Comparison of new Q3 43 APO lens to 35mm APO Summicron SL and 35mm APO-M lenses

[jonoslack]

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17 hours ago, Olaf_ZG said:

The sl lux is a great camera for portraits. Its rendering is different from an Apo, and the latter might even be too sharp. I can’t wait to get the Q though and do (out of studio) portraits with it. It won’t be as a Lux, but for sure, for the size of the Q, quality will be very good.

I would never go out with the SL lux just for fun and take a spontaneous portrait. With the Q I will, and to me, this is the big difference between the two.

 

1 hour ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I also think half the time people are complaining about it, they are using the default settings in Lightroom and Photoshop or Capture One which are already overblown for Leica cameras, let alone ones with SL APO Summicrons. I can understand wanting a softer presentation but I never understood the "too sharp" phraseology. A perfect lens is just transmitting a more accurate representation of reality. A lens cannot really be too sharp unless reality can be too sharp. This is of course not accounting for signal processing, which I think is usually what people object to. Or bokeh, as mentioned above.

But anyway, I am not trying to say softer photos are bad if that is what the aesthetic you want to go for, but I just always found the formulation a bit strange.

I'm with Stuart here. I think it's very important to make the distinction between detail and sharpness . . . .  the 75 APO SL has 'detail '- the F1.2 Noct at f8 has 'sharpness'. If you leave the default sharpening on in LR then the APO lenses are too sharp - turn it off and i feel they have much gentler 'detail' 

[JTLeica]

14 hours ago, JayQ3 said:

The issue is I see reference from Leica themselves stating the APO designation is used on lenses having an Apochromatic construction, the Q3 43 does not have an Apochromatic construction going off the patent and seeing the results in the field.  I have owned a few Voigtlander APO Lanthar's over the years and none of them had this red/orange/cyan fringing.

EDIT: Not just me it seems:-

https://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1877204/

 

 

That is definitely not my experience. I have owned the 35 and 50 Voigtlander Lanthars, and have the 35 and 50 APO Summicron M's and the Leica lenses handle fringing far better than the Voigtlanders. They are significantly worse.

I have also not noticed any fringing on the 43 Images, have not been looking though.

[SrMi]

4 hours ago, Stuart Richardson said:

I also think half the time people are complaining about it, they are using the default settings in Lightroom and Photoshop or Capture One which are already overblown for Leica cameras, let alone ones with SL APO Summicrons. I can understand wanting a softer presentation but I never understood the "too sharp" phraseology. A perfect lens is just transmitting a more accurate representation of reality. A lens cannot really be too sharp unless reality can be too sharp. This is of course not accounting for signal processing, which I think is usually what people object to. Or bokeh, as mentioned above.

But anyway, I am not trying to say softer photos are bad if that is what the aesthetic you want to go for, but I just always found the formulation a bit strange.

I am not familiar with C1, but LrC’s default sharpness is way too high.

[Dr. G]

1 hour ago, SrMi said:

I am not familiar with C1, but LrC’s default sharpness is way too high.

Agreed.  I actually prefer it when I'm going for a black and white image that looks hyper-real when I'm using my APO-SL lenses.   ...but that's more of a creative choice, not an accurate representation of the scene.  

[tom0511]

Am 15.10.2024 um 11:35 schrieb Kim Dahl:

Hi, thanks for all your tests.

In fact, I now have (unopened = right to retune) a Leica Q3 43 and a Leica M11-D at home.

Only one will be opened ☺️.

Today I have a leica MD (262) with a leica M35 APO. Which I am completely satisfied with. (I'm into clean and sharp images and not so much into old lenses - but that's just me)

So that's why I also have a Q3 - which is being used more and more instead of the MD. I really like the Q3 for everyday because of holiday photos - which I do most. But needs a little more range sometimes. I don't want to sell my Q328- not until Q4 28APO ☺️

I know they are two different systems but not really that different to use. Except AF.  

I was surprised that the Q3 43 was AS good as my M35 APO!

And that has made me consider buying the Q343 and "waiting" with the M until an M12 comes out.

It's no secret that there are quite a few problems with the M11.

I always have an M. I think the M12 is going to be much more like the Q. Battery etc. And it good.  

Good advice is welcome. 😁 but what do you think? 

Isnt it much more about the different user interface, AF vs MF, EVF vs OVF, etc., than maybe slight differences in lens quality?

[Tseg]

I posted back in October when I had the Q3 43 on order... I have now also added an M11-D (with 28 CF Cron and 50 CF Lux).  My experience is I love to use the Q to capture images at events I attend.  Enjoying the event is primary and photography is secondary as autofocus, stabilization and the smaller canvas of the 43mm reduces my photographic immersion required.   I take the M out when I want to immerse myself in photography.   I'm going o a Caribbean cruise in a few weeks and the Q will be with me.   I enjoy the M for street photography and photo walks.  If one has the resources to have both, I highly recommend.  If I could have 1 camera it may be the Q3 28.   But I already had a Sony RX1 35 and frequently wished Sony had a longer lens version. not so much a wider lens version.   But now that I am using the M with a 28mm Summicron I have a new found appreciation for a wide lens, and/but it makes me think a lot more to compose than the 50mm does (or even the 35mm).