upgrade to M11 glossy black paint or 35 apo summicron

[Marley]

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19 hours ago, Elliot Harper said:

Not happy and not unhappy either.

I just don’t like the m11 black chrome sandy feeling. Black paint is much nicer and I didn’t pay to trade in. So I’m just neutral 

thanks! big difference for not paying and getting the black paint. 

[Nick Lo]

If You don't have the Silver M11, I would say buying a new M11 in Glossy BP makes sense. But trading the silver for just the color but losing a few thousands dollars on it makes no sense to me. 

I would go for 35 lux II over APO for the extra stop and lower price. 

[otto.f]

- Wanting a BP is personal and no discussion nor a problem. I cannot see though how this is related to going to Europe except that it will cost you extra money which you could also spend on seeing extra things in Europe. The price of the M11 BP might go down a bit when a new M BP comes out, which could be in May this year. So, heaven can wait.

- I own the APO 35 for two years now and am very happy with it because it is perfect for the one body one lens idea and thus very useful for big travels. After 2 years though I'm beginning to miss my 35 FLE a bit. However, at the time I decided for the APO I discovered that the close focus goes as far as 30cm and the bokeh there is very very nice. The FLE ii goes to 40cm and that really makes a difference, the bokeh being not as nice as the APO there. It's a difficult decision because the FLE has a bit more character than the APO, the APO is more compact, but much more expensive, etc.

 

 

Edited March 30 by otto.f

[Couperus]

On 3/28/2025 at 9:50 AM, jaapv said:

Stores often have no demo as Leica customers tend to refuse open box cameras and despite the high price the margin on a Leica can only be described as average. Your best chance is with a Leica Store. 

However , if you go to a Leica Store , ensure beforehand what trade you propose. At A Parisian Leica Store in the 11th (Metro Chemin Vert) the Store Manager turned me down in a proposed trade-in saying "We only trade-in from our customer base". I had sent an email beforehand. But. He did not flinch.

That got me mad , I said 'oh yes , well I bought my Monochrome here and in total 3 lenses', then he asked,  surprised in his way to handle tourists effectively, 'In this shop'?

yes I said, in this same one , and walked away. 

By the way I suggest option 2. For various reasons. It has a great form factor. 

At another Store I bought a M10-R promoted as 'sure it is a demo' ; but  afterwards I noted - for sure - it was a trade-in. That they displayed as demo I guess not wanting to open a box. 

Edited March 30 by Couperus

[jaapv]

43 minutes ago, Couperus said:

However , if you go to a Leica Store , ensure beforehand what trade you propose. At A Parisian Leica Store in the 11th (Metro Chemin Vert) the Store Manager turned me down in a proposed trade-in saying "We only trade-in from our customer base". I had sent an email beforehand. But. He did not flinch.

That got me mad , I said 'oh yes , well I bought my Monochrome here and in total 3 lenses', then he asked,  surprised in his way to handle tourists effectively, 'In this shop'?

yes I said, in this same one , and walked away. 

 

I don't know where in Europe you are traveling, but such arrogance would never have happened in Leica Store Lisse / foto Henny Hoogeveen  That is an old-fashioned camera dealer with service and customer-friendliness to match.  (no ties to the store)

[Phil75]

vor 9 Stunden schrieb Couperus:

However , if you go to a Leica Store , ensure beforehand what trade you propose. At A Parisian Leica Store in the 11th (Metro Chemin Vert) the Store Manager turned me down in a proposed trade-in saying "We only trade-in from our customer base". I had sent an email beforehand. But. He did not flinch.

That got me mad , I said 'oh yes , well I bought my Monochrome here and in total 3 lenses', then he asked,  surprised in his way to handle tourists effectively, 'In this shop'?

yes I said, in this same one , and walked away. 

Pitiful employee behaviour. The clerk is there to serve the customer. 
 

[setuporg]

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(2) case closed.

[JNK100]

A nice position to have.

I would actually suggest two different options with both involving trading your Q2M but keeping your M11:

1. Buy a  28mm 'Lux. This would give you clear differentiation between your two lenses in terms of focal length.

2. Buy a Q3. This would give you a very capable 28mm camera and provide a 'back-up' camera

 

 

[Marley]

On 3/30/2025 at 3:30 PM, otto.f said:

- Wanting a BP is personal and no discussion nor a problem. I cannot see though how this is related to going to Europe except that it will cost you extra money which you could also spend on seeing extra things in Europe. The price of the M11 BP might go down a bit when a new M BP comes out, which could be in May this year. So, heaven can wait.

- I own the APO 35 for two years now and am very happy with it because it is perfect for the one body one lens idea and thus very useful for big travels. After 2 years though I'm beginning to miss my 35 FLE a bit. However, at the time I decided for the APO I discovered that the close focus goes as far as 30cm and the bokeh there is very very nice. The FLE ii goes to 40cm and that really makes a difference, the bokeh being not as nice as the APO there. It's a difficult decision because the FLE has a bit more character than the APO, the APO is more compact, but much more expensive, etc.

 

 

Actually buying in Europe is cheaper than in my Country and the dealer I spoke to with accepts a trade in. Since we are returning there this year, its going to be way cheaper including the trade in. Also the experience of buying something special during my trip is a memorable one.
 

Thanks for the comparison on the apo and fle II

i like the form factor of the apo more. Didnt like the handling of the fle II when I tried it last time. 
 

[Marley]

16 hours ago, setuporg said:

(2) case closed.

Thank you! very short and direct to the point 😃

[Marley]

On 3/30/2025 at 2:48 PM, Nick Lo said:

If You don't have the Silver M11, I would say buying a new M11 in Glossy BP makes sense. But trading the silver for just the color but losing a few thousands dollars on it makes no sense to me. 

I would go for 35 lux II over APO for the extra stop and lower price. 

Yes, Maybe If I buy a 2nd body then it is more acceptable to add the glossy black paint. Tough choice but practicality wins for me. 

thanks will play and handle both lenses before deciding.

[Marley]

On 3/30/2025 at 5:30 PM, Couperus said:

However , if you go to a Leica Store , ensure beforehand what trade you propose. At A Parisian Leica Store in the 11th (Metro Chemin Vert) the Store Manager turned me down in a proposed trade-in saying "We only trade-in from our customer base". I had sent an email beforehand. But. He did not flinch.

That got me mad , I said 'oh yes , well I bought my Monochrome here and in total 3 lenses', then he asked,  surprised in his way to handle tourists effectively, 'In this shop'?

yes I said, in this same one , and walked away. 

By the way I suggest option 2. For various reasons. It has a great form factor. 

At another Store I bought a M10-R promoted as 'sure it is a demo' ; but  afterwards I noted - for sure - it was a trade-in. That they displayed as demo I guess not wanting to open a box. 

Very different from my experience in Leica Store Vienna. I did exchange emails with thEm and showed my intent. Nothing but positive experience.

[Marley]

2 hours ago, JNK100 said:

A nice position to have.

I would actually suggest two different options with both involving trading your Q2M but keeping your M11:

1. Buy a  28mm 'Lux. This would give you clear differentiation between your two lenses in terms of focal length.

2. Buy a Q3. This would give you a very capable 28mm camera and provide a 'back-up' camera

 

 

Hi thanks for the suggestion but I only have a 50 lux as my only lens. And after using the q2m for many years, the 28mm FL is not for me. Its too wide for the way I shoot

[otto.f]

3 hours ago, Marley said:

i like the form factor of the apo more. Didnt like the handling of the fle II when I tried it last time.

right, me too

[Elliot Harper]

On 3/30/2025 at 6:13 AM, jaapv said:

I don't know where in Europe you are traveling, but such arrogance would never have happened in Leica Store Lisse / foto Henny Hoogeveen  That is an old-fashioned camera dealer with service and customer-friendliness to match.  (no ties to the store)

I second that!

I frequent the store many times, and Duncan is very pleasant to deal with.

(I am just a buyer, no tie or interest, to the store)

[Alberti]

I remember our member Maarten said that too. 

Oh my . . we are hard to handle maybe

[Maarten]

23 minutes ago, Alberti said:

I remember our member Maarten said that too. 

Oh my . . we are hard to handle maybe

I don’t think we are hard to handle, we soften immediately when we see the article of our desire in front of us.

With Duncan of Foto Henny Hoogeveen, you can do business. Friendly, very knowledgable and no arrogance.

[JimmyCheng]

1. FLE II is not worth it.
2. lens is always better investment
3. Down the road you may be able to find m11 bp for real good money as it's not limited editon

[Marley]

11 hours ago, JimmyCheng said:

1. FLE II is not worth it.
2. lens is always better investment
3. Down the road you may be able to find m11 bp for real good money as it's not limited editon

Thanks Jimmy, what are your thoughts on the 35 apo summicron? 

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[Elliot Harper]

44 minutes ago, Marley said:

Thanks Jimmy, what are your thoughts on the 35 apo summicron? 

if the money is not a subject, go for it.

otherwise pay 1/3 of the price and get the regular summicron with 90% of the quality.