New Lens vs New Body

[wdshuck]

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I've been very happy with my M10 for the past ~18 months and have a kit of a ZM 35 F2, Summicron 50 v5, VM 50 F1, and Elmarit-M 90. I've had a good year at work and have considered upgrading a part of my kit. For roughly the same price I could change my M10 for a used M11 or change out my ZM for a used Summilux 35 FLE v1

I'm generally happy with the M10, but miss higher MP a bit and would like the ability to better recover highlights. For the 35, I like the ZM but am not crazy about the rendering the way I am about my Summicron -that's my desert island lens.

Edited May 2 by wdshuck

[Al Brown]

But WHAT 35 Summilux, that is always the question... so many about...

Edited May 2 by Al Brown

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[wdshuck]

22 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

But WHAT 35 Summilux, that is always the question... so many about...

You are right, updated! 

[lct]

The Summilux 35/1.4 FLE v1 has not the same IQ as your Summicron 50 so are you sure you like it?

[rsolomon]

I don’t know what type of $$ your talking about, regardless I would go 35 summicron and current model-1 is an awesome ( same as current) lens, it’s simply the lens shade is upgraded- and nicer but same glass to my understanding. Then go wide… the 21 SEM. 

[Kiwimac]

I debated whether to get another lens or another body to go with my 10R. 
 

in the end I got another lens because they will outlast the bodies. 

[wdshuck]

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1 hour ago, lct said:

The Summilux 35/1.4 FLE v1 has not the same IQ as your Summicron 50 so are you sure you like it?

Is there a 35 that is better comparable? The latest non-APO 35 Summicron felt higher contrast / punchier to me.

[lct]

48 minutes ago, wdshuck said:

Is there a 35 that is better comparable? The latest non-APO 35 Summicron felt higher contrast / punchier to me.

You may wish to try the Summicron 35/2 v4 then. Was launched more or less at the same time as the 50/2 v4 which has the same IQ as your v5.

[mpw]

I would keep the M10 . Why do you feel you need more MP's? The body fine so just get more lens if you want.

[roma]

I think trying to upgrade your 35 to an FLE will give you something new to play with. It renders differently than anything else you have and has an extra stop/less depth of field to play with. It’s also a much better investment if your funds are limited. 

[lencap]

This may be an unusual suggestion, but when Leica came out with the M 35mm f/2.4 Summarit lens I bought it on a recommendation from my local Leica dealer.  He said it was a "sleeper lens", generally unappreciated because of the slower lens designation, and added that it was actually a great ASPH lens with a lot of character.  I put it on my M9, M-A and M7 and had to agree that it was a very underrated lens.  

It's small, light and seems to draw an image very well.  It may be an inexpensive option for the ZM, and it's a true Leica lens.  Some suggest it's a less expensive cousin instead of a true Leica, but it worked well for me and I felt no need to move to a faster lens, nor did I feel that the image quality was disappointing.  Color rendition is exceptional.  The small size made it easy to frame potential shots without any blockage of the finder scene.  Some say it's a bit soft at the frame edges, and that may be true compared to other lenses, but there is a lot of "atmosphere" in the images, and it's been my most surprising lens.  I thought I'd try it and resell it quickly, but it stayed as part of my kit, and my only 35mm lens only leaving when I sold all of my M gear and moved to the SL platform.  

Leica also made a f/2.5 version of the Summarit lens - get the f/2.4, it seems to draw with more character and is quite sharp in the center.  With the M10 sensor you may find less desire to upgrade to the M11 if you enjoy the way the lens creates images.  There may be some slight color fringing, especially if shooting directly into a high intensity light source, but it's not a big issue, and easily corrected if needed.  

By the way, the matching Summarit 75mm f/2.4 is an exceptional lens - well worth seeking out, and generally not on the radar of most M shooters.  I loved mine, and paired with the 35mm lens it made a great lightweight, relatively affordable combo, that reminded me of shooting film and concentrating on composition instead of pixel peeping.  The full line included 35,50,75 and 90 focal lengths.  I regret not buying all of them when they were available - great value, some minor weaknesses, but a great unappreciated lens series overall.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

One hint:

I have purchased made in 2015 digital M. By 2022 LCAG has no major components for it. 

LCAG started to make X-E in 2014, no service offered anymore for it by now.

 

[wdshuck]

I ended up picking up a 35 Summilux FLE v1 and am so far very happy. Planning on trying to use this for the majority of my images for a couple months to change things up from my normal 50 usage.