Leica Summilux-M 35mm f/1.4 ASPH or Voigtlander 35/1.5 II Nokton vintage

[brickftl]

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I have the Nokton. Is the Summilux so much better that it justifies the much greater price?

Also, I'm confused about model numbers on the Summilux. Is model #11663 the newest?

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[35 mm]

Hello,
no, Model 11663 isn‘t the newest. The newest one is 11726.
You find a good comparision between your nokton and the 11663 here: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1784972

Edited March 22, 2024 by 35 mm

[brickftl]

2 minutes ago, 35 mm said:

Hello,
no, Model 11663 isn‘t the newest. The newest one is 11726.
You find a good comparision between your nokton and the 11663 here: https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1784972

oh thanks for that I'll check it out.

I found discussions comparing the Summilux to the 35/1.4 Nokton, but I'm looking for comments relative to my 356/1.5 Nokton

[brickftl]

and can you put the 35 cron apo in the comparison discussion

[lct]

No idea about the Summicron 35/2 apo. Leica 11663 is the Summilux 35/1.4 FLE v1. Sharp lens with sometimes busy bokeh. I say sometimes because it depends on aperture and subject distance. The Nokton 35/1.5 asph has a bit less acutance with generally smooth bokeh. Flare resistance looks rather good on both lenses. The Nokton has more color fringing. Just a feeling after a couple of days experience with the Nokton. With its small size and weight, the aliminum version of the Nokton is a pleasure to use. The bigger Summilux less so but it is a subjective matter obviously. The Nokton's 0.5m MFD is another advantage vs 0.7m for the Summilux. FWIW.

Edited March 22, 2024 by lct

[RexGig0]

I will second the recommendation of looking at the Fred Miranda forum topic link, in post #2.

I have never seen the Nokton f/1.5, in the wild, but can agree that the Summilux-M 35 ASPH FLE does not have bokeh that pleases everyone. (My favorite 35mm M-mount lens, for bokeh, as my eyes/brain like to see bokeh, is the Zeiss Distagon 35mm f/1,4 ZM. I have the Zeiss, and have test-shot it, side-by-side, with a Leica dealer’s demonstrator FLE.) To be clear, I am not “hating on” the FLE, because I actually do like the FLE’s character for things in the foreground, and in the transitions from in-focus to out-of-focus. It is the FLE’s busy bokeh, in some situations, with some types of backgrounds, that is not to my taste. If/When my budget is such that I can “justify” an FLE, I may eventually add one.

I could bankrupt myself trying to buy all of the 35mm Leica lenses that would like to have, for as many potential situations/environments as possible. 😉 (I got a bit carried-away, with the 50mm focal length.)

Edited March 23, 2024 by RexGig0