REVIEWS - Leica 28mm F2.8 PC-Super-Angulon R Lens

OVERVIEW

The Leica 28mm F2.8 PC-Super-Angulon R is a Leica R-mount version of the Schneider Wide Angle 28mm f/2.8 PC Super-Angulon SLR lens. The lenses are identical physically, functionally and optically, with only minor cosmetic differences. They also share the same optical formula as the large format lens, the Schneider-Kreuznach 28mm f/2.8 Digitar L-92º MC.

BUILD QUALITY

My Leica 28mm PC is 27 years old and appears to have held up well over the years. From a mechanical point of view -

• The focus action is light and smooth throughout the range
• The aperture ring clicks cleanly from stop to stop
• There is no play or wobble in the aperture ring
• The lens shifts smoothly and easily
• The lens maintains its shifted position (no drooping)
• There is a detent at 0mm shift, and subtle detents at +/- 9.5mm shift
• The lens easily rotates 360º with soft detents at 45º increments
• The rubber rings appear unoxidized
• The markings are crisp and bright

The lens had a recent service and to the best of my knowledge, it is operating within spec. The only detail that stands out as being "less than" in terms of Leica build quality are the markings, which are are not engraved.

FILTERS AND LENS HOOD

If not using filters, then the included Leica 12540 lens hood is sufficient in most conditions. The Leica 28mm PC is designed to be used with "rimless" filter that lay inside the lens hood. These "rimless" filters are held in place with a retaining ring. Or, B+W 67EW filters can be screwed into the 67mm filter threads. I use a B+W 67-77mm step up ring; its side walls are thin enough to provide clearance for the lens to focus. My typical filter stack with the Leica M10 / M11 Monochroms -

• B+W 67-77mm Step Up Ring
• Sensei 77-105mm Step Up Ring
• B+W 105mm Dark Red Filter
• Heliopan 105mm High Transmission Polarizer
• B+W 970 / 105 Lens Hood

Leica 28mm F2.8 PC-Super-Angulon R Lens with B+W 67-77mm Step Up Ring

Without the lens hood I can shift with impunity. Generally the polarizer works fine, but there can be uneven performance if there are bright surfaces reflecting light at the lens or if sunlight is glancing across the filters.

ADAPTING TO LEICA M BODIES

When it comes to mounting the Leica 28mm PC to a Leica M, there really is only one choice - the Leica R-Adapter M. The Leica R-Adapter M is very strong, but more important is the lens foot. When attached to a L-bracket, the kit can easily flip between portrait and landscape.

HANDLING

Whether a dedicated technical camera or a shift lens on a 35mm type camera, working with lens movements is a methodical. The process with the Leica 28mm PC generally flows like this -

• Place and decide on the tripod height
• Level the Arca Swiss Cube
• Attach the Leica M / 28mm PC kit to the Cube
• Verify the camera kit is level; adjust as needed
• Hold the polarizer to the light to determine its rotation
• Attach polarizer and set to indexed value
• Compose the image
• Set shift to desired amount
• Focus at F2.8
• Set aperture value
• Push down aperture preset lever
• Set Leica M's EC value
• Set Leica M drive mode to 2-second delay
• Decide whether electronic shutter or mechanical shutter (Leica M11)
• Press shutter button
• Iterate composition, focus and EC as needed

The lens can be shifted up to +/- 11mm either vertically or horizontally by rotating the lens; +/- 9.5mm is the recommended maximum shift. Leica's tilt-able EVF is a joy to use vs focusing via the rear screen; though, somewhat awkward when the camera is in portrait orientation.

Some tips - watch the corners for signs of vignetting, try not to shift past 7-8mm and be sure to push down the aperture preset lever. A gear head is not required, but they make the leveling process much easier (than a ballhead).

Lastly, the Leica 28mm PC is a 100% manual lens. That means manual focus and manually stopping down the aperture.

PERFORMANCE

The Leica 28mm PC is best in class amongst a very limited pool of 28mm shift lens candidates. That said, it does not mean the Leica 28mm PC is a "strong" performer -

• Sharpness:  F2.8 can be a bit glowy. Generally I shoot F11 and the corners and edges are okay if shifting within 6-7mm. Starting around 8mm shift, the corners and edges drop off considerably and exhibit moderate smearing. Stopped down sharpness is equal to my 28mm Summilux and better than my 21mm Summilux.
• Contrast:  Compared to Leica's contemporary M-mount primes, like the Leica 28mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH, the Leica 28mm PC has a slightly muted contrast - the deep blacks tones do not have as much "punch" or "pop".
• Chromatic Aberrations:  On the Leica M11, the Leica 28mm PC can show moderate purple / magenta CA in the shift areas. The Leica M11 Monochrom is much more forgiving because CA is just a loss in edge definition and sharpness.
• Distortion:  There is moderate barrel distortion with some mustache waviness mixed in. The Leica 28mm PC is not explicitly supported in Capture One, so I use the Schneider Kreuznach LS 28mm f/4.5 Aspherical preset. In conjunction with the appropriate "Shift x" or "Shift y" adjustment, distortion is reasonably corrected.
• Bokeh:  Since I shoot mostly F11 with the Leica 28mm PC, this is not a lens where I look at the bokeh. I do not recall any shot where the de-focused areas were objectionable in some way.
• Flare:  Shooting into the sun, or with strong light sources just outside the frame, or at an oblique angle relative to the sun or strong light source - the lens will flare, ghost or veil. If shooting 90º to the sun with filters (like I do with the Leica M11 Monochrom), images tend to lose contrast, looking almost IR-like. If the sun is to my back, the lens is much better behaved.

Overall, the Leica 28mm PC is a reasonably good lens if kept within its goldilocks zone - shift within 7mm or less, F8 or F11, focused at mid-range distances and no strong light sources in or just outside the frame.

One of the biggest challenges with the Leica 28mm PC is evening the tones across the frame when shooting with the polarizer and at a right-angle to the sun. The after result shows the tones evened across the frame along with some contrast edits to help "pop" the image -

Before and After Contrast and Tone Edits

To be fair, it is mostly the polarizer that really exacerbates the uneven tones / exposure across the frame. If shooting sans polarizer, this is much, much less of an issue.

Taking that type of a setting to an extreme, the shot below was purposely shot to induce some extreme veiling and flare. To be fair, some of the flare and degradation are due to the filters. Had this been shot in color and some retro '70s film styles applied, the image might work somehow. That said, if shooting into the sun, I would use the Leica 28mm F1.4 Summilux-M ASPH instead.

An Example of the Leica 28mm F2.8 PC-Super-Angulon R's Flare

Lastly, From time to time there are signs of halation - a glow-like effect around really bright items or specular highlights. This could be due filters with the Leica M Monochroms (and not the lens itself).

I often wince when looking at the unedited DNGs, but they clean up in post. Three key factors in post processing - 1) distortion correction is paramount. The Contax 645 35mm has been another good choice in Capture One, and applying Capture One's movement corrections help immensely. 2) Tools like Topaz's AI Sharpen can improve soft edges and corners. 3) Shooting monochrome masks CA issues.

CONCLUSION

Much of this good-lens-bad-lens debate is only germane to Leica M's, and in my case, mostly the Leica M11 Monochrom. For all intents and purposes, the Leica 28mm PC is literally the only shift lens choice in the 28mm focal length, so pontificating over its merits is moot. Meaning, if I want to shoot a 28mm shift lens on the Leica M11 Monochrom, then the Leica 28mm PC is it.

Initially my opinion of the Leica 28mm PC was quite low when I was in that good-lens-bad-lens mindset. Eventually the number of edits accumulated into a decent sample size, and when considering the totality of those outcomes, the Leica 28mm PC did a respectable job. In other words, with time I have mellowed.

There are better performing options, but carrying a true technical camera like the Arca Swiss Rm3di into the field with its entourage is no small feat. Composing, focusing, aligning and capturing images on a technical camera is a deep dive into the minutiae. And then there is the financial cost... In contrast the Leica 28mm PC is pretty darn easy, so it is with that context that I say the Leica 28mm PC is a respectable lens.

Despite the Leica 28mm PC's imperfections and shortcomings, I find myself addicted to it. Maybe someday I will try a dedicated technical camera again, but for now, the Leica 28mm PC gets the job done. A technical camera has a long list of its own challenges and issues, so it is very unlikely I will down the path again any time soon.