35 Lux TL vs 35 Apo Cron SL on Leica CL

[CrisRose]

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I currently shoot a CL with the 23 Summicron TL and the 50 Summilux ASPH M. I'd like to get my 50mm FOV back but also now prefer auto focus over manual lenses.

The 35 Summilux TL is very appealing at its current circa £800 price, but it's APS-C only, and in the long term I'll be looking at getting an SL2.

The 35 Apo Summicron SL appears to be significantly higher quality, and would be more futureproof, but it's around £2500 - 3x the price.

So the question is - is the 35 Apo Cron worth the extra?

Does anyone use one on the CL that can show full res examples?

Or shall I just get the 35 Lux and stop worrying about tomorrow?

 

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[Aerosail]

The 35mm TL is arguably the best of all TL lenses. I do own it and can guarantee you will have a lot of joy with it. I don't see how the Apo SL will be worth the extra money.

The 35mm APO SL is 1.5x the weight and 25mm longer which makes it more nose heavy on the CL.

The 35mm Summilux TL will also perform very nice on the 47Mp SL2 with a APSC resolution of 20.2Mp. That's plenty and for landscape you can still benefit from pixelshift, gaining 4x the resolution.

Also take into account that the 35mm APO SL will only have 50mm FOV on a SL2 if you set the camera to APSC.

 

My recommendation would be that you go with the 35mm Summilux TL. If you at some point have the SL2 in your hands you can reconsider and still trade the TL for the 35mm SL. I do see the 35mm TL being pretty stable in price since it is the top tier lens in the TL range.

[LocalHero1953]

I've owned both. From memory the SL lens might give you a bit more IQ, but not that you'd notice for most if not all images. I found SL lenses on the CL too big for comfort, and unbalanced.

Edited August 22 by LocalHero1953

[Stuart Richardson]

On 8/19/2025 at 3:25 PM, CrisRose said:

I currently shoot a CL with the 23 Summicron TL and the 50 Summilux ASPH M. I'd like to get my 50mm FOV back but also now prefer auto focus over manual lenses.

The 35 Summilux TL is very appealing at its current circa £800 price, but it's APS-C only, and in the long term I'll be looking at getting an SL2.

The 35 Apo Summicron SL appears to be significantly higher quality, and would be more futureproof, but it's around £2500 - 3x the price.

So the question is - is the 35 Apo Cron worth the extra?

Does anyone use one on the CL that can show full res examples?

Or shall I just get the 35 Lux and stop worrying about tomorrow?

 

If you are primarily thinking about image quality, I think the biggest net gain for the lowest cost would be to sell the CL and 23mm, and get an SL2 with a 35mm or 50mm Sigma lens. The jump from APS-C to full frame is a bigger jump than from one lens to another on the same format. The Sigma lenses are very good (so good, in fact, that a number of Leica lenses are now made by them). Given how much the SL2's have come down in price, I think you are likely able to find one for less than the cost of the lens if you look around.

[CrisRose]

Thanks for the thoughts on this! 

I'm thinking i should stick to my original plan of getting a 50 Lux SL and an SL2 

[Markey]

I use my 35tl as a light walkaround on my sl2s .

I like the size and weight and how it renders.

It would be "better" on an SL2 or 3 but on the 2`s at least I don`t have to reduce the image if I post on forums such as this one.

[Eoin]

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On 8/25/2025 at 6:38 PM, CrisRose said:

Thanks for the thoughts on this! 

I'm thinking i should stick to my original plan of getting a 50 Lux SL and an SL2 

I think you should possibly try to get a hands on trial of that combination, it is not exactly small and light, but... what a knock out combination.
 

[Photoworks]

On 8/22/2025 at 3:59 AM, Aerosail said:

That's plenty and for landscape you can still benefit from pixelshift, gaining 4x the resolution.

Multi-shot or Pixel shift is not possible with APS-C lenses, only full-frame lenses.