Help... Need to sell one of my lenses

[Dr. G]

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So today I got a surprise call from my local Leica dealer.  They had a Q3 available for me.  I have a trip coming up and think it is the perfect travel and daily use camera, so I pulled the trigger and bought it.  I need to sell one of my lenses for the SL2-S to help cover some of the cost of the Q3.  I have the following lenses:

35mm APO Summicron-SL

50mm APO Summicron-SL

50mm Summilux-SL

75mm Summicron-SL

I am definitely keeping my 75 as I love all of the images I get with this lens.  I have a few thoughts regarding my other options.  First, Sell the APO 35 as it is close to the 28mm of the Q3.  I'm just not sure I'll regret selling it as I am still in awe of all the images I get with it. 

Second thought is to sell the APO 50.  Stopped down, the Summilux-SL is almost as sharp as the APO and the Lux SL has a different rendering than the 35 and 75.  I would lose the closer minimum focusing distance of the APO 50 - which I do utilize.

If I sold the Summilux I would be losing the rendering difference of the lens.  On the SL2-S the low light advantage over the APO 50 isn't too much of a concern because of the low light performance of the camera.

The 35 cropped to 50 or used in APS-C mode will still give me most of what the APO 50 gives me with the exception of compression and the loss of resolution - which I haven't found to be too much of an issue because the APO lenses make images taken with the SL2-S look like they were much higher resolution to begin with.  At least that's been my experience.

Any thought or suggestions?  

[robb]

I would agree that the 75 is a perfect combo lens with the q3.

the 50 apo is truly amazing and I like it better than the 35 apo primarily for field of view.  All of your apo lenses are stellar and best in class and needed if you ever desire to print large and travel fairly small in doing that.  The 35 is closest to the q3’s 28mm…

I like the concept of the 50 1.4 SL but it’s weight and size go against my preference for sharpest and smallest.  I find the background blur for portraits for the 50 apo and 50 lux to be so very similar… so the 50 1.4 is my most likely to sell given your 4 lenses…

BUT - id actually recommend you try out the Q3 on your trip and view the image quality carefully to see if it is a long term fit for you.  It may not be.  I wouldn’t sell any of your 4 lenses until you know for sure.

I’d likely be selling the q3 and sticking with all 4 of your SL lenses long term…

but if you must sell one, I’d sell the 50 1.4 first and 35 apo as a second choice.

keep the 50 and 75 closest to your forever set.

Robb

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[Mute-on]

Reading between the lines of your comments it sounds like the 50 Summilux can go. In effect you have said that you have it for different rendering, but you didn’t say it had a rendering that you prefer over the APO 50. However you did say the APO has a closer MFD that you do utilise. 

[Ken Abrahams]

I wouldn't sell any Leica lenses to cover the purchase of another camera Dr G. The 50 Summilux is a great lens from what I have seen through a friend's copy of this lens. I dont like using my Leica lenses as collateral to make other purchases. It sets a precedent for doing the same again, when another new camera model comes online.  I have three different 35 mm lenses however I can't see myself selling one anytime soon. It sounds tempting to get the new camera but not if you have to sell a lens for it.   

[Sohail]

These are all fine lenses that will outlast future SL bodies for several years. But there's a lot of redundancy there; they're all pretty close in terms of focal length. I'm sorry to say this but the Q3 is a serious downgrade. When it came out, I ended up selling my Q2 and getting the 28 SL. Superb lens. Right now I have two SL2 bodies plus the 28, 90 APO, and the 50 Summilux SL, which for me is one of the finest lenses in terms of rendering.

 

[hellobrandonscott]

Dark horse suggestion - sell both 50s, get a preowned M-SL adapter and a used 50-Summilux-M, and for the small price of autofocus, you get your 1.4-ness, your unique rendering, and your 50mm focal length with some money left over. I'm currently rocking that combo and love it.

[Flou]

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I have the 35mm APO SL and the 75mm APO SL…and both lenses are superb. 35mm + 75mm is the perfect combination for me and I would never sell one of these two lenses.

You don‘t need two 50mm lenses in my opinion. I would sell the 50mm APO and keep the Summilux because of the different Style of rendering. But I would never sell the 35mm APO, no matter if the 28mm of the Leica Q are a similar focal length. If you aren‘t a landscape photographer, a wildlife-photographer of someone else who needs tele or wide angle lenses, 35mm + 75mm is a „I don‘t need more“-combination for the SL in my opinion. But that‘s my personal opinion. With my 35mm + 75mm combo I have my perfect SL-setup and now I am just waiting for the SL3 to upgrade my SL1-Camera. 
 

Perhaps I will add a M of a Q someday, but that would not affect my SL-Setup. The M or Q would be perfect when I don‘t want to carry my heavy SL-Setup. 

[jaapv]

I find that this discussion concentrates too much on the technical aspects. All of them are superb, so it is no use to try and decide on that basis.

First I would filter the LR catalog to find out which lens is the least used. Then sample your best photographs ( not on technical criteria) and determine which lens you used to get them. It will be clear which lenses should not be sold. 
 

You clearly work within a narrow band of focal length. The Q really overlaps. I assume your reasons for getting it are convenience and weight/bulk, so you will not be using both systems side by side. Don’t fall into the trap of demanding identical results 

[dynaerik]

I remember selling my M 50 Summilux ASPH... and hell do I miss it. So please think very carefully about selling one of your Leica lenses.   If possible .. keep them all. 

If you are very sure that one of them hast to go.... Let the SL 50 Summilux go. Why? Because the 50 and 75 SL fit together very well plus the size, weight and beauty of the similar lens design overall.

And above all.... why not add a SL 28mm APO to the set instead of the Q3?

[Dr. G]

6 hours ago, jaapv said:

I find that this discussion concentrates too much on the technical aspects. All of them are superb, so it is no use to try and decide on that basis.

First I would filter the LR catalog to find out which lens is the least used. Then sample your best photographs ( not on technical criteria) and determine which lens you used to get them. It will be clear which lenses should not be sold. 
 

You clearly work within a narrow band of focal length. The Q really overlaps. I assume your reasons for getting it are convenience and weight/bulk, so you will not be using both systems side by side. Don’t fall into the trap of demanding identical results 

I actually also have a Voigtlander 15mm as well - but didn't list it because it's not really "replaceable" by the Q3's 28mm.  

[Olaf_ZG]

I would sell the 35mm, but then, my life ends at 24mm and restarts at 50mm.

[Steven Lane]

Like others on this thread, I would think twice about selling any Leica lens. I once used one as collateral when purchasing another and regretted doing so within a few days of completing the transaction. I ended up buying another copy of the one I sold 😀 

If your funds can stretch to hanging onto all of your beautiful lenses for a while longer , sit it out until the honeymoon period has passed with the Q3 and then revisit the situation. You may feel differently.