Sell Summilux FLE 35?

[mustafasoleiman]

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I need some advice...

I have an M10 with a Summicron 35 v.4 and a Summicron 50 v.4 which I use all the time.

I also have a Summilux FLE 35 which I used a lot (together with a Summilux 50 last version which I sold already) when I was using the M8 and M9 because their quality of high ISO was not very good.

Now with the M10 the quality of the high ISO is good enough that I hardly ever need 1.4.

 

I am thinking of selling the Summilux and purchase two new Summicron 35 and 50 to add to the existing two Summicron and, depending on the results, possibly replacing them for some work.

I like the old Summicrons because of the size and weight but sometimes I feel I need a more modern lenses...

 

What do you think?

You can check my website to see what I shoot.

Thank you for your advice.

 

Alex

durini.com

[Likaleica]

For me, a Summilux is less about low light photography and more about creative use of shallow depth-of-field.  So, if I were you, I would not sell the Summilux unless it collects dust and you need the money.  It has been said more than once on this forum and elsewhere, never sell a Leica lens.  I have violated that rule and regretted it.

 

Beautiful website.

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[lct]

If you don't need f/1.4 the 35/2 asph will give you the modern rendering you seem to look after but it remains bigger than your 35/2 v4 anyway so i would keep both FLE and 35/2 v4 if i were you. 50/2 lenses are another story since v4 and v5 have the same IQ more or less. 

[Abram]

I had your mindset, sold my summilux lenses and then eventually rebought them. (That is referring specifically to the 35 and 50 Summilux lenses.) For me the reason for using them isn't so much for the necessity of low light, but for how much FURTHER i can push my exposures into the dark with the M10. I also actually do prefer the aesthetic rendering of the summilux offerings over the summicrons but I do prefer the size and weight of the summicrons over the summiluxes. 

 

I don't need to use f/1.4 every single day, but when I do actually NEED it, I am grateful that it is both there and quite usable.

 

Given what you have I would sit tight and keep them all unless you need to free up finances for something else. Every time I make a snap decision to sell a lens I seem to wind up regretting it later. Does that make me learn a lesson? No. But I'll keep trying

[Letin]

Sounds like 35 & 50 are your go-to lenses. I hear your dilemma I too have V3 summicrons (35 & 50) for their incredible size/weight. About 60% of the time I'd grab a summicron instead of the heavier summilux, but there are times that these summiluxes shine.

 

It's very tempting to sell the 35FLE and get the 35 & 50 modern summicron combo, they are perfectly capable in most situations. To me, you already have the best simple lens kit available. Small film era summicrons + modern Luxes. I'd keep this 4-lens kit if I were you.

[jmr237]

I sold the FLE, got the 35 ASPH, and don't regret it. The size and ergonomics of the 35 ASPH are superior. I never thought the image quality of the FLE lived up to its price, and once the novelty of using it at 1.4 wore off, I found the lens to be overkill.

 

The 50 summicron vs. summilux question was less clear for me. During the time that I had both, I found the 50 summcicron to be sharper in controlled testing. Perhaps my copy of the summilux needed adjustment. Sharpness aside, the bokeh of the summilux was superior to the summicron, but it was the type of thing I only noticed when comparing images side-by-side in controlled tests. It was subtle, but you could see a difference.

 

But in real-world shooting, it just didn't matter that much, and I like the smaller size of the 50 summicron. So the summilux was sold. I miss it from time to time, but when I pull up those old images where I compared the two 50s, I ask myself why I would get the summilux again just for that last 10% of performance. None of the people who view my pictures will notice or care.

 

I do wish the 50 summicron had a focus tab, but that can be addressed with third-party solutions.

[Gregm61]

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I follow tbe credo already spoken above and do not sell lenses, to the point I DO have some duplications among focal lengths, the biggest of which are the 35’s, with the FLE, 35/2 ASPH, an f2.4 Summarit and even an f1.7 Voigtlander Ultron VM.

 

Using primarily an M246 recently, getting access to f1.4 during daylight is almost impossible with the minimum ISO 320, so I just ordered B+W +1 and +2 Neutral Density filters in addition to Ref and Yellow filters. The ND’s will also come in handy with the FLE on the M262 and MP240 bodies.

 

Being the most valuable, the FLE is the one I’d least be readily able to re-purchase. I’m not sure what calamity would need to happen to cause me to sell it as that’s not happened and I don’t see that happening any time soon.

[SMAL]

I don´t understand all the talking about weight. I mean we talk about roughly 70g more for the Lux, right? I think rendering and character is way more important and that´s where it get´s tough.

[jdlaing]

Never sell a lens.

[LeicaR10]

Jdlaing,  Spot on comment.  r/ Mark

[jmr237]

Never sell a lens.

 

 

I agree this is a good general rule, but as with most things in life, it's not absolute. A few potential exceptions (not saying these apply to me, just making a point):

 

--you bought the lens used, enjoyed using it, don't need it any more, and can come close to breaking even by selling it (less transaction costs)

--another piece of Leica gear is more important, your funds are limited, and selling a lens is necessary to fund the new item

--you are not using the lens, you don't like having things just to have them, and you are not receiving any value having the lens sit on a shelf

 

In my case, the 35 FLE was sitting on the shelf unused, I don't like having things that I do not use, I was underwhelmed by the image quality, and the capital was better directed elsewhere. Do I wish I just had the 35 ASPH the first time around? Of course. But would I have known that if I had not tried the FLE and gotten it out of my system? Probably not.

 

One does lose a lot of value by buying Leica gear new and then selling. The oft-repeated notion that Leica equipment holds its value is far from universally true. The digital bodies depreciate quickly. The lenses do a better job of holding value, but you will take a hit if you purchase a lens new and sell it within the short term (say within 5 years). If you hold a lens for a longer period, Leica's periodic price increases tend to overcome lost value due to depreciation.

 

Bottom line? Best case is to get what you think you will want the first time around. If you don't know, or if you plan to do a lot of gear buying/selling, you will lose less value if you buy used equipment. The money you'll lose to transaction costs can be thought of as a rental fee.

[Mr.Q]

Yeah, I recently sold my FLE and 0.95 Noctilux. It was fun shooting with them but it's no longer what I want or need. I replaced them with a 35/2 ASPH and 40/1.2 Nokton and it's liberating to shoot with a much lighter system. Not to mention the cash I recouped in the transaction which allows me to consider the 50 APO.

[otto.f]

I would never swap any asph Summilux 35 for a Summicron 35 asph. So I can imagine you want to sell the FLE if the Summicron 35 iv is enough for you, but then I would not spend that money on superfluous lenses. I would enjoy my lightweight package on the trip that I’d pay with my FLE money.

I could imagine buying the Elmar50 alongside a Summicron 50 iv, because it’s small, lightweight and the cheapest best Leica M lens. The Summicron 50 iv is a very nice lens and I prefer it above the latest because the hood is more effective, but I alway found it a bit long for the M body. The Summarit 50 is very nice in that respect but I prefer the Elmar50.

Edited September 5, 2018 by otto.f

[apertur]

Hi, I was not impressed by the 35mmFLE IQ at first. A trip to Wetzlar changed that completely. The FLE is a dream now. Would never sell it. But it took a while to get the issues ironed out.

[Lelmer]

........

I like the old Summicrons because of the size and weight but sometimes I feel I need a more modern lenses...

 

What do you think?

....

 

 

 

Between 35 cron asph and lux FLE, size is roughly the same and weight difference is about 70g...not worth changing for these reasons IMO

50 cron's IV and V are optically the same. V is not more modern in that aspect.

 

Bottom line, I would keep and enjoy the great lenses you have 

[mustafasoleiman]

Thank you for all the advice.

 

One point that is relevant if confirmed is the fact that the Summicron 50 v.4 is optically the same as the last v.5... If that is the case then selling the FLE just to replace it with the 35 ASPH is less appealing as the only gain would be just size and weight (and not by much)...

 

As I said the main reason for the sale was to finance the replacement of both the 35 and 50 with more modern lenses, but if the 50 v.4 and v.5 are the same then the reason is less valid.

 

So I will probably hold on to the FLE for now... Thank you for clearing up the issue for me.

 

Alex

 

PS as you might have guessed I like small and light lenses as long as the quality is good and they are at least f2... That is why I also use a Summicron 40 and the Elmar-M 50 (I know it is 2.8... But it is too cute... And good quality!)

 

web     durini.com

instagram     alessandro_durini_di_monza

[lct]

One point that is relevant if confirmed is the fact that the Summicron 50 v.4 is optically the same as the last v.5... 

 

Same optical design but different coating probably.

As far as my 50/2 v4 and v5 are concerned, only significant difference is flare which is less pronounced around highlights on v5:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-4RKCr3w/0/2a1f58ed/L/i-4RKCr3w-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BvXmk5v/0/57160344/L/i-BvXmk5v-L.jpg

[jto555]

 

I need some advice...

I have an M10 with a Summicron 35 v.4 and a Summicron 50 v.4 which I use all the time.

I also have a Summilux FLE 35 which I used a lot (together with a Summilux 50 last version which I sold already) when I was using the M8 and M9 because their quality of high ISO was not very good.

Now with the M10 the quality of the high ISO is good enough that I hardly ever need 1.4.

 

I am thinking of selling the Summilux and purchase two new Summicron 35 and 50 to add to the existing two Summicron and, depending on the results, possibly replacing them for some work.

I like the old Summicrons because of the size and weight but sometimes I feel I need a more modern lenses...

 

What do you think?

You can check my website to see what I shoot.

Thank you for your advice.

 

Alex

durini.com

 

 

 

It is not something I would do. I would never sell a faster lens just to buy a slower lens. Aperture is not just about controlling exposer, it is also about controlling Depth of Field. You may want to just have your subject in focus, and a good way to do that is with your aperture. Another option as you already have a 35mm (plus a 50mm) is to go 90mm or even a 21mm. These will open up a lot more photographic options for you. Never look at the rendering, look at what you are rendering.

[otto.f]

Same optical design but different coating probably.

As far as my 50/2 v4 and v5 are concerned, only significant difference is flare which is less pronounced around highlights on v5:

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-4RKCr3w/0/2a1f58ed/L/i-4RKCr3w-L.jpg

https://photos.smugmug.com/photos/i-BvXmk5v/0/57160344/L/i-BvXmk5v-L.jpg

My experience is the opposite, so if you really want the v.5, which is in essence not a more modern lens, I would severely compare it with your v.4 first.

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica M

[lct]

As far as my samples are concerned, the advantages of v4 to me are its smaller size and its focus tab while v5 shows less flare around highlights and has 6-bit coding currently. YMMV.

 

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