35 Apo V’s 35 1.4 Zeiss

[Leslie22]

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I have the Zeiss , Very good , I’d be interested in comments from people with experience with both lens …… forget price , size and 1.4 etc , jus a general impression would be welcome , thanks

[otto.f]

I have Leica’s APO 35/2.0 and don’t know the Zeiss 1.4 but I trust it’s very good and that it has an own identity, like almost always with Zeiss.
I did try out the CV Nokton 35/1.4 MC to have it as a second, but more lightweight, option. Although the price is great for that purpose and for its IQ but I didn’t buy it because of the versatility of my APO. The short distance to object of 30cm is very easy to use with Liveview and delivers great shots, even handheld. With the cropping possibilities of my M10-R I can really use it as a one lens only on many occasions. With theatre for instance I can just as well leave my 90 APO at home. The details after cropping are insane. So the price of this Leica 35 may sound insane as well, but I don’t regret that I traded in quite a few 35’s for it.
My personal hiccup with Zeiss and CV are the hoods which make them too long for comfort. I’m convinced that at the moment you can’t get a smaller 35 with this level of performance and versatility. 

Edited November 11, 2023 by otto.f