The first impression after mounting my 1991 E-67, Leica 35 mm Summilux-R on the Leica M body, “Wow. This is really big and heavy. Why would I want to do this if I also have the beautiful little Summilux-M 1:1.4 / 35 ASPH?” Well first off they do have different signatures. The R version also focuses to a bit less than 20″. The M version a bit less than 30″. Will that 10″ ever make a difference? In the studio possibly. On the street probably not. But then there’s the back focus issues with the M version when using the M rangefinder vs. the EVF potentially nailing the focus wide open. So it really comes down to – well – just trying it out because I have it and we can compare the signatures between the earlier lux and the later ASPH lux. Though we’re not making that comparison with this post.
I DO love these Summilux lenses, with their creamy bokeh, in all their varieties and focal lengths. And the 35 mm focal length on a 24 x 36 sensor or film frame really does seem my natural field of view.
Next up: The much smaller and lighter Leitz Wetzlar Summicron-R 1:2 / 35 – WHICH FOCUSES TO LESS THAN 12″ – and that rather close focus capability gets exciting to carry around as a “normal” lens.
(click photograph for larger view)
Leica M, Summilux – R 1:1.4 / 35 mm