What will be the next lens to get APO?

[algrove]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

Will it be the 35FLE, the 50 Noctilux? We now have 135, 90, 75 and the new 50. So I wonder what focal length is the most likely next candidate and why.

[Advertisement]

The Leica Q3 is available for pre-order at B&H Photo Video and Adorama

[kokoshawnuff]

While the current summicron 35 asph is a great and very popular lens, it's a 15 year old design and perhaps 'due' for an upgrade.

[StephenPatterson]

While the current summicron 35 asph is a great and very popular lens, it's a 15 year old design and perhaps 'due' for an upgrade.

 

+1

[lars_bergquist]

The 35mm Summicron (1996) is indeed the next oldest lens in the M stable, next to the 'non-APO' 50mm Summicron (1979) which is clearly on the way out. Next in line is the 28mm Summicron (2000). It is still a great lens, but it does need a modernized, more robust mount and the opportunity will then be tasken to update the optics too.

 

The old man from Mandler Days

[IWC Doppel]

Although the 35 asph is a very good lens, it is for me a little 'flat' in comparison to other 35's. A 35 APO to fit in with the 50 is the obvious next step. But I bet it will get near Noctilux price !

[Ulrik]

If the old Summicron 50 is on the way out, the basic camera kit (body + 2/50) will be quite expensive. Are you sure it will go? Or will the Summarit take its place?

 

Ulrik

[masjah]

Advertisement (gone after registration)

I don't really understand this APO business; I know what APO is supposed to mean, but chromatic aberration becomes less of a design problem the shorter the focal length of the lens (as distinct from spherical aberration of course). There must come a point when all half-decently designed wider lenses are de facto APO anyway; I suspect that below 50 is it! So just label the lenses thus, and charge double!

[Double Negative]

Let's not give them any ideas, John.

[IWC Doppel]

APO is the new Aspherical in marketing terms and lens labels I suspect. It reminds me of Hifi in the 80's, a badge of differentiation. Looking at the MTF's and pictures I took with the 50, it could/should be labelled UHC (Ultra high contrast), UHR (Ultra high resolution), FFFC (Full frame fifty% Contrast) or something else...... Like a 35 summicron !

 

I think the 35 'APO' will be all about the MTF curves and looking to stay over the 50% mark at F2

[algrove]

Could a new 40 APO be in the cards? The old ones were nice. Guess if they were to do that they could not get 35 AND 50 sales to the same customers though.

[IWC Doppel]

By the way the stunning MTF curves branded around don't show APO performance at all !

[farnz]

To second John, you'd be unlikely to see any difference in a focal length below 50 mm and since Leica's M range already includes APO lenses at 50, 75, 90, and 135. It's difficult to conceive new APO's appearing unless there was a desire to update the 90 Macro-Elmar or 50 Elmar (assuming that the Summarit range would be left alone to maintain its pricing structure).

 

Pete.

[algrove]

I don't really understand this APO business; I know what APO is supposed to mean, but chromatic aberration becomes less of a design problem the shorter the focal length of the lens (as distinct from spherical aberration of course). There must come a point when all half-decently designed wider lenses are de facto APO anyway; I suspect that below 50 is it! So just label the lenses thus, and charge double!

 

Let's hope it is not only due to the Blackstone "effect".

[darylgo]

New 75mm f1.4 Apo Aspherical , 40 line mtf above 85, straight across with no deviation of tangential and sagital.

 

Introduction: Photokina 2012.

 

Availability: When the cows come home.

 

Price: Scary.

 

And the new M10 announced along with it with have apo microlenses for added sharpness.

[Hosermage]

I've read somewhere that the 50 'Lux ASPH is actually APO, but peter karbe felt silly to market the lens as such since it's already a 50mm lens. I don't know what changed his mind when releasing the new APO summicron, but I suspect there are some truths in what you say.

 

 

I don't really understand this APO business; I know what APO is supposed to mean, but chromatic aberration becomes less of a design problem the shorter the focal length of the lens (as distinct from spherical aberration of course). There must come a point when all half-decently designed wider lenses are de facto APO anyway; I suspect that below 50 is it! So just label the lenses thus, and charge double!

[wattsy]

APO is the new Aspherical in marketing terms and lens labels I suspect.

 

Yes, agreed. I don't remember much fuss being made about the APO designation of the 75 Summicron when it was introduced (but then that lens was priced in line with the rest of the range). I suspect the fact that the APO 50 Summicron costs £5400 has something to do with the current fascination and excitement about whether a lens is APO or not.

[algrove]

To me the proof is in the pudding. I have been VERY impressed with the 90 APO shots that I have made. Cannot say with the 75/2 or 50/1.4 which I just received within a matter of weeks of each other and thus cannot attest to their sharpness like I can with my 90 APO. Just look at Jono Slack's fisherman shot done with a 75/2 and one can see the potential this lens has. Now is all I have to do is nail my shots like Jono can do.

 

The pros who got to use the new 50 APO seemed to very much like the results of this lens when compared to their experiences over their shooting careers. I do not want to believe they were only spinning their comments for Leica's benefit and/or their receiving new pre production models sometime in the future. IMHO, Leica makes the best glass and endeavors to continue to do so.

[lars_bergquist]

In principle, any lens can benefit from apochromatic correction. Wide angles, if normally well corrected, do not exhibit much longitudinal CA, but they can show a bit of the lateral version.

 

There exists no agreed standard that says how well colour corrected a lens must be in order to deserve the 'apo' designation. Originally, with microscope optics, blue, green and red had to coincide only the optical axis only, which was enough for traditional visual microscopy; you could always push the object glass around a bit to move the detail you wanted to study into the middle of the field. Obviously, photography demands more than that. How much more? Leica seems to have their own fairly stringent standards, but they have not published them, as far as I know. I do sincerely doubt however that even they could make a superwide lens satisfy them.

 

MTF values are measured, or computed, in 'white' light, i.e. wide spectrum light balanced so that it appears non-colored. So the effects of chromatic aberrations are included in the result. The 135mm Tele-Elmar as compared to the Apo-Telyt does not seem very inferior. With a focal length as this, your ability to focus the lens and to hold it will have vastly greater influence on the final definition of the image than the apochromatic correction of the newer lens. The Tele-Elmar is after all no slouch when it comes to colour correction. The reason why I prefer the Apo-Telyt is really that is 100 grams lighter.

 

The shot below was done with the Apo-Telyt at 5.6 but I do not think it would have been less sharp with the Tele-Elmar at the same f-stop. Wide open it would have been a matter of focusing precision with both lenses.

 

The old man from the Kodapochrome Age

Welcome, dear visitor! As registered member you'd see an image here…

Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

[Advertisement]

Hallo,

Look here: Interesting Leica gear

[algrove]

Nice shot Lars. Do you recall the shutter speed and ISO?

 

Further to my #18 post, I have had some very nice 135 shots, but have to admit most occurred after getting the Walter Eye Piece.

[luigi bertolotti]

To say it plain, Leica has not much room to "feed" the line of traditional M lenses :

 

- on the WA side they have double played hard with the Summilux (and a Summilux 28 imho is difficult to engineer in respect to the Viewfinder frame) ; 18 is very well served... there is room for a 14-15 but sticking of course with external VF... to me is difficult to imagine a 35 f2 better than the current asph, so there is room just to double the Summicron AA biz with an indecently priced gem.

- Nothing on the 50 side

- 3 tele focals with a fine Macro and a superb 135 which anyway (I think) makes small numbers.... what else, what more ? ok, let's concede that a new Summilux 75 can find a role.

 

So, I think that, to have a good medium-term perspective for the very lucrative lenses' business, something on the cameras' side is mandatory for them :

 

- With a "M10" that allows liveview and, in case, a good accessory EVF there would be room for teles, macro and "odd" focals like 40 or 80, or Macro 100...

- IF they are so smart to make the prospected "CSC APS" in such a way that it gains a certain aura of excellence, this could me one more opportunity to build, in due time, a series of top-of-the-line lenses accordingly priced... , but if it will result to be too "normal" it will be difficult to play hard (in terms of price) on the lenses'side.

 

We'll see... by sure, a traditional Leica customer like me at the moment is not in a "how I whish they make..." attitude... for any focal in the traditional range, I can surely find, new or used, any item I can imagine, be it for real "need" or trivial GAS...