Leica 35mm APO-M - The Lens you only need?

[Jan1985]

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Just a question: When you own a 35mm APO-M, do you have the necessity to add another lens or is this the only lens you really need?

[Ouroboros]

It's the only lens you'll ever need because you'll never need a lens that is faster, longer, wider, has more character, is less sharp, less contrasty or, impossibly,  better suited to whatever it is you're trying to photograph.

Next.

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[Robert Blanko]

vor 1 Stunde schrieb Jan1985:

Just a question: When you own a 35mm APO-M, do you have the necessity to add another lens or is this the only lens you really need?

Yes, No.

[jdlaing]

There can never………….ever…………be just one prime lens. Ever.

[julianf73]

What a strange question...doesn't it come down to your own personal preference/desire? I currently own a 35mm summilux and a 21mm. I am happy satisfied. Sometimes I wish I had a longer lens, for projects where the 35mm is difficult to use. Yes, I use it for portraits, but some people don't like it when their noses have a certain look that a wide angle lens creates.

Most people that look at our photos will never know, or care, if we took them with a Summilux, Summicron, Summarit, etc etc. That's only for us nutcases to stress over. 😀 So you don't even "NEED" the 35mm APO. But I'm assuming you don't make 12 foot prints...maybe you do?

 

[stefanusj]

at first, you think that's the only lens you need...

[yossi]

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The only lens you need is behind your camera 😁

[fil-m]

Different lenses enable different kinds of creativity (and come with different compromises), a 50mm or longer might be more suitable for portraits - or street photography if you don't want to be too close to your subject-, a 21mm for wide angle photography etc.

Assuming you want to focus your photography on one "versatile" lens for, say, street photography, then yes the APO 35 is outstanding in that respect IMO being compact, fast, sharp (enabling cropping if need be with little loss) and allowing you to concentrate on your composition with little impact from "vintage" lens character. From all the different lenses that I have if I am "forced" to keep one that would be the APO 35. However, there is no denying that I sometimes like to take a 24mm or a 90mm (or 50mm) if I want to enjoy a different experience with a different mindset when shooting.

NB: someone might also consider that a "standard" Cron 35 is more than enough being less expensive than its APO brother, less sharp (might also be considered as "wanted") and slightly more compact

[otto.f]

I just have it a few weeks on my M10-R and just decided that I’ll take pretty much all my lenses on a coming travel to Spain. Nevertheless, I do think that I will use my 50mm less often because cropping from 35 to 50 is very well done on the M10-R. The APO 35 cannot replace a 75, 90 and 24.

[SiggiGun]

If your question concerns 35mm, I guess 

1/ 70% of my M images are taken with 35

2/ the image quality of this Apo lens is so good that crop allows 90mm images without issues

3/ for landscape I add the SEM21

[Kim Dahl]

I bought my APO 35 in the fall. It has basically not been away from my MD. But I couldn't do without the 24 f/2.8 and min 50 f/2.
Now I've considered the new summilux 50mm. I would not buy 50 summichrom but 50f1.4 because of depth of field.

[TheBestSLIsALeicaflex]

The only lens you need ... until you want something else.  Then you'll find reasons to "need" that.  Photographers by their nature are creative people and creative types like variety.  You can satisfy that by lots of traveling, but most of us like trying out new and different stuff -- lenses , films, developers, ect.

Edited May 15 by TheBestSLIsALeicaflex

[scott kirkpatrick]

I've had that lens for about a year now, and it has monopolized the mount on my M11 the whole time, forcing the shorter lenses that I had been using to skulk off to the M10 where they must fight it out with a 50 and a 75.

[charlesphoto99]

Out of my 18, 24, 28, 35, 50, 75, 90, and 135mm lenses, I use 35 the least. In fact will probably sell it and forego that focal length altogether. Everybody has different needs. 

[DadDadDaddyo]

I remember a crudely handwritten sign held up with a thumbtack over the mirror of a particular bar I used to haunt long ago in Alaska. 

It read, "Free Beer Tomorrow".

Of course, when you came back the next day, the sign was still there...

[hdmesa]

18 hours ago, Jan1985 said:

Just a question: When you own a 35mm APO-M, do you have the necessity to add another lens or is this the only lens you really need?

On digital, I wouldn't use any of the Leica or Voigtlander 35 and 50 APO lenses for portraits outside of shooting perfect models and taking the time to retouch the images.

The 35 and 50 APO lenses from Leica and Voigtlander are specialized tools at one end of the spectrum. I do not consider them perfect one-lens solutions unless you're strictly a landscape shooter.

[spydrxx]

Foolish question! Perhaps the only one you need in that focal length on your present camera at this time, but that fails to take into account different circumstances. I admit to using a Leica 35/2.8 Summaron almost exclusively for 25 years, but there were circumstances and occasions when I NEEDED a different lens or focal length to accommodate what I was charged with photographing. Don't get caught up in drinking the Kool-Aid to thinking that one lens solves everything.

[otto.f]

3 hours ago, Kim Dahl said:

I bought my APO 35 in the fall. It has basically not been away from my MD. But I couldn't do without the 24 f/2.8 and min 50 f/2.
Now I've considered the new summilux 50mm. I would not buy 50 summichrom but 50f1.4 because of depth of field.

I agree in the sense that I would rather invest in the new 50lux than in any other Summilux available today, owning the 75lux. But I would only do that if I wanted to expand my lens park and I’m into shrinking at the moment. 

[Warton]

22 hours ago, Jan1985 said:

Just a question: When you own a 35mm APO-M, do you have the necessity to add another lens or is this the only lens you really need?

I asked myself the similar question before I proposed to my wife.

I still don't know the answer.

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Hallo,

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[Kim Dahl]

3 hours ago, otto.f said:

Jeg er enig i den forstand, at jeg hellere vil investere i den nye 50lux end i nogen anden Summilux, der er tilgængelig i dag, som ejer 75lux. Men det ville jeg kun gøre, hvis jeg ville udvide min linsepark, og jeg er i gang med at skrumpe i øjeblikket. 

I think you are right. I am also downgrading my equipment. 35 APO is definitely included. A better jump for me would probably be the 75 APO. I have never used 50 summilux and only briefly use 75 APO. (it will probably also come in a new version as rumors about APo 90mm) On the other hand, I have 90 APO which is used very little. If not I need the harshness of my 35 APO add (-) texture in Photoshop. For me it makes sense on some portraits. Otherwise, I am happy with the sharpness at f/2 (My 50mmf2 is Zeiss)