Acuity comparison of 35 Summicron APO-M vs 35 Summicron ASPH vs 35 Summilux ASPH

[onasj]

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Here's a quick acuity comparison of three 35-mm focal length Leica-M lenses, all current versions:

1) 35 Summilux-M ASPH

2) 35 Summicron-M ASPH

3) 35 Summicron-M APO ASPH ASPH ASPH ASPH 😊

Methodology: Tripod-mounted, M10-R, 2-second shutter delay, ISO 400, auto shutter speed, RAW.  DNG files were opened in Adobe Camera Raw 13.1, auto-adjusted only, then cropped to 100% from the center and put side-by-side.  Focus plane was the larger circle of black feathers (slightly behind the smaller circle), carefully focused in live view at 100% magnification.

Full scene:

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Comparison matrix at 100% crops (click on the image for the full-resolution version):

Matrix file uncompressed original: https://www.dropbox.com/s/d72stdl07rcjuo6/35 APO vs 35 cron ASPH vs 35 lux ASPH.jpg?dl=0

Leica's 40 line/mm MTF values for the very center of these lenses are as follows:

35 Summilux-M ASPH: 67 at f/2, 53 at f/1.4

35 Summicron-M ASPH: 60 at f/2

35 Summicron-M APO ASPH ASPH ASPH ASPH: 90 at f/2

...which pretty much exactly corresponds to my take on acuity in this test: all lenses perform well given the challenging nature of this test, but the 35 lux at f/1.4 is softest, followed by the 35 cron at f/2, the 35 lux at f/2, and then the 35 APO, which really handily beats all of the other lenses under these conditions.  In fact the 35 APO was so sharp that there is slight moire visible in the fine black and white striped areas, something I rarely see with this test object.  (For comparison, the outstanding 50 APO-M at f/2 has a 40 line/mm MTF value of 73).

The apochromaticity and the contrast of the 35 APO also stand out.

So bravo, Leica—you might have set a new record at $26 per gram of lens (by comparison, the $14,000 75 Noctilux is a mere $13 per gram), but performance at least in terms of acuity is also record-setting.  

Plus it takes nice photos.

 

Edited March 10, 2021 by onasj

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[tom0511]

if one looks on the orange background, then you see more structure of the wallpaper in the 35/1.4 at f2.0 shot than on the APO-35 Shot. Could it be, that the focuspoint of the APO35 is slighty closer or how could one explain this?

 

[onasj]

3 minutes ago, tom0511 said:

if one looks on the orange background, then you see more structure of the wallpaper in the 35/1.4 at f2.0 shot than on the APO-35 Shot. Could it be, that the focuspoint of the APO35 is slighty closer or how could one explain this?

 

Interesting... I think I see what you are noticing but the wall is about 8" behind the focal plane, so I don't think it could be close enough to the focal plane to actually see texture.  The smoothness of the 35 APO's wall texture could be a result of its sharper fall-off in MTF as one goes out-of-focus, as Peter Karbe as discussed recently.

I did take several shots of each and chose the sharpest one when reviewed at 100% (very little differences between shots, but I wanted to minimize focusing discrepancies).

Edited March 10, 2021 by onasj

[Danner]

Confirms that "you get what you pay for".

Thanks for posting this.

[Jon Warwick]

Thanks for your efforts here, it is appreciated. Naturally a lot of the extra performance (with related cost) is often driven by what happens when the lenses are shot wide open, and your test shows some clear differences in that regard. I'm assuming the differences are more muted if you stop down to (say) f5.6, but even there does the 35mm APO still stand apart, to some degree at least?

 

[tom0511]

isnt it interesting. Many (including myself ) have been happy with the Chron and/or FLE, and in just 1 week I now have the feeling to have "soft" lenses  

[wizard]

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vor 4 Minuten schrieb tom0511:

... I now have the feeling to have "soft" lenses

Yes, barely usable in fact 😉.

[onasj]

33 minutes ago, tom0511 said:

isnt it interesting. Many (including myself ) have been happy with the Chron and/or FLE, and in just 1 week I now have the feeling to have "soft" lenses  

I feel the same way.  I was actually surprised by how different the lenses behaved.  I always considered the non-APO 35 cron ASPH and 35 lux ASPH to be very sharp lenses (and they are, by normal standards!).  I suppose that's the definition of a true advance—it makes us redefine our standards and expectations upward.

To get this performance level in such a tiny package is a marvel of engineering and ingenuity.

[Rick in CO]

Great Post!

 I would be curious to see a test of the 35 APO-Summicron-M vs Voightländer 35 APO-Lanthar VM and the 35 ZM Distagon, which has been suggested to have near-apo quality!

[RMF]

Thanks for taking the time and effort for the comparisons... very helpful. Now we just need the Leica AD’s to get these 35 APOs in stock.

[roma]

Thank you for this! Will you please do the same at f4 if time allows?