The Voigtlander 15mm lens has an angle of view of approximately 110° on a full frame camera, but the Leica M8 is an APS-H format (sensor size approximately 27.0 x 18.0mm), in which case the angle of view of the 15mm lens will be slightly less than the full frame 110°.
The Leica M8 sensor has a diagonal length of approx. 32.5 mm, which corresponds to an angle of view of approx. 83°.
Formula for calculating the angle of view.
The formula for calculating the angle of view is: θ = 2 arctan(d / (2f)) In this formula: θ represents the angle of view. d stands for the diagonal length of the sensor. f is the focal length of the lens.
This lovely lens has been around for 80 years and shows no signs of stopping! It’s made of solid brass and glass, and it’s still going strong on the latest Leica digital cameras. It’s like a flower that can bloom forever! It’s a well-made, reliable tool that’s great for both digital and film photographers.
Cookies in the pocket
Dr. Max Berek designed the 28mm and 35mm “cookie” lenses for Leica. They’re pretty small. Sometimes I mount an Summaron 28mm f/5.6 on my Leica body and keep the other Elmar 35mm f/3.5 in my pocket with the cookies.
“This is Elmar.”
“This is cookie.”
“This is a Cookie Elmar.”
“You may think I’m small, but I have a big world inside me.”
Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5 (3.5cm/3.5)Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5 (3.5cm/3.5)
Street Photography
The Elmar 35mm lens is a total favorite among street photographers! This lens is just perfect for capturing the energy and spontaneity of the streets! Its compact size and wide angle make it ideal for street photography. Once you’ve attached the Elmar 35mm lens to your camera, you’re all set to go! The collapsible 50mm Elmar lens is also nice and small when mounted on the camera and collapsed. All you have to do is stretch it out to shoot! If you’re a street photographer looking to capture the heart and soul of a city, the Elmar 35mm is an excellent choice.
Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5 (3.5cm/3.5)
Sharpness
Just a heads-up: When you’re shooting at f/3.5, the corners of the image might be a little blurred. But don’t worry! You can also make things look sharper and give your photos more depth by narrowing the aperture. I’m sure you’ll be really impressed at f/5.6 or f/8!
Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5 (3.5cm/3.5)
Bokeh
I’m sure you’ve noticed that this lens produces gorgeous bokeh when shot wide open! I’m so impressed with the bokeh quality! It’s so smooth and creamy, and the shapes are just so natural and rounded! While it may not be as dreamy or ethereal as some lenses, it adds a lovely touch of depth and dimension to images captured with the lens, which I think you’ll really love! I really love the bokeh of this lens! It’s a great reason to add it to your photography toolkit. Absolutely! It does create bokeh.
Filter
If you’re looking to bring out the contrast and tonal definition in your black and white photography, the Leica yellow filter A36 is a great way to do it! This filter is great because it absorbs blue light, which makes the contrast between blue and yellow or white subjects really pop! This effect makes black and white photos look more defined and moody, which is why I think the Leica yellow filter is a great choice for photographers who want to add depth and drama to their images! You might find it helpful to use a yellow filter with this lens.
Hood
If you’re using a digital M camera, I highly recommend the Black Paint Hood FLQOO as a must-have accessory! It’s also great for reducing lens flare and improving image quality by blocking out excess light from bright point sources like the sun. We all know how frustrating lens flare can be! It can occur when light sources are much brighter than the rest of the scene, and it can damage your images. The Black paint hood FLQOO is a big hit with photographers and collectors alike, who just love its one-of-a-kind look and protective features. You might want to get a hood for this lens.
Glare
I just love the way the Elmar 35 3.5 produces a really attractive glare! The light is so beautifully distributed throughout the frame, which makes the photos taken with this lens really stand out in the best way! They’re described as having a classical style, and I absolutely love that style myself! I know not everyone is a fan of this style, which reduces the overall contrast, but I really like it!
Digital M
The Leica M9 and the ELMAR 35 are a match made in photography heaven! When you use them together, you get images with that famous “Leica Look” style we all know and love. The ELMAR 35 has a gorgeous look to it. You’ll find rich colors and smooth tonal transitions that make images captured by the lens really stand out and stay with you. The ELMAR 35 is a fantastic lens, even though it’s not the newest. I’m happy to say that it still delivers excellent results even on modern digital cameras! And the best part is that even after all these years, it still follows Leica’s color philosophy!
Elmar and Summaron
Leica Elmar lenses are made with love using the finest glass from Schott, which is part of the Zeiss Group. Oh, but the Summaron 3.5 lens uses glass made by Leica! That’s what I found online, and to be honest, the glass doesn’t really matter to me. I think the difference is probably just cosmetic, but I could be wrong! One thing that’s pretty obvious is that the two lenses are quite different sizes. The Summaron is almost twice the size of the Elmar, which is pretty big!
more
Production period: 1930-1949
Code: LEDTF(non standardised), EKURZCHROM (chrome), 1, EKURZ(nickel
EKURZUP(nickel), EKURZ(postwar
Serial#:171,001(1933)-n/a
Total production: ca. 42, 800
Maximum aperture: 1: 3.5
Focal length(nominal): 35mm
Angle: 64
Minimum distance: 100cm
Weight: 110- 130 grams
Filter: A36
Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5Leica Elmar 35mm f/3.5
The lens has a slightly soft focus, suffers from chromatic aberration, and vignettes at its maximum aperture of f/1.4. When shot wide open, it produces a soft, dreamy glow with shallow depth of field, and swirly bokeh, which is why it is nicknamed the ‘Leica glow.’ This type of soft and dreamy bokeh is either loved or hated by people.
Although I have many sharp lenses in my collection, I appreciate the beauty of photography beyond just technical perfection. The special dreamy glow effect cannot be reproduced with software; it can only be achieved in-camera. This lens is excellent for street portraits due to its glowing effect and becomes very sharp when stepping down the aperture, like every other Leica lens.
The three ‘Leica glow’ lenses I have used do not easily achieve the ‘Leica glow’, especially in film photography and low-light environments. The bokeh lacks the smooth and buttery total background obliteration of the Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 ASPH and the progressive blur bokeh of the Summicron 35mm f/2 v4 (7-elements), although it is closer to the latter.
It is important to note that this is not a flawless lens. Although the ‘Leica glow’ allows for shooting at f/1.4, it should not be used at this aperture all the time. If you desire a sharp f/1.4 lens, this old lens should not be your choice; instead, you should opt for either the Summilux 11874 or the Summilux 11663. For a legacy lens with both bokeh and sharpness, the Leica Summicron 35mm f/2 v4 is a better option. It is known as the ‘king of bokeh’ and provides both bokeh and sharpness, but it does not produce the ‘Leica glow’.
Not every photo looks good at f/1.4. The ‘Leica glow’ can be reduced by stopping down, resulting in excellent image quality. I observed that the ‘Leica glow’ is nearly on par with the ‘king of bokeh’ (Summicron 35mm f/2 v4)in terms of resolution, colors, and vignetting at every aperture from f/2.8 to f/8.
Balance
Considering the optical superiority of the Summilux 35mm ASPH lenses over this older lens, one may wonder why anyone would still want to use it. However, its current popularity is undoubtedly due to its affordability, rather than its ‘soft glow’.
However, I was seeking swirly bokeh and a dreamy glow when shooting wide open, which is exactly what this lens delivered. Smaller apertures can significantly reduce the softness and vignetting. The lens is well-balanced on a Leica M and its compact size and lightweight design make it a great choice.
Production period: 1961-1995
Code: 11869(black), 11870(black
11871 (with M3 attachment), 1 1860(titanium) Serial#:1,730,001-n/a
Total production: n/a
Maximum aperture: 1: 1.4
Focal length(nominal): 35mm
Angle: 640
Minimum distance: 100cm(M3)65cm(other Weight: 245 grams, later 195 grams,
Filter: E41. later VII
It’s hard to believe that the Leica Summilux 35mm f/1.4 Ver. 1 Steel Rim was made in 1960. It’s a gorgeous little lens, with its 35mm focal length and f/1.4 aperture, and it’s so compact. The brass chrome plating is really lovely, and the focusing lever is super smooth with an infinity lock. It’s a great-looking lens, and it’s more attractive than all the current versions of the Summilux 35 1.4 Asph. This lens is a favorite among collectors and photographers alike. I spent a pretty penny to get it.
lux
What I like about the steel ring lens is not just its looks, but also how it performs optically. At f/1.4, it’s very sensitive to highlights, which makes it great for taking sharp photos in low light and for creating soft light effects in bright light. If you really need something particularly sharp, any version of the Summicron 35mm f/2 lens will do the trick.
info
Lens mount - Leica M-bayonet
Number of lenses /groups - 7 /5
F stop range - f/1.4-f/16
Angle of view diagonal - 64 degrees
Filter type - E41 - A46.5
Accessories - Hood: OLLUX 12522
Dimensions length x diameter - 38 x 53 mm / 1.50 x 2.07 in
Weight - 245 g /8.64 oz M3 - 195 g / 6.88 oz
In my world, film photography has not gone out of style.
leica summilux 35mm f1.4 pre-asph
I still prefer to use film for my photographs. Images are carved out of solid material by light, just as our planet is carved out of time. The layers of grain remind me of what the human world looks like. In today’s digital age, in the eyes of the average person, we photographers who use film are an apathetic bunch. However, indifference is not our true colors. Tonight, in the fall rain, I am looking through old photos under the lamp, exploring time, the world, and myself.
For those who enjoy shooting with Leica lenses at wide apertures, ISO 100 film remains a popular choice that offers greater convenience than ISO 400, particularly when using large apertures like f/0.95 or f/1.4. Furthermore, ISO 100 film can produce much finer image quality than ISO 400 film. The Rollei RPX film boasts a remarkably flat base, which allows for easy scanning without the need for flattening. This is a feature that I personally love.
However, while ISO 100 film is generally considered to be fine-grained, the grain may still be noticeable to some extent. Established brands such as Kodak, Ilford, and Fuji have invested considerable efforts in fine-grain technology. Nevertheless, the RPX film has several advantages: it is affordable, easy to develop, and has good tolerance. By contrast, many ISO 100 films have poor tolerance, particularly the Fuji Acros 135 and Ilford Pan 100. Rollei RPX, on the other hand, has a level of tolerance that is more commonly associated with ISO 400 films. The contrast of RPX 100 is also medium to high.
So why has Rollei resumed film production, offering various types of film including ISO 25, ISO 50, and ISO 100, all produced in Europe? According to the packaging of MACO PHOTO PRODUCTS, the company is located in Stapelfeld, Germany and is a subsidiary of Hans O. Mahn Gmbh & Co. KG, with a 36-year history of producing film. Interestingly, it comes from the same factory as Ilford and Kentmere in the UK, with only different formulations.
Rollei RPX 100 is a traditional medium-speed black and white film.
This film is suitable for a wide range of photographic and scientific applications.
Particularly portrait and landscape photography, architecture and product photography.
The popularity of this film confirms its high quality.
It is a fine grain film that enables good sharpness and a broad tonal range with good contrast.
Overall, the film base is slightly thinner, with high transparency and is easy to scan. However, one drawback is that the frame numbers on the film edges are marked based on half-frame cameras, which means that Fomapan has over 70 frame markings, whereas the standard 135 format film has only 36. Nevertheless, this film from the Czech Republic performs quite well in actual use.
Grain
Fomapan ISO 100 is not particularly fine-grained, and some even say that it is the roughest among all 100 speed films. However, I don’t completely agree with this. The grains of Fomapan often appear in highlight areas, but if the metering is reduced to darken the image, the grain is not very noticeable.
Mood
Although the tolerance of this film is high, large grains can easily appear in highlights, making it less suitable for shooting fresh and light style photos. If you prefer a bright and delicate feeling, Fuji’s Acros 100 is a better choice.
Cost-effectiveness
Many people consider this film to be good, with high tolerance and sharpness, despite the grains not being particularly fine. It bears some resemblance to Ilford Pan 100, but with higher contrast. Overall, it is slightly inferior to Ilford Pan 100.
Conclusion
Fomapan 100 is an excellent film for street photography, with surprising tolerance and unbeatable cost-effectiveness.
fomapan 100
FOMAPAN 100 Classic is a panchromatically sensitized, black-and-white negative film designed for taking photographs. The film meets high requirements for low granularity, high resolving power and contour sharpness and a wide range of halftones. FOMAPAN 100 Classic has a nominal speed rating of ISO 100/21o, but due to its wide exposure latitude the film gives good results even when overexposed by 1 EV (exposure value) (as ISO 50/18o) or underexposed by 2 EV (as ISO 400/27o) without any change in processing, i.e. without lengthening the development time or increasing the temperature of the developer used.
more info
The packaging box of this Fuji film clearly indicates that it is developed using the CN-16 process, and not C-41. In contrast, Fuji’s other universal film, C200, has both processes printed on its packaging.
The CN-16 process offers a 5% higher contrast than C-41, however, this particular Fuji film is typically processed using C-41 at the developing shop, resulting in a decrease in contrast of approximately 5%. This creates an elegant and gentle feeling that many people prefer for capturing fresh-style portraits. For those looking to capture warm and gentle feeling photos, this film is a great option. Its box, which features white and green colors, gives off a healing effect.
Additionally, Fuji’s APS film uses a finer and thinner emulsion layer that can exhibit the delicate texture of a full frame on a half frame. This special coating appears to have also been applied to this film, resulting in the absence of any obvious rough particles. This makes it superior to Fuji’s Superia X-Tra400.
The ISO 400 film from Fujifilm, also known as Superia X-Tra, was considered a universal high-speed film during the era of film photography. It performed exceptionally well in many compact cameras with smaller apertures, and was versatile for both indoor and outdoor settings, whether for street photography or everyday gatherings. Fujifilm emphasizes that the X-Tra film has an extra layer of light-sensitive emulsion, which greatly improves its latitude and produces more natural color transitions.
Generally, color films have three emulsion layers – cyan, magenta, and yellow. However, the X-Tra film has an additional blue-sensitive layer, which significantly enhances its tolerance and allows for more delicate images in both bright and low-light conditions.
Compared to Fujifilm C200, the Superia X-Tra 400 film has an advantage in latitude and color reproduction, but its overall contrast is not outstanding since it is a high-cost performance film. It is positioned for family use, with a focus on natural skin tone reproduction. Personally, I really like its indoor performance – the colors are especially natural, and the film captures images with great precision.
The Fujifilm Superia X-Tra 400 is a high-speed film that produces fresh and natural-looking images, making it suitable for shooting situations that focus on people. Unfortunately, Fujifilm recently announced that they will stop producing this film, causing its stock prices to increase significantly.
