R lens for SL ... landscape / general

[tritentrue]

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The best my 21-35mm looked was when I briefly adapted it to a Z7.  It's  less than mediocre on my SL601.  On the SL2, which appears to apply no corrections whatsoever, CA is obvious from 21-24mm, and it's also lacking in sharpness at 35mm.  It's been earmarked for offloading for some time now.

The 19mm v. 2, which I recently sold, was spectacular on the M240, nearly as good on the SL601.  It was bone sharp across the frame and into the extreme corners at f/5.6 if I focused it correctly, but I never quite figured out how to do that consistently.  

I tried hard to like the 28-90mm, which is more like 29-87mm.  It had noticeable CA from 28-31mm and flared badly at the long end. It was sharp across the frame and throughout the FL range; and would have been a fantastic lens if only I could have kept the sun behind me on every shot. 🙃  Mfr'ing tolerances are tight in this lens, and it has a known tendency to develop a sticky hitch in the focus ring in some copies.

The 24mm is a reportage lens, fantastically sharp in the center of the frame.  Of the two copies I owned and a third that I shot with, the most recent one, a late-90's copy, was better in the edges and corners than the earlier copies, but never really sharp enough for landscape unless one likes edges and corners gracefully unsharp.

If 35mm is wide enough, the Japan-made 35-70mm f/4 is a great option, one of Leica's best bangs for the buck in the s/h market.  It has a "macro" setting as well.  I still use mine whenever I don't feel like carrying the 24-90.

The 35mm Summicron-R II does well on the SL601.  And, for whatever reason, it's spectacular on the SL2, getting decent corner sharpness at f/8, even better at f/11, something it's heretofore not been known for. It's my favorite R lens to use when I'm not chasing critters with the longer glass.

To opine directly on one of OP's questions:  unless one specifically needs 28mm and/or 90mm, the 35-70mm might be the best bet in terms of IQ and value.

 

[dkCambridgeshire]

^^^ I've also found the Leica R 19mm V2 to be a superb lens when used with the SL 601. No problems focusing the lens. 

dunk 

Edited December 22, 2020 by dkCambridgeshire