jja

<p>Excellent, Emir. It's a very photographable location. Below is a photo I made. Soon after, a guard came up to me and reminded me of the no photography policy. Btw, it's okay to take photos from ground level, before the ramp.<br>

<img src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5297/5399130044_3bed9b1260_z.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="400" /></p>

<p>I have owned two copies of each of these lenses and there is only a marginal difference in their performance, and I have compared scans at high magnification (although not from the same scenes). In my recollection, the Summicron had slightly (very, very slightly) better detail at extreme mag. The two Summicrons I owned (both latest version w/ pull-out hood) had a greater tendency to flare than the M-Hexanons, which had almost zero flare tendency. I also prefer the M-Hex's ergonomics (awesome knurls on lens barrel) and aluminum lens cap. As long as your M-Hexanon is performing correctly, I would not bother with the Summicron.</p>

<p>The standard rear cap is the one that came with the Elmar-M. I bought mine used, but it came w/ the box, leica pouch, caps, shade, and documentation. The lens fits snuggly in the pouch w/ the standard rear cap, and it only barely collapses into the cap.</p>

<p>I have owned the Summicron, latest version, two different times. It is an excellent lens in terms of sharpness and contrast. As Frank notes, it will have a different (though not dramatically so) signature than the Elmar-M. I sold my Summicrons because in both of my copies I found a tendency to flare. It was not a huge problem, but then again my feeling is that a lens of this caliber should not be so flare-prone. Although you said that you are not interested in other brands, the best f2 lens I have used is the Konica M-Hexanon. Sharpness and contrast very, very good, it is more resistant to flare than the Summicron, and it is well built.<br>

If you can find a pre-asph. Summilux (latest version w/ pull-out hood), try it out. It is sharp at f5.6 and above, and provides a beautiful rendering at f4 and below. A great portrait lens wide open.</p>

<p>Marek, you have crazy high standards! I happily clicked through your flickr set and really enjoyed it. Just based on your photos I would go out and get a 28/2.8 asph. By the way, I'm shooting with a Voigtlander 28/3.5 and I'm very happy with it.</p>

<p>If you are patient, you can find one for about $500, which is the going price I've seen lately in the photo.net and other classifieds. This is a $500 for ex+ or better with caps, hood, and pouch.</p>

<p>Agreed Ray, my "side-by-side" experience is more like what you are suggesting. From stuff I've read, the Rokkor is more similar to your pre-asph than it is to my asph. I wouldn't always be able to tell which lens I used in a particular situation, so that says plenty.</p>

<p>Ray, without getting too far into the differences between Rokkor CL v. Rokkor CLE v. Summicron-C, let me share my experience: I own a 40mm Rokkor CLE and a 35mm Summicron-Asph (no experience with the pre-asph), and I marvel at just how good the Rokkor is, and in such a tiny package. It does not beat my Summicron for ultimate sharpness and contrast, but it's still very sharp, and renders beautifully in b&w or color. My guess is that the Rokkor will be very close to the pre-asph. Shoot them side by side and you'll see.</p>

You know Rand, I was going to say marbles, but after my caper idea, I thought I

should stop!

Blarg, thanks for the info, you just saved me some money. I have the same concerns

as you w/ unused developer possibly oxidizing. If you are starting out w/ a 16 oz.

batch, why not divide it into some really small containers, like those tiny caper jars

sitting in the back of the fridge? Or try the Container Store, they carry v. small

containers in different materials.

I've been wanting to try one of these:

 

http://www.freestylephoto.biz/sc_prod.php?cat_id=&pid=1338

 

The floating lid keeps chemicals fresh. These containers come in 2, 5, and 10 (!)

gallon sizes. Anyone use these?

Jose Angel, when life gives you lemons.... I like that one! Haven't had time for processing

lately, but I'll have to post a few lemons soon myself (hopefully not figurative ones).

I just sold one, fairly cheap b/c it had very fine internal scratches. Despite these, the lens

produced outstanding images. I'm in agreement w/ Bill and Francisco, and who could

disagree w/ Sheldon's photos!

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src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2184/2287175901_899d107e4a_o.jpg"></center>

Alex, I see that your photos are linked from flickr. I've noticed a decrease in sharpness in my

photos when I upload them to flickr.

If you would consider a similar lens, but faster than the TE, I have a 135/2.8 Elmarit for sale,

cheap. E-mail me if interested.

Jose, thanks. I think you are right, I'm at 7 too.

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src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2246/2254199804_57f4c03663.jpg"></center>

Clive, great photos. Anyone compare Fuji 800Z w/ Superia 800? The former is a bit more

expensive, but I always thought it was good for indoor artificial lighting.

<center><img

src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2268/2254188466_d2f3c1d5d4_o.jpg"></center>

Well deserved recognition!

Line is from a Devendra Banhart song. Post your spiders, any color, any weather.

 

<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2020/1809057915_300a309f4d_o.jpg"></center>

 

 

<center><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2309/2251257260_d2b6e2ebeb_o.jpg"></center>

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src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2251/2249950555_f371d3f6c1_o.jpg"></center>

I've always thought www.igorcamera.com has good prices. I've never bought from igor, so I

cannot speak to his reliability. Check the classifieds here and www.rangefinderforum.com,

which has a very active classifieds section.

You have gotten some great suggestions so far. If you decide to go the RF route, I

recommend the M2 or M6, which are relatively affordable for Leicas. Although you say

you prefer a built-in meter, for spontaneous street photography, you may be better off

with a hand-held meter, since pre-metering a scene will help you anticipate a photo

opportunity.

 

As for lenses, Voigtlander and Zeiss make excellent lenses to fit Leica, if you don't want

to pay Leica prices. But if you are interested in the 35/2 Summicron, it is an excellent

lens, no doubt about it. The aspherical version is stellar, my preference, and previous

versions are really compact and perfect for b&w.