Very useful video. Thank you. The Leica 35/1.4 is the best 35mm I have ever used or owned to date. But, I haven't been able to get the APO 35mm even after all this time. It looks like for landscapes, cityscapes, things like that with very small details at near infinity focus, the APO would win hands down for its incredible micro-contrast, even at the edge of the frames, and its total lack of chromic aberrations. For anything else, the f/1.4 performs incredibly well.
Very lucky to see your video. The 35 and 50 APO versions of the lens will have no problem in sharpness. I am more concerned about the performance of purple fringing and flares. It would be better if you can shoot more videos in this area. Thank you very much!
Excellent review.......I have the 50 APO and I know what it can do and with this 35 APO, I will have a complete set........I have it on order and waiting....
Very nice review! I am just not getting why you did not select the Voigtlander 35/2 APO-Lanthar to compare with the new Sumicron 35/2 APO??? That would have made a lot of sense, would not it?
Yes, that's true. Sourcing lens to test and compare is the challenge, either buy myself or borrow from others. I welcome anyone wishing to send me a lens to review to do so.
Thanks for sharing. A very useful comparison. At the end, I think I'll go for the more versatile Summilux. I could find one at 3000€ pre owned, witch is a good deal I think. And I wonder if a Lux 35 couldn't be the universal lens for my M. Will I keep my latest Elmarit 28 + Lux 50 or change for this Lux 35 ?? That's the question !
Specifically which version is your 35 ‘vintage’ Leica? I collect every Cron and love them all, and just got the new APO - of course it’s technically perfect…. Just would love to know which pre-aspheric this one this was?
I think you are more of an expert on the Cron's than I am. From the research that I have done, matching serial numbers, it appears to have been made around 1973-75. That makes it a version 3. Welcome your thoughts.
@@Adventure8 I use a 35mm version 3 summicron on an m6, it hardly gets any fanfare, but i love the fact that’s it’s extremely compact, it’s basically a pancake lens, it certainly can flare, but if you know that, you can get around it. The bokeh also isn’t as nice as the later versions but still good.
Wanted to compliment you on your testing technique. While this specific review is good, it is not a lens that I would consider owning... at $8K. But it has me interested int he rest of your tests..... Technique is the baseline for all lens tests, especially comparative ones like this. Thank you for doing such a splendid job! Frank
Thanks for watching and commenting. It’s great having top notch lenses (comes at a large expense) but I often use also others, vintage, character imperfections etc. It all contributes to creativity.
From personal experience using Voigtlander Nokton 35mm but II (Second) version - the focus shift is almost gone. I need to say that I am shooting mainly film, so take it with grain of salt. But after doing some tests with camera on tripod and going through the apertures, there is no shift on my lens. I know it was a real and big issue on first version of the lens, but second is much better. Cheers :)
What about distortion comparison? Which is the best one out of this group? Distortion is prevalent with sub-50mm focal lengths. This is one reason 50mm wins over 35 mm for me. I use Leica 50 mm APO on 10R Black Paint. 35 mm as focal length is divine. I once said if they ever build a 35 mm APO. Now, that wish is granted, but my question remains. And since distortion is more prevalent at close range, what happens at close focusing? I would love to hear what you have to say about these items.
I love using my 50mm Summilux for portraiture. Actually, great for landscape also. Having said that, its the 35mm focal length I use the most. No distortion in my eyes from 1m to ∞. The APO allows focus as close at 0.3m. Distortion is not noticeable to me, I guess I'm not looking for it. Shots look great at every focus distance. Not sure whether this is helping your decision making.
My choice is the 35 APO and 50 lux. Mainly because of the close focus feature of the 35 APO. If the 50 APO had close focus, it would be harder to decide.
Thanks for watching. The first series of test were at f2, including the Lux, see at time point 3:45 in the video. Then at f4, followed by f16 and then wide open, Cron at f2 and Lux at f1.4 etc hope that helps explain the process.
Thanks for watching and commenting. All the lens performed exactly the same at infinity ∞. Particularly of interest, was the Voigtlander. The change of focus noticed at close focus changing aperture from f1.4 to f5.6 becomes unnoticeable as the subject moves towards ∞. At ∞, all the lens increase in contrast and sharpness closing down one stop or two from wide open. Needless to say, the Leica APO Summicron was the sharpest with the highest contrast wide open. Stopping down one or two stops did reduced vignetting.
Thank you for this very thoughtful comparison. Your wisdom from the years of experience shows well, as do your comments. Thank you. Well done, and much appreciated!
Very useful video. Thank you. The Leica 35/1.4 is the best 35mm I have ever used or owned to date. But, I haven't been able to get the APO 35mm even after all this time. It looks like for landscapes, cityscapes, things like that with very small details at near infinity focus, the APO would win hands down for its incredible micro-contrast, even at the edge of the frames, and its total lack of chromic aberrations. For anything else, the f/1.4 performs incredibly well.
Thanks for sharing! Also, the APO can focus down to 30cm, which extends its versatility. I love using both the f1.4 and the APO.
I would love to see this lens compared to the new Voigtländer 35mm APO. That would be a really interesting test.
Happy to do so one day, just need to get my hands on the Voigtlander 35mm APO
@@Adventure8 I would see it too ;) No comparisons in the Internet ...
Great review, a bokeh comparison would have been a nice addition!
Next time!
really great comparison. Thanks for putting in the effort.
Glad it was helpful!
Very lucky to see your video. The 35 and 50 APO versions of the lens will have no problem in sharpness. I am more concerned about the performance of purple fringing and flares. It would be better if you can shoot more videos in this area. Thank you very much!
Thanks for your suggestions. More video's to come. Will cover the purple fringing and flare as well. Thanks.
Excellent review.......I have the 50 APO and I know what it can do and with this 35 APO, I will have a complete set........I have it on order and waiting....
Good choice! Thanks for watching and commenting. I'll have to put the 50 APO on my shopping list.
Very nice review! I am just not getting why you did not select the Voigtlander 35/2 APO-Lanthar to compare with the new Sumicron 35/2 APO??? That would have made a lot of sense, would not it?
Yes, that's true. Sourcing lens to test and compare is the challenge, either buy myself or borrow from others. I welcome anyone wishing to send me a lens to review to do so.
Thanks for sharing. A very useful comparison. At the end, I think I'll go for the more versatile Summilux. I could find one at 3000€ pre owned, witch is a good deal I think. And I wonder if a Lux 35 couldn't be the universal lens for my M. Will I keep my latest Elmarit 28 + Lux 50 or change for this Lux 35 ?? That's the question !
Good luck with your decision making. Thanks for watching.
Specifically which version is your 35 ‘vintage’ Leica? I collect every Cron and love them all, and just got the new APO - of course it’s technically perfect…. Just would love to know which pre-aspheric this one this was?
I think you are more of an expert on the Cron's than I am. From the research that I have done, matching serial numbers, it appears to have been made around 1973-75. That makes it a version 3. Welcome your thoughts.
@@Adventure8 I use a 35mm version 3 summicron on an m6, it hardly gets any fanfare, but i love the fact that’s it’s extremely compact, it’s basically a pancake lens, it certainly can flare, but if you know that, you can get around it. The bokeh also isn’t as nice as the later versions but still good.
Wanted to compliment you on your testing technique. While this specific review is good, it is not a lens that I would consider owning... at $8K. But it has me interested int he rest of your tests..... Technique is the baseline for all lens tests, especially comparative ones like this.
Thank you for doing such a splendid job!
Frank
Thanks for watching and commenting. It’s great having top notch lenses (comes at a large expense) but I often use also others, vintage, character imperfections etc. It all contributes to creativity.
From personal experience using Voigtlander Nokton 35mm but II (Second) version - the focus shift is almost gone. I need to say that I am shooting mainly film, so take it with grain of salt. But after doing some tests with camera on tripod and going through the apertures, there is no shift on my lens.
I know it was a real and big issue on first version of the lens, but second is much better.
Cheers :)
Thanks for the info on version II. Good to know. Thanks
What about distortion comparison? Which is the best one out of this group? Distortion is prevalent with sub-50mm focal lengths. This is one reason 50mm wins over 35 mm for me. I use Leica 50 mm APO on 10R Black Paint. 35 mm as focal length is divine. I once said if they ever build a 35 mm APO. Now, that wish is granted, but my question remains. And since distortion is more prevalent at close range, what happens at close focusing? I would love to hear what you have to say about these items.
I love using my 50mm Summilux for portraiture. Actually, great for landscape also. Having said that, its the 35mm focal length I use the most. No distortion in my eyes from 1m to ∞. The APO allows focus as close at 0.3m. Distortion is not noticeable to me, I guess I'm not looking for it. Shots look great at every focus distance. Not sure whether this is helping your decision making.
@@Adventure8 it helped me move into the BUY camp! 🙂
@@aamirdurrani5826 Good one ya. Hopefully some of the Amazon links will work for you in the video description. Happy shopping.
Where did you get the lens test chart you are using?
I did a Google search for colour - resolution - photography charts PDF’s. Download what you find and print them out. Hope that helps.
Would you rather have a 35 APO and a 50 lux, or a 35 lux and a 50 APO?
My choice is the 35 APO and 50 lux. Mainly because of the close focus feature of the 35 APO. If the 50 APO had close focus, it would be harder to decide.
You tested the Cron - APO at f2 vs. the Lux at f1.4 … why not at f2 ???
Thanks for watching. The first series of test were at f2, including the Lux, see at time point 3:45 in the video. Then at f4, followed by f16 and then wide open, Cron at f2 and Lux at f1.4 etc hope that helps explain the process.
@@Adventure8 ahhhh…ok 👍
Hi!
In my eyes it would be more interesting how these lenses compare at near infinity, where they will most likely be used in >90% of the time...
Thanks for watching and commenting. All the lens performed exactly the same at infinity ∞. Particularly of interest, was the Voigtlander. The change of focus noticed at close focus changing aperture from f1.4 to f5.6 becomes unnoticeable as the subject moves towards ∞. At ∞, all the lens increase in contrast and sharpness closing down one stop or two from wide open. Needless to say, the Leica APO Summicron was the sharpest with the highest contrast wide open. Stopping down one or two stops did reduced vignetting.
Where are the excellent Voigtländer APO-Lanthar 35mm 2.0 Aspherical Lens which have outstanding optical image quality !?
👍
Test the M APO 35mm against the SL APO 35mm.
One day maybe, for now, I don't have access to the SP APO 35mm. Oh hum.
nice review
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for this very thoughtful comparison. Your wisdom from the years of experience shows well, as do your comments. Thank you. Well done, and much appreciated!
Thank you kindly!
The best is the new Voightlander 50 APO
Keen to test it one day.