Rendering of the 35 APO-SL

[JoshuaR]

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I'm a hobbyist M shooter who's recently picked up a heavily used SL2-S, Leica 24-70, and M-L adapter. Over the last year or so, I've increasingly felt that having a weather-sealed, autofocus, EVF, zoom-equipped camera would be useful for various situations. So far I've been really, really happy with the SL2-S, especially with the autofocus zoom. (I'm finding that, for M lenses, I prefer my M cameras.)

I'm now looking to pick up a single 35mm prime lens with autofocus. Cost isn't a particular issue, as I have some gear to trade in. My main concern is rendering. I'd be using this lens for casual documentary pictures of friends and family. It's clear to me that the APO-SL is a tremendous lens, but many of the images I see online reveal more detail in faces than I think is flattering—wrinkles, blemishes, etc. On the M system, my go-to lenses are the 35 f/1.4 Steel Rim reissue and 50 f/1.2 Noctilux reissue. I've moved to these lenses after selling the 35 FLE and 50 Lux ASPH. So, on the whole, I prefer a gentler rendering, and lenses with "character," and am less interested in the capture of super-fine texture or detail.

Am I right in my overall sense that the extraordinary 35 APO-SL is best for photographing landscapes, or beautiful models with perfect skin, and perhaps not so suitable for photographing my older relatives or crumb-encrusted kids, or for that matter my own tired, bedraggled self in the mirror? If that's the case, then I suspect I'd be happier with the smaller and cheaper ASPH Summicron-SL—or perhaps with some other L-mount 35mm lens, which I'd love to know about. Or have I developed a caricatured sense of what the APO is capable of? If I nudged the sharpening and clarity sliders to the left, would I still find delightful characteristics in the APO-SL images?

Many thanks for any insights. Here's the sort of 35mm picture I enjoy taking on my Ms (this is the Steel Rim reissue at f/2):

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[Dr. G]

This is going to be a controversial response.  Are you only going to be using it for enviornmental portraiture or will it also be used for general shooting, landcape, travel, architecture, etc?  If the former, then I don't know which L mount 35mm lens with autofocus will give you the rendering you're looking for.  You can use the APO but maybe using it with a glimmerglass 1 will give you what you're looking for.  I use a portrait preset in lightroom to help bring the details down on the skin.  

[JoshuaR]

1 minute ago, Dr. G said:

This is going to be a controversial response.  Are you only going to be using it for enviornmental portraiture or will it also be used for general shooting, landcape, travel, architecture, etc?  If the former, then I don't know which L mount 35mm lens with autofocus will give you the rendering you're looking for.  You can use the APO but maybe using it with a glimmerglass 1 will give you what you're looking for.  I use a portrait preset in lightroom to help bring the details down on the skin.  

Thanks for your response! I'll be using it for general shooting, but the pictures that matter most will be environmental portraits. I'm less picky about how my other shots look.

A glimmerglass filter is an interesting idea. I used one on my Q2, when I owned one, and I liked the results better, although at times I felt the effect was too pronounced.

[Buscap]

Joshua, 

 

The 35 APO is a great lens, if you're going to shoot mainly portraits with an SL native lens, I would recommend the 50mm summilux. I love the rendering of this lens for portraits. Unfortunately it's a beast of a lens. I picked up my copy used like many of my lenses.

 

Rich

[Almizilero]

The APO is the most amazing 35 I've ever tried. Still I didn't buy it because the Sigma 35/1.2 is pretty close and has it's very own magic wide open. So if weight isn't an issue, I highly recommend it.

Both pictures wide open and completely unedited from RAW straight out of Lightroom.

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Edited August 22, 2024 by Almizilero

[MrFriendly]

The best advice I can give is for you to rent or borrow the APO SL 35mm and try it to see how you like it.

The very nice thing about the APO Summicron SL lenses is that they're all the same size and weight, so if you're comfortable handling one, you'll feel comfortable handling all of them.  The rendering is very beautiful with very smooth bokeh, but that's all subjective, so you'll have to try it to see if you like it.

If there is an SL lens with "character", it's the Summilux SL 50mm.

 

[mokona]

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The Lumix 35mm f1.8 renders very nicely and is super light. So the Leica 35mm non APO based on that Lumix should be good too.

[Biotar]

My most-used and most-loved portrait lens with AF in 35mm is my Canon 1.4/35 V1, which I still use with a Sigma adapter on the SL2-S. In comparison with the R-Summilux 35, I sold the Lux because I don't use it enough. Among the AF lenses, the Canon 35L still has a strong analog signature (after all, it is dating back to the analog era).

 

  Edited August 23, 2024 by Biotar

[thatkatmat]

Get the APO, if you can afford it. It's the best 35 I've ever used. The ASPH Summicron is a really nice lens too, very close focus, faster AF than the APO's, and renders beautifully too, just a little more aberrations in the bokeh and not quite as crisp as the APO. Great for family and a walkabout lens.

-Side note That Canon 35L is what got me hooked on 35mm!

Edited August 23, 2024 by thatkatmat

[Archiver]

On 8/23/2024 at 11:55 PM, Biotar said:

My most-used and most-loved portrait lens with AF in 35mm is my Canon 1.4/35 V1, which I still use with a Sigma adapter on the SL2-S. In comparison with the R-Summilux 35, I sold the Lux because I don't use it enough. Among the AF lenses, the Canon 35L still has a strong analog signature (after all, it is dating back to the analog era).

 

 

Do you use manual focus or autofocus with the 35L and SL2S? The autofocus of the 35L + Sigma adapter on the Panasonic S5 is awful, hardly catching focus at all.

[Biotar]

Autofokus - as seen in the video ... no time lapse - it has focused 2x on a close object. It happens (10%) that it adjusts a few more levels, then pressing the trigger again adjusts it.

Edited August 26, 2024 by Biotar

[Biotar]

I tested it again on the S1 - it doesn't work so well here (70% of the cases it stutters until it comes into focus)