$1300 Lens vs $300 Lens | Is Leica Worth It?
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- čas přidán 17. 11. 2019
- Putting a Leica 35mm f/2.5 Summarit up against a Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 Color Skopar. With a $1000 price difference, is the image quality difference really worth the extra cash? Let’s find out.
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TIMESTAMPS!
01:03 - Voigtlander Overview
02:15 - Leica Overview
03:45 - Image Quality Blind Test
05:53 - A Word from our Sponsor
06:26 - Blind Test Answer Revealed
07:01 - Side by Side Comparisons
10:49 - Final Verdict
I had the 2.4 version of the Summarit (wish I still did), and I was convinced it was X!
Dont forget to pin this!
@@FranVianzon Good looking out!
you should remove the filter on the Voigtländer for the imagequality test
I would say X is leica, a bit softer...
The first thought that popped into my head upon reading the title was, "Leica makes a lens that only costs $1300?!?" lol
Hahahaha
By used, I just picked up a Summicron at $1,000.
@@alexcaliman9652 a 50mm? Or did you get really lucky? Anyway yeah there's a couple really really good Leica lenses for under 1k and it's definitely not the Summarit lol.
I bought the Summarit 75mm f2.5 for around $750 new last year (2021). But it has been replaced by the f2.4 version which cost three times as much, (and is a better lens too)
Should have looked at Voigtländers before deciding.
Love the every Monday morning uploads! Perfect way to avoid my work :)
Yeah but do I join the Sunday squad??
That "Beetle" shot was the one that gave it away for me 🤙
I just got an M6 and bought the Voigtländer Nokton that you recommended. I'm very excited to see the results. But with film, I have to learn to be more patient : )
Awesome! Enjoy that Nokton!
Great review. I had looked at both of these. The price gap has surely grown in the few years since you made this. The Voigtlander used is in the low to mid $300s, new $409, the Summarit however is typically going $1500-$1700 now days.
Great video Matt. Killer photos as always. I had a hard time telling a difference. Thanks!
The Voigtlander gives photographs a more modern look. There was just something about the Summarit that made it memorable for me. I didn't try to guess which lens was which just which I liked more and it looks like I need a Summarit now.
Very cool comparison! I started my journey in 35mm with an M2 and a 35mm Voigtlander, from my experience sharpness is more than enough and the pictures had a very cool mood.. I tried the ASPH summicron and the Contax T3, they are definitely sharper but the difference only shows when you print large. Cheers from 🇵🇹
Hey Matt, thanks so much for this video. I had to look at all of them 3 times to be sure what exactly I was noticing but after that I was pretty confident and got the blind test right. The Leica has more open, 3D quality to it, which reminds me of medium format photos. But, I didn't notice the vignetting till you talked about it. I've sold all of my 35mm cameras since I started shooting medium format and 4x5. I don't like grain and 2D quality of 35mm. But, I'm looking to get back into 35mm w/ Leica M3 & Zeiss 50mm f/1.5 Sonnar T* ZM. And, this video really helped me realize that I do see differences between lenses and what I'm looking for.
I enjoyed all of the photos although I knew straight away that the first "Y" image had to be Leitz glass. I believe the f:2.5 Summarits are all actually f:2.4 like their modern counterparts - the marketing department wanted to set them apart more from the Summicrons - that may help explain the brightness difference in the vignette comparisons.
Edwin Parker true! They are 2.4!
I have the Voigtlander 35 2.5 M mount. I love that lens! It’s so sharp and compact. Best part is that I got it for $150!
I’ll always support Voigtlander and buy that glass over Leica glass.
Great video like always, Matt! Hope you feel better soon!
That's a steal, dude!
Now this channel is worth spending my time on !
Excellent, Thanks for sharing !!
I would love to see them perform on a digital camera, so maybe an additional test ??
I've been waiting for this video ever since it was teased on your Instagram
Thanks a lot for this! Very helpful. I was really shocked to see how much vignetting the Voigtlander lens produced.
This is a very informative review. Thanks Matt, from hot'n steamy Central Thailand.
I have always been glad that I held out to get the Leica lens, against the cheaper alternatives. All except the most recent purchase, have been used and some quite old.
Interestingly, the new lens is the 75mm Summarit f2.5, with the same features as the 35mm you share with us here. I have not compared it with it's squillion dollar, bigger, faster sybling and probably never will, but a very fine lens it is. Leica have done well with this series, enabling many more folk to buy and use a new Leica lens. Thanks again. I have also just now subscribed to your channel. ◇
PS. Important considerations for me are absence of both distortion and vignetting, because I photograph artwork indoors, and outdoors it's often architecture.
As a general shooter, I can imagine the Voigtlander will satisfy a lot of folk, who may or may not want to upgrade later.
PS.2.: One exception to a Leica is the Zeiss Biogon ZM f4.5, 21mm. ... and I specifically chose the f4.5 version because of the same criteria.
I picked the Voigtlander as soon as I compared the first X and Y images. I don't think it would take an expert as the Voigtlander has that unique out of focus pattern, like you said there is also some distortion albeit a subtle one but still noticeable. Nice video Matt
Great vid! I just bought the M mount Color Skopar to shoot mainly on my Monochrom and I love it.
I guessed correctly and honestly, I liked the voigtlander a bit more in most of these photos. You wouldn’t go wrong with either lens.
Solid and clear, a classic Matt Day video!
wheres your youtube channel expired film master?
Thanks so much, man.
@@coleturner3859 if I can get someone to film it I can do something too haha
Wesley team up with Willem Verbeeck!
@@coleturner3859 ive got something coming up soon, a different way to share knowledge, watch this space
Thank you Matt, thats one of the best comparison video i have seen in a while, I ordered the Summarit because of it ;-)
Loved it, great video, Matt. Let’s see a review of the Carl Zeiss 35mm 2.8 or a side by side to another leica lens.
This would be great
+1
If I can get my hands on that lens, I'll make it happen!
I have the Summarit 50 and the Voigtlander 35 Nokton Classic SC. Love them both for what they are. I generally preferred Y.
Nice comparison. I've owned the 35/2.5 Summarit for a while, using it on M9 and M2, but it quickly gathered a bit too much dust inside, and I was annoyed by the loose aperture ring, moving it accidentally from time to time. It was about the same time I was having issues with 50/1.4 Lux ASPH integrated hood (repeatedly), and with tri-focal MATE assembly (not even talking about all the problems with M9), and I began to be worried about Leica quality and durability.
So, based on great experience with Nokton 40/1.4 I've purchased also the M-mount Color Skopar 35/2.5. Very quickly I found out that most of the time I prefer the Voigtlander's vignetting, especially on film where you can't add it as easily in the darkroom, and that my copy is a tiny bit sharper than the Summarit (visible only on digital). Colors and contrast seemed to be indistinguishably similar. I have also observed the small difference in focal length. Soon I sold the Summarit and kept the Voigtlander.
I don't use the Skopar nowhere near as much as the Nokton, but both lenses gathered only a few tiniest specs of dust inside over the past five/four years, and focusing and aperture feel is still like the day I received them... Well done, Voigtlander!
Another great non-Leica optics I can recommend is the Snapshot Skopar 25/4.
I’m getting a used copy of that Summarit! Thank you for your review! I have the Skopar but I’m gonna mount that lens on a XPro3 to mix some things up!
Summarits are so underrated compared to other Leica lenses, especially for their compactness! Perfect match for Ms.
35 and 28 Summarits are the best because usually, you don't need that much bokeh at wide open, especially for street photography
Fully agreed!
Great pictures, Matt. And your children look beautiful, like angels.
Many blessings to you and your family.
Dude your videos are always top notch! Will you do the same review for the 50mm versions!!? Thanks for sharing your thoughts on these lenses.
Thank you! If I can get my hands on some 50mm lenses to compare, I'll for sure do that!
Love the shot at 4:58
& yeah mostly couldnt tell the difference between the two!
One of my favorite photos from the bunch as well. :)
Hi Matt another great video.
Personally I have to say that I knew which was the Leica and which was the Voigtlander from the very first two images that you showed. The Leica shows more detail and is sharper with a clinical look.Where as the Voigtlander has a very classic look. That’s not to say that one is better than the other, and is all subjective as to what mood you feel on that particular day. Lovely images that you have shot from both lenses. Which also goes to show, it’s not the gear that you use, but the photographic skills that the photographer creates.
I got right, I almost do with this but ANYHOW - they were so beautiful! you're such a good photographer :)
I have the Voigtlander as my only M-mount lens, and I love it. It punches well above its weight, but the vignetting is definitely noticeable. To me, worth it at that price point, though now that I know how much better it can be I'll be tempted...
Hi thank you for a review with both feet on the ground. It was very helpful.
Honestly couldn’t really tell between all those images! Which is a great thing! Great colour and sharpness.
Would only be able to tell if I was pixel peeping, which isn’t what film is about.
Saying that would def choose the Voigtlander because it’s so cheap and I can’t really see much difference
I've been shooting Cannon FD lenses since the early 80's. And everyone raves about the very fine image quality.
With today's technology to design on the computer before building the first prototype, there is no reason for the manufacturer to put out a "bad lens".
actually. I havent seen a bad new lens in years.
Love your photos! thanks for the review.
I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the 2 lenses, but I have to say ..... you are a great photographer! I loved all your pictures.
Awesome video Matt. I totally thought the X images were from the Leica. I'm so glad you did the blind test to the viewers so we don't have bias while comparing.
I have owned the Voigtlander, as well as the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 and f/2. The Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 is my favorite by far.
I've been shooting that exact era Voigtlander 35/2.5 on Fuji X with a close-focus adapter for two years. So I guess it right on the first set of images just by the familiar bokeh.
It's wonderful and vibey on digital, especially with Fuji film sims, and the crop knocks out some of the vignetting. It really doesn't seem like a true 2.5 stop though, and the resolution doesn't touch the native Fuji stuff. But it's a great street lens and is a tank of a design.
Interesting, my gut feeling in the x/y labeled shots was to prefer the voigtlander. Guess I'm used to the look from my Nokton :)
Great video! No clear favourite for me, all the shots looked great :-)
I've never tried these two lenses, but I switched from a Nokton 35mm F1.4 to a Summicron 35mm (the legendary version 4). And despite losing a stop of light and paying way more for the Summicron, I definitely think it's worth it.
Although I loved the Nokton, the difference is actually bigger than I thought it would be. The biggest difference is how the Leica manages to be super sharp and have great separation, but still have a super smooth transition between the bokeh and the subject. And of course, that typical Leica "glow".
great info. I will give the sumarit a try some day ...
Three years later-still a great, helpful video. Thx!
Thank you! Glad to hear it.
What clued me in during the blind test was the way the lenses handles the out of focus blur. The Voigtlander was harsher and more swirly. One for the bokeh obsessives probably. The vignetting is noticeable too.
Thanks a lot! The blind Test is very interesting
Great vid as always Matt. I have the M mount Color Skopar and love it’s compactness. Slightly off topic but, as you used the Leica 35mm Summicron so much, how do these slightly slower lenses compare to the Cron?
The Summicron is definitely sharper, without a doubt. But for the price? That's a tough question..
great vid once again matt. I love my 35mm summarit for the same reasons you mention in this vid. wondering if you've found a 50mm with a similar feel and quality that you could recommend?
The Zeiss 50mm f/2 Planar is a phenomenal lens, especially for the price.
After the first frame i was holding my thumb over the letters and just enjoyed the photos. Just as it is meant to do with photography.
Wow you are so enlighted
@@KAIOabstrct thanks. Kinda my style.
Thanks for this Matt.
From the outset, for me the distortion would dismiss the Voigtlander. I go no further, sharpness or not.
I bought a Summarit 75mm f2.4 new when visiting Leica in Germany in 2018. I shoot wide open all the time and am very impressed.
Whilst here we compare prices, seeing the Leica as being so much more, for me the Summarit 75mm is a fraction of gobstopping prices of the other Leica 75mm 'heavyweights'. The new Summarit range was a good move by Leica. A very good move, and I'm sure you will enjoy that 35mm for a very long time. Cheers, Kevin ☆☆☆☆☆
bro that’s such a great review!!
Nice work Matt.
Outstanding video. Great work. Impressive test - the color voitlander vs black and white Leica images got the better of me so I thought the X were Leica! Or was it those sweet children of yours!??!! My three sons are in their 20’s now - but looking at your beautiful images of “family life” reminded me of our great memories as if they were just yesterday. Thanks for running this comparison. I have new respect for the Voitlander quality. By the way, those images of the VW Beatle stopped me in my tracks. Gorgeous captures! When I saw those I should have changed my vote and targeted Y as the Leica shots!! The second VW shot was butter!
I love to hear that. I'm sure your boys grew way faster than you could have imagined. Hard to believe mine are 3 and 4 now.
x - voigtlander
y - leica
at a guess!
Yeah I got it right too but at the same time, the Voigtlander looked great too.
@@MobiusCoin same. The vignetting wasn't terribly distracting, and I actually kind of preferred it. There's no doubt that Leica makes great products but I like lenses to bring a bit more character, which occasionally means distortions and vignetting. Not as far as say, a Lomography style look where the images are pretty much trashed, but yknow. Thanks for coming to my Ted talk.
Yeah, it was pretty clear tbh. The color varied a lot. Voigtlander is more contrasty as well. That and the vignetting was the dead giveaway.
I couldnt tell a difference til I looked at the background. I'm very new to photography however and had no idea why they looked different. Sharpness is what I'm thinking.
I've never used a summarit, but the colour skopar was main lenses until I found myself preferring 50mm. I've never had a word of complaint about it.
They're so similar that only in the side-by-side comparison was I able to see the minor differences. The Leica had better color rendition, and less vignetting, but it wasn't a night-and-day difference. You should do another comparison in digital. Thanks for the video!
Awesome review buddy. Would have loved it if you added the camera settings for each photo: iso, f stop, shutter. Keep it up!.
Thanks Matt, I select Y - as Voigtlander & I'm wrong and now I decided to purchase it. Thanks for this great video.
X is the Voigtländer, the background has that VC texture to it that my 40mm Nokton Classic S.C. gives me. Also, love that cheeky look your son has.
He knows how rotten he is. Haha.
My daughter has a cute look to her, as she knows if she acts/looks cute, Oma will let her get away with anything
Unexpected results. Amazing.
FIRST!!! SO MANY VIDEOS OVER THE PAST FEW DAYS ITS AMAZING
I guess I was right...but I’m sure I enjoyed every photos! Great stuff Matt 👌🏻
Good video. Shooting the summaron 2.8 myself, also a beauty.
I 'guessed' right, but it hardly felt like a guess: the Voigtländer has a more 'classical' feel to it, the Summarit a more modern, 'clinical' one. I would spend the extra money on the Summarit too, I always liked this range of Leica lenses. I own an M6 as well and my go-to 35mm lens is the Zeiss 35/2.8 Biogon: small, sharp, great colours, it's practically glued to the camera. If I were to change my Zeiss for something else, the Summarit could be a candidate, but I think I would be looking at something faster. But then again, the Zeiss really fits all my needs. Thanks for the video, Matt!
The name plate ring that says summarit is glued on. I found that to be a little cheap. Optically and operationally the summarit is awesome.
I didn't know that! Good to know.
Haven't read the comments yet, but 'Y' just has a character and more sharpness to it. Based on the blind test, I would definitely go for the 'Y', it has a specific kind of look to it that I love.
Right now I mostly shoot Olympus SLR's but lately I've been Leica/rangefinder-curious. I was surprised at how expensive third party lenses are while having quite a lot of distortion. IMO minimal distortion is a lot more important for film photography than sharpness. The OM system lenses are really wonderful - inexpensive, small, sharp, and hardly any distortion. It looks like if I were to pick up an M camera, I'm going to have to deal with the exorbitant prices of first party lenses in order to get similar quality as my $100 Olympus lenses lol.
Hey Matt! thanks for your opinion on these lenses! I got the Skopar on my Canon P and it works wonders, but now that summer has come here in Spain, I had a few color rolls where some shots had a very flat look, as if the sun was causing this. I was looking at maybe getting a vented hood or a uv filter, and noticed that you're using one in your video. Is it purely so you don't scratch the front element or it has something to do with reflections?
Saludos desde España!
I don't know what it is, but Leica wins again. I still love Voigtlander lens options, especially the more recent lenses they've been putting out like the Ultrons. I wonder how many videos I've watched of yours over the years. Very helpful Matt. I'm curious what lenses you're shooting with on your M6 today, in January 2022...
Great comparison. Thanks.
Beautiful photos of your lovely family 👍 (with both lenses)
Catching up on some of your older videos as I've gotten back into shooting more lately...and have the newer f/2.4 ASPH version of the Summarit, and agree with everything you said about this lens. The handling, the weight, the size...it's just my favorite lens to put on my Leica. And for me, bokeh isn't terribly important (although the Voigtlander was quite easy to spot in your examples as the Summarit has really smooth bokeh) but that transition from in focus to out of focus is just really really good on the Leica vs a lot of lenses. Of course, is it worth the price? I never look at my Summarit images and ever have a complaint, and have plenty of $300 lenses that do an admirable job, but, especially in 35mm, it's hard to find one cheaper than the Summarit that can match it in every aspect. Do you still use this lens?
Thanks Matt! Hoping you can do a comparison between the Leica Summilux 35mm pre-asph and the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm 1.4 MC ver.II or ver.I 😊
I will see if I can find some to loan for the video. No way can I afford to buy both for a comparison. Haha.
I didn't try to guess which of them was by either of two lenses when I have never seen them before (e.g. which was Leica and which was Voightlander). What I did was try and guess whether the image was an "X" or a "Y" without looking at the annotation in the corner. I was able to guess X vs Y after the first couple of frames with 100% accuracy. They are substantially different. There is a difference, and the punchy colors generally higher contrast of "X" really stood out.
Sharpness is if Matt day shoots without a lens also it be Sharp 😝 this was a good one .
Hey great video.
The only thing I would have to add is that if you the viewer are really asking yourself the question "is this expensive lens worth it?", save your money don't buy the lens, and instead enroll yourself a workshop with a photographer whose work you admire.
If you are not in a location that is conducive to that, then go to a trusted photo educational institution like the ICP, just to name one, that offers online courses.
But if you are hell-bent on buying a $3000 piece of glass even though you have to watch a video to help you make that decision, congratulations you probably have the coolest Lens among anyone else you personally know.
But know this, we outgrow gear.
When you try to grow into something that's beyond your capabilities there's something else lurking that will cap you off the knees every time: pride.
I know nothing about these but I think I preferred Y.
The only shot that gave it away was the one with the old VW Beetle and the tiny lense flare...
definitely should try the VM Ultron 35 f/2 vs the newest 35 cron
nice comparison. I have M4 and M6 and I shot with voigtlander nokton 35mm f1.4 and 50mm f1.1. am very happy with my voigtlander lenses. but when I saw your video now I know for sure I was right about voigtlander lenses against Leica lenses. I was thinking exactly as you said. thanks for great video
Great video and evaluation.
I guessed it correctly and based my guess on how the out of focus area goes over into the more in focus area at the bars in the bottom right at 04:55 - I never had a lens that does this in that way and I just assumed this is a thing more expensive optics do.
Yeah, I failed to work out which was which! 🙈
Interesting with the vignetting on the Voightlander lens with the side-by-side portrait though... I could see why that would be a deal-breaker for you!
You've got me thinking about doing the same side-by-side on my two 35mm lenses now. Granted, they're an unbalanced pairing, but would still be interesting to see!
I'd be curious to hear how your results are with a side-by-side!
@@mattdayphoto Will have to work out the best range of shots to try to get the full range of testing situations
Honestly couldnt tell them apart ebough to justify 1000 bucks. Great video matt
You have a underrated channel , love my Voigtländer lenses voigtländer 40mm f2 0 ultron sl ii , Nokton 58mm / 1.4 SLII‑S , now I get my Nikon z6 and will buy the Voigtländer Ultron 35mm 2.0 ASPH. with a adapter it will replace my zeiss 35mm distagon zf for Street photography love the Zeiss but the size and weight but I will never sell it
Thank you!
Thank you for this - very helpful points to consider. Are you interested in the Zeiss 35mm f/2.8 C Biogon ZM? That’s quite a bit closer to the Leica in optical craft and price point. Would be an interesting and challenging follow-up!
Gonna try to make that happen with the Zeiss and Leica comparison!
I don't really care about gear, I am only commenting to say that I love your family photos! I see so much of Elliott Erwitt in them!
Agree
I see quite a bit of Elliott Day in them!
That is a HUGE compliment. Thank you!
Thank you for this video!
Thanks, great review
hi, thanks for this video. i recognized the leica even every time. it‘s not because l‘m german or because i shoot with a leica q. its not mostly the sharpness but its a kind of holistic deepness and caracter of the foto. my first camera was also a vogtländer. its quite more romantic, i agree. but leica is just so vivid.
Great vid the micro contrast in the Leica lens was noticeably better another thing in this digital era people forget that lenses play a more important roll then the actual camera itself
I could tell from some subtle differences in the bokeh pattern when available. Sharpness I consider equally good. I love CV lenses and use a bunch of them. For 35 mm FL, I am using the Leica 35/2.0 version IV (pre-ASPH). The ASPH version does not work well on Sony sensors. Also using the CV 35/1.2 II.
I really couldn’t tell, just enjoyed the content, but like other photographers have stated, your shooting with Leica and it’s always advisable to shoot with native lens....and yes, Leica glass are expensive, but you get what you pay for....and after 50 years of shooting, I decided to settle down with Leica (well because it’s a lighter system, compared to standard DSLR systems) and as a travel camera it’s just perfect in every street scene. I’m currently shooting with the Leica Q, but also experimented with the Vario-X ( love the idea of a zoom on a Leica, and a great camera) and finally just picked up an M240 w 50 Summarit 2.5, can’t complain, all Leicas shoot as expected, amazing camera system. I still have my M6 w 40mm rokker lens that i used in the mid 80s, but with the ease of digital, why remain in film mode....Leica as well as all camera systems have evolved into the digital age (hey, who knew Sony was going to be a photo giant!)... photography should be fun and less technical, enjoy the surroundings and take that image that will forever remind you of the moment... love the Leica images, it’s taken me 50 years to go 360 degrees and come back to Leica....I think I will pick up the M10 w 35mm summicron down the line....when the M11 comes out, hahahah....great video and comparison Matt...
I have a leica m2 with a voigtlander color skopar f2.5 m mount on it, and I kinda prefer it to the summicron counterpart. I cant justify that price difference 😂
Great review.
I know the construction is unusual. It doesn't look as awesome etc. but you should try 35 1.7. From my personal testing, it is the most special Voigtlander lens.
Always been curious about that lens. Might try to get my hands on one for a video.
Hey Matt question, when you say “thread mount” for the voigtlander, is that the same as a ‘screw mount” I’m curious because I’m looking to get this lens with a bessa r and later on sell the bessa r and use the same lens on a m6 (when I get it)
I love my Skopar (I got the M-mount version used on eBay with a yellow B+W filter a couple years back). It’s so small and takes such nice pics.
I wish Voigtlander would bring back the 50mm f/2.5 skopar. Maybe they will some day. It would make for an epic kit.
Great informative video thanks
I got it right, but honestly under good lighting ones were harder to tell. The off center distortion and corner darkness gave it away.
Hey Matt, thanks for this interesting video😎👍! As a Leica shooter I tend to think that the good old 80:20 rule applies here. With the Voigtlander one gets 80% of the “output” of a Leica lens for 20% of the cost of a Leica lens. But - if you want to get the last 20% of quality you have to pay the remaining 80% of the price of the Leica. All in all I think you’ve made the right decision. The Summarit line of Leica lenses delivers great quality while the prices are not as extreme as those of the Summicrons or Summiluxes.