What is the longest time you pondered a lens, and which one?

[IkarusJohn]

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Depends.

I was waiting for the 28 Summilux to break cover, and bought it as soon as it was released.

Conversely, I have a love hate relationship with 35mm.  My first Leica lens was the 35 Summicron ASPH - it was okay, but I preferred the 50 Summilux ASPH, so sold it.  Then bought a 35 Summilux ASPH (FLE), hated it.  Got another one with my M Edition 60, loved it’s build, but hated its images.  Picked up a Summilux pre-asph v2, and still trying to come to grips with it.  Tried the 35 Distagon, and loved its build and haptics, but found it too contrasty.

Liked the look of the APO Summicron, but baulked at the price.  Had a loose arrangement with the local dealer, turned down 4 of them, til I succombed after a couple of years.  Very happy.

Have bought 2 Elmarit-R 180/2.8 - stupid to sell the first, lucky the second was better!

Not selling or buying any more lenses … he says …

[Fedro]

the apo is great, but it is not that much smaller or lighter than the FLE .. in fact I think they weigh roughly the same

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[adan]

3 hours ago, Jeff S said:

I obviously can’t speak to the rest of your life, but with regard to cameras and lenses, your posts here over many years often seem to reflect intricate analyses and even testing.  So your decisions may be quick, but perhaps after you’ve studied every aspect down to the minutiae.  If I recall, I think you debated for a long time about buying a particular camera… a Monochrom? 
 

None of my business or concern.  But your comment made me pause, as your forum commentary seems to be far more “Dr. Analysis” than “Mr. Gut Feel/Spontaneity”. 😁

Jeff

Fair comment - although between dpreview (30-minute reads) and digital testing, even "pondering and analysis" can be pretty fast, these days.

This past weekend, I just "pondered" a 50mm Summicron-M v4 that popped up on the local store shelf - a lens that had never really been on my radar - for all of two days.

Against my present v3 Summicron, and a Zeiss ZM 50 Sonnar that was handy. Also handy was a event shoot Friday night, where the Summicrons/Sonnar went head to head (my store has a weekend sign-out policy for used gear).

(For those interested, the v4 won - just barely. The "pondering" was brief but complicated. It is taking 4 days to do the deal only because I was busy editing the shoot and "pondering" on Saturday, and the shop was closed Sunday. 😁) 

And it is fair to say my "snap judgements" have sometimes been sequential - no, no, no, no, yes - over up to two decades, depending on what deals I happen to run across "live" in stores.

Or sometimes just as important - changing times, changing situations.

The 75 Summilux is one example: I spent virtually zero time contemplating that lens - but I would try one if I ran across it (along with almost every unique lens type I ever ran across - I'll try anything, whether I have pondered it or not). The snap judgement was always "no."

Until the day the M9 came out, and at the reveal event I went to, I tried the rep's personal Summilux. And realized that between the insignificant M9 increase in usable ISO over the M8, and the loss of the crop factor in the studio, the time had come for the tight-framing, f/1.4 Summilux. Had my own as fast as Tamarkin could ship one (~ 3 days).

And then (11 years later) along came a used 75mm f/1.5 Nokton - at 42% less weight than a Summilux. And that was another snap decision. A few quick shots in the store, and off I went with it.

It is the case that for years I pondered - generically - the idea of a really light-weight, fast 75mm M, from Leica or anyone else. Before it even existed, I dreamed of a possible 360g 75 APO-Summicron-M (or faster). The 440g reality was a bit of a let-down.

So perhaps that can be filed under "Chance favors the prepared mind."

[IkarusJohn]

10 hours ago, ValerieD said:

So the 35APO is the one 35 that managed to make you happy, if I understand correctly ? I’m kind of pondering that lens too. 
I have the summilux. I absolutely love it’s output at every aperture, but I stopped using the lens as it’s too big and removes the joy of using an M, for me. 

For me, subject separation and fall of are important.  This is where the APO stands out.  I still have the Summilux pre-asph (it’s having a CLA in Germany).  I never gelled with the Summilux FLE as it was not as smooth as I would like, and the out of focus treatment could be harsh and very busy. 

[bpultorak]

On 11/10/2023 at 6:54 PM, setuporg said:

With the 35 steel rim Lux reissue, I've read a bunch of threads and saw a bunch pf photos and am unconvinced I should get it after getting the 35 APO.  However the compactness and character make it a very interesting one.  Then again I got the Noctilux 1.2 that has somewhat similar character and also works better for portraits.  Another important consideration is the QC issues.  Used one might not have the new hood; new ones might have been made too long ago and still have the old hood.  That's just an example of some pros and cons that delay getting a lens.

What was your longest process deciding on whether you want to get a lens, which one was it, what were the pros and cons, and how did it work out in the end -- did you get it?  And if you did, did you keep it?  And if not, what did you get/use instead?

Same here. I pulled the trigger in August and got the new steel rim. With 3 months struggle with back focus warranty battle I ended up with still unadjusted lens.

I had to service it myself but I don’t regret it. It’s such a unique lens!

 

 

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Edited November 14, 2023 by bpultorak

[fil-m]

1 hour ago, ValerieD said:

I agree with you. I've always wished for the FLE to be the first cousin of the Summilux 28, but sadly it is not. I find that the 35AA wide open resemble more the 28 Lux' rendering. 

Agree the 35AA is indeed unique and in line with the Sx28 (and IMO the Sx24) rendering with an even more pronounced fingerprint.

I hesitated a long time to get it until I finally made the crazy decision and bought one at a "reasonable" price through an auction (cheaper than prices seen at shops or on eBay). It was like an ON/OFF switch in my head cycling between the "forget it" and "just get it" until the auction came and I won, thus turning the page.

When we consider the APO 35, Steel Rim (+reissue) and AA, in addition to the FLE and even the older Summicrons, Leica's 35s have so many different & unique signatures, a very rich pool of multiple styles. It is a well designed trap!

[jakontil]

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50 Noctilux 0.95, considering the price and various infos from the net, mostly say like summilux 50 on steroids gave me so much doubts, but it was a lens i have for some years and been used quite on regular basis

out of context, i have the noct 1.2 and though it’s better for portrait compared to the 35 SR, the latter is great when doing street photos, especially if you shoot films, just like the reissue noct 1.2 

[Olaf_ZG]

May be we could cameras as well to the thread?

[cesc]

Summilux 50 Asph... I've never had the chance to get one, or try one, and I think it's a "must", I had twice the Sonnar, twice Summicron v4 ... but never the Lux