I was blessed to start Leica M shooting with a pristine, pre-owned Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, in April 2018, actually deciding to buy the lens before I knew which camera I would be acquiring, upon which to use it. The Summilux remains my favorite, the essential creative Leica M lens, as my eyes see it. In July or August 2023, when Cameraquest (in the USA) had a price promotion, I added a Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar, specifically to complement my Summilux. Different optical tools, for different tasks. The Summilux can produce flare, in some conditions, which can be wonderfully creative, but which can sometimes be undesirable. For a “perfect” image, regardless of the angle and location of the bright, merciless Texas sun, there are times I am very glad to have the APO Lanthar.
Somehow almost exactly the same! I bought my first M (a base M10) and a 50 Summilux from Popflash in April 2018. I feel the same about it and the APO, too.
Similar experience. I have an M10R with a VM 50 APO, 50 Summilux (my first Leica lens) and just ordered a VM 28 f1.5 so similar kit. The 50 Lux was my gateway drug and I rented one for a couple of weeks. Loved the output. Agree with you about the Southwest sun!
The combo 28 for the whole scene and 50-lux and 50 for portraits with shallow dof, is a perfect M10 setup. Used that combo in my daughter's wedding - one lens on the camera, and one in the pocket, easy to change.
@@DarrylCarey Elmarit 28 ASPH - a very small and light lens. Perfect when you move around among the people and catch the situations- both the expected and especially the unexpected :-)
The size comparison between the two 50mm lenses at the end of the video was quite an eye opener. Who would prefer the brick instead of the feather to put in one‘s bag?
The Leica SL 50mm f/1.4 Summilux is a very special lens, it belongs to a friend and he only uses it for portraits. Part of the reason I just upgraded to the M11-P and Q3 is for a work trip to Taiwan / Hong Kong in a few weeks, the plan is to have a light setup I’m happy to carry all day. Thats one of the best parts of using a Leica M Digital camera, light and compact.
I started with this lens on my m11. Love it. Bought a summilux and I am underwhelmed trying to decide if i want to return it. Hard to focus with the FLE and tab and a lot of CA, soft corners. Didn’t expect that from all the reviews. ( I also shoot SL2-2 with Apo-SL 35,50,90 ) To my eyes there are a lot of SL mount lenses better than the Summilux-M. But the Voigtlander Apo’s are just fantastic compared to any glass.
The VC 50 apo is my best performing lens I own despite owning a bunch of Leica glass. I have to say that I was expecting it to be good, but not THAT good. On my m246 I feel like it gives me tonality that beats my hasselblad 500cm with FP4. I didn’t think that was possible at such a small format. There’s a guy named Brian Sweeney I believe who is a vintage Sonnar guy and he was talking about how an APO lens was MORE important in a BW than it is color. He’s smarter than me but it had something to do with how light rays work on BW vs color.
Really miss my M246, was something very special about that B&W sensor. After using the Voigtlander 50mm APO on the M11-P, looking forward to using the lens on my Leica MP and some Tri-X. Thanks for the info on Brian Sweeney, will try and find the article 😁
A filter can cover the shiny ring. If filter glass is not desirable, a step-up ring will ring will cover the shiny part, while also serving to protect the lens from dings and dents. Heliopan makes wonderful black-coated brass step-up rings.
Nice! I also like to shoot with wide angle lenses (i have a 28mm and 35mm lens on my canon f1n) but my fd 50mm 1.4 is also a very nice lens especially when the light is fading and I want to shoot some film.
Darryl, we are family brother. All of the Voigtländer APO lenses are the truth. I would say they're better than the Leica lenses in terms of performance and bang for the buck. My Leica M10-R kit comprises of the VM 28mm f2 Ultron, 35mm f2 APO-Lanther, the 50mm f2 APO-Lanther and the 90mm f2.8 APO-Skopar. Don't know if you've tried any of these.other.lenses but they all perform to perfect for a fraction of the cost of the Leica lenses. Check out the 35mm and the 90mm if you haven't already. You can't go wrong with any of these lenses. Try the on the LUMIX S5II as well. I have that kit for portrait shoots with those lenses and I love them.
@@DarrylCareyyup, the 90 and the 75 are amazing, although 75 can be considered softer than the apo Vm series. Butttt way cheaper than any Leica alternatives. I use the whole apo series and 75 occasionally for portraits. 90 apo can be at times too sharp - also has a vignette
Currently thinking about adding a 50, but can't decide between Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO and the new summulix, which focus down to 0,45. Would probably go with the Voigtlander, if it would have the sam minimum focus distance.
Thats the main reason I have the Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux (Close Focusing), the Voigtlander is an amazing lens for the money. I have done a video on the Leica 50mm Summilux 😉
also i been following your chnale since the s1 era was wondering if you still had the panasonic 50mm 1.4 if so i would love to see a battle of the 50s with the pan and the sigma and the apo@@DarrylCarey
Hi Tony, not had any freezing issues with the M11-P. It did happen a couple of times on my M10-P but then I switched to better SD cards and then it never happened again. I'm using the same cards with the M11-P. The cards I use are Panasonic V90 and Angelbird V90,
@@SavedbybGrace Just been reading about the issues with the M11 and M11-P, did not know it was that bad. I have been lucky with my M11-P, lets hope Leica have a fix soon.
Darryl, great video. Have you had the chance to try the Voigtlander Nokotn 50mm F1.5? I am looking to pick one up for my M11-P and currently do not have the budget to consider the Leica Summilux F1.4. I've also heard that the Summicron F2 can be a good entry point for Leica 50mm. The local distributor is offering a 24 month interest free installment plan for that lens.
I have a Summilux 50 and this 50Apo. I agree, the vm apo Lanthar is amazing. The 50 lux stays near my m10m with an orange filter. The apo stays with my m10r.
@@JonathanRobsonPhoto You are right 🤣 Was looking at the lens the other day and was wondering where I had seen the coloured stripes before, it was on the old colour TV’s … That was a big thing back then, as most people had B&W TV’s 😂
no doubt lens performs great especially considering that it cost as two leoica hoods for 50lux black chrome . moreover I bet it as almost as good as 90per cent of 50apo image quality . on the other hand its ugly , it feels cheap , its a lot bigger than 50apo and of course its asian lens not German . here lays the gap in 9000usd between this 900usd and 10000usd 50apo ( tax included) . its like Porsche 911 and Mazda - both are cars same task . yet one is visual and tactile feast and another one is just transportation means . cheers @georges_angeles
Would love to see a comparison between this lens and the Leica 50 SL APO
I was blessed to start Leica M shooting with a pristine, pre-owned Summilux-M 50mm ASPH, in April 2018, actually deciding to buy the lens before I knew which camera I would be acquiring, upon which to use it. The Summilux remains my favorite, the essential creative Leica M lens, as my eyes see it. In July or August 2023, when Cameraquest (in the USA) had a price promotion, I added a Voigtlander 50mm APO Lanthar, specifically to complement my Summilux. Different optical tools, for different tasks. The Summilux can produce flare, in some conditions, which can be wonderfully creative, but which can sometimes be undesirable. For a “perfect” image, regardless of the angle and location of the bright, merciless Texas sun, there are times I am very glad to have the APO Lanthar.
Somehow almost exactly the same! I bought my first M (a base M10) and a 50 Summilux from Popflash in April 2018. I feel the same about it and the APO, too.
Similar experience. I have an M10R with a VM 50 APO, 50 Summilux (my first Leica lens) and just ordered a VM 28 f1.5 so similar kit. The 50 Lux was my gateway drug and I rented one for a couple of weeks. Loved the output. Agree with you about the Southwest sun!
The combo 28 for the whole scene and 50-lux and 50 for portraits with shallow dof, is a perfect M10 setup. Used that combo in my daughter's wedding - one lens on the camera, and one in the pocket, easy to change.
That is such a nice light setup, which 28mm are you using?
@@DarrylCarey Elmarit 28 ASPH - a very small and light lens. Perfect when you move around among the people and catch the situations- both the expected and especially the unexpected :-)
The size comparison between the two 50mm lenses at the end of the video was quite an eye opener. Who would prefer the brick instead of the feather to put in one‘s bag?
The Leica SL 50mm f/1.4 Summilux is a very special lens, it belongs to a friend and he only uses it for portraits. Part of the reason I just upgraded to the M11-P and Q3 is for a work trip to Taiwan / Hong Kong in a few weeks, the plan is to have a light setup I’m happy to carry all day. Thats one of the best parts of using a Leica M Digital camera, light and compact.
I started with this lens on my m11. Love it. Bought a summilux and I am underwhelmed trying to decide if i want to return it. Hard to focus with the FLE and tab and a lot of CA, soft corners. Didn’t expect that from all the reviews. ( I also shoot SL2-2 with Apo-SL 35,50,90 ) To my eyes there are a lot of SL mount lenses better than the Summilux-M. But the Voigtlander Apo’s are just fantastic compared to any glass.
The VC 50 apo is my best performing lens I own despite owning a bunch of Leica glass. I have to say that I was expecting it to be good, but not THAT good. On my m246 I feel like it gives me tonality that beats my hasselblad 500cm with FP4. I didn’t think that was possible at such a small format. There’s a guy named Brian Sweeney I believe who is a vintage Sonnar guy and he was talking about how an APO lens was MORE important in a BW than it is color. He’s smarter than me but it had something to do with how light rays work on BW vs color.
Really miss my M246, was something very special about that B&W sensor. After using the Voigtlander 50mm APO on the M11-P, looking forward to using the lens on my Leica MP and some Tri-X. Thanks for the info on Brian Sweeney, will try and find the article 😁
@@DarrylCarey I agree on the 246. I don’t know why but the files are moody to me. Cant explain it.
@@ccoppola82 I think that is why I never really contented with the Q2 Monochrom, its a really nice camera but the M246 just had that something better.
A filter can cover the shiny ring. If filter glass is not desirable, a step-up ring will ring will cover the shiny part, while also serving to protect the lens from dings and dents. Heliopan makes wonderful black-coated brass step-up rings.
Will see if I can find a step-up right for a 49mm filter tread in NZ and see how it goes.
Nice!
I also like to shoot with wide angle lenses (i have a 28mm and 35mm lens on my canon f1n) but my fd 50mm 1.4 is also a very nice lens especially when the light is fading and I want to shoot some film.
I had a chance to test a set of FD lenses which had been converted for Cine on my RED V-Raptor, beautiful lenses with a nice vintage look.
Darryl, we are family brother. All of the Voigtländer APO lenses are the truth. I would say they're better than the Leica lenses in terms of performance and bang for the buck.
My Leica M10-R kit comprises of the VM 28mm f2 Ultron, 35mm f2 APO-Lanther, the 50mm f2 APO-Lanther and the 90mm f2.8 APO-Skopar.
Don't know if you've tried any of these.other.lenses but they all perform to perfect for a fraction of the cost of the Leica lenses.
Check out the 35mm and the 90mm if you haven't already. You can't go wrong with any of these lenses. Try the on the LUMIX S5II as well. I have that kit for portrait shoots with those lenses and I love them.
The Voigtlander 35mm f/2 APO is next on my list, not sure about a 90mm. Have you tried the Voigtlander 75mm f/1.5?
@@DarrylCareyyup, the 90 and the 75 are amazing, although 75 can be considered softer than the apo Vm series. Butttt way cheaper than any Leica alternatives. I use the whole apo series and 75 occasionally for portraits. 90 apo can be at times too sharp - also has a vignette
How about masking tape to cover shiny parts?
Will have to see if I can find some black masking tape in NZ, someone else recommended a step-up. Will have to see which one works best.
Currently thinking about adding a 50, but can't decide between Voigtlander 50mm f/2 APO and the new summulix, which focus down to 0,45. Would probably go with the Voigtlander, if it would have the sam minimum focus distance.
Thats the main reason I have the Leica 50mm f/1.4 Summilux (Close Focusing), the Voigtlander is an amazing lens for the money. I have done a video on the Leica 50mm Summilux 😉
The filter reducer can be mounted on the lens, 49-52mm, this makes the shiny ring disappear.
you have the best set up right now m11-p and sl2-s !! i own the same but m10-p and sl2-s with the el 24-70 2.8 i want to get athe sl50 apo next
How do you find the 24-70mm ? The SL 50 f/2 APO is the way to go, the 50mm Summilux is just way to big
also i been following your chnale since the s1 era was wondering if you still had the panasonic 50mm 1.4 if so i would love to see a battle of the 50s with the pan and the sigma and the apo@@DarrylCarey
Have you encountered any intermittent freezing issues on your M11-P
Hi Tony, not had any freezing issues with the M11-P. It did happen a couple of times on my M10-P but then I switched to better SD cards and then it never happened again. I'm using the same cards with the M11-P. The cards I use are Panasonic V90 and Angelbird V90,
I have. Twice in the 2 weeks of owning it. No big deal. I was surprised though. Thought they'd be all over that by now.
@@SavedbybGrace Just been reading about the issues with the M11 and M11-P, did not know it was that bad. I have been lucky with my M11-P, lets hope Leica have a fix soon.
Great photos
Darryl, great video. Have you had the chance to try the Voigtlander Nokotn 50mm F1.5? I am looking to pick one up for my M11-P and currently do not have the budget to consider the Leica Summilux F1.4. I've also heard that the Summicron F2 can be a good entry point for Leica 50mm. The local distributor is offering a 24 month interest free installment plan for that lens.
Always loved voigtlander glass. My M4 sports the 35 2.5 and my Nikon sports the 58 1.4
The Voigtländer lenses are crazy good. If you have the chance, try out the Voitländer Heliar 50mm f/3.5. It performs stunningly with great colors.
Hi Peter, thanks for the recommendation on the voigtlander Heliar 50mm, will see if I can find one in NZ
I have a Summilux 50 and this 50Apo. I agree, the vm apo Lanthar is amazing. The 50 lux stays near my m10m with an orange filter. The apo stays with my m10r.
Mr Leica said he used a step up ring to get rid of the silver. I don’t own this lens so I don’t know for certain.
Someone else also recommended this idea, will have to get a 49mm step-up ring and test it… 😉
Great lens! What do you think in comparison with voigtlander 50mm 1.2 vm? They cost quite the same..
I 100% agree with point 1 of it being too good. It has stopped me looking at any other 50mm lenses.
I don’t like the 3 coloured stripes at the front of the lens 😂
This is exactly what stops me from purchasing the lens, reminds me of a 1980s television
@@JonathanRobsonPhoto Loeweopta
I have to say I like the coloured stripes, something a little different. Plus you can always put a little bit black tape over the stripes 😉
@@JonathanRobsonPhoto You are right 🤣 Was looking at the lens the other day and was wondering where I had seen the coloured stripes before, it was on the old colour TV’s … That was a big thing back then, as most people had B&W TV’s 😂
@@DarrylCarey ha ha, you see, I can’t get past that when I see this lens… and now neither can you 🤣
I'll stick with my Summilux..I know a lot of people who shoot their VL..
It's a miracle. Bokeh doesn't do it for me, though.
Yes bokeh is a very personal choice and it does also depend on the back ground. Do you have a fav lens for bokeh?
@@DarrylCarey for 50mm, the Summilux is still tops of what I own (n=6). The TTArtisan 50/1.4 would be second place.
Cosina
no doubt lens performs great especially considering that it cost as two leoica hoods for 50lux black chrome . moreover I bet it as almost as good as 90per cent of 50apo image quality . on the other hand its ugly , it feels cheap , its a lot bigger than 50apo and of course its asian lens not German . here lays the gap in 9000usd between this 900usd and 10000usd 50apo ( tax included) . its like Porsche 911 and Mazda - both are cars same task . yet one is visual and tactile feast and another one is just transportation means .
cheers @georges_angeles
Thanks for comment, if money is no question then the Leica is best. The Voigtlander 50mm APO is a very affordable alternative for most people 😀