Benj wearing his hat and coat inside cos he spent all his money on lenses and can't afford to put the heating on is a vibe I respect

The 35 Summilux is basically the only lens I use on my M10. Without the hood, there is no overlap with the viewfinder. BTW, if Zeiss could make theirs half the size, it would cost the same as the Summilux. That is the whole point of the Summilux.

Absolutely stunning and wonderful photos! Not only your photographic gear is great, you also seem to be a great photographer too! Congrats! 👍🏻

Another great video! Been shooting the Distagon my whole career. Paid for my house and college for the kids! :). I just picked up the NEW Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 VERSION II. They fixed some of the issues but DAMN its fun to carry. Thanks for the fine work. BTW I stil have the Zeiss 50mm 1.5 Sonnar and love that too. I’m a motion shooter primarily and have the 35 1.4 in PL and M mount. KEEP POSTING as Casey Neistat says. Happy New Year!

Great review, Ben! Keep up the great work. Keep shooting and stay inspired!

I actually really love the idea of an "100,000 photo review"!

Benj, I watched this review sometime ago and watched it again today after buying this lens last week. Images made so far seem to exceed the 35mm Summilux FLE i possess. In terms of contrast , sharpness and sheer image quality. The Summilux seems to be flare less and have a warmer tint to the images. It doesn’t seem to have a hyper realistic rendition like the Zeiss. There are just so few quality reviews about this lens and it is often dismissed when people talk about option for 35mm M Mount lenses. It isn’t necessary to use a leica lens for bragging rights when something way cheaper is available. The size may be big but it is the most comfortable lens I have in terms of comfort in focusing and changing the aperture.

Would you ever consider doing a video on shooting the 35mm focal length? You mentioned that over the last couple years you’ve learned more about what works and what doesn’t for 35mm, and I’d love to hear you talk more about that. 35mm is a focal length that I’ve always struggled with, so hearing you go into some more detail on how you’ve gotten better at shooting it would be amazing! Either way, keep up the good work!

Ha! I just got this lens to do a full review of it. This was really good. Benj. Keep them coming

Making small lenses is just not an easy thing nor is it an economical thing. Leica seems to be the leader in pristine, small photography jewels. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this lens. Your images look great and the lens does perform nicely. My piggy bank is working over time these days.

I’d love to see to a chest mount POV of you at work on a wedding day, would be super interesting seeing how you work

I moved from the CV Nokton 35mm to this Zeiss and I was mindblown with the sharpness wide open. I do appreciate the lens element not moving back and forth externally. But I feel the need to get a camera grip thingy whenever this lens is on the camera 😅

Zeiss ZE shooter here. Ever handled the 35/1.4 ZE? Dwarfs this one. This ain't big, bud!

I have this lens - it is on my Leica SL and or Leica M-P 240. No question it is superb!!

I'll be doing a live Q&A on Thursday at 10am Pacific to go over any questions you might have regarding the lens that I may not have covered. Drop some questions below and I'll see you then as well!

Nice vidoe Benj, will you do a video about your 28mm and how it fits into your workflow (having a 35 and 28)?

I have the Zeiss ZM 35mm f/2 and f/2.8. The 2.8 is my favorite 35mm ever for documentary type photography. The Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 is an amazing lens, but as I don’t really need f/1.4 for 95% of my photos, I prefer the smaller size of the slower lenses.

I totally agree with you, the 35ZM is sharper and produce higher contrast, also the purple fringing is not as crazy as 35Lux ASPH wide open. I ended up sold the 35ZM and keep the 35Lux, the only reason is the size. the 50lux on your right you mentioned, that lens is actually APO design lens but Leica did not slap the APO name on it, it does produce slight CA at extreme high contrast object (but so does the APO 50 Summicron-M, I have both and tested them at the same condition) but the degree is much lower than traditionally non-APO design lens from Leica, sharpness is on par if not better than the ZM 50/2 Planar but contrast is slightly lower at the same aperture setting.

Great vid! Have you ever considered a SL typ 601 for these larger lenses or is SLR body style out of the question for you?

“It’s so big and cumbersome that I don’t want to carry it around and use it for my personal work” that’s the quote that I’ll take from this. Whenever I’m shooting with my m6 it’s personal. I’ve been on the voigtlander 35mm 1.4 classic for years and really want to upgrade but think it would have to be all the way up to the sumilux for me to consider. I also can’t imagine cutting out the entire bottom right of my image when I’m composing. I shoot a Leica because I enjoy using the camera and love the world through that viewfinder.

Thanks for the great review, Benj! I use this lens with my M240 and I love it... Quick question, what lens do you pick under Menu > Lens Detection > Manual? Since this is not a 6-bit coded lens. Thanks again!

Great video. I have the 35 lux FLE and it passes the "doesn't fall over" test. Love the Zeiss glass, though.

Sounds like you should get the VM40mm f/1.2 to complement those two. I haven't tried them, but it sounds like the latest VMs are closing in on this performance whilst also being more compact. I understand that they've had some manufacturing breakthroughs which afford these bright compacts.

I'm in the oppostite boat having the 35ZM and saving for a 50lux to add to it. In the meantime i think i'll play with the TTA 50mm 0.95

I like your points on 35mm as ideal perspective. We each have our own favorite camera. I use 1960s Nikkor 35 f1.8s lens for Nikon S rangefinder camera on Sony A-7. Best rendering in a minimalist camera and lens. Not a Leica rangefinder, but very close result in file quality. I still want to own the Leica... maybe somday!

Really beautiful shots along with a very enjoyable review

Lovely hood!

i also recently got this. seems much sharper than the 35mm summarit f2.5 i has before

Dear Benj, it's fascinating how your review exactly mimics what I thought, when I owned this lens this summer! Funnily enough I almost copied your lens selection (VL 21 1.8, 28mm 2.0, Zeiss 35 1.4, Summilux 50 Asph, 90 Elmarit (not Summicron, yeah, but still...) back then :D. I got a great used deal for a mint Distagon with hood (1200€) but just could not stand the size of the lens. Reviews often where like "oh, it's not that bad with the size, etc...", but at least for me, it was bad. The weight did not concern me, by the way. So yeah, I just can second that review, the images were fantastic nevertheless

Benj, your ability to focus an M is dialed, even shooting at wide apertures. Are you doing that via the range finder mechanism, zone focusing, or focus peaking through the back lcd? Or have you gone full on baby yoda and use the force? Any suggestions on how to get really good at focusing an M?

Great video Benj. I'd take the 35/1.2 Nokton version ii or iii all day over this personally. Same build quality, and I prefer the Nokton rendering.

@2:09, where'd you get that leather bag from? ...I always thought 50mm was the "normal vision" focal length.

I want that bokeh and extra stop of light but think I'll stick to my cron asph for the size and weight for everyday shooting

Thanks for your review, just wondering if someone has tested it with a Leica CL ?

Yeah, I need to talk about this because I need a 35mm - I'm also curious about the comparisons to the 35mm TTArtisan too...

I've used the C-Biogon 35/2.8 for my documentary and reporting photography, and as many other have said, I think it's the best M-System lens out there, short of the ASPH Summilux 35, which wins with speed. This Distagon is just too damn big and heavy- it reminds my of my V1 Summilux 50/1.4 which makes it feel like there's a Messerschmidt 109 bolted to my camera.

Based on years of experience with my 35mm Nikon SLR with 35mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.4, and 24mm f/2 Nikkor lenses, I knew the focal lengths I wanted for my Leica M6 rangefinder. Also, based on my years of experience with Zeiss lenses, I knew that the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 would be the first lens I purchased for my M6. The Leitz 90mm f/2 was the second. The Leitz 21mm f/1.4 was the third. With these three lenses, I have no need for additional M-mount lenses.

I’ve actually used the f2 version of this lens (Biogon?) and loved it. It’s a lot more sensible size-wise, but I do see the appeal of f1.4. Not willing to splurge for the 35lux though haha.

This is my main lens i use on my leica m262 and its the best lens i have ever owned by far. Most reviews conclude that it is the best performing 35mm lens you can buy for an m series but they also say its too big just like yourself. In fairness to leica their designs probably make some compromises to ensure smaller build but zeiss it seems simply ignored that strategy and ended up with the distagon. I use the "hauge" circular hood and it is much smaller and less intrusive than the hood you use in the video.

This lens on an M9 is GODLY.

The Voigtlander 35mm f1.2 Ver3 might be the most comparable 35mm in term of size and image quality.

For decades, I had been using 35mm lenses (35mm f/2 and then 35mm f/1.4) as my "normal" on Nikon SLR cameras. When I could finally afford a Leica rangefinder, I purchased a Leica M6 and the first lens I purchased for it was the Zeiss 35mm f/1.4 Distagon. Love the lens. Size and weight are not important to me. Image quality (especially resolution and contrast) and quality built are very important to me. I later flanked my 35 with a 90mm f/2 Summicron and a 21mm f/1.4 Summilux. These three lenses are all I need for routine subjects. For those rare times when I need something else, I use an adapter to mount 14mm f/2.8, 28mm 2.8, 28mm f/4 perspective control, and 50mm f/1.4 Nikon lenses on my M10 and M6 rangefinders. I cannot compare my 35mm Zeiss to the 35mm Summilux because I have never used the Summilux. I can, however, compare my 35mm Zeiss to my two 35mm Nikon lenses. All three lenses are well built and produce high-quality images that meet my needs.

Thanks for this video, I would love to see a comparison video of this and the 7 Artisans 35mm 1.4 WEN

Does it have the ziess wobble? I had a ziess before and it had the wobble, never felt comfortable carrying that lens around. Thus never tried another ziess again.

I love these names - Summilux, Summicron, Distagon and many others I can't spell....

I jumped in at 50mm. Never changed 😊

Great honest review - A serious contender for that 35mm sweet spot. Given the choice between this and the 7Artisans WEN, (both f/1.4) which way would you lean?

I was between this and the FLE and I just couldn’t see myself wanting to carry the Zeiss. Totally agree from an IQ standpoint the Zeiss is amazing, but to me leica is about being compact and wanting to carry it every day. So, I waited for a good deal on an FLE and don’t ever plan to sell it. IQ wise between the 2 it seems like splitting hairs. Ergonomics is another story.

Summilux it’s the ultimate 35mm, no contest. Such a magic lens on compact body

I got the 7 artisan for my Sony after watched your review, I just saw your images , on the “Vs”, zeiss Distagon. I liked the 7 artisan🤷🏻‍♂️. I’m quiet impress with the bokeh and sharpness, there are no onion rings as there are on the Sony version of the distagon, the ones from the 7 artisan are just “clean”, and also sharp enough at 1.4.

By far the best 35mm lens. Zeiss is king. Canon below Panasonic lol

Compare this to the voigtlander 35 apo?

Bonjour. Peut on l'utiliser avec un leica SL2s ou SL2 ?

Voightlander has a 35 f1.2 mark iii now. Better than the last 2 versions with smaller size and less weight

The Sony Zeiss 35 1.4 seems like the same performer to me. I traded it in for the ZM because I wasn't using the Sony system as much, and I started to enjoy manual again.

And Benj, I like the see the clients that complain about chromatic aberration 😅 That might be a couple of the Leica store in Seattle. Would love to hear a story about a couple that complains about this. Most complains I hear of is: you didn’t take a picture of uncle Ben. The Bride looks …. I don’t know …. I guess that any good lens is good for most weddings. The photographer has to perform. And you need to have a plan. But chromatic aberration is mostly noted in fashion and commercial work, where your timing is crucial and the budgets are high. Kind regards Peter ( but I will give it a shoot here in the north of Germany) have a nice time ! 😌

Love the video! Benj can you please please move that Leica from the corner of the table.. I am sweating

you've conviced me 1:20 in to the video and it costs the same as a Leica m6 damn it!

1:58 "Benj in Hoth gear" - careful not to hit that probe droid too hard ;)

I’m just curious, have you ever tried a 50 noctilux at a wedding shoot?

I cannot justify the price of the Zeiss Distagon T* 35mm f/1.4 for the M system because of 2 reasons. The 1st reason is that you can get this lens for other bodies which would be more balanced and cheaper. This is the same lens design as the other Zeiss Distagon lenses for other camera systems. Go look up the Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1.4 ZA for the Sony system. You'll notice that it's the same shape and it's so large that it's almost like the Zeiss Otus. I had that lens for my Sony mirrorless and I loved it for professional work. The Distagon for the Leica is more expensive, and is still large which tells me that they didn't even bother to redesign it to be a good and compact M system lens. (Tokina also manufactures this lens which is the same company that manufactures Voigtlander so why is it more expensive than the Sony version?) The 2nd reason is that this lens is still not perfect even though it's bigger and longer than the Leica 35mm Summilux f/1.4 FLE. I can forgive the price of the Zeiss Distagon if it can compete with the Summilux FLE. Based on the photos that I have seen for this lens, it suffers the same chromatic aberration qualities that I have with my Sony Distagon. My old 35mm Summicron can handle chromatic aberration better than this(though old Summicron has worse flare because it's not ASPH). The reason why the 35mm Summilux FLE and Benj's 50mm Summilux has a commanding price but is still reasonable because it exemplifies the outstanding lens performance of Leica's Summilux lineup while being so compact. They have bleeding edge performance and they know it. That's the reason why I cannot justify paying $2300 for the Zeiss Distagon because I cannot see the value and love for lens craftsmanship in this product given its size and performance, considering that it's available for the Sony bodies with autofocus, better balance and lower price. I assure you the depreciation of this lens alone is already a red flag. I would value this lens at around $1400 brand new. In my opinion, if you have an M-System this should be your buying guide: Budget: Voigtlander, Zeiss (EXCEPT Distagon) You saved up some money: Any Summicron ASPH or Summicron 35mm V4 "Bokeh King" All-in on Leica: Summilux 50mm ASPH or Summilux 35mm FLE Baller/No wife or no children: Noctilux or APO-Summicron Weirdo: Meyer-Optik Gorlitz

Do you shoot weddings on film then? As I see you're shooting the m2

Wow thats zeiss iconic 3d pop

could you also review 50mm planar f2?

Hype mode engaged.

Yeah 35mm Summilux is way smaller than this thing. It's even ok for an every day carry. However it does vignette at 1.4 quite a bit.

Heavy: Canon DREAM LENS 50mm 0.95 Lieca mount pro conversion in JAPAN .... I have FOX lens. go to 35MMC you will see the FOX lens, same Master built mine. Lovely glass. Huge great glass, it is a dream ~

I got a canon EF 35MM F1.4L Mark 1 and the canon EF 50MM F1.2L And my canon EF 85MM F1.8

i have the FLE now and i miss my Distagon which i had to sell.loved that lens

My opinion: Leica rules! Don't get me wrong. Zeiss has good glass too, but in this case, the 35 lux is the preference over the Zeiss competition.

The Voigtlander 35mm 1.4 Nocton is a poor lens I agree. I sold it off. The new 35mm F1.2 Mark iii is entirely different. I is really sharp wide open and smaller and lighter than the Mark II and the Zeiss distagon. Have you thought about shooting with the CL? They are quite affordable used now and I love the colors coming out of mine.

The Distagon is a retrofocus design with a lot of correction to deliver it's superb qualities at that f1.4 aperture. If you understood this, you would not be saying you "wish Zeiss would make a smaller version with the same qualities." You have tried smaller alternatives and declared their shortcomings.

My 35's FE Zeiss 35mm F2 , Canon 35mm F2 LTM , Takumar 35mm 3.5 , Superb Brass ULTRON 35mm 1.7 , and yes ... the Zeiss 35mm 1.4 DISTAGON ...no not done collecting 35's yet. Use on Film and Digital. The ULTRON gives DISTAGON run for money. I prefer the ULTRON for creative and sharpness. Zeiss blows out too fast. Island County ...

Zeiss has more contrast (which personally I don’t like),but Leica has better micro contrast and less flare.Leica has a cinematic look witch I found on Sigma 35 art (but there is no comparison in size and built quality).In quality for size situation Leica is far ahead.

I honestly don't get the size argument when you don't make the same argument of the 50 summilux because it has all the same 'flaws' being of similar size. For me, if ultimate compactness is the priority with decent IQ, i'd get a summicron and be happy. For best IQ at f1.4, this size is a non issue personally. Leica has much larger lenses built for their Ms. Whatever the tradeoffs the IQ of the lens is mind-blowing. I shoot it on the very demanding M10 Monochrom and am constantly blow away with its rending at 1.4 and it clarity stopped down. Exquisite!

It’s all personal opinion, the client never cares about the gear you are using or have used for the shoot! When your product are looking nice in total, they are happy too!

Get the black version, it looks smaller 👍

what's your fav 50mm M mount lens?

35mm has a little distortion unlike eyes. 35mm is normal lens on crop sensor. 50mm is the lens like the eyes see on full frame not 35mm.

If Zeiss would do one thing, which is change the focus tab, which is a ridiculous nub, to something more like the Leica, they’d sell lenses all day long. I own the 35mm Summilux and the 50mm APO Summicron. Both insanely excellent lenses but my all time favorite lens is still the 35mm f2.8 C Biogon. It’s the ultimate compact set up and the rendering, contrast etc are just unbeatable. The ergonomics are awful though. Their tab along with the barrel’s resistance make loving the lens from a use point of view difficult. But you will not get finer images and in terms of bang for the buck you can’t rationalize the Leica pricing.

The answers is a simple NO and not only because of the huge size difference (which is also very important).I don’t have the money to buy the Summilux fle but you bought four lenses!Even if you sell and buy I am sure that at the end you have already spend much money to have the Zeiss than if you bought the Summilux fle from the beginning and now you would have a smaller and better lense with less money.

Im guessing you'll be getting a 35mm lux eventually. Lol

Zeiss is definitely better than Leica, even after acquiring KERN of Switzerland. Tradition!!!

As a working professional who needs the very best and can amortise the cost over an entire career as well as being able to claim the expense against your taxable income, I have no idea why you didn’t get the Summilux rather than wasting your money on cheaper costing under performing overweight knock offs

It’s huuuge

@benjhaisch I bought this when travelling along with an M4 body. Had tested it in store on an M11. It was rock solid in the mount and no movement. On my M4 I realised once back home it was having an issue with a slight bit of movement in the mount. Can Leica replace the lens mount on an M body or adjust it? The lens itself is tack sharp but I find the focus ring very still compared to Leica lenses

When you not CHEAP you need from £500 to as much as £4.000 or so to buy one of these lenses

?

This lens is better on Leica SL2s.

I am not sure how many weddings you are shooting. If you assume the Leica Summilux is 50 $ for rent then I would say that with 60 weddings your in for the lens. And if you shoot 20 weddings a year, then it takes you three years to have the lens for free. Assuming that weddings aren’t your only business, I don’t see the point of not owning the Summilux. If you are a 35 mm shooter and etc. On the other hand the Zeiss is a very nice lens and has its own characteristics. I am just wondering about your calculation. But who am I to ask questions. Just curious. Kind regards peter (and yes I am aware that you need more than a 35 mm to shoot a wedding, but I assume that you are not doing it for free, are you) (2000$ a Wedding I would think which ads up to 120 grand in 3 years. Buys 30 used 35 mm lenses. Even if you take only 1000$ then after 3 years and 5% you have the 3000$. But maybe my math is just pure imagination. For me every lens is an investment in future picture that I could not have done before. 😀

Higher resolution than Leica? Yes. Better than Leica? No. I find Leica 35 Lux has more characters, natural color rendering, and gives more interesting photos (e.g., due to its fireld curvature wide open). Zeiss is too "perfect" in its field curvature and its color rendering is a bit too warm for my taste.

leica it's not better or worse it's leica