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Lux 35AA


NB23

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At a store in Hong Kong a month ago, I saw three pristine copies for sale, each for about HKD 100k, about USD 13k.

 

I think that even if I could afford it, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it. It's not even about it getting stolen or losing money. It's more about I'd feel somehow ethically compromised damaging a member of an endangered species. If I ever got one it'd have to be a well-used well-worn copy...

 

An enthusiast in China told me he sold a cosmetically poor but optically fine copy for "over 10000 RMB" (but under 20000), so about USD 2000-2500.

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Oops, sorry I misunderstood and tried to stir the pot with rumors about a 35 Apo summicron. 35 lux aspherical (1st version): yes, I own that lens. What do you need to know? LFI had a wrote-up on this lens and Erwin Putts has a good chapter on it in the Leica Compendium. Handmade, about 600 of them. Beautiful lens. Color renders differently than the new version. Slightly warmer.

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I've seen the reviews of this AA lens and a lot of full size pictures and I think that only a fool, a collector or a sheik could spend five times the money of a normal Lux 35 Asph. to buy this lens. The performance is exactly the same. Maybe some hawk eye can spot a difference, but I wonder if it is worth the absurd difference in price.

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At a store in Hong Kong a month ago, I saw three pristine copies for sale, each for about HKD 100k, about USD 13k.

 

I think that even if I could afford it, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it. It's not even about it getting stolen or losing money. It's more about I'd feel somehow ethically compromised damaging a member of an endangered species. If I ever got one it'd have to be a well-used well-worn copy...

 

An enthusiast in China told me he sold a cosmetically poor but optically fine copy for "over 10000 RMB" (but under 20000), so about USD 2000-2500.

 

Are you sure? That's a price at which a cosmetically poor 35 lux asph. would go....

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I've seen the reviews of this AA lens and a lot of full size pictures and I think that only a fool, a collector or a sheik could spend five times the money of a normal Lux 35 Asph. to buy this lens. The performance is exactly the same. Maybe some hawk eye can spot a difference, but I wonder if it is worth the absurd difference in price.

 

IMO, the new cron 50 apo is even more absurd, especially with a 50% cheaper and full stop faster 50 lux asph next to it.

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I had this lens for two years. It was sharper on center than the 'Lux pre-FLE. What I loved most about this lens was its handling: it was marginally thinner than the 'normal' Asph Lux and its focusing ring was serrated, allowing it to be grasped with two fingers. The image quality was superb, and I found no focus shift with it on the M9, crazy as it may sound. Colors were noticeably warmer and the famous bokeh was very nice. It was a joy to use, truly. I sold it when prices reached insane levels for a nice profit and replaced it with the current FLE, of which (this is my second copy) I am very fond

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IMO, the new cron 50 apo is even more absurd, especially with a 50% cheaper and full stop faster 50 lux asph next to it.

 

I personally think the 50 APO is the most "luxury" lens in their lineup. By luxury I mean you really need to stretch your pockets to get that extra bit of performance but it is an amazing lens. It won't be fair to compare it to the lux because its much more clinical than the lux, its similar to what I think people look for in a good cine lens.

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I personally think the 50 APO is the most "luxury" lens in their lineup. By luxury I mean you really need to stretch your pockets to get that extra bit of performance but it is an amazing lens. It won't be fair to compare it to the lux because its much more clinical than the lux, its similar to what I think people look for in a good cine lens.

 

...and in 3 short days, you'll have to stretch a touch further for the 50 APO with an extra $900/€600.

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I personally think the 50 APO is the most "luxury" lens in their lineup. By luxury I mean you really need to stretch your pockets to get that extra bit of performance but it is an amazing lens. It won't be fair to compare it to the lux because its much more clinical than the lux, its similar to what I think people look for in a good cine lens.

 

I was an active Leica user when the 50 lux asph came out. People hated it or loved it because it was too, believe it or not, "clinical". Today it isn't "clinical" anymore?

Just goes to show the mega BS surrounding Leica and how things change fast with newbies entering the game and spread their own uneducated biased "facts" all over the net. Self-proclaimed expert reviewers are playing a negative role, also. I'm pointing at the usual suspects...

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I bought the 35AA many years ago (before the M8 came out) for $1,800 used. I found out what I had when I went to my local dealer to buy a hood for it and the 35 Asph hood didn't fit. It was my first and for a while only Leica lens and I wouldn't part with it unless I really had to.

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I currently have a 11873 aspherical and also a MkIV Summicron, Summaron f2.8 and have used or owned quite a number of Leica 35's

 

The Aspherical is magical it has the ability to create image depth and the feeling of 3D beyond most other Leica lenses, the colouring is marginally less pink than current lenses, which I'm not a fan of, with stronger cooler yellow tones. The bokeh has movement that reminds me of the F1 Noctilux and it is stunningly sharp with a very organic feel.

 

Close range shots have an ability to capture the moment with the bokeh exaggerating this feeling. It's akin to capturing a moving world. I really liked the much underrated replacement the ASPH, but although similar the Aspherical is worth the price difference in some areas.

 

The Summaron MkIV Summicron are special in certain areas, the Asperical is magical, particularly at f1.4

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I currently have a 11873 aspherical and also a MkIV Summicron, Summaron f2.8 and have used or owned quite a number of Leica 35's

 

 

 

The Aspherical is magical it has the ability to create image depth and the feeling of 3D beyond most other Leica lenses, the colouring is marginally less pink than current lenses, which I'm not a fan of, with stronger cooler yellow tones. The bokeh has movement that reminds me of the F1 Noctilux and it is stunningly sharp with a very organic feel.

 

 

 

Close range shots have an ability to capture the moment with the bokeh exaggerating this feeling. It's akin to capturing a moving world. I really liked the much underrated replacement the ASPH, but although similar the Aspherical is worth the price difference in some areas.

 

 

 

The Summaron MkIV Summicron are special in certain areas, the Asperical is magical, particularly at f1.4

 

 

Awesome description!

 

Would you post a sample or two?

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Here's a recent one wide open with the 35AA. I had to pull it from flickr so it is a little compressed, but I think it still shows some of the magic.

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