Sharpest M Lenses

[JTLeica]

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Hi chaps,

 

I have a lovely little set of lenses now (mostly summilux's) but I think I would like to buy a smaller set that I can use purely for landscapes when I go hiking, walking in places like Norway, Iceland, New Zealand etc. I never normally care for 'sharpness' over other attributes but for this application I think I do.

 

I have the following lenses that I feel will work well for this already.

 

21mm SE

28mm Elmarit ASPH II

35mm Lux APSH non FLE - Possibly not ideal?

50mm Summilux ASPH - Possibly not ideal? Is the 50 cron sharper?

75mm Lux - Not ideal

90mm Cron ASPH - Probably perfect sharpness, just heavy.

 

So what are your thoughts?

 

What is the general consensus on sharpest lenses? I guess I'd be interested in 35-50-75-90. But maybe I have all I need?

 

Cheers

 

[SiggiGun]

24elmar

35lux

50apo

90macro

 

 

Envoyé de mon iPhone en utilisant Tapatalk

[BJohn]

That's a difficult question to answer because which lens to pick depends a lot on your style of photography. I do a lot of landscape photography with the SL50. It is up to you to frame your sight and hence, apply the boundaries to your vision. I also love to use the SL28 (just because I only have these two lenses).

 

If you stop down a little (like to F5.6-F8) corner sharpness is not a problem (nearly) with any lens.

 

The SE21 is probably the most used one regarding sharpness and distortion for landscape / architecture, so I would go with this lens and add the SL50 to my set. If you want a tele, just pick your SC90 as well.

 

I compared not between my two lenses (SL28 & SL50) but between other gear (Nikon, Fuji) from my "ancient" days and my M10 + SL50. The sharpness with the M10 + SL50 is magnificent.

 

But again: I think it depends more on your style of photography than the sharpness or corner performance because you can easily stop down for landscape.

 

Cheers!

Edited April 11, 2018 by BJohn

[a.noctilux]

Hi chaps,

 

I have a lovely little set of lenses now (mostly summilux's) but I think I would like to buy a smaller set that I can use purely for landscapes when I go hiking, walking in places like Norway, Iceland, New Zealand etc. I never normally care for 'sharpness' over other attributes but for this application I think I do.

 

...

 

What is the general consensus on sharpest lenses? I guess I'd be interested in 35-50-75-90. But maybe I have all I need?

 

Cheers

 

You are "thingking of" Summarit-M lens line :

35 - 50 - 75 - 90

 

You could try them all for Apo 50 pricing .

 

Not prestige lenses, but very "sharp" close down to 5.6/8/11 and way lighter than most.

 

Arnaud

[mmradman]

Assuming you also use filters having all lens sharing common size would be desirable.

 

My ideal lightweight 3 lens set sharing E39 lens thread would be:-

 

1. Elmarit 28mm ASPH Mk 2

2. APO Summicron 50mm

3. Macro Elmar 90mm   

 

If you want to add 35mm FL Summicron 35mm ASPH fits in.

 

One of my 3-lens sets is made up of Summilux 28mm [E49], APO Summicron 50mm [E39] and APO Sumicron 90mm [E55]   When shooting with M246 I usually carry one big B+W filter box with Orange filters in 39, 46, 49 & 55mm.  E46 fits either SEM 21mm or Summilux 35mm ASPH or Summilux 50mm ASPH.

[Anika]

 

 

I compared not between my two lenses (SL28 & SL50)

 

 

as long you have both, would you suggest them as a good match? for just two lens kit?

[Jon Warwick]

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50mm APO Summicron benefits from edge to edge sharpness and no field curvature, compared to my 50mm Summicron v5 (the latter needs to be stopped down to f8+ to get a landscape’s edges fully sharp). This makes a large difference to me.

 

Resolution, however, in terms of fine detail looks very similar between the APO and non-APO Summicrons on a 24mp colour camera, no major difference between the two - the M240 or M10 isn’t high enough megapixel to see the difference.

 

In contrast, the Monochrom cameras allow the resolution benefit of the APO to come out in full force. M246 + APO produces a level of detail and “bite” that I simply do not get from my M240 for large prints.

 

Acuity (ie, edge sharpness) in all instances is notably higher off the APO, and colours and overall contrast more striking off the APO than off the regular 50 Summicron - less sharpening needed in post for sure. This is more what makes the 50 APO appear “sharp” on the low megapixel Leica colour cameras IMHO.

 

My feel is that the prime lenses of the SL (new 75mm and 90mm) are noticeably the sharpest lenses of the lot for both resolution and acuity, but that’s a moot point .....

[BJohn]

as long you have both, would you suggest them as a good match? for just two lens kit?

 

Uff, I think that depends heavily on your preferences. What I hear the most is, that especially the SL28 is way too heavy and blocks too much of the viewfinder. Compared to other gear I had, I think the weight is okay. For me, it feels right and I don't mind the viewfinder blockage.

 

There maybe better lenses for pure landscape purpose, but as I mainly shot while traveling: I love the low-light capabilities with this kit and also the bokeh of the SL28 for environmental portraits. Every shot I take with the SL28 creates goosebumps.

 

And I am not a fan of having both, the SL and the SC28 (or something like that). I tended towards overthinking which lens to take. After the decision (to fully switch to Leica) was made I decided to only buy two lenses.

[Anika]

After the decision (to fully switch to Leica) was made I decided to only buy two lenses.

 

 

I am going to get one tomorrow.... SL50 & SL28 would be my set for the M10

[BJohn]

I am going to get one tomorrow.... SL50 & SL28 would be my set for the M10

 

It is a marvellous set! Sometimes I think about getting the APO50 and selling the SL50...but not sure about this step.

[Ko.Fe.]

Digitally it is more about sensor than lens. I had dirt cheap zoom lenses sharp on digital. Awful colors, but sharp. 

I have nine dollars Industar 61 giving very sharp images, but dull colors.

 

To me sharpness is something real then I see it on large darkroom prints. I have seen why MF is prefered for it. Cheap Yashica Mat 124G gives sharp images on large prints.

One day I'll print this large from negatives taken by my Leica lenses

[Keith_W]

Most people are answering your question, which is "what is the sharpest M lens". But your real question is what is an ideal lens for landscape photography while hiking. My suggestion - why not get a WATE + stop down + tripod? 

Edited April 11, 2018 by Keith_W

[pgk]

'Sharpness' needs to be defined - its not an objective term. ALL the lenses that you list will deliver technically superb landscapes stopped down. You are overthinking the need for 'better' lenses.

[jaapv]

Even worse; “sharp” is not an optical property at all.

[onasj]

If you go to the Leica website and look at the MTF curves of all your candidate lenses you’ll get a pretty clear answer that strongly correlates with sharpness in my experience.

[JTLeica]

Thanks for the responses.

 

If I do landscapes I rarely use a wide lens, 28-85 would be my range normally.

If I were to stop down say the 50 Lux ASPH would I see much difference compared to the APO 50? At F8?

 

I think a 28, 50, 90 would do for 90% of landscapes, plus I already have a 21 thats perfect in my eyes. I wondered if I would really miss much / see much difference with a new 35 Cron vs my Version 1 35 Lux APSH? At around F5.6? I would rarely shoot a landscape under 5.6, F4 at a minimum.

[JTLeica]

'Sharpness' needs to be defined - its not an objective term. ALL the lenses that you list will deliver technically superb landscapes stopped down. You are overthinking the need for 'better' lenses.

Yes I think you are probably spot on.

[JTLeica]

Digitally it is more about sensor than lens. I had dirt cheap zoom lenses sharp on digital. Awful colors, but sharp. 

I have nine dollars Industar 61 giving very sharp images, but dull colors.

 

To me sharpness is something real then I see it on large darkroom prints. I have seen why MF is prefered for it. Cheap Yashica Mat 124G gives sharp images on large prints.

One day I'll print this large from negatives taken by my Leica lenses

 

I agree there are cheap yet sharp lenses, but that definitely doesnt have anything to do with digital sensors. In fact I would say the opposite occurs. You can tell a softer lens far easier on digital that film.

 

I have used some absolute dog Sony and Olympus lenses in recent years... 

[darylgo]

All your lenses are superb for landscape, the 50 Apo will improve upon the 50 summilux. It is noticable, and is not surpassed by any Leica M lens. Your 75 summilux can be improved by the 75 summarit, it is sharper but also has too much contrast for the high dynamic range encountered on sunny days. The 75 summicron will also improve sharpness, but not by much. Whenever shooting the lenses you currently own I've never been disappointed with demanding landscape.

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[a.noctilux]

Thanks for the responses.

 

If I do landscapes I rarely use a wide lens, 28-85 would be my range normally.

If I were to stop down say the 50 Lux ASPH would I see much difference compared to the APO 50? At F8?

 

I think a 28, 50, 90 would do for 90% of landscapes, plus I already have a 21 thats perfect in my eyes. I wondered if I would really miss much / see much difference with a new 35 Cron vs my Version 1 35 Lux APSH? At around F5.6? I would rarely shoot a landscape under 5.6, F4 at a minimum.

 

 

I use MATE + Macro-Elmar-M 4/90 to cover the range (with gap but not big) 28-90mm.

Sometimes, I take one of my other 90mm or 135mm which in "natural habit" can be handy for long reach.

 

As side note, my old Tele-Elmar 4/135 is as "sharp" as my Apo-Telyt-R 4/280 that is the "sharpest" Leica lens from my collection.

Look at it's MTF graphs (I mean Apo-Telyt-R 4/280), from Leica site.

 

Give a try of MATE, if you want another lens than what you already have.

The viewfinder blockage of that 28-35-50 at 28mm is not big deal for "in nature use".

 

The combo is light and "not to change lens" is the main factor in my use which can be in snow/rain/windy when light is magic and changing fast.

 

Another side note is "moiré"  

not easy to PP and "sharp lens" can lead to moiré more frequently than lesser sharp lens.

 

Choice of compromise is not easy, only real life use can tell.

Edited April 12, 2018 by a.noctilux