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55 minutes ago, Genoweffa said:

Your rich grandma just passed away and you inherited..

Which one would you go for?

SL21APO. Close focus, no decolouring towards the edges/corners, top performer already at f2, better in the hand (size/weight), weather sealed, has af - to mention some points. 

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Posted (edited)

SL 21mm APO. It is not even close. I am mostly interested in using very wide lenses for architecture and landscape. Having an extra 1.4 stop in exchange for worse optical performance...doesn't tempt me at all. I don't really want to use a super wide for subject isolation. I am sure that some people like that look, but it tends not to appeal to me. If it were an M lens, I would get the 21mm Super Elmar. But for L mount the 21mm APO Summicron is the most tempting by far.

Edited by Stuart Richardson
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Genoweffa,   Your grandma would most definitely approve your spending the money on the SL 21 Apo.   Its a stellar lens on all fronts and both Helged and Stuart offered their most excellent sage advice.  I use mine for landscapes.   r/ Mark

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I have both. The SL 21 is really as perfect as you’ll get in a 21. The Summilux-M has a softer look with a little glow wide open. Stopped down the Summilux gets very sharp and contrasty but still not as good as SL. They are different flavors of the same focal length.

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14 hours ago, Genoweffa said:

Your rich grandma just passed away and you inherited..

Which one would you go for?

Both, since your rich grandma just passed away and you inherited.

If you had to only get one, I would opt for the 21/1.4 for the size and weight savings.

The APO 21 is the clear winner for optical performance/image quality, but sometimes I prefer something smaller and lighter at the cost of some loss in image quality. I travel a lot so this may or may not be a main consideration for you. 

 

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Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, jaapv said:

Well, if you want to use the lens on an M camera as well, there is really no choice.

Dont have M and never will...

M model format (ie.rangefinder) is produced only for religious Leica followers and potential Leica followers who prefer this 'uniqueness' over functionality and convenience, while having choice of Q and SL series.

Edited by Genoweffa
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11 minutes ago, Genoweffa said:

Dont have M and never will...

M model format (ie.rangefinder) is produced only for religious Leica followers and potential Leica followers who prefer this 'uniqueness' over functionality and convenience, while having choice of Q and SL series.

I'm not religious. In any sense.

Have you ever tried? Really tried? 

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I only have the 21 APO SL, so I can't speak towards the Lux M.  The 21 APO SL is more like a wide normal in the way it behaves on the camera and the images it produces.  It's incredibly sharp, focuses quickly, has a great minimum focus distance and the edges show little to no stretching.  Because the lens is so highly resolving you can use APS-C mode for 32mm or so in a pinch and still have a great file to work with.  Along with the 75 APO it's become one of my favorite lenses of the SL system.   

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I recently acquired the Super APO 21 Summicron-SL for use with the SL2. I had been using the 21 Summilux-M and 21 Elmarit-M ASPH adapted on the SL2 and natively on my M cameras.

I suggest for the SL, there is no equal to the Super APO 21, it is simply a stunningly lens, perhaps the very best by a huge margin on any platform.
You owe it to yourself to beg, borrow or steal one for a trial, you won't want to give it back.

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5 hours ago, Genoweffa said:

Dont have M and never will...

M model format (ie.rangefinder) is produced only for religious Leica followers and potential Leica followers who prefer this 'uniqueness' over functionality and convenience, while having choice of Q and SL series.

In that case, get the 21 Summilux-M …

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Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, mboerma said:

I'm not religious. In any sense.

Have you ever tried? Really tried? 

Yes...when I was young and still handsome, I used a film rangefinder...still have it

Have you ever tried SL or Q systems?...I mean, really, really tried?...say, even with M lenses on SL?

Besides, can I put my Otus 55, 135ZE plus bunch of other Milvus on M body?...no...can I put M mount lenses on SL...yes 

 

Thank you to all suggesting 21 Apo.

10-4

Edited by Genoweffa
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1 hour ago, Genoweffa said:

Yes...when I was young and still handsome, I used a film rangefinder...still have it

Have you ever tried SL or Q systems?...I mean, really, really tried?...say, even with M lenses on SL?

Besides, can I put my Otus 55, 135ZE plus bunch of other Milvus on M body?...no...can I put M mount lenses on SL...yes 

 

Thank you to all suggesting 21 Apo.

10-4

I am still young (<80 years) and still handsome, therefore I shoot with digital M🤣.

 

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Posted (edited)

21 APO, no contest.

This is coming from someone who’s shot digital M bodies since the M8.2 and has a M8.2, M10, Q3, SL2-S, SL3, 21/28 APO SL, a bunch of M glass, and a bunch of SL zooms.

If I’m shooting an M body, I’d go for the 21 or 24 Elmar-M which are some of the sharpest wide angle primes for M bodies. If I’m going for ultimate image quality or shooting with an SL body, then I’d take the 21 APO, or preferably a 24 APO if Leica ever gets around to releasing it. If I want great quality but want something lighter with AF, then it’s the Q3.

Edited by beewee
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1 hour ago, Genoweffa said:

Yes...when I was young and still handsome, I used a film rangefinder...still have it

Have you ever tried SL or Q systems?...I mean, really, really tried?...say, even with M lenses on SL?

Besides, can I put my Otus 55, 135ZE plus bunch of other Milvus on M body?...no...can I put M mount lenses on SL...yes 

 

Thank you to all suggesting 21 Apo.

10-4

Actually, you can put your milvus and otus lenses on an M body - there are plenty of adapters. But the question would be, what is the point of a retrofocus lens on an M camera.

There are plenty of people on this forum using M, Q, TL/CL and SL systems, myself included. They’ve taken the time to share their experience. You’ve given no indication of what you’re looking for, save that you have an SL2. Apparently, you don’t have an M camera (that is clear from your post above). So, why would you look at an M lens for your AF camera?

From my own experience, the L mount APO lenses are phenomenal, but large(ish).  You get AF, but with less than excellent fly by wire manual focus (compared to the V series XCD lenses from Hasselblad). Conversely, focusing a wide M lens on an SL is not as good as the “religious Leica followers” get with an M system.  That said, the Summilux is a lovely lens, but far from the optical quality of the SL APO lenses, if you read the comments on the other threads on this forum.

You might prefer sticking with your Sony.

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49 minutes ago, IkarusJohn said:

 

You might prefer sticking with your Sony.

Are you kidding me ?...of course I am keeping my Sony...its a great unit for extended weekend's plays

 

 

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Simply register for free here – We are always happy to welcome new members!

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15 hours ago, Genoweffa said:

Dont have M and never will...

M model format (ie.rangefinder) is produced only for religious Leica followers and potential Leica followers who prefer this 'uniqueness' over functionality and convenience, while having choice of Q and SL series.

All digital cameras are a short term proposition - even though Leica extnds 'hort term' to  a 4 year cycle before they announve thei rbest ever by a long way and never seen previously new version - the L APO mount lenses of which I opwn quite a few have a greater expecrted life - but they will all fail - it is only a matter of time and the repair costs may not be justifiable when they do.

Apart from weight this is an advantage that M lenses deliver to their owners- a much longer expected life expectancy and unlike L mount lenses - they enjoy an ability to be adapted to many camera systems eg 100MP Fujis and Hasselblads.

 

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