kengai Posted February 27, 2022 Share #1 Posted February 27, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) I tried the Summicron 35mm APO on the M11. I was impressed by the great definition, the richness of detail, but ... it's too much for my taste. What could be a good alternative? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted February 27, 2022 Posted February 27, 2022 Hi kengai, Take a look here Alternative to Summicron 35mm APO. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
Franky Posted February 27, 2022 Share #2 Posted February 27, 2022 Try the Voigtländer apo 35mm/f2.0. I have the apo 50/f2.0 (it's very sharp and well built). I also saw and tested the apo 35. It was comparable. 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kengai Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share #3 Posted February 27, 2022 3 minutes ago, Franky said: Try the Voigtländer apo 35mm/f2.0. I have the apo 50/f2.0 (it's very sharp and well built). I also saw and tested the apo 35. It was comparable. thanks. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 27, 2022 Share #4 Posted February 27, 2022 9 hours ago, kengai said: but ... it's too much for my taste. Too much detail, or too much money? Jeff Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kengai Posted February 27, 2022 Author Share #5 Posted February 27, 2022 6 minutes ago, Jeff S said: Too much detail, or too much money? Jeff too much detail... Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hdmesa Posted February 27, 2022 Share #6 Posted February 27, 2022 (edited) 44 minutes ago, kengai said: too much detail... Then pretty much any other 35mm non-APO lens will give you less. But keep in mind that with the 60mp M11 sensor, you will see obscene levels of detail with most lenses if you zoom in too far. So when shooting portraits for example, do not zoom in and show the image to the person you photographed. No one wants to see parts of their face magnified like that. Edited February 27, 2022 by hdmesa 2 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
52K Posted February 27, 2022 Share #7 Posted February 27, 2022 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have tried the 35 APO and really liked it but personally prefer the 35lux FLE. The pre-FLE that I had before that was also pretty dammed good & the standard Summicron is also an excellent lens, I had the latest generation of that too prior to the lux and really loved it. Basically any Leica 35mm is going to be good and there are a few from Voigtlander which have great reviews. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 27, 2022 Share #8 Posted February 27, 2022 12 minutes ago, 52K said: I have tried the 35 APO and really liked it but personally prefer the 35lux FLE. I similarly preferred my 50 Summilux FLE to the 50 APO M that I rented, in both rendering and handling/ergonomics. Jeff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessar. Posted February 27, 2022 Share #9 Posted February 27, 2022 How about the non-APO 35mm Summicron ASPH? I have the V1 and really like it. 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! 7 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/330221-alternative-to-summicron-35mm-apo/?do=findComment&comment=4391965'>More sharing options...
Tessar. Posted February 27, 2022 Share #10 Posted February 27, 2022 And another 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! The pre-ASPH Summilux is excellent, but I sold mine because of the 0.9M min. focus distance and the fiddly hood arrangement. I also owned the Voigtlander Nokton Classic II, which is great, and the humble VM Color Skopar is good too. There aren't many bad 35mm M-Mount lenses.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! The pre-ASPH Summilux is excellent, but I sold mine because of the 0.9M min. focus distance and the fiddly hood arrangement. I also owned the Voigtlander Nokton Classic II, which is great, and the humble VM Color Skopar is good too. There aren't many bad 35mm M-Mount lenses.... ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/330221-alternative-to-summicron-35mm-apo/?do=findComment&comment=4391970'>More sharing options...
archive_all Posted February 28, 2022 Share #11 Posted February 28, 2022 3 hours ago, Jeff S said: I similarly preferred my 50 Summilux FLE to the 50 APO M that I rented, in both rendering and handling/ergonomics. Jeff This piques my interest, Jeff. You asked me about the handling of the 35 cron in another thread but here comparing the 50's, what do you like better about the Lux? I have the Lux and have no interest in the APO but just curious is all. Sorry to go further off topic. Back on topic and to the OP, @Tessar.said there aren't many bad 35's in M mount and I think that's true. Think about what you want most in handling, optically and maybe exterior styling and maybe price is part of the equation or maybe not. There are so many good vintage lenses like the Pre ASPH Lux and the Cron IV as well. I love my 35 FLE but do sometimes consider going back to the 35 Cron ASPH II just for smaller size (especially without the hood). Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erato Posted February 28, 2022 Share #12 Posted February 28, 2022 16 hours ago, kengai said: I tried the Summicron 35mm APO on the M11. I was impressed by the great definition, the richness of detail, but ... it's too much for my taste. What could be a good alternative? Summilux-M 35mm FLE is one of the best fits on M11 in the real life. 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! 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/330221-alternative-to-summicron-35mm-apo/?do=findComment&comment=4392011'>More sharing options...
Jeff S Posted February 28, 2022 Share #13 Posted February 28, 2022 3 minutes ago, archive_all said: This piques my interest, Jeff. You asked me about the handling of the 35 cron in another thread but here comparing the 50's, what do you like better about the Lux? I have the Lux and have no interest in the APO but just curious is all. Sorry to go further off topic. The compact size of the 50 APO (standard version) places the control rings very close together and sacrifices the fully knurled focus ring. On all three samples I handled, including the rental, the aperture ring was too loose for my taste. This is fixable, but a pain to have to get serviced. I already had my Summilux serviced by DAG to fix some sticky focus action, and it now handles perfectly. The black chrome APO solves some of this, but lacks the built-in hood and is more costly. Rendering-wise, I just subjectively preferred my Summilux for my typical subject matter (I shot and made prints using both), and of course there is no substitute for f1.4, which offers its own look. Jeff 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommonego@gmail.com Posted March 1, 2022 Share #14 Posted March 1, 2022 The preasph Summilux has been spoken for. So a Zeiss 35mm f2.8 C-Biogon, but I get detail with my M8, but just a very nice lens. It doesn't take up viewfinder space either. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
349A Posted March 1, 2022 Share #15 Posted March 1, 2022 35mm Summilux pre FLE is a fantastic lens. Its plenty detailed and sharp while giving a more smooth rendering. Photos have feeling to me rather than the FLE/APO more clinical/razors edge type feel. Its all subjective of course. This was taken several years ago on a M10 wide open at 1250iso. 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! 8 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members! ' data-webShareUrl='https://www.l-camera-forum.com/topic/330221-alternative-to-summicron-35mm-apo/?do=findComment&comment=4392717'>More sharing options...
otto.f Posted March 1, 2022 Share #16 Posted March 1, 2022 (edited) On 2/27/2022 at 6:47 PM, kengai said: too much detail... The APO-Lanthar will probably also be too much for you then. You can consider the Ultron ii from Voigtländer. This is a nice topic for your question, with the risk and the fun that at the end of the line you lost track of what you were looking for 😁: Edited March 1, 2022 by otto.f 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rramesh Posted March 3, 2022 Share #17 Posted March 3, 2022 I am unclear as to what is the industry definition of an APO lens. There are APO lenses from Leica.Leica seems to indicate use of anomalous dispersion glass in construction with the intention of reducing chromatic aberrations. These are sought after like the 35 but had to get and very expensive. There are also APO lenses from Voigtlander who claim an 'as good as' performance. They call these lens elements 'abnormal partial dispersion'. In fact there are some newer lenses from Voigtlander that are not marked as APO but also seems to use anomalous dispersion glass like the 35 Ultron f/2 making them almost as good as the 35 Summilux ASPH. So what should be the base here? Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
otto.f Posted March 3, 2022 Share #18 Posted March 3, 2022 1 hour ago, rramesh said: I am unclear as to what is the industry definition of an APO lens. There are APO lenses from Leica.Leica seems to indicate use of anomalous dispersion glass in construction with the intention of reducing chromatic aberrations. These are sought after like the 35 but had to get and very expensive. There are also APO lenses from Voigtlander who claim an 'as good as' performance. They call these lens elements 'abnormal partial dispersion'. In fact there are some newer lenses from Voigtlander that are not marked as APO but also seems to use anomalous dispersion glass like the 35 Ultron f/2 making them almost as good as the 35 Summilux ASPH. So what should be the base here? Interesting topic, but it has nothing to do at all with OP's question. Besides, this APO definition has been discussed at length in this forum when APO wide angles came out, because an APO wide angle is a bit of a strange concept, especially if it's not faster than 2.0. Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herr Barnack Posted June 10, 2022 Share #19 Posted June 10, 2022 (edited) Too much detail?? I didn't know that was a thing. I would take a look at the 35mm M Summicron ASPH #11673 as an alternative. I am hoping to acquire a copy of the APO 35mm Summicron one day, if Leica ever decides to build more than one a year. 🙁 Edited June 10, 2022 by Herr Barnack Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kivis Posted June 10, 2022 Share #20 Posted June 10, 2022 Super happy with the CV 35mm f/2 Ultron II 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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