LEICA SUMMILUX R 35mm

R mount, wide-angle, large aperture, big three

A review and photo examples of Summilux R 35mm.

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Gallery

Sample photos by LEICA SL typ601

Sample photos by HASSELBLAD X2D

1．Overview

The Summilux R 35mm is a Leica R-mount lens with a focal length of 35mm that was released in 1983 (hereafter referred to as the R-mount). In the 20 years leading up to 2003, when records are still available, about 6,500 units were produced.

This lens was released in 1983, at the end of the R-mount era.

The old Summicron R 35mm, which has the same focal length, was produced in 1970, and the new one in 1976, so both are lenses from the 1970s, which shows that this Summilux was a lens that was aged for a long time.

In addition, for the M-series Summilux, the spherical Summilux was released in 1967, and the hand-polished aspherical Summilux, which was released in limited numbers in 1988, so this spherical R-mount Summilux was released in between, which makes it an interesting lens when considering the history of the 35mm Summilux.

The lens specifications include a built-in hood, a filter diameter of 67mm, a lens configuration of 10 elements in 9 groups, and a weight of nearly 700g, making it quite heavy. Therefore, it looks good when mounted on a large body such as the Leica R9 or R8.
It is a large lens, almost the same size as the Summilux R 80mm, an R-mount large-aperture big three-element lens. Only the Summilux 50mm has a slightly smaller body.

2．Usage

When using the Summilux R 35mm, I notice that the older M Summiluxes are more artistic in construction, while the Summilux R is more mechanical, probably due to the different release dates and the different mounts. This impression is shared by the new generation of R mounts.

The Summilux R 35mm’s rendering has a good balance of sharpness and softness that can be used with both digital and film cameras, which I really like. The film produced shows unique colors and tones regardless of whether it is color negative, positive film, or black and white.

The lens is resistant to backlighting, so there are few problems even in scenes with sunlight.
In addition, for a 35mm SLR lens, it has a long back focus and a large aperture, so there is little vignetting, which is also good.

3．Add Info.

I first got this lens in the 3-cam version and used it with a METABONES speed booster on a Fujifilm X-PRO1. Because the rear lens of the lens does not protrude much, it was possible to attach and use it with a speed booster that has a lens inside the mount. With a focal reducer type adapter, the lens is placed inside the mount adapter, so lenses whose rear lens protrudes more than the mount may interfere and not be usable. If attached carelessly, the lenses may collide and get scratched, so care must be taken.

The speed booster I was using could not be attached to the new Summicron R 35mm. This was because the rear lens guard was interfering with the mount adapter.

Mount adapters with focal reducers use a built-in lens to expand the focal length, so you cannot fully enjoy the original image of the lens.

In the end, I got a LEICA M typ240 to enjoy this lens on a 35mm full-frame sensor and started using it on that.

After that, I got a LEICA SL typ601, and when I used the genuine Leica mount adapter, Leica R-Adapter L (16076), I could transfer lens information to the camera if the lens had a ROM terminal, so I sold the 3CAM lens and got one with a ROM terminal. The LEICA T series and LEICA CL can also transfer information in the same way. The information is recorded in the EXIF of the shooting results, so it is easier to organize the shooting results compared to using lenses before the R cam.

The cameras I used were different, the ROM terminal and the 3CAM, but as far as I can see from the data I have, the atmosphere of the captured images is the same and I don’t feel there is a big difference between the two.

The CANON EOS1Ds Mk III seems to have a protruding rear lens that interferes with the camera sensor, and when I attached the lens, the EOS displayed an error and I couldn’t take a picture.

When I used it with the HASSELBLAD X1DII and X2D, there was a fair amount of vignetting in the four corners. Since it originally covers a width of up to 36mm, when vignetting is removed from the shooting result, the usable limit of the 44 x 33mm digital medium format sensor in the Leica version of 3:2 is calculated to be about 41.2 x 27.5mm. In the traditional Hasselblad 1:1, it fully covers 33 x 33mm.

Specification

Item	Value	note
focal length(mm)	35
Maximum aperture	1.4
Minimum aperture	16
Lens configuration	10-elements 9-groups
Leaf blade	10
Minimum distance(m)	0.5
Lens length(mm)	75	Distance from mount frange
Lens max diameter(mm)	76
Filter diameter(mm)	67
Weight(g)	685
Release date	1983 *1
Production numbers	6,492 *1