Light Lens Lab – Summicron 35mm f2 (Digital test)
Light Lens Lab - Summicron 35mm f2 (Digital test)
Testing with Leica M9P
Testing two Light Lens Lab 35mm f2 with purple and amber coating and original Summicron 35mm f2 v1 8-element in amber coating
Light Lens Lab 8-element in Amber and Purple coating
Seems Light Lens Lab have changed the coating colour during production in their New Summicron 35mm f2 8-element and it affects how the lens actually perform especially the tone.
I think Leica M9P with CCD sensor can always bring out the mood and tone than M240 and M10. So I have taken some test shots with it with minimal brightness adjustment and keep temperature setting the same during the test.
So far what I think about the lens is it lacks the Leica glow at F2 which somehow might need another 50 years for it to age to get to that mood. Another observation is the lens perform better in film than digital. You can easily tell the sharpness and contrast in digital shots. But overall I am so impressed with its built and quality.
Leica M9P test shots
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab Summicron 35/2 Purple Coat (MIDDLE) Light Lens Lab 35/2 Amber Coat (RIGHT)
Original Summicron 35/2 Amber vs Light Lens Lab Purple Coating
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab 35/2 Purple Coat (RIGHT)
Both at F2 wide open
(Same temperature setting)
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab 35/2 Purple Coat (RIGHT)
Both at F2 wide open
(Same temperature setting)
Original Summicron 35/2 (LEFT) Light Lens Lab 35/2 Purple Coat (RIGHT)
Thoughts
I like the Light Lens Lab lens very much indeed. Can’t wait to take more street snaps with this lens. Below is a recent shot with Light Lens Lab 35/2 in purple coating at F8 taken with Leica M9P converted from DNG to JPG and also used a preset on B&W conversion. I hope Mr Zhou will produce more nice copies in the upcoming future!
Let me know what you think if you have one on hand or interested in getting this replica from Light Lens Lab.
10 Comments
Leave a comment
Hey man. Thanks for posting this review of the lense. I’d be interested in getting it in the future…the contrast is wonderful.
Amber coating is better 🙂
I have the chrome one for sale.
Have you sold the silver one? Location?
It would be nice if the Chines honoured fulfilment on RFF
Hey Seal, I am actually on the waiting list in RFF too, waiting for my black paint version. I have borrowed two of these lenses from a friend of mine to do some test shots. Let’s hope we can get them soon. Fingers crossed.
Thankyou for your comparision article. Very Interesting! Looking forward to more reviews
Thanks for your comment! Stay tuned for more reviews.
Regards,
Anson
I wouldnt expect your LLL lens anytime soon..if ever…if you are a RFF buyer of the 1st 500 that is-…
They havent even covered the 1st day of ordering yet..and its the middle of Oct now..going on 1 year later..
There is someone I know that paid in full for theirs..a member on RFF ..and still hasnt received theirs..2 mos later..
I highly doubt this company will ever deliver the whole run of the original 500..
Too bad..
They misrepresented..over promised..and under delivered..
I noticed every LLL and v1 summicron review is directed towards film. I am looking for a digital BW 35mm lens. Do you think this LLL would be a good choice to meet the glow and beautiful tonality you mention in your summicron review? Or is it unachievable on digital?
Hey Mike, I personally prefer to use the LLL and the Summicron 35 v1 on film. I’ve noticed that the Summicron 35 v1 doesn’t seem to perform as well on higher resolution cameras like the 24MP Leica M10 or the 60MP Leica M11 (correct me if I’m wrong). However, it really shines on the 18MP Leica M9. When you zoom into the image, the M9 offers the most pleasing sharpness and rendering. Interestingly, I recently discovered that it also looks great on the Leica M10 Monochrom. I’ll be sharing these results soon in my blog posts.