Conclusion
The first thing that needs to be said is that due to diffraction f11 already is a limiting aperture on a crop cam such as the EOS 40D. Images tend to lose sharpness when a lens is stopped down further than f8 on an APS sensor cam. Because of that and because of some possible camera shake (long exposure) the f11 results are not really significant for this test.
I chose to provide rankings/conclusions for the following lens attributes:
- contrast
- sharpness
- colour
- bokeh
- ambient light performance
- handling
- overall impression (see it as a final verdict)
Contrast
There are two lenses that boost the difference of the shadows and the highlights and thus give an impression of higher contrast, the Mир-1в and the Asahi Takumar 3.5/35, whereas the two Leica lenses manage it to show much more subtlety in the gradation of the colours. The pictures shot with the Leicas seem, on first sight, not as contrasty but this generates much wider usable dynamics and prevents shadows from drowning and highlights from burning. The Nikkor is placed somewhere in between. So, if you need a lens that, in principle, produce high contrast images, go for the Mир-1в or the Takumar. If you want the finest shades, go for the Leicas. Boosting contrast via post-production is not difficult, saving burned highlights much harder.
Sharpness
- Leica Summicron-R 2.0/35
- Mир-1в 2.8/37
- Asahi Takumar 3.5/35
- Leica Elmarit-R 2.8/35
- Nikkor-O 2.0/35
Colour
All lenses seem to produce very neutral colours, just the Mир-1в and the Elmarit appear to be a little warmer than the others. Which is a little surprise, because Leica lenses are said to cast cooler colours and the old Nikkors have the reputation of being "warm". Well, the table top set up was not professional, so perhaps a significant conclusion cannot be reached here.
Bokeh
This word derivation from Japanese means the optical quality of the blurred parts of the images. Although some people have tried to create a objective description of what "good bokeh" should look like, I think it is generally a very personal impression when somebody gushes about a lens' bokeh.
This is what I think about the bokeh of the tested lenses:
- Leica Elmarit-R 2.8/35
- Nikkor-O 2.0/35
- Leica Summicron-R 2.0/35
- Asahi Takumar 3.5/35
- Mир-1в 2.8/37
Ambient light performance
Now, that's easy, isn't it? The fastest lens wins. No, not at all! Of course, a fast lens has a headstart when talking about available light shooting, but it's better to have an f2.8 lens that can be used with very good results wide open than an f2.0 lens that needs to be stopped down to f4. You see, what I mean?
This is my ranking for ambiant light shootings:
- Leica Summicron-R 2.0/35
- Leica Elmarit-R 2.8/35
- Nikkor-O 2.0/35
- Asahi Takumar 3.5/35 & Mир-1в 2.8/37
Handling
In this section I judge on how these lenses "feel", how they "behave" when mounted to a cam. It's also a rather subjective ranking, because some like a very smooth focus ring, others prefer to turn with a little more force. For me the term "velvety" hits the nail. Apertures changes need to "click in" and the rings must be big enough to feel and use them without looking.
- Leica Elmarit-R 2.8/35
- Leica Summicron-R 2.0/35
- Nikkor-O 2.0/35
- Asahi Takumar 3.5/35
- Mир-1в 2.8/37
Final ranking
- Leica Summicron-R 2.0/35
- Leica Elmarit-R 2.8/35
- Nikkor-O 2.0/35
- Asahi Takumar 3.5/35
- Mир-1в 2.8/37
The "Cron 35" wins this contest with the best overall performance, great handling and a fast aperture. On second place is the Elmarit, closely followed by the pre-AI Nikkor. The Tak finishes on fourth position because it has a tought time against much faster lenses, but if you don't need lens speed and are looking for a very compact lens, the Tak might be the one for you. The Mир-1в is by no means a bad lens. Before I got the other ones, it was the best 35mm wide angle lens I had (and I have always considered it to be a very good one), but the biggest drawback is the suboptimal handling which finally is crucial for being last.