Is There a Hierarchy Among Leica SL APO Lenses in Terms of Optical Performance?

[Leicaboy Norway]

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19 minutes ago, LocalHero1953 said:

I didn't expect my response to lead us into national stereotypes.

Perhaps you could help us overcome the language problem by explaining what you mean by 'magic' and giving us examples of where you think you haven't achieved it.

I thought it was fairly obvious that I was not happy with the results from using my SL APO 35. 

Of course I am aware that the quality of images is also down to the photographer, I wasn't born yesterday. The photographer however is more or less a constant factor in the equation.

Your comment about always struggling to create magical images felt like it was a dig at my use of the word "magical" instead of for example "good" images. 

Sorry if I misunderstood.

My point stands though, I feel a little let down by the rendering of the Apo SL Summicron 35, perhaps especially as it receives such high praise from Karbe and others.

There's no way to "document" how I am not pleased with the rendering of a lens. It's a matter of opinion, which I stated, it's not an objective truth to be falsified or tested. I was offering my opinion and curious to hear if others agreed. I am also curious to see how it delivers great results for others as I haven't completely given up on it.

 

Edited August 12 by Leicaboy Norway

[LocalHero1953]

56 minutes ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

Your comment about always struggling to create magical images felt like it was a dig at my use of the word "magical" instead of for example "good" images. 

 

To me, 'magical' implies that the image conjures up an emotional response in the viewer - as such it might be used by anyone seeing the final image. To me, it has no connotations of technical quality: sharpness, colour, optical or chromatic anomalies - I wouldn't use 'magical' for those factors.

My comment was not a dig at you, but a dig at me for having difficulty creating magical images - as I understand the word.

If that is not what you mean by 'magical' then it would help if you explained a bit more ('rendering' is also a bit general), with examples: pictures succeed where language fails🙂.

[hansvons]

3 hours ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

But I'm not saying this is the objektive truth it's just my opinion. 

In terms of rendering and ability to create beautiful images I'd rank the Voigtlander 40 1.2, Summilux M 50 1.4 asph, Leica Apo-R 100 mm 2.8 and maybe even summicron-m 50mm v5 and a few others above it. 

Right. Certainly not the truth. And it can't be because a) your list is pretty arbitrary, including other focal lengths, and b) taste is in the eye of the beholder. Below a snap I took with the APO 35mm at f/2.4. Nothing magical (what is?) but certainly OK. I like the APO's pronounced flatness at f/2 to f/2.8, making it look almost like a 50mm with particular perspectives and subjects, but adding more context. 

 

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[hansvons]

And here is a landscape I recently snapped on a conference trip, also a f/2.4. 

 

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[Leicaboy Norway]

I don't want to comment on the photos, but you make an interesting point about the perspective and the flatness

I think I also that Leica made it sound like the apo lenses would look like 1.4 lenses but to me they don't.

 

[hansvons]

13 minutes ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

but you make an interesting point about the perspective and the flatness

😊

[BernardC]

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4 hours ago, Leicaboy Norway said:

In terms of rendering and ability to create beautiful images I'd rank the Voigtlander 40 1.2, Summilux M 50 1.4 asph, Leica Apo-R 100 mm 2.8 and maybe even summicron-m 50mm v5 and a few others above it. 

These lenses have a different type of rendering compared to the APO-SL line. The macro 100 is an outlier, of course, on account of focal length, but it probably behave similarly wide-open.

If that's what you are looking for in "beautiful images," you are in luck. You'll find dozens of options, made by Leica and others, over the years. You might be interested in checking-out the re-released "pre-asph" 50/1.4, which leans even more in that direction than the 1.4 asph.

None of this throws any shade on the APO-SL line. They have a different signature, which doesn't suit your current style.