without CLA.😊
I actually agree with you. I used to have a Canadian black v4 which has the smoothest focus motion with the right amount of resistence, really enjoyable to use. The silver one I got is also smooth but the added weight made it not as enjoyable as the black one.
Thanks for this detailed comparison! The vintage 35mm I have is the Summaron F2.8 and I'm looking to 'upgrade' to a faster F2. The only thing is after watching this I still can't decide 😅
I have yours and a v4 35mm Cron. It is worth the upgrade if you can afford it. But the Summaron has a classic look to it that I cannot say is surpassed, but rather unique
@@markgarcia8253 Thanks for the reply! 6 months later I ended up acquiring the v4 and 8 element 😄 Still working out which one to keep… (both?) They render straight out of camera so differently, the v4 saturated and punchy and the 8 element dreamy.
The best summicron is the v1 by far for me - it’s also my favorite lens alongside the summilux 35 steel rim, the rigid summicron 50mm, and the lux 50mm v2 chrome : ) It’s as sharp in the center as the v4, beautiful bokeh that is much more unique than the KOB’s one, and when it flares, it’s a very cinematic flare. It’s also much better built (especially the V1 later serials that are slightly heavier due to less aluminum). The only thing that the v4 / asph do better is corner performance, but that only matters if you are shooting landscapes or architecture , and when you do so you are probably stopping down your lens to f5.6~f11, which by then, all versions of the summicron are great. Would love to see a comparison and/or review of the V1 instead of the less popular v2/v3. PS - I had the v2, it’s also a great lens, so thanks for showcasing its benefits for others as well.
Thanks for the follow-up, Jimmy. Would you say that on digital the warmth difference between the version 3 and version 4 is a none issue considering how easy it is to just adjust the white balance in post? In my view the biggest differences between the two is the corner performance and the physical handling. The version 3 focus tab closest position is quite a bit higher compared to when it is set to infinity. Closer to the APO's full range of focus motion. Not an issue for me personally. Thanks again, Jimmy. I would love to see a comparison between the 35mm ASPH and the 35mm APO model in the future.
I personally think the color difference is a non-issue on digital. I touch all my photos anyways. A comparison between the apo and the asph would definitely be interesting!
Version 3 for me. Its bokeh seemed a bit smoother around sharp lines and I liked its contrast better. The Version 4 is definitely better in the corners at f/2 & f/2.8 but not by a ton.
same here, I prefer the v3 rendering a tad better. But if shooting color film with no post, the v4 does have advantages when it comes to color rendering.
Hey Jimmy! Been loving these videos. If you had to choose between the V3 and the ASPH V1 which one personally do you think you’d pick up? It’s actually getting hard to even find the V3s for a decent price nowadays haha
@@JimmyCheng yea it would be my only 35mm at the moment. I really like the vintage glow of the V3 but found a mint asph for a steal. Do you happen to know what serial numbers start for the V3?
Thanks for making this video Jimmy. Some people says that 35mm v4 summicron share the same optical design as summilux pre-asph. Since you have both of the lens, I'm curious if summilux pre-asph share that same "look" as v4 with the same aperture? Thanks
I’ll do a review on that one. But from my experience the pre-a lux renders more similar to the v3 rather than the v4. But again it depends on the model year I guess because lens coating changes.
If it’s just IQ, and if it’s just sharpness across the board, I’d say the v4. The v1 and v3 does not perform well on the edges. But again, the new asph version is even a tad better than the v4 on the edges.
@@JimmyChengthank you for reply! So henceforth the question: is the V4 bokeh really that much better than the current asph version? I'm thinking of getting either the KOB or asph but price wise the difference is too great 😂
@@JimmyChengthank you once again for the tip! You saved me the $$ on the KOB. The context is I've a 35 summaron now but is looking at a summicron for that extra stop, am now thinking between the 35 summicron v1 and asph. Between v1 and asph, which will you recommend? 😅
@@yong8481 it really depends on your use case tbh. I'd say the asph is more versitle whie the v1 has more charactor. If you can get your hands on a v1 with reasonable price I'd get that just because it's so much harder to find a clean copy.
How would you describe the difference between the 35mm Summicron V3 and V4 Chrome for BW / Mono digital? I currently have the 35mm Summicron V3 and 35mm Summilux pre-asph v2 Titan, but was considering adding the 35mm Summicron V4 Chrome. I shoot M10Mono exclusively. Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks, Mads
@@madspallesen156 honestly I don’t shoot enough BW to answer your question I’m afraid. But if it behaves any similar when shooting color then I’d say the v3 has a bit more glow and the v4 a bit more crisp.
If price is not an issue, v4 pls. Correction, both plus v1, please. Hi Jimmy, would you do a comparison of b/w photos between these older lenses and the modern ones. That's be great.
No idea what to do with the asph v1, ever since i use the apo I never touch the asph v1. It doesnt have any special look to it and the apo is way sharper and leica pop than the asph v1
I’ve got a mint V4 Bokeh King. It’s a piece of poop. So are pretty much all Leica lenses. My Summicrons and Elmarits sit on a shelf. When I want better image quality in vintage lenses, I carry the Canon SSC breech mount lenses. If I want REALLY HIGH image quality, I break out the Voigtlander APO Lanthars. These are incomparable. Far better than all that Zeiss crappola too.
Thank you for the review. I am keeping my V.4 and Summilux ASPH V.1 after watching your vdo.
Nice comparison. I have the v3 lens and was giving some thought to "upgrading" to the v4. However, after this side-by-side look, I'll be sticking with the v3. The better contrast and saturation profiles and of course the much lower price of the v3 certainly outweigh the negligible difference in bokeh and the corner sharpness, particularly when viewed at normal viewpoints rather than zooming in to see the differences. Keep up the great work!
The two 35 mm Summicron lenses I have are the v.1 8 Element and the v.4 7 Element. The v.4 came with my first Leica M6 in 1991 and is still in excellent condition. Interestingly, I found
its focusing ring is the smoothest among many of my M lenses, even after 30 years without CLA.😊
I actually agree with you. I used to have a Canadian black v4 which has the smoothest focus motion with the right amount of resistence, really enjoyable to use. The silver one I got is also smooth but the added weight made it not as enjoyable as the black one.
me too, it even has a hydrolic feel to it.
Cheer Up ! Good comparison with underrate channel. I'd love to introduce your channel for my friends.
wow thank you so much! I’m glad you enjoyed it. It’s you guys that give me the motivation to push out more review videos like this one.
Another great video my dude! I’d love you to look at the 21mm lenses especially voightlander vs Leica please
Sure I’ll do one in the future, thanks for the support!
thank you Jimmy! your video are very useful!! keep it up!
If I would have a "all day len" v4 / steel rim would be a better option by your experience. thanks!
Thanks for this detailed comparison! The vintage 35mm I have is the Summaron F2.8 and I'm looking to 'upgrade' to a faster F2. The only thing is after watching this I still can't decide 😅
I have yours and a v4 35mm Cron. It is worth the upgrade if you can afford it. But the Summaron has a classic look to it that I cannot say is surpassed, but rather unique
@@markgarcia8253 Thanks for the reply! 6 months later I ended up acquiring the v4 and 8 element 😄 Still working out which one to keep… (both?) They render straight out of camera so differently, the v4 saturated and punchy and the 8 element dreamy.
🔥 📽️! What kind of monitor do you use for editing?
The best summicron is the v1 by far for me - it’s also my favorite lens alongside the summilux 35 steel rim, the rigid summicron 50mm, and the lux 50mm v2 chrome : ) It’s as sharp in the center as the v4, beautiful bokeh that is much more unique than the KOB’s one, and when it flares, it’s a very cinematic flare. It’s also much better built (especially the V1 later serials that are slightly heavier due to less aluminum). The only thing that the v4 / asph do better is corner performance, but that only matters if you are shooting landscapes or architecture , and when you do so you are probably stopping down your lens to f5.6~f11, which by then, all versions of the summicron are great. Would love to see a comparison and/or review of the V1 instead of the less popular v2/v3. PS - I had the v2, it’s also a great lens, so thanks for showcasing its benefits for others as well.
I'd definitely agree with you. I've done a v1 review before but not a comparison. I'll probably do a comparison review in the future.
Hi, how’s the V2 compared to the V3, optically?
Thanks for the follow-up, Jimmy. Would you say that on digital the warmth difference between the version 3 and version 4 is a none issue considering how easy it is to just adjust the white balance in post? In my view the biggest differences between the two is the corner performance and the physical handling. The version 3 focus tab closest position is quite a bit higher compared to when it is set to infinity. Closer to the APO's full range of focus motion. Not an issue for me personally.
Thanks again, Jimmy. I would love to see a comparison between the 35mm ASPH and the 35mm APO model in the future.
I personally think the color difference is a non-issue on digital. I touch all my photos anyways. A comparison between the apo and the asph would definitely be interesting!
V3 for me since corners are not an issue the way I shoot. When it comes to corners I'd rather install a wider lens anyway, like a 28 for instance,
Hi Jimmy.. thank you for the video. Just wondering where can i find out more/ ( how can i tell the diff between version) thank you.
I can’t think of anything better than search for old post on forums🤔
Could you please have a show comparison of Ttartisan 50mm f0.95 vs Leica 50mm f0.95. Thx
Sorry don’t have the lens right now
Version 3 for me. Its bokeh seemed a bit smoother around sharp lines and I liked its contrast better. The Version 4 is definitely better in the corners at f/2 & f/2.8 but not by a ton.
same here, I prefer the v3 rendering a tad better. But if shooting color film with no post, the v4 does have advantages when it comes to color rendering.
Hey Jimmy! Been loving these videos. If you had to choose between the V3 and the ASPH V1 which one personally do you think you’d pick up? It’s actually getting hard to even find the V3s for a decent price nowadays haha
If that’s your only 35 I’ll get the asph. Otherwise the v3.
@@JimmyCheng yea it would be my only 35mm at the moment. I really like the vintage glow of the V3 but found a mint asph for a steal. Do you happen to know what serial numbers start for the V3?
Thanks for making this video Jimmy. Some people says that 35mm v4 summicron share the same optical design as summilux pre-asph. Since you have both of the lens, I'm curious if summilux pre-asph share that same "look" as v4 with the same aperture? Thanks
I’ll do a review on that one. But from my experience the pre-a lux renders more similar to the v3 rather than the v4. But again it depends on the model year I guess because lens coating changes.
@@JimmyCheng Thanks!
感谢分享，能否聊聊11882和现行版？
我之后可以出一个视频。目前还没直接对比过光学素质。但因为光学结构一样，除了光圈叶片数量和银色是纯铜之外，我想应该没有区别。（镀膜可能会影响色彩）
Hi Jimmy, appreciate you always post leica reviews in a timely manner! Just curious, which lens, v1, v3 or v4 you think has the best image quality?
If it’s just IQ, and if it’s just sharpness across the board, I’d say the v4. The v1 and v3 does not perform well on the edges. But again, the new asph version is even a tad better than the v4 on the edges.
@@JimmyChengthank you for reply! So henceforth the question: is the V4 bokeh really that much better than the current asph version? I'm thinking of getting either the KOB or asph but price wise the difference is too great 😂
@@yong8481 no the v4 has worse bokeh than the asph, I've demonstrated in the 35 comprehensive review video. Unless you mean busier = better.
@@JimmyChengthank you once again for the tip! You saved me the $$ on the KOB. The context is I've a 35 summaron now but is looking at a summicron for that extra stop, am now thinking between the 35 summicron v1 and asph. Between v1 and asph, which will you recommend? 😅
@@yong8481 it really depends on your use case tbh. I'd say the asph is more versitle whie the v1 has more charactor. If you can get your hands on a v1 with reasonable price I'd get that just because it's so much harder to find a clean copy.
How would you describe the difference between the 35mm Summicron V3 and V4 Chrome for BW / Mono digital? I currently have the 35mm Summicron V3 and 35mm Summilux pre-asph v2 Titan, but was considering adding the 35mm Summicron V4 Chrome. I shoot M10Mono exclusively.
Would love to hear your thoughts. Thanks, Mads
If you’ve got the pre-a lux v2, I don’t think you really need the v4. They are very similar to my eyes when stopped down.
@@JimmyCheng thanks a lot, makes sense. 😊 How do you feel the V3 and V4 differ in rendering for B/W?
@@madspallesen156 honestly I don’t shoot enough BW to answer your question I’m afraid. But if it behaves any similar when shooting color then I’d say the v3 has a bit more glow and the v4 a bit more crisp.
@@JimmyCheng Thanks, man, I appreciate it. 🙏🏻
If price is not an issue, v4 pls. Correction, both plus v1, please. Hi Jimmy, would you do a comparison of b/w photos between these older lenses and the modern ones. That's be great.
yeah sure I can make one in the future.
No idea what to do with the asph v1, ever since i use the apo I never touch the asph v1. It doesnt have any special look to it and the apo is way sharper and leica pop than the asph v1
Well it’s cheaper so you could take more risks when you don’t feel comfortable bringing the APO
@@JimmyCheng You make so much sense 🤣🙏
I’ve got a mint V4 Bokeh King. It’s a piece of poop. So are pretty much all Leica lenses. My Summicrons and Elmarits sit on a shelf. When I want better image quality in vintage lenses, I carry the Canon SSC breech mount lenses. If I want REALLY HIGH image quality, I break out the Voigtlander APO Lanthars. These are incomparable. Far better than all that Zeiss crappola too.