Light Lens Lab – Summicron 35mm f2 8-Element from China
Light Lens Lab
New Old Summicron 35mm f2 8-Element
A summicron 35/2 v1 (8 elements replica) from China
Test result with Kodak Tri-X 400 developed in HC110
Summicron 35mm f2 V1 (8-elemenet)
I have a Summicron 35mm f2 V1 in silver but have always wanted to get a black painted Summicron 35mm f2 V1 but just couldn’t afford it. Now I finally have a chance to own this beautiful lens manufactured by Light Lens Lab in China. Since I didn’t do much street snaps recently. I have decided to do a quick test shot to compare this to the original Summicron 35mm f2 V1 (8-elements).
Identical twins!
Based on my hunch, they both look the same and perform just alike. When I received this lens you cannot tell that is something not made in Leica factory.
But they do have minor difference on outlook. for example the aperture spacing in the new Summicron is in modern scaling, which means when you step down the aperture the blades will be more close to circle shape so the Bokeh will be more rounded. Coating is purple blue whereas my original Summicron is with amber purple some people prefer amber because they said it affects the mood especially the skin tone. For colour images, I have tried it on my M9P, the new Summicron has a cooler tint than the original one.
I am going to give you a brief idea on how each performs with black and white film since this lens is famous for it’s superb tonal range and personal favourite lens to shoot with.
Performance wise, the new Summicron produce slightly brighter and sharper images. In contrast, the highlight from old Summicron is more subtle and the depth of field is gradually faded from the focus point.
Test Roll with Kodak Tri-X
In this post, all shots taken by Original Summicron and the Copy were shot with Kodak Tri-X at ISO400 developed with HC-110 at 25’C. All shots were scanned with Epson V850 converted from TIFF to JPEG.
All shots below with this setting
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Joint Logo (wide open)
Aperture at F2.0
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Paper Cup
Aperture at F2.0
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Paper Cup
Aperture at F2.8
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Paper Cup
Aperture at F4
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Paper Cup
Aperture at F5.6
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Paper Cup
Aperture at F8
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Aperture at F2.0
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Aperture at F2.8
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Aperture at F4
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
Landscape (infinity)
Aperture at F8
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 (RIGHT)
6 Comments
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Leica 8 element show more detail and bokeh solid,
Thanks for share
Thanks Jack! Will make a post for 8 element soon.
Great! Thanks.
Where can I purchase the LLL 35 summicron ? Price please.
You may message SH Camera or you may email Kevin directly on preordering a LLL 35 Summicron 8elementsreplica@gmail.com . Price varies because of the demand and slow production speed.
the “pre-order” for the 8 element replica closed 15 December 2019. The lenses spoken for in the pre-order (version 1 lens) are still being delivered almost a year later. So emailing Kevin won’t get you a lens. There is a brass on at Japan Camera Hunter in Tokyo. There are also version 2 lenses available on Ebay.