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The Leica APO-Summicron-M 35mm f/2 ASPH - First Impressions


Steven

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On 3/23/2021 at 8:43 AM, otto.f said:
On 3/23/2021 at 12:05 AM, Steven said:

APO lenses are summicrons, and generally smaller than summiluxs. 

At Leica thus far, but not necessarily so. Zeiss has an APO 100/1.4 for instance

The Horseman's Information Office said Summilux 50mm Asph. is also APO, although not mentioned in the name of the lens... I don't know how true that is, and are there possibly more "secret APOs"?

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Oops, sorry, I noticed that the APO issue had already  been discussed (beewee #710).

I should drink a cup of coffee first before I start writing...

Sorry!

Edited by AKW
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Am 22.3.2021 um 18:52 schrieb Kwesi:

It actually in English with subtitles.

He is one of my favorite photographers.

Here is a video of him on assignment that think you would like.

There are also videos from the magnum photographers Thomas Hoepker and Nikos Economopoulos which photograph both with Leica M camers and 35 mm.

 

 

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On 3/22/2021 at 2:28 PM, otto.f said:

I didn’t see a halfsize Summilux anywhere yet 😊

My impression is that the pre-Aspherical 35/1.4 is about half the size of the current batch. (wink)

Eric

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On 3/23/2021 at 2:37 AM, beewee said:

In looking at different lens design, comparing the 28 lux, 35 APO and 50 ASPH lux, it seems the 28 lux is very much corrected for  chromatic aberrations. I would say it’s as APO of a lens design as the 50 ASPH lux. Which is to say that it’s not officially an APO lens but it has an APO design with 3 doublet lens groups helping to correct for chromatic aberrations.

Peter Karbe, in an old interview with David Farkas (Leica Miami), commented on the 50 Summilux ASPH being an APO lens, but thought the idea of a 50 APO was "a bit silly" (end of paragraph 6 below).  How times, and marketing, have changed.

http://dfarkas.blogspot.com/2008/09/photokina-2008-day-2-taking-it-easy-and.html

Jeff

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12 hours ago, Jeff S said:

Peter Karbe, in an old interview with David Farkas (Leica Miami), commented on the 50 Summilux ASPH being an APO lens, but thought the idea of a 50 APO was "a bit silly" (end of paragraph 6 below).  How times, and marketing, have changed.

http://dfarkas.blogspot.com/2008/09/photokina-2008-day-2-taking-it-easy-and.html

Jeff

APO for 2004. And it can be misleading in light of the insane performance of the Leica and Voigtlander 50 APOs, neither of which have to produce the bokeh character of the Lux. So I think this is what Peter meant by "a bit silly" given the design intent of the Lux.

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8 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

APO for 2004. And it can be misleading in light of the insane performance of the Leica and Voigtlander 50 APOs, neither of which have to produce the bokeh character of the Lux. So I think this is what Peter meant by "a bit silly" given the design intent of the Lux.

He’s talked about this before, not just to Farkas.  The comment wasn’t about degree of APO correction (when he made the comment in 2008, the 50 Summilux performance was stellar); rather it was that the official naming of the lens as APO... the marketing concept... was silly.  Today’s marketing, not just lens performance, is a different beast.

Jeff

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Just now, Jeff S said:

He’s talked about this before, not just to Farkas.  The comment wasn’t about degree of APO correction (when he made the comment in 2008, the 50 Summilux performance was stellar); rather it was that the official naming of the lens as APO... the marketing concept... was silly.  Today’s marketing, not just lens performance, is a different beast.

Jeff

Maybe he just thought adding APO after ASPH was "LMAO" – too many acronyms 😁

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27 minutes ago, hdmesa said:

Maybe he just thought adding APO after ASPH was "LMAO" – too many acronyms 😁

You might be joking, but I imagine that was part of it.  He was proud of the Summilux at that time for many other reasons.  APO at that time was reserved for longer lenses, where it was more relevant (e.g., the 75 Summicron, which had both APO and ASPH in the formal title).

https://www.shutterbug.com/content/leica-lens-saga-interview-peter-karbe

Jeff

Edited by Jeff S
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48 minutes ago, Jeff S said:

You might be joking, but I imagine that was part of it.  He was proud of the Summilux at that time for many other reasons.  APO at that time was reserved for longer lenses, where it was more relevant (e.g., the 75 Summicron, which had both APO and ASPH in the formal title).

https://www.shutterbug.com/content/leica-lens-saga-interview-peter-karbe

Jeff

Yes, I was joking but also not joking. He may have felt adding "APO" to the title of a lens whose purpose was very much something else was like adding "And It Is Well-Written" to the title of a good novel.

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22 hours ago, Bixxi said:

There are also videos from the magnum photographers Thomas Hoepker and Nikos Economopoulos which photograph both with Leica M camers and 35 mm.

 

 


Thomas Hoepker also loves his SL 

 

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

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40 minutes ago, Herr Barnack said:

The SL is a truly wonderful camera - but I just can't get past the M. 

To be honest - if money were literally no object, I don't think I'd want anything other than M cameras and lenses.

Not that I'd ever give up my Q2, mind you - and not that I wouldn't at some point find a Q2 Mono in my camera bag.  😁

 

And therein lies the truth ... M digital & film + SL* + Q* + TL/CL makes for a well rounded kit. Leica voodoo > your bank account 🤷‍♂️ 😄

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2 hours ago, TheGodParticle/Hari said:

And therein lies the truth ... M digital & film + SL* + Q* + TL/CL makes for a well rounded kit. Leica voodoo > your bank account 🤷‍♂️ 😄

More true words have never been typed on this site.

Being possessed by the Leica Juju is inevitable. 

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18 hours ago, TheGodParticle/Hari said:

And therein lies the truth ... M digital & film + SL* + Q* + TL/CL makes for a well rounded kit. Leica voodoo > your bank account 🤷‍♂️ 😄

Exactamente... + iPhone 11 for all those visions that fly by at 70mph, while deciding which camera, which lens... ;^)

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Edited by Alan Friedman
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14 hours ago, SiggiGun said:

Any news about the delivery status? 

Ready for delivery but waiting on the armed security guards to be available to escort the lenses to the dealers,

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On 3/23/2021 at 8:19 PM, Steven said:

Look who arrived to Paris today ! My new AA. 

My first impression is that it is shorter and thinner than the FLE, and therefore very similar in ergonomics as the APO. But it's not the APO, so for those interested by this lens, I will take my first impressions of it (and compare it to the APO), in another thread: 

 

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I wonder what type of halftone screening for that issue of Steve McCurry's book.

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