steel rim ? wide open or just tiny bit stop film like (also good on actual film camera), stop down decently sharp, illumination circle and fall off quite decent, size great, price quite bit more 3X but it is two in one lens .
I go back and forth with my new LLL 35.1.4 and the steel rim...... I am not always sure which one I'll choose to carry on a given day. I do think I like the LLL a bit better for indoors light relatively wide open- it is somewhat akin to 1.2 50 LLL indoors but better less soft opened up, outdoors, whether open or stopped down harder choice.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I keep getting this question quite often, so I am posting it here in case it helps others who are considering the same options.
Question: I am looking for my first 35mm lens for a Leica, mainly for street, travel, landscape, and occasional portraits, with a vintage Kodak film like rendering.
I am considering the LLL 35mm f/1.4 11873, the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4, and the Nokton 35mm f/1.5.
Which would you choose and why?
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Answer: They are quite different. You mentioned street, travel, landscape, and occasional portraits. That basically covers everything , so ideally you are looking for one lens that can do it all instead than something highly specialized.
Right away I would rule out the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 Classic. It is great for certain uses like portraits, but it is not ideal for landscape work, even when stopped down. The corners never really clean up fully, and for street it is not the most consistent option either. Since you did not mention wanting a very small f/1.4 lens, I would scratch it off the list.
The LLL 35mm f/1.4 is a strong all-rounder for what you described, and the same goes for the Nokton 35mm f/1.5. Both give a similar rendering style, not overly sharp wide open which works well for a more filmic look, with some residual SA that is actually great for portraits, and then solid sharpness when stopped down for street and landscape work.
If price is a factor, the Voigtlander is the better deal, especially used, although the LLL has a nicer aesthetic in my opinion.
steel rim ? wide open or just tiny bit stop film like (also good on actual film camera), stop down decently sharp, illumination circle and fall off quite decent, size great, price quite bit more 3X but it is two in one lens .
I go back and forth with my new LLL 35.1.4 and the steel rim...... I am not always sure which one I'll choose to carry on a given day. I do think I like the LLL a bit better for indoors light relatively wide open- it is somewhat akin to 1.2 50 LLL indoors but better less soft opened up, outdoors, whether open or stopped down harder choice.
I would put the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Lux Steel Rim in the same general category as the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 Classic, though the Nokton is better corrected for SA, so it delivers higher contrast and less glow. Both are fairly similar in rendering structure and in coma correction, but the Steel Rim actually pulls ahead in corner sharpness once stopped down.
Is it sharp enough for landscapes? I would say no as a primary choice, but it's definitely usable. Perhaps more so for street stopped down to at least f/5.6. I'd reach for other lenses if landscape work is one of the main goals.
Both the LLL 35/1.4 and the CV 35mm f/1.5 Nokton lean toward smoother transitions and minimal outlining, which will appeal more to people who prefer that rendering style.
I can see that, the 28 apo lanthar is my current fav for landscapes.. for me the 35 is my second if I have two lenses, a 50 apo summicron as my more perfect lens, and then a 35 as my character either the LLL or steel rim, then if I add more lenses ithe 28 apo my third... landscape and all, and onward if four then 90 or 135, then back to specialty 50s noktons if low light or F2 character if bright.... and on and on until my back complains or my backpack runneth over in a strategic mistake then return to a two lens carry. In the end I dont like 35 for landscape it is neither here or there, which makes it great for street the in-between, I like 28 so much better. But where the 35 LLL or steel rim do work for more landscape is mood shots where sharpness is not expected and the lighting sets the stage- you had amazing Yosemite shots recently that such great arty shots of light and mood..
Fred Miranda wrote:
I would put the Leica 35mm f/1.4 Lux Steel Rim in the same general category as the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 Classic, though the Nokton is better corrected for SA, so it delivers higher contrast and less glow. Both are fairly similar in rendering structure and in coma correction, but the Steel Rim actually pulls ahead in corner sharpness once stopped down.
Is it sharp enough for landscapes? I would say no as a primary choice, but it's definitely usable. Perhaps more so for street stopped down to at least f/5.6. I'd reach for other lenses if landscape work is one of the main goals.
Both the LLL 35/1.4 and the CV 35mm f/1.5 Nokton lean toward smoother transitions and minimal outlining, which will appeal more to people who prefer that rendering style....Show more →
EMH2025 wrote:
I can see that, the 28 apo lanthar is my current fav for landscapes.. for me the 35 is my second if I have two lenses, a 50 apo summicron as my more perfect lens, and then a 35 as my character either the LLL or steel rim, then if I add more lenses ithe 28 apo my third... landscape and all, and onward if four then 90 or 135, then back to specialty 50s noktons if low light or F2 character if bright.... and on and on until my back complains or my backpack runneth over in a strategic mistake then return to a two lens carry. In the end I dont like 35 for landscape it is neither here or there, which makes it great for street the in-between, I like 28 so much better. But where the 35 LLL or steel rim do work for more landscape is mood shots where sharpness is not expected and the lighting sets the stage- you had amazing Yosemite shots recently that such great arty shots of light and mood..
I agree. The Voigtlander 28mm f/2 APO is probably the most technically corrected lens currently available in M-mount, and it would be my pick for landscape work. But, I also use 15, 21, 50, and 90mm lenses for landscapes depending on the scene.
Ironically, the original question was about the best 35mm all-rounder, but I rarely use 35mm for landscapes since it sits too close to 28mm for my preference.
I have never played with the in camera options. I use Dehancer as a Photoshop plugin. It is pretty powerful.
I use the option with the Zf, it’s really good, better than the grain option of Lightroom. But the Dehancer one is also better than the Zf’s, I did get the standalone app recently since I decided to try my hands at video, it works wonders on stills too indeed.
I'm curious to know if anyone has experience ordering this lens from Europe. Do you have to pay import duties? Thinking about adding the black version to my lens kit, loving the look I'm seeing from all the samples in the thread!
Meant to share these photos months ago but got distracted with life and all that so here they are now. I took the LLL 11873 with me on a quick trip to Fukuoka and Seoul last January for some random street/travel documentary work and was impressed enough that I sold my Leica 35mm Summilux FLE v1 since I couldn't justify keeping both. Caveat to that is that it's not a 1:1 replacement as I used the extra funds to offset my purchase of the Leica 35mm APO that I plan to mainly use for travel while the LLL 11873 will be mostly used for environmental portraits or when I need the extra stop that the APO can't provide.
Did you get the sweet potato taiyaki from the stall at picture 7? That's like the best fillings taiyaki I've had!
Your pictures inspired me to try this lens somewhere in the future, been eyeing on a 35 Summilux, just not sure if it'll be FLE v1 since price is coming down a lot, pre-FLE for slightly less, or this LLL... doubleo6point9 wrote:
Meant to share these photos months ago but got distracted with life and all that so here they are now. I took the LLL 11873 with me on a quick trip to Fukuoka and Seoul last January for some random street/travel documentary work and was impressed enough that I sold my Leica 35mm Summilux FLE v1 since I couldn't justify keeping both. Caveat to that is that it's not a 1:1 replacement as I used the extra funds to offset my purchase of the Leica 35mm APO that I plan to mainly use for travel while the LLL 11873 will be mostly used for environmental portraits or when I need the extra stop that the APO can't provide.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I keep getting this question quite often, so I am posting it here in case it helps others who are considering the same options.
Question: I am looking for my first 35mm lens for a Leica, mainly for street, travel, landscape, and occasional portraits, with a vintage Kodak film like rendering.
I am considering the LLL 35mm f/1.4 11873, the Voigtlander Nokton Classic 35mm f/1.4, and the Nokton 35mm f/1.5.
Which would you choose and why?
=====
Answer: They are quite different. You mentioned street, travel, landscape, and occasional portraits. That basically covers everything , so ideally you are looking for one lens that can do it all instead than something highly specialized.
Right away I would rule out the Nokton 35mm f/1.4 Classic. It is great for certain uses like portraits, but it is not ideal for landscape work, even when stopped down. The corners never really clean up fully, and for street it is not the most consistent option either. Since you did not mention wanting a very small f/1.4 lens, I would scratch it off the list.
The LLL 35mm f/1.4 is a strong all-rounder for what you described, and the same goes for the Nokton 35mm f/1.5. Both give a similar rendering style, not overly sharp wide open which works well for a more filmic look, with some residual SA that is actually great for portraits, and then solid sharpness when stopped down for street and landscape work.
If price is a factor, the Voigtlander is the better deal, especially used, although the LLL has a nicer aesthetic in my opinion.
Axelsch02 wrote:
I'm curious to know if anyone has experience ordering this lens from Europe. Do you have to pay import duties? Thinking about adding the black version to my lens kit, loving the look I'm seeing from all the samples in the thread!
Yes, add custom fee + VAT + sometimes expedition handling fee, so think 25-27% extra on top of the list price. That is only half the problem, if you have an issue with the lens or just don't like it and want to return it, that will cost you an extra ~40 EUR in shipping it back. How you deal with getting the VAT/custom fees back, I have no idea.
patotts wrote:
Yes, add custom fee + VAT + sometimes expedition handling fee, so think 25-27% extra on top of the list price. That is only half the problem, if you have an issue with the lens or just don't like it and want to return it, that will cost you an extra ~40 EUR in shipping it back. How you deal with getting the VAT/custom fees back, I have no idea.
Good to know, thanks! 25-27% additional fee is fortunately still within budget. I'm fairly certain that (all things well with the construction of the lens) I won't be sending it back. Especially with all the positive comments on the image quality and ergonomics.
I've heard that the new stock of LLL 11873s are being shipped this month, excited to receive mine!
doubleo6point9 wrote:
Meant to share these photos months ago but got distracted with life and all that so here they are now. I took the LLL 11873 with me on a quick trip to Fukuoka and Seoul last January for some random street/travel documentary work and was impressed enough that I sold my Leica 35mm Summilux FLE v1 since I couldn't justify keeping both. Caveat to that is that it's not a 1:1 replacement as I used the extra funds to offset my purchase of the Leica 35mm APO that I plan to mainly use for travel while the LLL 11873 will be mostly used for environmental portraits or when I need the extra stop that the APO can't provide.
This is the combo (APO and LLL) ive been using and it’s wonderful. This LLL 35 ‘character’ lens to me, is the only one that really shines in terms of price, build and overall rendering. Dare i say, the overall rendering fools me for (vintage or not) L glass!
EMH2025 wrote:
all your photos are beautiful. I really like this lens and I am not really a 35 mm person- have the titanium version
Thank you! I also ended up with a pre-ordered titanium version as I’m a sucker for the color plus it goes great with M10R BP.
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jeffersoncasey wrote:
Did you get the sweet potato taiyaki from the stall at picture 7? That's like the best fillings taiyaki I've had!
Your pictures inspired me to try this lens somewhere in the future, been eyeing on a 35 Summilux, just not sure if it'll be FLE v1 since price is coming down a lot, pre-FLE for slightly less, or this LLL...
Haha I did not get a chance to stop in. I was on my way to a specific Yatai so I was saving my appetite for later. Though I’ll make it a point to stop by next time. I’d also recommend checking out Milan Swolfs review on the lens as well as he really shows how it can shine with portrait photography. I picked up the titanium copy but I think $1400 is a pretty good price for a lens of this quality, though sometimes if you have the itch for a specific Leica lens then maybe it’s best to go that route first to satisfy the itch so you’re not always wondering. After shooting both the LLL was enough for me in what I was looking for to allow me to part with my FLE.
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low325 wrote:
This is the combo (APO and LLL) ive been using and it’s wonderful. This LLL 35 ‘character’ lens to me, is the only one that really shines in terms of price, build and overall rendering. Dare i say, the overall rendering fools me for (vintage or not) L glass!
I definitely think both lenses compliment each other really well. The LLL is also a fantastic travel lens as well but there’s a look I love with the APO for my style of travel photography and it’s hard to beat the size. There are times where I wish I could bring both with me while I travel but at the end of the day both lenses offer enough that I actually have to debate on which 35 I want to carry with me. I haven’t looked at my old Canon 35mm L lens photos in a long while but now you’ve got me curious and I may have to go back to compare…
doubleo6point9 wrote:
I definitely think both lenses compliment each other really well. The LLL is also a fantastic travel lens as well but there’s a look I love with the APO for my style of travel photography and it’s hard to beat the size. There are times where I wish I could bring both with me while I travel but at the end of the day both lenses offer enough that I actually have to debate on which 35 I want to carry with me. I haven’t looked at my old Canon 35mm L lens photos in a long while but now you’ve got me curious and I may have to go back to compare… ...Show more →
Oh 100% absolutely agree. The 35 APO M is NEVER, under ANY circumstances a stay at home lens when travel calls.
, so ideally you are looking for one lens that
