Leica Summicron 35mm f2 IV pre-a – King of Bokeh
Lens Review
Leica Summicron 35mm f2 IV pre-a (King of Bokeh)
Leica Summicron 35mm f2 IV pre-a – King of Bokeh
Most Popular 35mm in Leica Family
I guess everyone who is within the Leica group or about to join this bottomless black hole must have heard about different keywords describing it as King of Bokeh or 7 elements or “ 七枚/七妹” in Chinese and the word creamy. And I think since 35mm is a focal length that is very close to what we see from our human eyes, it is relatively easy to handle and compose. As a standard wide-angle lens that can serve different purposes, especially suitable for documentary or travel photography.
Summicron 35mm f2 IV was my first Leica lens when I first joined the Leica family in 2010. At first, I was attracted to its rich colour performance and the square hood that looks so sexy on it. Before I purchased this lens I had limited exposure on manual focus lenses such as Carl Zeiss Tessar or Jena using M42 mount but when I received this lens it is much smaller than I thought!
7 Elements
This lens has a long production period of 20 years between 1979 to 1996, it was designed in 7 elements in 5 groups. This is the reason why they all have a different nickname for example 6 or 7 and 8 elements from the number of lens elements used in a lens to label each of these 35mm produced during a different era. Some said the fewer elements you have the higher contrast it will render.
The Bokeh King
It has a fish scale type of bokeh some might describe it like oil painting’s brush strokes. When shooting at minimum focusing distance, out of focus area might be a little bit squirl if you are taking pictures with repeating backgrounds, for example, Christmas lights or tree leaves and it is quite pleasant to look at the bokeh not too distracting while other 35mm pre-asph lenses are all with less uniformed bokeh and often a little bit messy. But it is a personal preference to pick which one you prefer.
A Well-Rounded Performer for Street Photography
The colour of Summicron 35mm version 4 is well saturated, not too much but good enough to recreate those moments that you see on the streets if you are a fan of street photography especially doing layering with different kinds of elements. Alex Webb from Magnum photo agency had used this lovely lens to create so many street photography shots in his collections. Due to its weight and overall stable performance at all aperture stops, it became a popular lens in the street photographer’s world.
Which version? Germany or Canada made
I have owned both Canada and Germany made Summicron 35mm v4. But seriously, it is hard to tell the difference between both of them. But Germany made it more appealing to me mainly because it has a warmer tone. But one thing for sure is the earlier Summicron 35mm IV has more glow than the later ones due to improvements on coating. I think either version can produce wonderful images.
Thoughts
If you are interested in colour photography and you would like to have a certain consistency in your photographs and looking for a reliable lens with stable performance, Summicron 35mm IV can do the job for you. It performs really well on both digital and film and especially the colour reversal film. The colour rendition is true to what we see and not overly saturated. Most importantly it is a very good investment too!
As I am a more black and white person that’s why I prefer the tonality on Summicron 35mm V1 (8 Elements) more than this lens but if you mainly shoot colour and use both digital and film, this is a lens for you.
6 Comments
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58mm= human eye capability not 35mm…BIG DIFFERENCE
Hey there, thanks for pointing this out! I have always thought our eyes are at 43mm when we focus, so I’ve likened it to 35mm because in times when we don’t focus, we see wider. Love to learn something new every day, would you mind sharing your source with me.
Regards,
Anson
I don’t know where Rorie is getting their information, but it isn’t accurate at all. Lab studies have shown the angle of view of the human eye is equivalent to a 43mm lens (with some obvious variation from human to human. So smack in between a 35mm and 50mm. Most image in this range will feel “normal” to the human eye, whereas wider or longer will start to introduce differences in relative size, etc.
Good to know that. Thanks Bill!
Regards,
Anson
Hihi, you mentioned in your Noct 50mm f1.2 reissue review that “I think I like most of the Leica lenses but this Noctilux 50mm f1.2 and Summicron 35/2 IV pre-a, they are really not my thing.” So did you end up keeping the 35 summicron IV or sold it? I currently have the 35mm summicron IV and 35mm summicron ASPH and need to sell off 1 to fund for my upcoming 35mm Steel Rim pre-order..which do you think I should keep? The IV or ASPH?
Thanks for your comment. I didn’t keep the Summicron 35mm IV because I already have a Summicron V1 and a Summilux 35/1.4 ASPH FLE. It depends on your taste. I would keep the Summicron 35 IV because it is a good all purpose lens while Summicron ASPH is more like a lens easy to buy back even if you don’t like the steel rim.