During my photography outing today, I decided to put the Leica 35/1.4 Summilux Steel Rim, Voigtlander 35/1.4 II SC, LLL 35/2 8-Element, and MS Optics 36/1.3 Apollon to the test. I covered various distances, ranging from 0.7 meters to 3-5 meters. I even tried capturing scenes with backlight to see how these lenses handle flare.
These lenses are my top picks for 35mm lenses with a 'classic' rendering style. They bring out unique qualities like glow, SA (spherical aberration), outlining, flare, and all those wonderful characteristics that give a classic look, especially when shooting wide open.
Leica 35/1.4 Steel Rim, MS Optics 36/1.3 Apollon, Voigtlander 35/1.4 II SC Nocton, LLL "Leica" 35/2 8-Element replica
Without further ado, here are the images. I've included the EXIF data to make it easier for you to compare which lens was used for each shot. I'll kick things off at f/1.4 and then incorporate the LLL 35/2.8 8-Element for the f/2 comparisons.
Scene 1: f/1.4
The Leica and Voigtlander rendering is similar aside from the 'tint' variation while the Apollon provides a bit more blur and it's the least contrasty lens.
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 lens35mmf/1.41/1000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RMS Optics 36mm f/1.3 Apollon lens36mmf/5.61/1500s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton Classic lens35mmf/1.41/1000s100 ISO0.0 EV
Similar rendering. The LLL 35/2 8-Element seems to be slightly wider. It also produces a bit less blur when all lenses are compared at f/2. There is some variation in color rendering (tint) as well.
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 lens35mmf/1.41/750s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RMS Optics 36mm f/1.3 Apollon lens36mmf/5.61/750s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton Classic lens35mmf/1.41/750s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RLLL 35mm f/2 Summicron 8-Element lens35mmf/5.61/500s100 ISO0.0 EV
At MFD, all three lenses rendering similarly. The distance was 0.75m which is the closest I can focus with my Leica 35/1.4 SR copy which was modified to focus closer.
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 lens35mmf/4.01/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RMS Optics 36mm f/1.3 Apollon lens36mmf/5.61/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton Classic lens35mmf/4.01/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
Surprise here. The Leica has the better flare resistance in this scene. I tested this 3 times switching lenses and got the same results. Also, the Leica had a B+W UV filter while the others didn't have any filter.
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 lens35mmf/4.01/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RMS Optics 36mm f/1.3 Apollon lens36mmf/5.61/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton Classic lens35mmf/4.01/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
Stopping down to f/2 makes most of the flare disappear, except for the LLL which is wide open. The Voigtlander has slightly less optical vignetting compared to the other lenses. (bokeh balls are rounder towards the edges)
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 lens35mmf/4.01/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RMS Optics 36mm f/1.3 Apollon lens36mmf/5.61/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton Classic lens35mmf/4.01/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RLLL 35mm f/2 Summicron 8-Element lens35mmf/5.61/4000s100 ISO0.0 EV
All three lenses improve significantly from f/1.4 to f/2. Almost like having 2 lenses in one. The LLL is wide open and also improves at f/2.8 but to a lesser degree.
LEICA M10-RSummilux-M 1:1.4/35 lens35mmf/4.01/1500s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RMS Optics 36mm f/1.3 Apollon lens36mmf/5.61/2000s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RVoigtlander 35/1.4 Nokton Classic lens35mmf/4.01/1500s100 ISO0.0 EV
LEICA M10-RLLL 35mm f/2 Summicron 8-Element lens35mmf/5.61/1500s100 ISO0.0 EV
