Popular Post jonoslack Posted March 3, 2021 Popular Post Share #1 Posted March 3, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) Introduction About 10 or 11 years ago I went to Solms for a visit, I was a little early, and when I arrived the receptionist told me that Jesko was in a meeting and would be a bit late, and would I like to fill up the time playing with this lens. Of course. The lens was a 50 Summicron, and there had been rumours of a replacement, so I took it at face value. I wandered around outside taking a few shots, and then sat down and put them on my computer. I'm not sure that my jaw actually dropped, but I was certainly gobsmacked, the images had a real clarity with wonderful bokeh, they just pinged out at me. Of course, this was my first sight of the 50 APO Summicron M, and to give myself credit, I immediately realised how special it was, even when expecting something 'standard'. Before that my only experience of APO lenses was the 75 APO Summicron M, which was already a firm favourite of mine. That lens also combines creamy bokeh with real precise sharpness. Every time I see someone use the word 'sterile' in conjunction with this lovely lens it hurts afresh! Since that day we have seen a whole range of APO Summicrons for the L mount, and these also have been characterised by this combination of wonderful bokeh and stunning sharpness. Absolutely the opposite of 'sterile' these lenses produce a consistent and lovely look, not harsh at all, just right. Now we have the fourth Apochromatic M lens (after the 90, 75 and 50 Summicron lenses). The APO-Summicron-M 1:2/35 Asph. I had the lens for a month from September last year. Although looking at the first shots wasn't quite such an epiphany (I was expecting to be blown away) it was still a revelatory experience! 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! For more sample images you can read the article here: https://www.slack.co.uk/leica-35-summicron-m.html Apochromatic correction This is the term used to describe the reduction of colour aberrations in lenses, it requires special glass and is necessary if you want to produce the very best MTF figures. For many years Leitz had their own glass production facility, and it was here that early glass materials to minimise colour aberrations were developed. Walter Mandler used these in the development of the early APO lenses. The 180mm APO-Summicron was the first APO lens developed for the consumer market and was introduced in 1994. The intention was to get the best possible performance wide open, implementing APO technology to achieve this. This lens has become a legend, and now changes hands for £7,000 to £8,000 in good condition. During the 90s Leica made a number of other APO R lenses including the 180 f2.8 Elmarit-R, the f4 280mm APO-Telyt-R, and the 400mm and 560mm APO-Telyt-R modules. These APO glass elements are not easy to handle during production and during this period Leica became experienced in implementing the technology, The first APO lens for the M system was the 90mm APO-Summicron-M Asph, released in 1998. Here they combined Apochromatic correction in combination with newly developed aspherical surface polishing processes. The 75 mm APO-Summicron-M Asph was released in 2005, and in addition to APO and Aspherical technologies, it included a floating element, just like it's brother lens the 50 Summilux Asph. The third APO M lens was the 50 mm APO-Summicron-M, and this is the lens I referred to in my introduction, Thorsten Overgaard in his lens compendium refers to it as 'The World's best 50mm'. I think that was almost certainly true on it's release in 2012, Since then Leica have mostly been concentrating on the APO-Summicron range for the L Mount, at the time of writing 5 lenses are available: 90, 75, 50, 35 and 28mm the 24 and 21mm lenses are scheduled to appear during the next year or so. APO-Summicron-M 35mm F2 ASPH. Leica have pulled out all the stops with this lens. There are 10 elements consisting 3 Aspherical lens elements (with 4 aspherical surfaces) 6 elements using Apochromatic glass 3 elements made of glass with a high refractive index. In addition they have developed a new focusing mount capable of focusing down to 0.3m. From 0.7m to infinity is rangefinder coupled with a similar throw as other classical 35mm M lenses. From 0.7 to 0.3 metres you will need to use Live view or the EVF for focusing (or an SL camera). Remarkably the MTF figures for this lens are almost as good as those for the much larger SL 35mm APO, which, Peter Karbe feels, is the best 35mm lens available on the market today. The lens diameter at 53mm is the same as the 50 APO. Without the screw in lens hood the length is 40.9mm as opposed to the 50 at 47mm, with the lens hood attached it's 49mm. It weighs 305gm as opposed to the 300gm of the APO 50, so, to all intents and purposes it's the same size as 50mm. Handling Like it's sibling, the 35 is just a perfect match for an M camera, it's small and relatively light and beautifully made and finished. It has a thumb tab, but unlike the 50 it has a screw in lens hood, which is shorter than the one on the 35 Summicron Asph, more like the lens hoods on the late lamented Summarit lenses, or indeed the Leica Q. The close focus is really useful, and if you don't have an EVF with you it's easy enough to focus using the LCD. On an L mount camera it's even simpler. I think perhaps I would have liked to have a slightly more positive step when focusing closer than the coupled rangefinder, but this is really nitpicking (and it might have changed on the production lens). Image Quality Image quality is nothing short of magical; from f2 and also stopped down, it's consistent and without obvious flaws beyond a little vignetting. It's sharp right to the corners, with hardly any fall off, even at f2. As is the case with other recent APO lenses the transition between the ultra high definition in focus to creamy bokeh out of focus area is gentle and swift. Most of my test shots were with the M10-R (and all the ones in the gallery), there is no question that the 35 APO resolves well enough for the 40mp sensor (and the 48mp of the SL2). I would imagine it is future proofed against higher resolution sensors in M and L mount cameras to come. Conclusion Just like the APO-Summicron 50mm the 35mm is an expensive lens, this is because the glass is expensive and hard to make, the production is problematic and the tolerances are very tight. Making such a small lens of such good quality is not simple. Hence the cost. On the other hand, it is a lovely object, like a beautifully made wrist watch, perfect in form and function. I've been lucky enough to have had several discussions and some email correspondence with Peter Karbe about both the M and SL APO Summicrons. I think that giving up the bragging rights of wide apertures in order to make the very best quality lenses is admirable. It has the added advantage of keeping the size down. Leica has applied this philosophy over 15 years to produce 5 SL and 4 M APO Summicrons; lenses which are consistent in performance and 'look', a real asset for the serious photographer. There is a feeling amongst many photographers that modern lenses don't have a 'soul' like vintage glass; that they all look the same. I would really dispute that, and I think that these in particular have a lovely look and feel about them, quite unlike any other lenses I have used. Developing and manufacturing this 35mm lens also shows Leica's serious intentions for the M system going forwards. Perhaps this isn't a surprise, but it's nice to have it confirmed. This is a significant lens announcement for Leica, but more than that it's a lovely lens of peerless quality. Something to be used as a standard lens by the discerning photographer for years to come. Acknowledgement and Links First of all to Emma, who continues to cook delicious meals and humour me whilst I'm hunched over my computer at the other end of the kitchen (or left behind on dog walks crouched over a bent stick!). Special thanks to Peter Karbe who has been incredibly kind with his time and technical input with respect to Apochromatic technology and its history with Leica. Stefan Janssen has also been really helpful, responsive and forthcoming with information (and lenses!). Thanks also to Stefan Daniel and Jesko von Oeynhausen at Leica, always helpful and fun to deal with. Sample Images 44 11 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! For more sample images you can read the article here: https://www.slack.co.uk/leica-35-summicron-m.html Apochromatic correction This is the term used to describe the reduction of colour aberrations in lenses, it requires special glass and is necessary if you want to produce the very best MTF figures. For many years Leitz had their own glass production facility, and it was here that early glass materials to minimise colour aberrations were developed. Walter Mandler used these in the development of the early APO lenses. The 180mm APO-Summicron was the first APO lens developed for the consumer market and was introduced in 1994. The intention was to get the best possible performance wide open, implementing APO technology to achieve this. This lens has become a legend, and now changes hands for £7,000 to £8,000 in good condition. During the 90s Leica made a number of other APO R lenses including the 180 f2.8 Elmarit-R, the f4 280mm APO-Telyt-R, and the 400mm and 560mm APO-Telyt-R modules. These APO glass elements are not easy to handle during production and during this period Leica became experienced in implementing the technology, The first APO lens for the M system was the 90mm APO-Summicron-M Asph, released in 1998. Here they combined Apochromatic correction in combination with newly developed aspherical surface polishing processes. The 75 mm APO-Summicron-M Asph was released in 2005, and in addition to APO and Aspherical technologies, it included a floating element, just like it's brother lens the 50 Summilux Asph. The third APO M lens was the 50 mm APO-Summicron-M, and this is the lens I referred to in my introduction, Thorsten Overgaard in his lens compendium refers to it as 'The World's best 50mm'. I think that was almost certainly true on it's release in 2012, Since then Leica have mostly been concentrating on the APO-Summicron range for the L Mount, at the time of writing 5 lenses are available: 90, 75, 50, 35 and 28mm the 24 and 21mm lenses are scheduled to appear during the next year or so. APO-Summicron-M 35mm F2 ASPH. Leica have pulled out all the stops with this lens. There are 10 elements consisting 3 Aspherical lens elements (with 4 aspherical surfaces) 6 elements using Apochromatic glass 3 elements made of glass with a high refractive index. In addition they have developed a new focusing mount capable of focusing down to 0.3m. From 0.7m to infinity is rangefinder coupled with a similar throw as other classical 35mm M lenses. From 0.7 to 0.3 metres you will need to use Live view or the EVF for focusing (or an SL camera). Remarkably the MTF figures for this lens are almost as good as those for the much larger SL 35mm APO, which, Peter Karbe feels, is the best 35mm lens available on the market today. The lens diameter at 53mm is the same as the 50 APO. Without the screw in lens hood the length is 40.9mm as opposed to the 50 at 47mm, with the lens hood attached it's 49mm. It weighs 305gm as opposed to the 300gm of the APO 50, so, to all intents and purposes it's the same size as 50mm. Handling Like it's sibling, the 35 is just a perfect match for an M camera, it's small and relatively light and beautifully made and finished. It has a thumb tab, but unlike the 50 it has a screw in lens hood, which is shorter than the one on the 35 Summicron Asph, more like the lens hoods on the late lamented Summarit lenses, or indeed the Leica Q. The close focus is really useful, and if you don't have an EVF with you it's easy enough to focus using the LCD. On an L mount camera it's even simpler. I think perhaps I would have liked to have a slightly more positive step when focusing closer than the coupled rangefinder, but this is really nitpicking (and it might have changed on the production lens). Image Quality Image quality is nothing short of magical; from f2 and also stopped down, it's consistent and without obvious flaws beyond a little vignetting. It's sharp right to the corners, with hardly any fall off, even at f2. As is the case with other recent APO lenses the transition between the ultra high definition in focus to creamy bokeh out of focus area is gentle and swift. Most of my test shots were with the M10-R (and all the ones in the gallery), there is no question that the 35 APO resolves well enough for the 40mp sensor (and the 48mp of the SL2). I would imagine it is future proofed against higher resolution sensors in M and L mount cameras to come. Conclusion Just like the APO-Summicron 50mm the 35mm is an expensive lens, this is because the glass is expensive and hard to make, the production is problematic and the tolerances are very tight. Making such a small lens of such good quality is not simple. Hence the cost. On the other hand, it is a lovely object, like a beautifully made wrist watch, perfect in form and function. I've been lucky enough to have had several discussions and some email correspondence with Peter Karbe about both the M and SL APO Summicrons. I think that giving up the bragging rights of wide apertures in order to make the very best quality lenses is admirable. It has the added advantage of keeping the size down. Leica has applied this philosophy over 15 years to produce 5 SL and 4 M APO Summicrons; lenses which are consistent in performance and 'look', a real asset for the serious photographer. There is a feeling amongst many photographers that modern lenses don't have a 'soul' like vintage glass; that they all look the same. I would really dispute that, and I think that these in particular have a lovely look and feel about them, quite unlike any other lenses I have used. Developing and manufacturing this 35mm lens also shows Leica's serious intentions for the M system going forwards. Perhaps this isn't a surprise, but it's nice to have it confirmed. This is a significant lens announcement for Leica, but more than that it's a lovely lens of peerless quality. Something to be used as a standard lens by the discerning photographer for years to come. Acknowledgement and Links First of all to Emma, who continues to cook delicious meals and humour me whilst I'm hunched over my computer at the other end of the kitchen (or left behind on dog walks crouched over a bent stick!). Special thanks to Peter Karbe who has been incredibly kind with his time and technical input with respect to Apochromatic technology and its history with Leica. Stefan Janssen has also been really helpful, responsive and forthcoming with information (and lenses!). Thanks also to Stefan Daniel and Jesko von Oeynhausen at Leica, always helpful and fun to deal with. Sample Images ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/318553-review-the-new-leica-apo-summicron-m-35mm-f2-asph/?do=findComment&comment=4152862'>More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted March 3, 2021 Posted March 3, 2021 Hi jonoslack, Take a look here Review: The New Leica APO-Summicron-M 35mm F2 ASPH.. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
dkmoore Posted March 4, 2021 Share #2 Posted March 4, 2021 Nice write up and even better images as usual. Thanks. Although I'm a great Leica customer my wife is going to kill me when she sees the shipping confirmation come through to her email (we share PayPal). haha. Leica needs to start giving me vacation points so that I have a better excuse. : ) 2 1 5 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
colonel Posted March 4, 2021 Share #3 Posted March 4, 2021 using the forum for the write up and not a link to your site 😮 thats faith 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUF Admin Posted March 4, 2021 Share #4 Posted March 4, 2021 You can do both – here is the article on Jono's website: https://www.slack.co.uk/leica-35-summicron-m.html 5 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tgray Posted March 4, 2021 Share #5 Posted March 4, 2021 Very nice photos! A couple of the B&W images have some nasty compression artifacts/posterization in the sky here on the forum. Looks like they are better on Jono's site. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wonzo Posted March 4, 2021 Share #6 Posted March 4, 2021 Amazing pictures, Jono, a really excellent work ! 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knipsknecht Posted March 4, 2021 Share #7 Posted March 4, 2021 Advertisement (gone after registration) I like the pink tractor🤩👍! Other than that - another extremely sharp lens. But there are already a lot of sharp lenses out there for the M-System. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wattsy Posted March 4, 2021 Share #8 Posted March 4, 2021 19 hours ago, jonoslack said: 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! Odd 'zebra' pattern in the flare in these two photos, Jono. An artefact of the APO correction or some other phenomenon? 1 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted March 4, 2021 Share #9 Posted March 4, 2021 Like the 50 APO, the image quality is utterly staggering. Leica has blown up the world of photography. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fedro Posted March 4, 2021 Share #10 Posted March 4, 2021 thanks Jono for the great review as ever 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
steamboat Posted March 4, 2021 Share #11 Posted March 4, 2021 The game changer with this lens is the the .3M minimum focus. My 21mm f4.0 Super Angulon has a minimum focus of 12" which is very close to .3M. I've never understood why Leica didn't at least make that minimum focus part of the 21mm package. They made a 21mm f2.8 Elmarit pre-production that was 12" but it got dropped in production models. Anyway with LV on M's these days it would be great to have it more generally available. Thanks for your initial thoughts on the lens and your photographs. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
delta100 Posted March 4, 2021 Share #12 Posted March 4, 2021 My fear is that Leica Germany will shut down sales in the UK and sell only in Europe on all its photographic equipment. Leica Mayfair are only selling in stock items, who knows when more orders will arrive from Germany? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tom0511 Posted March 4, 2021 Share #13 Posted March 4, 2021 Thank you Jono for the great review and even better: the images Tom 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Branch Posted March 4, 2021 Share #14 Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) Dear Jono, at the risk of appearing pedantic, and I feel sure that you will have cleared your article with Leica's Marketing Department, I disagree that the term "APO" as used by Leica, and others, can be equated with the term "Apochromatic". This is an old topic on this Forum but it does tend to get some people's blood pressure up. "Apochromatic" is a long established technical term which means that the optical system in question brings three different wavelengths into focus on the same plane. NB The images are not necessarily the same size! This has many benefits in some situations and Leica first used it on a commercially available photographic lens with the 180mm f/3.4 Apo-Telyt-R in 1975. This legendary lens was a true Apochromat with a near IR wavelength brought to the same focus as two wavelengths in the visible spectrum. It was initially developed as a special purpose lens by the US Navy, Leica and Eastman Kodak for reconnaissance purposed. At f/5.6 it was unsurpassed. The problem is that for unavoidable technical reasons bringing three wavelengths to the same focus means that the uncorrected wavelengths have a tendency to be quite a lot out of focus. (It's all to do with inflexion points in the solution of a third order equation.) More recently manufacturers including in particular Leica and Zeiss have started to produce photographic lenses which they call "APO". It may be that some of them are Apochromatic but the term has been more widely used to describe photographic lenses with a very high degree of chromatic correction that minimises the deviation from the focal plane of a wide range of wavelengths without actually bringing a third wavelengths to the same focus as the normal two wavelengths. This can be shown to have significant advantages. Erwin Puts, and others, have published articles about this and demonstrated the effect with actual measurements. (The Zeiss OPUS lenses are definitely not apochromatic but they are very good.) Does it matter? To me it does as I would prefer to use a modern APO lens rather than an any true apochromat. Edited March 4, 2021 by Peter Branch 3 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wizard Posted March 4, 2021 Share #15 Posted March 4, 2021 vor 21 Stunden schrieb jonoslack: Now we have the fourth Apochromatic M lens (after the 90, 75 and 50 Summicron lenses). It is actually the fifth. Don't forget the Apo-Telyt-M 3.4/135mm, which in fact may have been the first Apo-M lens (I am not quite sure when it was introduced). Andy 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matlock Posted March 4, 2021 Share #16 Posted March 4, 2021 29 minutes ago, delta100 said: My fear is that Leica Germany will shut down sales in the UK and sell only in Europe on all its photographic equipment. Leica Mayfair are only selling in stock items, who knows when more orders will arrive from Germany? Leica Mayfair (and others) are taking pre orders. I don't understand your fears. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Branch Posted March 4, 2021 Share #17 Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) 18 minutes ago, wizard said: It is actually the fifth. Don't forget the Apo-Telyt-M 3.4/135mm, which in fact may have been the first Apo-M lens (I am not quite sure when it was introduced). Andy The 135mm f/3.4 Apo-Telyt-M was introduced in 1998. Still one of the very best M lenses. Edited March 4, 2021 by Peter Branch 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share #18 Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, colonel said: using the forum for the write up and not a link to your site 😮 thats faith Hah - faith in the forum? It always makes it easier for a discussion here, and as I don't have any click - throughs or ads on my website it doesn't make any absolute difference to me! Andreas and Leon do a great job here, so it's a little bit of support 8 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share #19 Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, tgray said: Very nice photos! A couple of the B&W images have some nasty compression artifacts/posterization in the sky here on the forum. Looks like they are better on Jono's site. I'm trying to get to the bottom of this - I think it might be the new M1 version of Lightroom being slow to add adjustments, but I'm not sure. Definitely my bad though! Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonoslack Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share #20 Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, Knipsknecht said: I like the pink tractor🤩👍! Other than that - another extremely sharp lens. But there are already a lot of sharp lenses out there for the M-System. Of course you're right, but I don't think it's just about the sharpness - it's about the 'look', and that's a function of the transition from in to out of focus, and the bokeh. I'm glad you like the pink tractor - it's an annual event around here and so far they've raised £750,000 for breast cancer research. It's a 25 mile run with about 150 tractors, mostly vintage, and all driven by ladies. 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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