Trade in 35mm APO-M for a 35mm 1.4 Lux?

[Jan1985]

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Would you trade in a 35mm APO-M for a 35mm 1.4 Lux? I think about that because I am mostly doing weddings and documentary photography. And I think that the Lux can render with slightly more character!?

[Kiwimac]

Personally speaking, absolutely not. Never. 
 

I’m faced with repurchasing that lens because I was foolish enough to sell it. 

[gotium]

Definitely not

[Derbyshire Man]

1 hour ago, Jan1985 said:

Would you trade in a 35mm APO-M for a 35mm 1.4 Lux? I think about that because I am mostly doing weddings and documentary photography. And I think that the Lux can render with slightly more character!?

Depends what you like. I don't like sterile smooth out of focus areas, I shoot in monochrome, I think character works well for mono. If I was shooting colour, I'm not so sure; a riot of tones is easier on the eye than a riot of colour, the latter more likely to be distracting.

Caveat, I own a (second hand) summilux 35mm FLE but have only seen (many) images from the APO, the latter doesn't do it for me but my number one guess is the reason I have a used summilux 35mm FLE is the previous owner sold it to fund a 35mm APO F2. I love the 35mm for portraits/documentary at F1.4.

Looking forward to the discussion though and I'd love to own both for a bit but sharp/resolution isn't what I'm looking for, vibe is. Search for both on flickr and sub search on portrait once you have the images, they are a world apart.

Why not buy a used one and if you don't like it resell?

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Edited May 19 by Derbyshire Man

[jakontil]

When my FLE close focus inherited stuck aperture ring syndrome, sold it for apo 35mm.. amazing lens.. focus closer.. all feels great… but suddenly i felt bored i missed the FLE

i should have sticked with the aperture stuck syndrome and be done with it rather than swapping with apo, at least thats how i felt at that time.. no i didnt have both, relying on my 35 lux SR and 35 cron black paint, my heirloom 

[darylgo]

I have the FLE but not the APO so I can't compare.   My 50 Apo sits unused while the 50 Summilux is on my camera constantly, The Apo is too bitingly sharp and contrasty.   

A filter placed on the 35 APO could reduce the contrast and resolution, the pro mist filters are popular.  A white net filter will give a nice flare and the older and almost forgotten Softars that worked so well with Hasselblad lenses also work well with Leica lenses at creating a bit of softness.  

[Crem]

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7 hours ago, Jan1985 said:

Would you trade in a 35mm APO-M for a 35mm 1.4 Lux? I think about that because I am mostly doing weddings and documentary photography. And I think that the Lux can render with slightly more character!?

I would not. I'd ditch the FLE for an APO though. Plenty of times I see CA with the FLE that I know wouldn't be there with the APO. Most times it can be somewhat corrected in post, but still it would be nice to not deal with it. Also be aware there is a rumored 35 f1.2 that might launch soon-ish and you may actually prefer it over the much older optical design of the FLE. I recommend deciding what kind of character you want in a 35. There are so many choices and personally I would regret selling the APO if I had one.

[Derbyshire Man]

As Crem says, it depends what you’re after, if you want hyper-realism and resolution you want the APO, elsewhere someone called it more real than reality. If you desire a level of abstraction you want the summilux FLE.
 

For weddings outside of ‘people aged 25 who live in Hollywood’, hyper-reality & resolution may not be an advantage!
 

For travel/documentary it is simply an oeuvre to be selected liked any other, no right or wrong, better or worse.

[Smudgerer]

4 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

If this is a personal question - I did not even get the APO, got the LUX instead and could not be happier.
You see, the FLE lux can always be 95% APO but the APO can never be the lux at f/1.4.

A sensible response, mostly true too.........

As said recently elsewhere I seriously considered the APO 35 probably because of the hype of it being the "best" M35 available, but on trying one out for a week I found I preferred my 35 Summicron V4 and the 35 Summicron ASPH for their "looks" and haptics.

[Flou]

I would keep the Apo and buy a Voigtlander 35mm 1.2, if more „character“ is needed. It’s relatively inexpensive and you have 2 wonderful lenses with different rendering. 

[costa43]

I had the APO 35mm and sold it. I somewhat regret it now but at the time I wanted more character and it was sitting in a cupboard. I was using a 40mm f1.4 Nokton instead of it which made me feel a bit silly! I also think that Leica are taking the piss more than usual on the pricing of this optic. Outside of this, it’s a great lens on what is measurable but the FLE has the f1.4. If you want/need f1.4 then FLE. If you don’t then APO. 

Edited May 20 by costa43

[pgk]

10 hours ago, Jan1985 said:

Would you trade in a 35mm APO-M for a 35mm 1.4 Lux? I think about that because I am mostly doing weddings and documentary photography. And I think that the Lux can render with slightly more character!?

Ask your clients whether they are dis-satisfied with your existing work.

[patrickcolpron]

Hell no! Never in a 100 years ... 

3 hours ago, Crem said:

I would not. I'd ditch the FLE for an APO though. Plenty of times I see CA with the FLE that I know wouldn't be there with the APO. Most times it can be somewhat corrected in post, but still it would be nice to not deal with it. Also be aware there is a rumored 35 f1.2 that might launch soon-ish and you may actually prefer it over the much older optical design of the FLE. I recommend deciding what kind of character you want in a 35. There are so many choices and personally I would regret selling the APO if I had one.

I wouldn't either for the same reason, the 35 FLE suffers from CA and it is very annoying. I wouldn't get the new Leica 35/1.2 until I can test it for myself because Voigtlander is at their 4th version of this lens and it will be difficult for Leica to do much better at the price difference the Leica lens will command. 

If I was you, I would look for a reasonably priced second hand 35 FLE version one, I have both and very seldom use the FLE, preferring the APO over the FLE. I also prefer the New Steel Rim over the APO because the New Steel Rim is great against the light and doesn't suffer any CA as opposed to the FLE yet flares beautifully, the flare is very controlled at f/1.7 onward plus it is much smaller than the FLE.

As such if you can live with a minimum focusing distance of 1 meter, find a New Steel Rim on the second market to complement your APO, do not sell the APO, you will regret it. I seldom use the FLE, using the New Steel Rim on film and the APO on digital while my FLE gathers dust. The New Steel Rim is so small, you can bring it with you and swap the APO at times without having too much extra weight on you.

1 hour ago, Flou said:

I would keep the Apo and buy a Voigtlander 35mm 1.2, if more „character“ is needed. It’s relatively inexpensive and you have 2 wonderful lenses with different rendering. 

I tend to agree with this, I think this is where Voigtlander shines, special lenses with special character at affordable prices, a different paint brush for a different rendering. It is the one lens I want from Voigtlander, now can they make it in brass and black paint please.

Edited May 20 by patrickcolpron
Because, because ... there's an edit button, that's why!

[patrickcolpron]

54 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

I must disagree. As I wrote many times here, the proper, brand new 35 FLE does NOT suffer from CA. 

With all due respect, we will have to disagree on this one, specially that any FLE will not show CA in the condition of your sample photos, that's for sure.
 

But with strong contrast, all V1 and V2 show CA, there is no escaping it. 

Without stark contrast, of course there will be no chromatic aberrations, that goes without saying.

My FLE is not the first one I have, it behaves like all FLE, early ones, newer ones both the V1 and V2 show the same CA in high contrast with strong backlight. I am pretty sure yours does too. 

But what do I know... 

[Pika898]

I wouldn't, I very much prefer the bokeh of the APO to the FLE.

[patrickcolpron]

22 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

You wrote in post #14 that you very seldom use the FLE (twice), I use it daily for my work and have for years. If you are up for it please post a sample with strong CA your FLE exhibits. I am additionally adding the response of AI on the matter to support my (and Leica's) claim and will also post my uncorrected images against strong backlight (like tree twigs) from my FLE.

(But what does AI know...)

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You can quote all the reviews and literature in the world, by Leica and others, it doesn't change a thing, the 35 FLE, just like the 50 APO, shows CA in high contrast situations whereas the New Steel Rim, Original Steel Rim and APO 35 don't.

And the CA is not only at f/1.4, it shows up even when closed down. 

On both the 2010 version which I purchased when it was launched in 2010 and the 2018 version I repurchased new in 2018. 

Newer and later version  as well as version II, close focusing which I tested, show the same CA in high contrast situations. 

No high contrast = no problem. 
 

High contrast = CA ... 

[patrickcolpron]

3 minutes ago, Al Brown said:

I am surely not gonna argue with an expert. Chapeau, sensei.

Life's too short to argue with you

[FilmSpiel]

vor 3 Stunden schrieb patrickcolpron:

With all due respect, we will have to disagree on this one, specially that any FLE will not show CA in the condition of your sample photos, that's for sure.
 

But with strong contrast, all V1 and V2 show CA, there is no escaping it. 

Without stark contrast, of course there will be no chromatic aberrations, that goes without saying.

My FLE is not the first one I have, it behaves like all FLE, early ones, newer ones both the V1 and V2 show the same CA in high contrast with strong backlight. I am pretty sure yours does too. 

But what do I know... 

i do have the FLE version 1 and i never ever suffered CA..... maybe i have a perfect copy ?! whatever, im happy owner and its my beloved daily lens.

[FilmSpiel]

i personally would never trade a leica lens. sooner or later you will regret it and miss the lens

🙂 trust me

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Hallo,

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[Jeremy Bunting]

I have the 35 APO SL and the 35 Lux-M FLE v2. Not precisely apples to apples, but I do kinda struggle to get people (and their skin) to look good with the 35 APO SL. The Lux-M is a bit more forgiving, which is not to say it isn't also really, really sharp. The extra stop is also very helpful if you shoot film frequently, which I do.

For what it's worth, I really only shoot my 50 APO M on film, where it produces some truly stunning images, in a tiny package. It's a bit too clinical for my tastes on a digital sensor.