p.2 #1 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
It was a surprise to see the recently released M-mount 35/2 APO have an extraordinary strong centre and lower outer frames, but this 21mm shows this pattern in even more extreme fashion. Will most users be photographing centrally placed subject matter at f2 most of the time? The lens contrast falls away sharply after the midfield point of 15mm from axis, at f2 (and still at f5.6 for the tan line pairs).
A fair degree of astigmatism appears in wide-mid apertures and worsens at f8. It's been common for these designs to cross lines at/near the wide edge or corners, as seen in the other three designs shown here. Only the sag 40mm line pair improves on stop-down in the 21 APO lens.
Another measure is the average of these line pairs at best aperture in the corner/wide edge - this one shows: 21 APO: high 50s %; 21 SEM: 50%; 21 CY: 50%; 21 ZE/ZF: low 50s %.
If it ever happens, a possible Voigtlander 21mm APO could be expected to be very different, as seen in their 35/2 APO. Of these above, for typical 21mm usage I like the look of the 21/3.4 SEM, released 12 years ago.
Thanks for posting this information on the 'new king'.
p.2 #2 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
philip_pj wrote:
It was a surprise to see the recently released M-mount 35/2 APO have an extraordinary strong centre and lower outer frames, but this 21mm shows this pattern in even more extreme fashion. Will most users be photographing centrally placed subject matter at f2 most of the time? The lens contrast falls away sharply after the midfield point of 15mm from axis, at f2 (and still at f5.6 for the tan line pairs).
A fair degree of astigmatism appears in wide-mid apertures and worsens at f8. It's been common for these designs to cross lines at/near the wide edge or corners, as seen in the other three designs shown here. Only the sag 40mm line pair improves on stop-down in the 21 APO lens.
Another measure is the average of these line pairs at best aperture in the corner/wide edge - this one shows: 21 APO: high 50s %; 21 SEM: 50%; 21 CY: 50%; 21 ZE/ZF: low 50s %.
If it ever happens, a possible Voigtlander 21mm APO could be expected to be very different, as seen in their 35/2 APO. Of these above, for typical 21mm usage I like the look of the 21/3.4 SEM, released 12 years ago.
Thanks for posting this information on the 'new king'. ...Show more →
The Leica 21/3.4 SEM lens did really well 12 years ago and still holds its own compared to the best 21mm lenses available today. I was hoping for better performance from the new APO lens compared to the M lens, but it seems like we might have reached a limit for this focal length. One thing to note is that the 21/3.4 SEM's performance is slightly worse on the SL2 when I tested it. So, if you're using the SL series cameras, the new 21 APO lens is the one to go for.
The Voigtlander 21mm f/1.4 Nokton lens is another fantastic choice because it performs equally well on M and SL cameras, which surprised me. It's as good as the SEM lens when looking at the edges of the image, and perhaps even slightly better at f/5.6.
p.2 #4 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
Very quick and poorly curated tests so far. My Leica 14-24 looks to be a tad sharper than my Sigma 14-24 (both L: mount. Likely copy variation and I was SUPER pleased with the Sigma I have. Still think my 16-35 is *slightly better* at the focal lengths they cross over at in the centre but the 14-24 seems as sharp or a tad sharper in the corners. Likely these are all due to me not being stringent enough.... We'll see.
All shots taken at 3 meters with poor to nil quality control. No tripod. ISO 100. All focused on the knot next to the white pole.
p.2 #5 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
Thanks for the testing Gordon. Are the Leica 14-24 raw lens corrections for distortion and CA built into the file straight out of camera like with my Leica 24-70?
p.2 #6 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
goodbokeh wrote:
Thanks for the testing Gordon. Are the Leica 14-24 raw lens corrections for distortion and CA built into the file straight out of camera like with my Leica 24-70?
When you click on profile in LR it says *built in*. that's how the above are. But you can add the Sigma profile on top as well. I guess you're double profiling although the vignette seemed better handled with the Sigma profile applied. But it looks like it over compensates for distortion.
p.2 #7 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
flash wrote:
Absolutely and I'm not questioning your findings. I may have some sample variation is a good way with my 16-35. I only have one copy of each lens so I can only comment on that copy.
Also my lens went to Leica after I dropped it for a complete rebuild. I don't remember it being worse before its holiday to Wetzlar but it may have come back better. I don't know.
But I'm absolutely confident in my finding for my lenses. I'm actually off to leica today to drop in my M11 (RF has some weird behaviour) but I'm happy to do some tests on my SL 2 when I get home.
I have had two copies (both new) of the 16-35mm Leica, and my experience matches Gordon's. I do think that you had a defective lens. It's, too bad that we didn't live closer, as I would gladly loan you my copy to test. I test all of my lenses pretty much the same way as you - prior to final acceptance,
p.2 #8 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
Certainly! Could you kindly share some of your test crops at 16mm, 24mm, and 35mm with the wide-open aperture showing center, and corners? I might still have my own test shots, and they didn't turn out very well.
I've actually tested two different copies of this lens, and I observed some interesting findings. One of the copies was well centered across all focal lengths, while the other one showed signs of decentering, particularly at 24mm. However, the overall results from both lenses were disappointing when compared to 16-35mm lenses from other brands including the Sigma 14-24 (@16-24mm), which was surprising to me considering how outstanding the other SL zooms are.
p.2 #14 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
Thanks for posting the crops. The lens is decent, but it's not excellent, especially when compared to other ultra wide zooms. Personally I was expecting more based on the 24-90 and 90-280 SL lenses which I find oustanding. I decided to shoot with the Sigma 14-24 and SL 35/2 APO instead of this zoom, as they perform significantly better, even at smaller apertures. Having said that, if one shooting landscapes and stops down to f/8 and want a sealed body/lens, it's still a good option.
p.2 #15 · Two new ultra-wide-angle lenses for the Leica SL-System
These are unsharpened, straight out of the camera. I have found that this lens has significant field curvature. This does help in day to day shooting, but does not test well on flat subjects. They are the extreme corners of the image.
I was wondering why the use of "Super-APO" in the name of the new SL 21 APO as none of the other Leica SL APO lenses include "Super" in the name:
“Super” might be true for the image quality, but it refers to something else
You might think the “Super” in the name alludes to the design. Leica writes about it: “The 14 high-precision made lenses – three of them with an aspheric surface – are divided in 11 groups and contribute to the highest possible degree of image quality, even with the aperture fully open. The apochromatic correction of the lens is unique to its focal length and once again proves the highest standards of the Leica engineers.” But in fact, it is a nod to the company’s tradition: The early Angulon 21 mm lenses for M-Mount had already “Super” in their names. Because these were super-wide lenses, quite extraordinary for the time."–macfilos
