How lucky can one be! A couple of days ago I was given a Leica M9 and the brand new Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II) to give them a try. I had 23 hours only before I had to return it. I was sort of relaxed, not anticipating that the upcoming experience would drive me into becoming a lottery maniac. To make a long story short: This combo is my dream combo among everything that’s on the market right now. As you already know I like small cameras, cameras smaller than DSLRs. But I’m also a sharpness fanatic – I admit I seem to have a fetish here. Two years ago I was a big fan of the M8 and the old Summilux – at least up to ISO 160, which was the lowest ISO-setting anyway. As reported in other reviews the M9 betters out the M8 in high ISO-performance. It’s still far away from being fantastic, but it’s better and you can go up to ISO 1.250 and still have usable results without necessarily converting your pictures into black & white to justify the noise. This alone makes the M9 a much more versatile package. The fullframe sensor does the rest. A 35mm lens eventually IS a 35mm.

I always felt I could do 80% of my photographs with a bright 35mm equivalent. So the M9 with the new 35 promised to be a worthwhile experience. I knew, I wouldn’t be able to do a comprehensive review from a 23 hours experience. So this is all about first impressions and an evolving love.

The new Summilux is a little smaller but a little heavier than the old one. Before all it has lost the backfocusing issue of some samples of the old lens. It’s perfectly sharp from f1.4 on. It really shines and its brilliance and its 3D-look are outstanding. The M9 and the new 35 seem to be the perfect match and made for each other. It’s like Adam and Eve and the pictures they provide you with are paradisiac. The ban from paradise is of course the price…

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/750s, f1.4, ISO 160

I’ve used quite a few digital cameras (from my first DSLR to the outstanding Canon 5D Mark II and the Nikon D3s), but I have never seen such a charming image output. Sharpness, detail, brightness, color, brilliance and a 3D-look, everything seems to be as good as it gets these days. Yes, I admit, I’m biased, I’m convinced that this combo can provide you with some of the best images, you’ve ever shot – given that you enjoy the principle of a manual rangefinder camera and the slower work.
You may describe the Summilux in technical terms and I bet it performs great on test charts. But the real sweetness can’t be measured, it just can’t be caught in technical terms, it’s a lens-camera combo that provides you with an experience.
If you’re looking for a digital rangefinder with an outstanding 35mm lens and can afford it, don’t wait a single day more – you’re just wasting opportunities to get great digital pictures. Go for it!

Here are a couple of pictures I shot during my 23 hours adventure – nothing great, just people and things I was passing by. There’s absolutely no vignetting with this lens. If you see some, I added it in PP, since I like it. Click on the images to enlarge.

P.S. If there’s somebody out there, who would like to make me happy, he/she is free to send me an M9 and the Summilux 35…

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/30s, f1.7, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/90s, f3.4, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/350s, f1.4, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/180s, f1.4, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/750s, f1.4, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/1.000s, f1.7, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/1.000s, f1.7, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/3.000s, f1.7, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/180s, f2.0, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/90s, f1.7, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/90s, f1.4, ISO 160

^ 100% Sample: Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/500s, f2.8, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/125s, f2.8, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/250s, f5.7, ISO 160

^ 100% Sample: Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/125s, f2.8, ISO 160

^ Leica M9 with Leica Summilux 35/1.4 Asph (II), 1/750s, f2.0, ISO 160

I hope to be able to test this lens in totally different environments soon: With the Sony Nex-3. Stay tuned!