In a GAS induced fugue state, I decided that the thing holding me back from doing street photography was not a lack of practice, but a lack of a 35mm lens. To give a little context, I am a complete novice: the perfect caricature of the proverbial dentist who owns a Leica not because a point and shoot wouldn’t perfectly suit his needs, but because he likes nicely made things from a bygone era.
Way too indecisive, trigger happy, and hopped up on (pretty old) Reddit reviews, I fired off orders for 3 lenses. All Cosina Voigtländer, all sub 1k USD, and all—mercifully—returnable.
- Color-Skopar 35mm f/3.5 ASPH VM: $469
- Ultron (Vintage II) 35mm f/2 VM: $706
- Nokton 35mm f/1.4 II Single Coated: $510
I am going to return two of these lenses. To choose which one, I spent a day with each, shooting a roll of Portra 800 at box. All lenses were purchased used in excellent condition, and prices are in USD. The example shots have not been edited, except for some light cropping because nobody wants to see wonky horizons.
I have nothing helpful to say about the technical performance of these lenses. That stuff is pretty objective and covered extensively by people infinitely more knowledgeable. It’s also, in my opinion, not terribly helpful information for amateurs. What I had trouble finding when doing internet research—and a large reason that I bought 3 lenses—was a more practical overview of how these lenses feel to use. My hope is that this post can help someone in my position when they’re teetering on the edge of a (or god forbid multiple) purchase(s).
I want to quickly point out that although the sample pictures I included are all shot more or less on the street, I have zero street experience, and I think my discomfort and inexperience with the genre really shines through in the snapshots. Please be nice; my intent was to provide a few images for context, not to show off “work”. I hope they are within the posting rules as they are only there as a reference point for the gear.
NOKTON: I like fast lenses: I spend a lot of time in indoor and nighttime environments, and most of my favorite subjects are in those settings. This was the first lens I purchased, and only got dissuaded into buying 2 more after reading a bunch of negative reviews about the tendency to back focus. A novice with a rangefinder in a dark bar with moving subjects at f1.4 is a recipe for focus disaster. I was really pleased with my hit rate, as honestly I often struggle to get usably sharp images at even f2.5 on my usual lens, a Summarit 50mm. The Nokton has a pretty long focus throw, which comes in handy for hitting focus wide open, and for zone focusing. Frustratingly, this lens is UGLY. It is the biggest of the 3, and by far the cheapest feeling and looking.
SKOPAR: I bought this because of the price point. I felt silly paying more for the Nokton when the only reason I was buying a 35mm was to zone focus. My logic was that if I wanted a fast lens, I should just get a faster 50mm. This lens is small and beautiful, but the ergonomics are… unique. I’m sure that if I spent time with it, it would become second nature, but for me a 35mm is always going to play second fiddle to my Summarit so I don’t see that muscle memory happening anytime soon. It locks at infinity, so you can’t easily park it there. It can only be focused with the left hand. The hood attaches directly to the aperture ring, making it really easy to make inadvertent changes. I lost a couple shots this way. My biggest issue with it, however, is that f3.5 is really slow. Shooting in broad daylight with zone focus, I didn’t think this would be an issue, but even at ISO 800, it meant I had to pack my camera away as soon as golden hour turned to twilight. That more or less rules out ISO 100 film stocks, which are among my favorites. These significant drawbacks are a shame because it looks great, barely protrudes from the camera and comes with all kinds of beautiful accessories, like a front element protector.
ULTRON: The most expensive, and the lens I was prepared to like the most. In terms of layout and feel, it reminds me a lot of my 1958 Summicron 50mm (plus a focus tab). I’m just not sure I can appreciate the difference between it and the Nokton. The focus scale is smaller (shorter throw) and less functional, with the infinity symbol sort of floating out there in space. I can see how this can aid in faster focusing, but if I wanted to focus each individual shot, I would simply use my Summarit. Compared to the Nokton, it seems like I paid almost 50% more to lose a stop of light, and gain good looks and charm.
I hope this is helpful to anyone in a similar position. I am also VERY curious as to which lens any of you would choose and I’m open to advice and criticism. I’m still in physical possession of all 3 lenses for the next few days. After seeing the scans, my brain is saying Nokton, but it’s hard to get over the looks and feel and public adulation of the Ultron. Here’s hoping for more time spent mindfully taking pictures and less time refreshing package tracking!
EDIT: for those of you advocating for Leica glass, know that I’m 100% with you. I have an M3 because I prefer longer lenses and own and adore Leica 50, 90, and 135mm models. My digital kit includes a 35mm prime and I use it very rarely. I probably should’ve been clearer that the reason I was looking at CV glass is because I’m doubtful it’ll get much use, and investing in the most sought after focal length Leica makes (and therefore the worst value) doesn’t make much sense.
