Sell my v3 summicron 50mm and buy Voigtlander Apo Lanthar 50mm? No brainer?

[jaques]

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when Leica introduced their Apo Summicron years ago- of course I wanted one. People just gushed over that sharpness. But one look a the cost- and no- not for me. I'm not going to buy a camera lens that's worth more than my car- ever.

 

Some 12 years later and I am just reading how many people think the Voigtlander APO Lanthar lens is virtually as good- or at the least very very close. Albeit a bit larger.. but at less than an 1/8th of the cost!

Suddenly I am looking a my perfectly excellent V3 canada pre ahph summicron- and I realise I could probably sell it- pocket at least a few hundred dollars for a significant image quality upgrade with the Lanthar? Is this a 'no brainer'? Is this lens really that good?

 

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by jaques

[V23]

I use 2/35 APO Lanthar on my SL2-S and it is great, I am considering selling my 1.4/50 Summilux M and getting 50 mm APO Lanthar. Please check Fred Miranda’s review of this lens.

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[wizard]

vor 6 Stunden schrieb jaques:

for a significant image quality upgrade with the Lanthar ...

Stopped down I doubt you will see any significant image quality upgrade between your Summicron and the Lanthar. At full aperture you might well see a significant change in image quality. So it depends on how you shoot. Mostly stopped down? Keep your Summicron. Mostly full aperture? Give the Lanthar a try.

If I were you I would keep the Summicron long enough to compare it with the Lanthar. Then decide with which one to part, or keep both, as their imaging character may be different enough to own and use both.

[Danner]

"Albeit a bit larger.."

Quoting Hamlet in response, "...there's the rub..."

[Capuccino-Muffin]

Summicron 50mm V3 is a unique lens. Why would you do that?

[archive_all]

For the price of the VM APO I would also keep the Cron V3. I would ask myself if the APO would  make my images better and what is the Cron lacking? And I don't mean when pixel peeping at 100% or greater but the overall image. If the Cron V3 is underperforming for you and you're unhappy with it then sell it. If you like what it's producing then keep it. All that aside I just think the VM APO's are too large. I'd personally take a step back in image quality for the smaller size and it's kind of fun having some vintage Leica/Leitz gear.

[RexGig0]

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My brain tells me that I would keep the Summicron, and add the Cosina/Voigtlander. Then, I would see if both of them continued to have roles to play. Large, well-corrected lenses may be desirable, some of the time, but, perhaps not all of the time.

I did not sell my Summaron-M 3.5cm f/3.5 lens, to finance the purchase of my notably larger, notably better-optically-corrected Zeiss Distagon 1,4/35mm ZM lens, because these lenses render very different images, and because the tiny Summaron is, well, less obtrusive, when I want the camera/lens combination to be less obtrusive. My more-recently-added Summaron 28mm may kick the Summaron-M out of the nest

At 50mm, I appreciate having both a Summilux-M ASPH, and the smaller Summicron-M. I started Leica M shooting, with the Summilux-M ASPH, and later realized that there were occasions that were better served by a smaller-profile 50mm lens.

[Olaf_ZG]

Wizard gave a wise advise. I am relatively new to Leica and the v3 was my first lens. I will never sell it as I really enjoy it. I  could buy another 50, but would not sell the v3. 

[ocean2059]

You may want to purchase a CV 50 APO but don't sell your Summicron 50 V3. All versions of Summicron 50 are excellent even compared with the latest CV 50 APO. IMHO, the size of CV 50 APO is too large and not an ideal fit with M body. 

[didier]

Never sell a Leica lens  

[Herr Barnack]

51 minutes ago, didier said:

Never sell a Leica lens  

Testify. 🙁

[a.noctilux]

Sell only Leica lens for another (or more) Leitz/Leica lens(es) 😉.

 

[cboy]

Good for you if you think the VM Apo will  benefit your shooting style/ purpose.

But for myself I wouldnt jump straight into trading 'up' from the IQ of a perfectly good  Cron to the VM Apo without testing it first to see if it lives up to ones expectation. 

Given the present inflation it's likely more expensive to trade back down to a Cron if you feel the VM Apo is not as one hoped for.

Edited March 18, 2022 by cboy

[jaques]

2 hours ago, a.noctilux said:

Sell only Leica lens for another (or more) Leitz/Leica lens(es) 😉.

 

In general this has been my practice- over time I have only sold to upgrade my collection. And I consider Leica lenses to be essentially 'free' to own- as over time they appreciate in value. Unfortunately they only become 'free' when you sell them- which I rarely ever do.

 

Thanks for all the responses- and you are probably all right. My v3 summicon is awesome and I do love the size. I have a collapsible summicron I rarely use- maybe I will sell that... maybe... but it also has a great look to the photo:

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[shirubadanieru]

V3 is the worst summicron 50mm for my taste for a few reasons (again, this is for my taste only):

• feels cheap compared to rigid or collapsible cron that came before it
• focus throw is way too long for a summicron, making it much slower to use VS all other crons
• rendering wise is nothing special; doesn’t do anything better than any other cron 50mm nor it has a unique rendering
• sharpness wise V4/5 are better, unique rendering wise, V1/2 are better.

If I sold the V3, I’d get another cron instead (and I def. Would not sell the V1 instead of the V3). The Voigtlander is a great lens and probably better (MTF charts wise) than all Summicrons, but it’s a modern rendering, so it really depends what kind of rendering one would want. 

My only 50mm is the rigid 50mm, I find it to be the best cron ever released by Leica; actually, the best 50mm ever released by leica maybe tied with the summilux 50mm. Voigtlander lenses are nice too though, and recently they’ve been releasing amazing lenses for sure. 

[Michael Geschlecht]

Hello Shirubanieru,

Don't all of the 50mm "M" lenses from f3.5 to f1.0, which were made BEFORE the Version IV, 50mm, f2, Summicron, have pretty much of the same focus throw?

Best Regards,

Michael

Edited March 19, 2022 by Michael Geschlecht

[Capuccino-Muffin]

I Love the V3. Very special. Construction is excellent, and I personally like the focus throw: gives a sense of high accuracy. 
 

 

[jaques]

to me the construction feels pretty excellent. Mine is the version with the focus tab and the focus throw never bothered me that I noticed... doesn't seem to be particularly long? The only leica lens from tha era that I felt had a 'cheapish' construction feel was the so called 'bokeh king' 35mm summicron.

Edited March 19, 2022 by jaques

[a.noctilux]

With focus TAB ?

@jacquesthen your Summicron 50 would not be version III, maybe version so called ... IV/V ?

The optical cell is the same for long and many types made in various mounts and colors.

So you may find later one of those many Summicron IV/V,  quite easily if you sell it now.

I had the "same lens" so many times, in various mounts, one of the most popular Leica/Leitz lens.

 

Not the best and not the worse 50mm in my view, they do the job.

For fun after having tabbed varieties, I use the same optical cell in "not tabbed" silver "heavy" mounts

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Hallo,

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[shirubadanieru]

8 hours ago, Michael Geschlecht said:

Hello Shirubanieru,

Don't all of the 50mm "M" lenses from f3.5 to f1.0, which were made BEFORE the Version IV, 50mm, f2, Summicron, have pretty much of the same focus throw?

Best Regards,

Michael

Unless my V3 was a version that was different from others, the v3, (first black version of the cron & the first to go to 0.7m), has almost the double focus throw of the rigid or collapsible (basically, similar to the summilux pre-asph or even a bit longer?), which to me was a bit too much for a cron since it’s only an f2 lens and I use it for not only portraits but also street. 

That’s the reason I sold it right away. Also the construction didn’t feel as nice as the rigid or collapsible. Having 0.7m was nice though. 

Edited March 19, 2022 by shirubadanieru