Leica 35/2 and 50/2 SL ASPH lenses?

[nicci78]

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Leica is already giving 1000€ coupons for SL2/SL2-S kits with one of the three rebadged lenses : 2/35, 2/50 or 2.8/24-70mm. 
Meanings ? 
- SL2 & SL2-S clearance before SL3 launch. 
- those rebadge lenses carry a very high margins for Leica. (Kit price already has a discount, it is effectively a double discount) 

[dem331]

40 minutes ago, nicci78 said:

The real problem with those rebadge is that Lumix S F/1.8 lenses are just average in IQ department. Nothing to rave about. So paying 3x or 4x for slower aperture, heavier but metal barrel, better coatings and more stringent quality control will not make them stellar optics. 
You want metal construction ? Better IQ ? Slower aperture ? Sigma already got us covered at a fraction of the price with their i series of DG DN contemporary. 

Maybe wait till we see images from them. 
 

If they are as good as the M35mm Asph and the M50mm Summicrons (non-APO), then they are a bargain and a great addition to the SL system. 
 

 

[romaing]

42 minutes ago, nicci78 said:

Leica is already giving 1000€ coupons for SL2/SL2-S kits with one of the three rebadged lenses : 2/35, 2/50 or 2.8/24-70mm. 
Meanings ? 
- SL2 & SL2-S clearance before SL3 launch. 
- those rebadge lenses carry a very high margins for Leica. (Kit price already has a discount, it is effectively a double discount) 

SL3 won't be on the market before 2024.
The boss of my Leica Store had a 3 days meeting with Leica HQ. SL3 won't be out before 2024, it's a fact.
The deal with 1k euros was already existing in 2022.

[nicci78]

25 minutes ago, romaing said:

SL3 won't be on the market before 2024.
The boss of my Leica Store had a 3 days meeting with Leica HQ. SL3 won't be out before 2024, it's a fact.
The deal with 1k euros was already existing in 2022.

It is very unfortunate. With S5 II phase detect, SL2 & SL2-S are dead and fall into the do not buy at any cost category. 

[eibenbaum]

vor 16 Minuten schrieb nicci78:

It is very unfortunate. With S5 II phase detect, SL2 & SL2-S are dead and fall into the do not buy at any cost category. 

the SL"s on stock must be sold at first,and this  still can last long

[Archiver]

18 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

Looking at the MTF, it is pretty striking how good the APO Summicrons are. The 35mm APO Summicron is significantly sharper across the whole frame at f2 than the new 35mm ASPH is at f/8! The 50mm lenses show the same pattern. The APO Summicron is better wide open than the new lens at f8. My experience with the APO Summicrons has been one of ongoing amazement at how good they are. I never found them to be large or heavy, but admittedly I came from the S system and from large format. So nothing to pull me away from those lenses, but again, more lenses is not a bad thing. I just wish they would put out some focal lengths we don't have already...preferably with more of the APO Summicron level performance, rather than the last three lenses they announced, which were all smaller, cheaper, lower performance versions.

Sooo it's back to saving up for an APO 35, then. 😅

[Archiver]

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1 hour ago, dem331 said:

Maybe wait till we see images from them. 
 

If they are as good as the M35mm Asph and the M50mm Summicrons (non-APO), then they are a bargain and a great addition to the SL system.

Image quality is one thing, rendering and character are another. I have the Panasonic 50 and it's a decent enough lens for my liking. But I prefer the way my Summicron 50 v5 renders over the Panasonic. Whether this is to do with lens design, the M9 sensor vs S5 sensor, or my own perceptual bias, I don't know. But having Summicron v5 rendering in a modern AF lens would be a definite selling point.

[LikameLeica]

On 2/8/2023 at 8:48 AM, dem331 said:

I think it is a mistake. 

Small but “not as good as” is not going to cut it. That is the Summitar experience. Brilliant but worse.
 

It needs to be small and different, not directly comparable. Like the Summilux M 50mm Asph, which is different to the, Noctilux, the M 50 APO and the M 50 Summicron. Different but not worse. 

What could you do to make attractive small SL lenses? 
 

 

To me, if you want small quality lenses for the Leica SL, use an adapter with M lenses.  Gives you access to so many amazing options and with the high quality EVF, shooting with and manually focusing with focus peaking is quick.  My choices would be the M Summilux 35/1.4, the M Summilux 50/1.4 and the M 21/3.4.

[Stuart Richardson]

1 hour ago, nicci78 said:

It is very unfortunate. With S5 II phase detect, SL2 & SL2-S are dead and fall into the do not buy at any cost category. 

Seriously? The SL2 has 23 extra megapixels, better handling, better viewfinder, doesn’t smear the corners of M lenses and is built like a tank. If I had to buy again today I would in a heartbeat. I think you should have some allowance that your needs are not universal, and that the newest thing is not necessarily the greatest thing. For me, for example, phase detect is totally irrelevant. I work as a photographer and could use anything I want, and yet even today, I would choose the SL2 over every other camera in the market…even Leica’s own offerings or Phase One etc. 

[Jon Warwick]

53 minutes ago, Archiver said:

Sooo it's back to saving up for an APO 35, then. 😅

In the UK, the new 35mm is going to be almost £2k. I’ve seen, on a used basis, SL APO Summicrons (they’re quite common these days) in really lovely condition down to as low as roughly £2.5k. Personally if going for all out image quality, it doesn’t seem much of a price differential if happy with “used” examples of the SL APO.

[romaing]

3 hours ago, nicci78 said:

It is very unfortunate. With S5 II phase detect, SL2 & SL2-S are dead and fall into the do not buy at any cost category. 

I disagree  
Not everybody need a super fast AF (and the SL2-S AF is great, at least in AFs mode, even in bad light situation such as concert)
Even in critical situation (ok, it's not comfy but still doable) it's usable. Just look at Fred & Olivier Larrey wildlife work, Boby work, Sigried Duberos work, Laurent Lecrabe...

[nicci78]

You said it : it is usable. 
But at 5 or 6 grands AF has to be awesome not just serviceable 

especially when your little cheaper brother is almost state of the art. 

Edited February 9, 2023 by nicci78

[nicci78]

Weirdly all black S5 IIX is looking better than SL2-S almost full black except for a daunting red dot. 

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!

[BernardC]

17 minutes ago, nicci78 said:

You said it : it is usable. 
But at 5 or 6 grands AF has to be awesome not just serviceable 

especially when your little cheaper brother is almost state of the art. 

It's not as simple as that. The main reason to choose the SL2 over the SL2-s is high resolution. You can't achieve high resolution without exact focus. Exact focus is completely different from fast focus; ideally you want both, but accuracy is essential for high resolution, speed is not.

In other words, it's not usable for you, but it's probably not a big deal for SL2 customers.

[kobra]

35 minutes ago, nicci78 said:

You said it : it is usable. 
But at 5 or 6 grands AF has to be awesome not just serviceable 

especially when your little cheaper brother is almost state of the art. 

I think your reply is very biased; you only snipped a part of the response, and you failed to acknowledge the good points made by others as to why, for many, the "little cheaper brother" would not meet their needs. From your gear list, perhaps you have not tried any of the cameras you are speaking about? 

If everyone did actually share the same view as you, then there would be no SL2 and no SL2-S. But they don't, and instead they have voted with their wallets and paid the price to get the features that the SL cameras have today including the AF that is more accurate than many PDAF systems. (I just recently bought an SL2 and sold my past gear). It's good to have different viewpoints, but statements like "has to be" come across as trying to tell others what they should think. Let everyone have their own view for their own needs. 

***

But, let's get back to the thread here... what about the new non-APO 35 and 50 lenses? Does anyone have links to any actual reviews, or actual images? I'm really curious to see how these compare, not just to the SL APO lenses, but to the other L mount choices. 

Thanks!

Brad

[Succisa75]

I actually tried both today at the leica store in my area on the SL2-S. 

They are made in Portugal so not sure if they are a rebadged Panasonic lens, but they could be upgraded versions of those lenses

First Impressions: 

They are very light. Feel really good on the SL System. 

build quality isn’t exactly the same as the APO versions but feel better than a Panasonic lens. Though compared to the Sigma I series 65f2 etc I would prob say the Sigma feels more robust. 
 

performance wise the AF is quick and responsive. No issues acquiring focus even using face detection. 
 

for video it locks on quick, but since there is no phase detect on the SL2-S, it lags compared to other PD AF systems. 
 

image quality is good! Was surprised at the level of detail, pleasant bokeh and minimal CA. I did notice slight green fringing at times but nothing near to what the 35 Lux gives. It’s definitely better controlled here. 
 

From what I understand Leica is going to push these lenses as a kit with the SL cameras so not sure if they will be available soon to purchase separately. 
 

This is a good move by Leica and hopefully they do more like this. Not everyone can afford or even need APO lenses. 

[SrMi]

4 hours ago, nicci78 said:

It is very unfortunate. With S5 II phase detect, SL2 & SL2-S are dead and fall into the do not buy at any cost category. 

Strongly disagree. No interest in S5II, while my SL2 and SL2-S deliver some of the best possible shooting experiences. It depends on one's photography, i.e., I do not need AF-C with SL2 or SL2-S (or any of my MF cameras). 

[MediaFotografie]

and here is the lens hood - it's the same for 50mm and 35mm:

https://store.leica-camera.com/de/de/gegenlichtblende-fuer-sl-2/35-11192-2/50-11193?number=16055

[cj3209]

I don't understand the negativity on these two new Leica lenses:  they are more affordable versions of the APO lenses.  Not expecting similar image quality to the APO versions and yes, you can get Panny versions as well.  Choices are good.  Win-win for everyone.

 

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Hallo,

Look here: Leica L-Mount

[SrMi]

34 minutes ago, MediaFotografie said:

and here is the lens hood - it's the same for 50mm and 35mm:

https://store.leica-camera.com/de/de/gegenlichtblende-fuer-sl-2/35-11192-2/50-11193?number=16055

The hood is quite different from Panasonic's lenses, however, Panasonic has different lens hoods for 35mm and 50mm.

Edited February 9, 2023 by SrMi